The princess clutched her belongings in her hands and hurried down the streets, a cloak slung over her head to hide her identity.
"Get her!"
She heard one of the royal guards yell, and she could bet he was pointing a finger at her disappearing figure.
She ran with all her might towards the dock to catch a ship that would take her away from her land of birth, but bumped into someone and stumbled. Without wasting anymore minute, she steadied herself and clutched her belongings all the more.
Just a little more. Just a little more, and you can rest.
She chanted beneath her breath, seeking motivation to keep her legs moving. Her heart was racing alongside her legs, and her breath came out in gasps. Thanks to the morning breeze she wasn't sweating all that much, but it hurt to swallow.
She could hear the sound of the guards' footsteps so close to her now, and in a moment of misjudgement she looked back. She stumbled over a stone, her belongings flying out in different directions as she tried to break her fall with her arms.
"At last."
The captain of the guards ground out as he stood and stared down at the fallen girl.
"Princess Ara, we have orders from the Queen to take you back to the palace immediately. If you resist, we have orders to injure you, as long as we take you back alive."
Dread filled Ara, her eyes flitting from one guard to another as thoughts of the punishment that awaited her filled her mind.
No food and water for days. Perhaps, fifty lashes to her bare back, or having to scrub and dust the palace all by herself.
She shook her head and let a sigh escape her lips. Who would have thought that a princess lived like her slave in her father's palace?
Rising to her feet, she gathered up her items and faced the men, her head hanging in resignation.
No need to fight fate. What will be, will be.
Or so the guards thought.
Ara hid a smile and watched them turn around, expecting her to follow after them.
Just as they turned their backs to her, she also turned to the opposite direction and sprinted away from them.
Jumping over stones and little trash on the streets that could cause her to fall again, she held her items close to her chest and used the other hand to hold the lower part of her gown so that it would trip her.
"Princess Ara! Princess Ara!" The captain shouted, but Ara ran faster till she her lungs were on fire and her legs felt like lead.
To her, this was now a matter of life and death.
She chose life.
Almost there... Almost there... Almost there....
There!
She reached the docks, noticing as a ship began to pull away. In a last minute decision, she ran back a little and then pushed forward, sailing through the air with surging desperation and waning energy.
She landed in the ship with a thump and then fell to a ground in a twist of skirts and luggage. When she looked back, she didn't see any of the royal guards in sight, so she allowed herself a smile.
Thank God.
She breathed a sigh of relief and sweat off her forehead.
I'm free from her ruthless grandmother, the Queen Dowager.
YOU ARE READING
Awaiting Her Beau
Spiritual"Do you have anything to say?" He shook his head, but never shifted his gaze from her face. "Well then, what do you want?" She snapped, tired of his incessant staring. He shook his head again, still remaining speechless. She sighed. "Is there someth...
