Royal Blood

Chapter Seven

Jasper led the way into the town. I was mesmerised by the sights before me. I had gotten used to the grandeur of the palace as I saw the same thing day after day but this was something new completely. There were skyscrapers bigger than what I could ever have imagined, taller than the trees that were in the forests. These are the kinds of buildings I have only ever seen from glances out of a car window when I was on royal visits. They leave me breathless.

Unlike the country road leading to the village and the night spent in the forest, the town is lit by streetlights and not just the moon and stars. It is a small comfort for me to be surrounded by electricity again after just one night without it. It reminds me of home.

Everything looks more expensive in the town as well. As Jasper and I walk down one of the streets (one where the lights are not working), I notice that parked along the sides of the roads are very expensive looking cars, the same type that the palace often uses. For a moment my heart stops and I wonder if they have found me but when I take a closer look at the car I see that it does not have the palace crest on the front so I sight out in relief.

Growing up I always imagines that towns would be busy. I have accompanied my mother on numerous events that have taken place in towns and there have always been massive crowds though as I have gotten older, I begin to imagine that a lot of it was set up. This town is deserted though. Other than Jasper and I, there is not another soul on the streets. All the curtains in windows are drawn shut and every shop is closed. It even looks like that all the lights have been switched off in every building.

"Jasper, is the town always this quiet?" I ask him, hoping he can put my mind at ease.

I watch him as he carries on walking forwards with his head down; "no it's usually busy. I don't understand why there is nobody out." He says, his tone being very serious.

There is a part of me that wants to ask where we are going but I know that right now is not the right time. Both of us keep checking our surroundings, knowing that it only takes one person to see us for everything to be ruined. Luckily for us, there is absolutely no one on the streets looking for us.

"This is strange. It is far too quiet out here. I would have thought there would be have guards all around the town looking for you. Also the shops should still be open. Nothing about this makes any sense." Jasper mutters to himself, loud enough that I can still hear him though.

"There will be some reasonable explanation for this, I'm sure about that." I try and comfort him.

He stiffens where he is stood, "I hope you're right princess. This way." He leads to an alley way that has been abandoned and stops in front of a door.

I expect Jasper to keep walking but instead he stops and knocks on the door.

"What are you doing?" I hiss at him.

"Trust me." I watch him as he knocks on the door again.

This time the door creeps open and a woman's head pokes itself through the gap.

"Who is there?" she says fiercely.

"Anita, it is just me. Will you let us in?" Jasper says to her and her face then turns calmer. She signals for us to come and then she quickly locks the door behind us.

"Jasper, what are you doing here? You were lucky not to be caught."

"Be caught by who? There was no one on the streets other than us. What is going on?"

I stay quiet and hide in the background, knowing that my presence will probably create more drama. Where I am stood I am able to take a good luck at Anita. In all my life, I have never seen anyone look the way that she does. Her hair looks to have been shaven off apart from areas which are spiked up and they have been died blue.