Things I Almost Remember: A Selection Story

Lucy

It had been eight years. Eight years since she left the young princess, the beloved granddaughter of her closest friend, alone on the side of the road. In those eight years, Lucy Leger constantly questioned whether she did the right thing and wondered ever more constantly what had become of Kerttu Koskinen, the young girl who meant so many things to so many people. It was especially on the anniversary of that horrible attack that these things weighed particularly heavy on Lucy's mind.

On the night of the attack, America Schreave, the former queen of Illéa and her closest friend, had asked Lucy and her husband Aspen to run with Kerttu, something they had done without question. They had escaped through one of the many secret passages inside the palace that still remained from the days of constant Rebel attacks.

Aspen had carried little Kerttu, just eight-years-old at the time, in his arms trying his best to simultaneously quiet and comfort her as she sobbed softly. Kerttu had always been a very perceptive and intelligent child, and she had understood quickly when Aspen had urged her to be quiet. That still did not hold back all the tears that flooded down her face.

Aspen had had good training as a soldier and knew how to escape from the grounds of the palace and into the surrounding city without detection easily. Kerttu's mother Queen Eadlyn had insisted on keeping her and her brother off of The Report, the weekly broadcast from the palace watched across Illéa, until she was older, and the only official photographs that had been released by the palace of Kerttu came from when she was born and at her uncle Prince Kaden's wedding when she was two. Eadlyn and her husband Eikko had been very insistent on the privacy of their children, and this had been very key in Aspen and Lucy being able to sneak Kerttu out of the palace without anyone recognizing her.

For nearly two years after that night, Lucy, Aspen, and Kerttu had lived on the run, going from town to town to avoid detection. Lucy had worried, particularly for Kerttu, on how long they could run with the princess before they were caught. The new King Marid had declared that all of the Schreave line had been "eliminated," but there were persistent rumors across the country that the young princess and heir to the throne had survived. Aspen and Lucy did not know if the government believed these rumors or knew that Kerttu had escaped, but they felt it was best to act as though someone was always after them.

Aspen was always careful that they were undetected, and his efforts paid off, until one fateful night. Lucy had been with Kerttu at a small apartment they were renting in another small town putting the young princess to bed while Aspen had gone to find warmer clothing. Kerttu had a lot of trouble sleeping and often awoke from horrifying nightmares remembering the attack on her family. Lucy would always stay close to her at night until she was certain she was soundly sleeping and would sleep nearby in case of a nightmare. 

Just as Kerttu had nearly fallen asleep that night, Aspen had burst into the apartment in a panic.

"Lucy, we need to go now!" he had said urgently. "Don't grab anything, just grab Kerttu quickly, and if you have to keep going without me, keep going. We need to keep her alive, for America."

Lucy had nodded quickly and picked up Kerttu. The little girl had slowly opened her eyes.

"Miss Lucy, what is going on?" she had said with a yawn, her navy blue eyes fluttering open.

"Honey, we need to go now, stay with me and keep up with me." she hd said, frantically wrapping Kerttu's wool coat and hat around her pajamas. "Also, now this is very important, you must be very quiet, and no matter what, you must keep running with me. Even if General Leger is hurt or behind, we must go."

"We can't leave him," Kerttu had whispered, her eyes beginning to get wet. "We left Mama and Papa and we cannot leave anyone else."

"Sweetheart please know  that they want YOU to be safe, and you are helping them by moving on and forward. I know it is scary, but please know it is for the best. We all love you so much," Lucy had said, hugging the little girl whom she truly loved like her own daughter or granddaughter.

"Okay," Kerttu had said quietly, wiping her tears away from her eyes with the sleeve of her coat.

Lucy had wrapped Kerttu's scarf and placed a knit hat on her head. She had then put on her own coat and hat and grabbed the carpet bag that she and Aspen always kept in case of a need to run. It always carried some food, a change of clothes for each of them, paper and pencils, a compass, and a map. Lucy had swung the bag over one of her shoulders and taken Kerttu by the hand and lead her out the door. Aspen normally would carry Kerttu when they were all together, but Lucy had thought they would move faster if Kerttu went on foot. 

They had rushed out of the apartment meeting Aspen on the dimly lit street.

"Are you ready?" he had asked. Lucy had nodded, and the three of them had made their way down the street.

It had been the middle of the night, and there had been no one else on the street so they had had to move slowly and quietly. Unfortunately, they had not moved quietly enough. Right as they had come to the edge of town, a shout had rung out, and suddenly, two soldiers with guns came speeding toward them on foot.

"Lucy go, now!" Aspen had ordered, pulling a gun from the holster of his pants and preparing himself for a fight.

"General Leger?" Kerttu had croaked, her blue eyes turning wide.

"You are so much like your grandmother," Aspen had said before turning and running toward the men.

Before the soldiers could see Kerttu's face, Lucy had grabbed her hand and broken into a sprint. They took off into the woods. Lucy had not known which way they were going but just had had a rush of adrenaline to get the small girl away from the danger. She had not known she would never seen her husband again. She had not known what would happen within the next hour, but she had known she had to protect Kerttu.

After about an hour of running, something had happened which changed everything.  The ground had been rocky and uneven, covered in roots and branches. A branch caught Kerttu's foot as they were running, and she had fallen, hitting her head on a nearby rock and breaking her fall.

Lucy had never felt such a panic. She had been charged with protecting the small princess and had failed due to something as small and insignificant as an uneven branch. Lucy had been able to determine Kerttu was still alive, if barely, so she had picked her up and continued to run. She still had not known where she was going, bit she was determined to get Kerttu to safety, but after what seemed like even more endless wandering and right at the moment she saw the lights of the next closest town, she had heard shouts and voices in the distance. 

Lucy had not known who they were, but she could not risk Kerttu being found with her. The soldiers they had encountered had worn the uniform of the exclusive royal guard. They had been sent by King Marid because they had to have known that Kerttu had been saved at the attack.

In that moment, Lucy made a decision that changed everything. She had taken a piece of paper and a pencil and written a note that said, "This is K, please take care of her and keep her safe. Let her know that she is loved," and attached the note to the button of Kerttu's coat. She had then laid the still unconscious little girl on the edge of a main trail of the forest near the edge of the town and run in the opposite direction.

Lucy never saw Kerttu or Aspen again after that night, and she had prayed every day that they were safe, that someone had found Kerttu and gotten her help, that Aspen would walk through her door one day. She hoped America, wherever she was, would be able to understand the choice she had made.