The Destitute Queen || h.s. au

10. Milena

     The clock in the town square strikes midnight, and I gulp. My palms have never been sweatier and my heart is racing. Clearing my throat, I stand up from my bed and tiptoe out of my room. This is insane, am I really going to do this? Maybe it's not a good idea.

     I take a peek into Alec's and Ben's room, where they are both soundly asleep. My feet carry me to Ben's bed, and I lean down. Gently, I stroke his hair and place a kiss on his forehead. You're going to be alright, Ben, I want to say to him. I turn to Alec, whose soft snores fill the room. My brothers are my life, I don't know what I would do without them. That's exactly why I'm risking getting thrown in the dungeon so Ben can have a chance at life.

     The poor boy is only twelve, and he's much smaller than other boys his age. He, like Alec and I, is scrawny and malnourished. I shouldn't be complaining, though. At least we have a place to live and food to eat, most of the time. This whole kingdom is suffering, thanks to the wretched King. He sits on his comfortable throne in his extravagant palace while the world around him is crumbling. We have to pay that monster more money than we can make, and for what? So he and his spoiled wife can host royal balls and his bratty children can enjoy the pleasures of having whatever they want, whenever they want it.

     I snap out of my thoughts and hurry to the front door. My black cloak is hanging on the arm of a chair. Once I spot it, I snatch it and pull it around my shoulders, tying it tightly and hiding my head under the hood. Then, I silently open the front door and walk out of it, taking a deep breath.

     The cold, night air hits my face, sending goosebumps to my arms. I wrap the cloak around me in order to warm up as much as I can, and proceed walking down the road. There aren't as many Watchers as I thought there would be, but the ones I can spot are walking all around the town square. It's going to be nearly impossible to be unseen.

     I hide behind a shop when I see two Watchers heading my way. They definitely aren't the town's Watchers. These two work for the King.

     The apothecary's shop is within my line of sight, and I pray that I don't get caught. I notice a road behind me leading to the back entrance of each shop on this road, meaning there must be a back entrance to the apothecary's shop, as well. Before I know it, my feet are sprinting towards the back of the shop. My hunch was right, there is indeed a back entrance. Slowly, I turn the door handle. The door creaks as it opens, and I pop my head inside. Luckily, there's no one in the shop. I look around at all of the different sorts of elixirs. Some are clear blue, some are slimy and pink. There are large, glass jars on shelves that are filled with all kinds of ingredients, I think I see snail shells in one of them.

     I quickly recognize the small vial filled with glowing liquid that the apothecary had showed me, and I immediately grab it. I spin around, heading towards the back entrance. I must've spun too quickly, because my cloak got caught on one of the shelves. Before I could stop anything from happening, the shelf begins to fall over. I close my eyes as a loud crash startles me.

     "What the hell was that?" A voice says from outside. I tug at my cloak until I get free, just in time for three of the King's Watchers to rush into the room. I waste no time in running out of the shop as fast as I can.

     "Hey!"

     "Stop right there!"

     My legs want to collapse but I won't let them. I hurry down the road and away from the town square. There's no way I can go back home, not while they're following me. My brain seems to not be functioning, because I run right into the forest I was so terrified of when I was a child.