daughter of esmund

Seventeen

A/N: Hey y'all! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. If you do please consider leaving a vote and comment with any feedback you might have. It would be greatly appreciated! I'm gonna keep this note short and sweet since the last two were so long, but I do want to start asking a question each chapter for you to answer in the comments below. I'll leave it at the end of the chapter so I don't spoil anything. ;). Anyways, enjoy!

- Joya

Word Count: 1243 (sorry about it being short)

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Princess.

The word echoes in my ears a few times before it settles and takes full effect. Damn.

"U-um," My voice comes out quiet as I take an almost unnoticeable step backward.

His eyes look back and meet mine, "What?"

I don't reply, I just cross my arms and hunch my shoulders a bit, keeping my eyes locked on a rock laying on the grass and trying to make myself smaller.

He takes a small step forward, hesitantly reaching out to touch my shoulder. When I flinch he takes it as a sign to retract the movement, "Hey, did I say something or... do something? I-I really didn't mean to upset you."

I open my mouth to speak but for an awkward amount of time, no words come to my mind for me to say. I just stare at him, my mouth appearing as if words should be coming from it.

Eventually, the words come to me, "C-could you please not call me that? I-I'm sorry I can't remember if I told you, u-um...I'm sorry, r-really, I'm s-"

His expression shifts as he hears the request, after a few seconds it registers, "Oh, damn yeah, sorry, I just forgot. Are you, okay?"

I nod, quickly pushing a smile on my face, "Y-yeah um, s-sorry, heh," I shake my head, "s-sorry.."

The pulling in my chest that I've been feeling grows stronger until the only word I can remember is 'sorry'. I step away again, rubbing the bridge of my nose a bit too hard than I should be. My shoulders are hunched as I stare at that same rock about a meter away, and try to breathe. I haven't gotten like this in a while, and when I did last I was just able to ignore it. My hand reaches up and takes a hold of the collar of my dress, almost like the neck of it is too tight and is the source of the strengthening pulling.

His words echo in my ears again, "Hey, are you okay?"

I don't respond, I'm too lost in what is replaying in my head. Every and every moment I ever pinned to that..name. Facing Gene, watching him hurt people that I love and care about and then watching him force Vylad to hurt me. Princess. I get why people would call me it. It really was fitting. I didn't, I don't, know what it's like to struggle. Maybe I have a better understanding of it now, but, not really. I used to embrace it, I-I thought it was clever. And then...then it was ruined by a shadow knight in the forest. Not once, but twice.