The Last Princess [EDITED]

Chapter 12

ARDEN had left in the morning, and Aiden had been pushing me beyond my limits with his training, both mental and physical. I hadn't been able to use the Forest yet — I'd given up on that — but even I could see my improvement with a sword.

We were eating dinner when someone banged on the door hard, the knocks shaking the wood walls.

Birch leaped out of his seat, running to the door. He pulled it open, revealing a man, his sword out.

"The Queen! She's attacking! There're too many of them, we have to evacuate!"

There was an instant flurry of movement and noise.

Meadow shrieked. Aiden dropped all his daggers, picked them up and shoved them in his belts, the blades scratching against each other. The man ran away. Birch turned to us, already unsheathing the sword at his hip. "You all know what to do. Grove, Meadow, come with me. Princess, you go with Aiden. Go!"

Grove scooped Meadow up in her arms and ran out the door with Birch. Aiden ran into the room, his feet thudding back as he ran back in, holding a long sword, a pack and boots.

I stood there immobile.

He thrust the sword at me and yanked the boots on. My fingers shook at the hilt. "What are you doing?" He said, looking at me. "Come on!" He grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the fireplace.

He dug into the bricks there, and I saw what hadn't been before. There was a tunnel, deep and dark, leading away from the house. It would be invisible to anyone who didn't know it was there.

"Go!" I scrambled inside, the rough dirt digging into my nails. He crawled in behind me and gestured frantically. We had barely moved when Aiden put a hand on my arm.

I stopped, turning back. It was so dark I could barely see what was happening. But Aiden was piling up rocks — where had he gotten them? They formed a wall, and I understood. He was blocking the way for anyone following us.

I found my voice.

"What's going on?"

"Shh! Just move," he said, and I continued crawling. I couldn't see anything now, anything at all. The floor sloped downwards as the tunnel leveled out, soon large enough for us to walk.

I felt sick to my stomach. She'd come for me. I'd endangered all these innocent people.

And it was dark —as dark as the dungeons sometimes got on winter nights, when the light from the candles had blown out, and the silence was haunting.

I wasn't alone here, but with Aiden's silence I might as well have been.

"Where are we going?"

His voice came deep from behind me. "Somewhere safe."

"Where?" I pressed.

"Another rebel camp."

I sighed. "Why are you so angry at me?"

"Angry? I'm not angry, Princess," he said, tone dry and emotionless. I sighed. If he didn't want to talk, I wouldn't make him.

I was growing tired, but I didn't want to stop here. Not in this dark place. Aiden didn't say anything either, so we continued.

And eventually I saw faint light, coming from ahead, and I quickened my steps. It turned out the light was coming from a hole above us, wide enough for a person to fit through.

The moon and stars shone from the gap. It was night. Or, perhaps, early morning.

"Are you going to stand there all day?"