The argument left Izzy more emotionally fragile than before. She couldn't comprehend what August had said to her before stomping out the door. That her father had killed her parents? Or had caused the deaths of many of those living in the forests.
When she was still in school, her tutors would always make a note to educate on the history of the wall her great grandfather had constructed. "It was to keep the Aldham citizens safe from the dangers lurking beyond their reach," they would tell. The wall kept the good in and the bad out. With only one bridge connecting the outside world from Aldham, there was never a chance of anyone unworthy from entering. The guard made sure of that. But for the guard to go out past the wall to kill? It wasn't possible.
Death wasn't something that came over the palace very often. In fact Aldham prided itself on keeping it's citizens youthful and healthy. She couldn't imagine that someone from the inside was trying to hurt other people.
A few hours passed of Izzy trying to comprehend it all to no avail only to have her though process interrupted by August opening the door. Her arms were full to the brim with logs and sticks presumingly for the fire. She kicked the door shut as she made her way to the fire which still seemed as effective as it was last night and carefully began setting some into the flames.
Izzy felt her stomach deep within her, twisting from the lack of food for now nearly a day. August stood up and went to one of two wooden cabinets and pulled out a small clothed wrapped loaf of bread. She broke it in half and extended the larger half to the princess.
"Don't worry it's not poisoned," she feebly joked as she noticed Izzy' hesitancy.
As much as she didn't want to take anything from the girl accusing her family of murder, Izzy knew that if she didn't eat she really would never make it back to the palace again. She took the bread in her hands and let the weight of it sit for a moment before taking a bite.
The dense bite filled her mouth and awakened a hunger Izzy didn't know she had. As slowly as she could possibly manage she finished off the meal in a mere minutes and could easily take down another. It sat in her stomach, filling one of the many emptiness's she now contained.
It was then that she noticed August staring at her as she ate her own portion.
"What?" she questioned. Her tone coming across slightly meaner than she meant.
"You were hungry." August said, not asking a question.
"Well believe it or not I've been stuck in a log house with no food or water for the past day," that time Izzy let the attitude linger in the air.
"Okay. Well I'm sorry about that but I didn't even know if I could trust you. You are in fact your fathers daughter."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that if any one of those men out there knew who you were, they would send your head to the palace on a stick."
Izzy said nothing.
"Look, this isn't going to work if we are just going to argue the whole time. So let's set up some ground rules. Okay?"
Izzy meekly nodded.
August began, "First, the fire? Mine. Don't touch it. Any little mess up and this whole place could go up in flames. Second, you can sleep in either of the corners you want but I'm warning you that they are both equally as uncomfortable. And finally, do not, under any circumstances, leave this house without me." She motioned towards the princesses weapon on the floor, " I know you're probably decent with that bow of yours but this isn't the palace practice targets we're up against. Whoever wants you dead isn't going to let anything stop them, as we've already learned. So, if you want to live long enough to see your precious palace again, I suggest that you stay right where you are. Do you understand?"
"Under one condition," Izzy channeled herfathers negotiating tactics, "you tell me everything you know about me and myfather."
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