Royally Kidnapped [h.s]

C H A P T E R 1 1

~image-Adelaide's Family~

"The maid corridors." Gemma blurted loudly, standing up and turning to face me with crazy eyes.

"What?" I asked, my eyebrows raised. I decided quickly she was losing it. She started pacing again, left and right across the room.

"The small hallways the maids use, to get from room to another." She stopped pacing to turn and look at me once more. "I know just the person to make sure we don't get caught."

*

Gemma returned half an hour later with the guard I'd seen with her the previous day. I'd learned his name was Sergeant O'Connell and he'd been a guard for a little over three years at the palace. I'd also learned he grew up only a short ride from my childhood house. Somehow, he told us, he'd managed to find an old carriage we could use to get to the village. I was suspicious, but I suppose it was better than walking for a couple hours.

He led the three of us through the maid corridors, making awkward turns once and awhile to make sure we wouldn't run into anyone along the way. The trip from the floor Gemma's room is on to the bottom floor only took twenty minutes with us going quite quickly.

I didn't even notice how far we'd gotten until Gemma and her guard stopped abruptly in front, causing me to stumble.

"This is where I leave you, good luck ladies." The sergeant spoke, pecking Gemma on the cheek and turning down some path. Gemma smiled and waved him a small goodbye before turning her attention towards the door in front of her.

"I'm scared." She announced suddenly. She was still looking at the door, but I could tell her smile was once again gone.

"I know," I started trying to sound comforting, "but this will be good for you. You'll get to see the world like you never have before." My voice was soft and sweet as I spoke, convincing even. I was doing this not only to help Gemma but also to help myself.

"Okay," her quiet voice finally spoke, "but you have to make a promise to me." Her eyes met mine, no trace of humour in them. I nodded, getting her to continue. "You cannot, under any circumstance, see anyone you know from outside the palace."

"Alright fine, can we go?" I was growing impatient, I needed to get out. I would have this chance taken from me.

"Yes, out this way..." she sounded unsure, like she couldn't even open the door. "let me just-" before she could finish I'd shoved open the door and started to make my way out.

"Adelaide, I'm trusting you. Please don't mess this up." Gemma spoke her eyes barely meeting mine. I felt a feeling of remorse, just for a quick second. I couldn't let the feelings get to me, I knew what I wanted and had to get it.

We opened the door and the sunlight hurt my eyes at first. I shut them quickly before slowly opening them to see my surroundings. Fields, and forests. Stables, gardens. it was beautiful and almost like home.

"Alright, let's go." I spoke to Gemma. She nodded and silently proceeded to the carriage.

As I got in I got a better look of the vehicle. I noticed it was more glamorous than I expected. Gemma had said that she asked her special guard friend to find a carriage that was more inconspicuous so we wouldn't draw too much attention as we travelled to the nearby village. Sure, it wasn't like the one they used when I was brought to the castle, but still it was much nicer than what a lot of the locals were used to seeing. I prayed that we could stay undiscovered just long enough that I could do what I needed to.

As we settled in, Gemma told me that Sergeant O'Connell had explained that the guards had been informed of a palace carriage that would be leaving the walls with a couple hand maids to get fabrics in the town over and that we shouldn't have any issues. He told us that if we were stopped at any time to plead ignorance. That annoyed me.

———————

The ride was relatively short once we managed to get out of the palace grounds. Clearly, the royal family was not too concerned about theft, we weren't even stopped once.

I wasn't quite sure what the driver thought he was doing or who he thought he was parading around with, but he never spoke once. Once we came to a stop, he simply hopped off the carriage and entered the closest pub. If I didn't have other plans for the day, I probably would have joined him.

Gemma had been weirdly silent since the sergeant left. Normally, I wouldn't have cared if someone stopped talking to me, but I was growing fond of her and I didn't want to lose what was the start of a great friendship.

"You okay?" I asked as I pulled my hood up and over my head to cover my true identity. I didn't think I would be very recognizable to the townsfolk but Gemma seemed to relax a little as I did it.

"I think so. I've never been outside the palace walls alone before." She said sheepishly. Beneath her own hood, I could see a glow of pink radiating from her cheeks.

"Don't worry about it, until recently I had never even been inside the palace walls before." I winked cheekily, placing my hand on her shoulder.

She puffed, "Do you think this was a mistake?" Her eyes searched around the town through the windows.

Please, don't back out now... I needed this.

"No, this is good for you, this is good for us" I tried to sound as convincing as I possibly could, without pleading.

Reluctantly, Gemma sighed and slowly shifted her body towards the door of the carriage. She took a deep breath and on the exhale, released the latch revealing us to the world outside, and stepped outside.

———•———•———•———•———•———•

Lol, 7 years later here we are...

Literally nothing happens in this chapter but I thought I'd share it instead of letting it sit in the drafts like it has been for years.

I can't remember if it's been revealed in previous chapters or not, so...

What do you think Adelaide is up to? Do you think Gemma will catch her?

If anyone has been waiting for this, let me know! Maybe I'll update it again, I do remember most of what I had planned.

Have a great day/night!

April 2nd 2023