The Princess's Rebellion

Chapter 11: A New Ally

    Ok. I either just made an ally or an enemy. Not sure which would make more sense after that confession, Rebecca thought feebly.

The reason she thought that was because Jasmine was staring at her is disbelief. Only moments ago she had just finished telling her secret, her reason for even coming to the village in the first place, and why she was here at the moment. Jasmine hadn't intervened once during those longs minutes, but Rebecca didn't want her to anyways. She needed to know the entire story.

There was a long absence of noise after that that Rebecca didn't dare to interrupt. Rebecca had gone through so many scenarios of this moment, but nothing could have prepared her for the reaction she could get. Jasmine wasn't the kind of person to get mad easily, nor the kind that lost their head over something unless it was truly a big deal. She was the most level headed person of the group next to Tristan, but that didn't mean she wasn't capable of holding grudges. Rebecca could only dread what could happen to their friendship now. And would she tell the others?

After what felt like a lifetime, Jasmine slowly let herself lie down in her bed with a sigh. Rebecca didn't move from her position. Her friend rubbed her eyes with her hands and took deep breaths. Jasmine had never been a violent person, but Rebecca had no interest of provoking her friend in a fight, so she sat silently and waited. No point in trying to explain anymore than she had already did.

There was more quietude until Jasmine spoke softly, "I don't know what to say right now. This is a lot to take it....my best friend is a princess that has been sneaking out of her castle to come to the Village plantae Pauperum for weeks...now she is trying to escape her father because he...killed an innocent women......impressive. Just...impressive."

Rebecca lowered her head in guilt. She wanted to say she was sorry. She wanted to make it up to her. She wanted to tell her that she above all of them didn't deserve the lies she told them. But Rebecca knew that if she spoke that she could be risking the shaky balance they had at the moment. So she waited.

Jasmine looked at Rebecca. Rebecca refused to meet her eyes. She could just imagine the pained and betrayed look on her friend's face right now, and she prepared for the yelling. She prepared for the tears. She prepared to walk out silently and feel the guilt and anguish weigh on her shoulders knowing that she had caused this onto herself from the beginning. All these lies... it was all her fault.

Jasmine's voice brought back Rebecca from her thoughts. She didn't sound angry, or even upset, "So...you...are the princess?"

Rebecca wasn't expecting that question quite yet, but she looked up at Jasmine, "Yes."

"How...can you prove this? If you mind me asking, that is."

Rebecca shook her head and took off the hood of her cloak. She revealed her long ebony curlys and took out a small pin from her hair. It was the symbol of the royals in Telkmania, like every royal family was gifted, but each is modified to match the family. Theirs was a yellow cinquefoil on a green background. It meant "hope and joy", which meant so much to Rebecca's mother. After she passed, King Marcus changed it to an silver annulet, which symbolized "loyalty and fidelity". Rebecca was hurt when her father tried to erase the cinquefoil from their coat of arms, so she saved the hair pin her mother used to wear to outings. King Marcus fought for so long to find it, even interrogating Rebecca to find it, but she stayed strong and kept the pin safe. It was one of the last things she still had of her mother, and she was prepared to fight for it if she had to.

Once she presented it to Jasmine, she watched her friend's eyes grow wide. She stared at the flower is surprise and slowly took it from her hands, all the while keeping an eye on Rebecca. She picked it up in one hand and inspected it to the light although Rebecca shifted uneasily. If Jasmine dropped it, Rebecca didn't know if she could hold her temper which, in the past, has gotten out before.