The Lost Ones

We Are Exiles

The ground was thick and muddy as I walked though the poor streets of Philipa. In the corner were the hoodlums who had nothing better to do. The dilapidated houses were almost leaning towards me.
My hood covered most of my face as I walked though a road filled with trash. My mother insisted that we do not interact for a long time with other people. My father agrees. Evanlan is a dump.
Our queen was murdered by the neighboring kingdoms and is now ruled by the King of Evanlan. That was almost 18 years ago. I have no memory of such a thing because I wasn't born yet.
And the prince will be holding a competition to find his wife and the future Queen of Evanlan.
And they were sending letters to everyone to select at random. After the murder of our beloved queen, when the prince was only 2, they decided he should marry a girl from the kingdom. They have all our information, so we would be chosen by random.
The girls will mostly come from the Elites and the Seconds, while the Thirds and the Exiles will be left without contestants to represent them. Not so random as they say it is.
The door was left opened in the little house that we have survived in for so many years. I was worried since my parents never left the door open at all. I went though and saw our mother and father staring wide eyed at a letter that she was clutching. My father was behind her looking wide-eyed at the paper.
That was enough to to scare me.
I said nothing as I went to see what the sheet said
I was selected to go and represent the Exiles. And it also stated that I was the only one.
"No way. That's...that's impossible. Out of all the girls in Philipa...."
My parents stared at me. Instead of seeing pride that I might become the next Queen of Evanlan, I saw fear.
They both gulped.
"You...you don't need to go...I mean...you can't go...they are cruel people and we don't want you like them. Please don't go Eliza." Her green eyes had pleaded.
I looked at my father, and saw fear in his eyes as well.
"I'm going, not because I want to become Queen of Evanlan, but to help you. I'm going. There's nothing you can do. I will help you."
I have brought money to the table, so I can also make my own choices. And if it means being without them for a prince, so be it. I will make sure they get to live a good life and move out of this dump, to a better place. If it means dirtying my hands I will do anything for their comfort.
Gods know I already do.
I went to pack the little clothes I had, because they would arrive the next day. And take me with them.