***Sequel to The Choice, Can't be Read as a Standalone***
The competition is over and Amancio has shown his true colours. The Dark Lords have taken over Aridia and half of the nobles- including Princess Barbara have been kidnapped. Along with the fa...
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Carlos' POV
"We have to be quiet, seeing as most of the guards are still nearby. Just keep your head down and follow my lead," Ashley instructed.
I had so many questions. How did Ashley manage to sneak into the palace without being caught? Where had she been since she left the competition? Where was she taking me?
I followed Ashley out of the cells, onto the hallway that connected to the rest of the palace. Thankfully, there were not many people wandering the halls.
"I don't understand any of this, where are you taking me?" I asked.
"I'm helping you escape, Carlos. I thought that part was obvious," Ashley muttered.
I still had questions to ask but I refrained, following Ashley as she manoeuvred the halls.
Loud laughs and chatter came from ahead. Ashley and I hid behind a wall, my heart pounding against my chest.
The voices got further and further away until we couldn't hear them anymore. Ashley motioned towards the right and I followed. She seemed to know the palace extremely well, despite only residing here for a few weeks. To be fair, there was something different about her. I knew Ashley as one of the Ladies who practically worshipped Esme. I knew she'd received many scholarly awards and had won Equestrian Championships. I also remembered that her father was murdered in cold blood by The Dark Lords, just a few weeks before The Choosing Ceremony. There was definitely something different about Ashley. She had definitely changed.
We had reached the palace help's exit, a part of the palace I wasn't naturally supposed to be in. But, when Amancio and I were children, we would play hide and seek around the palace. I would sneak out through the help's exit, so he wouldn't find me. Thinking of my childhood with Amancio only made me angrier, so I pushed the memory to the back of my head.
It was nearing evening and the sky was turning a darker shade of blue.
"Come on," Ashley whispered.
I stuffed my hands into my pockets, keeping my eyes on the ground as I followed Ashley. We walked past a group of gossiping maids who paid us no attention as they chattered about nothing in particular. We also passed a cobbler who fiddled with an expensive pair of shoes, probably belonging to one of the higher ranking Dark Lords.
At the end of the cobbled path that connected the palace to the Aridian City village, situated inconspicuously was a carriage, noticeably hidden by the trees.
"That's our ride," Ashley said as we moved closer towards the carriage.
"What took you so long?" A female voice called.
"Patience is a virtue, Allegra," Ashley rolled her eyes. "Carlos, this is Allegra."
Ashley motioned to the driver of the carriage. Allegra was a female name, one that wasn't very common in Aridia. But, the driver of the carriage looked more like an old man.
