He, who made you a princess

Chapter XVII

~ restless hearts ~

     "—thy! Athy!"

Jennette cried. She was soaked and she was cold, but so was her dear friend, the princess.

She shook Athy who lay unconscious, but the princess wouldn't wake up.

"Athy wake up! Please! Please wake up!"

A moment later, the princess coughed out water that had been in her airway.

    *cough* *cough* "Jen..."

"Athy!"

Jennette shot up from a prostrated position. She hugged the younger girl and cried, relieved that she woke up.

"Are you okay? It's so cold..."

Athy asked as Jennette continued to cry, but she nodded in response to the princess. Athy pushed her slightly to face her. Though younger, it seemed that the princess had a more calmer demeanor.

"It's okay Jen. Papa will save us!"

Athy hugged the crying girl and tried to stay strong. She recalled her father's words when he told her that he would come for her no matter what.

But the room was very small. They were both wet and it was cold. And Athy had never ever been outside of the palace grounds without her father.

She could hear a thunderstorm outside.

What was happening? Athy was confused and scared. Why were they there? Where was this place? Who took them? She was just about to have a birthday party in three days! She was just about to turn five years old.

Yet it feels like she suddenly needed to be stronger. But how does she do that?

Her father had been there with her every single day. He'd made sure she was safe and sound, and loved, and in his arms by the end of the day.

For the past five years, there has never been a single day that went by without her father kissing her goodnight. Five years, and she doesn't remember a day when he didn't tell her "I love you".

He would always say it whenever he thought she had fallen asleep. Every time she tested out whether he'd say it or not, she'd pretend to sleep just to hear him say those words.

And it gave her such joy. She was so loved. She was so precious and so dear. Her father cherished her beyond words.

Tonight would have been the same. It was supposed to be the same...

And yet she was here hugging a friend who is so obviously scared to death.

Athy couldn't help but start crying herself.

.

.

.

.

    That afternoon, while Claude was thinking of ways to pass time by killing unpleasantries, he suddenly felt a dreadful chill ran down his back.

His heart thumped painfully in his chest and his palms sweated cold ones as a feeling of unknown fear struck him where he stood.

The face of his daughter popped in his mind and a familiar fear clenched on his heart once more.

The panic he felt was beyond description. Claude disappeared within the second and appeared by the lake where his daughter surely is.

But what he arrived to was a stampede of panic from everyone there. His eyes moved to the single boat on the lake that was empty.

"Your majesty!!!"