The Lost Princess

Prologue

Prologue

Hushed whispers were exchanged by the two young servants. “I hear the Queen is pregnant with a son!” exclaimed a pretty woman with curly brown hair. 

“No,” shook the head of a younger woman, her brown hair tied primly in a bun at the top of her head. “I was told the Queen is with a girl. We will see, according to the midwife, the Queen may birth soon, tonight even!” 

The two women squealed in barely contained excitement. The curly -haired woman exclaimed gleefully, “How exciting!”

“Maisha! Aphora! Back to work, you gossips!” snapped the head servant, a harried-looking older woman with lines on her face. “We must prepare the castle for the coming of the new heir!” 

With identical sighs, the two women followed the woman. 

“The Queen is birthing!” shouted a high-pitched girl’s voice. A young girl sped through the halls. “The heirs are coming!” 

With shouts, Maisha took off towards the royal bedroom, curly hair flying behind her. “Maisha!” snapped the head servant. Shooting the older woman an apologetic glance, Aphora ran after her. 

Breathing hard, Queen Tamia held a baby swaddled in pink cloth. “It’s a girl,” Maisha said softly. Just then, the midwife came to her side, a sleeping baby swaddled in blue in her arms. Tamia gave a soft smile as she took the boy, cradling him side by side with his wide-eyed sister. 

“Twins? My, it looks as if the girl could understand us right now…” Aphora said, trailing off as the baby girl locked rapidly blinking eyes with her and Aphora froze. The girl closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Several weeks ater

Queen Tamia emerged from the balcony, watching her citizens with warm eyes, a soft smile on her face. A loving arm around her, she leaned into King Cadin, her husband. Smiling into her eyes, he took his son and daughter from her arms, striding to the rails and raising the two for his people to see. A loud cheer rose as they set their eyes on the heirs to Cordaine. The volume rose as the Cordinians cheered at the sight of their king, his kind queen, and the prince and princess of Cordaine. 

A single man at the back was silent through all this, emotionless as he was jostled and pushed. He spun around and left. 

A year later, Cadin and Tamia rested in the royal suites, sleeping peacefully. Soft cries woke Tamia, a new mother, and she drifted to the bedroom of the twins just as a shadowed person stepped onto the window ledge. She froze at this… and the sight of her children in his arms. He leapt out of the window, swiftly swinging a single shot at her, a dagger that pierced her thigh. 

She screamed. Bleary-eyed maids and servants rushed to her side, her husband not too far behind. She sobbed as she spoke of the kidnapping of her children. Her left leg bled profusely and stained the pure white nightgown. 

 Ten weeks later

The fair-haired man groaned as he shoved his way through the trees. White frost blurred his way as he stumbled. His hair was disheveled and there were numerous cuts on his face, arms, and legs where the low branches had caught him. He came to tall wall, curved around and at least thirty feet high. It was surrounded by skeletal trees. Distantly inside, he caught fuzzy sight of the tip of a tall building, a church, maybe.  

The man knew he would not make it around in this storm before they caught him. 

Thinking rapidly, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He had one choice left. Taking off his wool cloak, he wrapped it around the baby on his back. A single drop of blood was smeared on the infant's pink cheeks from his escape out of the Rebel camp, and it watched him solemnly. Snowflakes speckled its hair.