ESCAPE

Thunder hits the sky followed by lightning, and the heavy rain poured, washing the earth. Aurora sat in the tunnels that lead the water out of the palace. Her clothes were soaked and her hair sticking to her skin, wet. Her legs were already turning white.

"I should be safe here for now," She thought to herself while she sat dark tunnel close to the palace gate, waiting for the guards to leave.

She is dressed in a long white bathing robe and no shoes, she wrapped herself in her arms, hoping and praying to her god, she leaves safe without getting noticed.

Aurora hears the bell ringing, and her eyes open wide, she wondered why the bell kept ringing. Her heart tremendously beat hard, her wet hands shaking from fear.

"Her highness is missing!" A male voice roared.

Her breathing increased, and she curled herself tightly, listening to the bell ring loud around the citadel. Aurora hears movements around her, and quietly she pushes herself together, making sure she made no noise.

"Damn! how did they notice so easily" She whispered, panting while scared for her life, she had sat in the water all night, and the guards didn't seem to leave, they talked and played games, she hoped maybe they would fall asleep.

The morning was fast approaching, she suspected they would have noticed, but she didn't think it would be this early. She sat there, she only thought of an escape plan, luckily they hadn't noticed her yet, it's been thirty minutes, and her eyes shut briefly, exhausted and cold. Aurora starts dozing off as she didn't sleep well last night. "Not now," she tapped her cheek, "Not now, fool!" she woke herself back to reality.

"Your Majesty!" The guards gather around close to where she was hiding, all she could see were their feet.

Aurora didn't think the King would search for her himself, hearing this fear washed her, and her palms turned sweaty.

Shaking from the fear and cold, she tightly covers her mouth with her hands, sobbing. Aurora feared for her life praying hard so as not to get caught.

"Search the tunnels," The king orders and as soon as Aurora heard him she knew it was over for her, she slowly crawled back still there was no place to go any longer.

"I hear noise," one of the guards, stepping into the tunnel, Aurora grabbed her lips in her hand. "The torch," he asked.

Confused she remained there, hoping they don't get too deep, was she to surrender or remain and hope for the best.

Amid her thoughts, the touch flashes her face.

"I found her!" He screams, Aurora knew the rest would be onto her soon.

The shock of being found makes her cold lifeless body drop into the waters, after sitting in the water for a long time.

The guards place her on a small bed, and the royal doctors rush to her.

Minutes later, King Liam arrives at the room where she lay, he walked in his white royal robe.

"Your Majesty" the man in front of the room bows, making way for him to pass.

"How is she doing?" He asked the royal doctor who steps outside of the room.

"She's fine, Sire, we just have to wait till she wakes up" He clears his throat, Liam lowers his head keeping his hands in a fist, his jaw clenched, showing how angry he was. "She would need hot tea to warm her up a bit" The royal doctor states.

"Okay, you can leave," He says, turning around, and no one except the guards stood outside the room. "Where are her maids?" He questioned

A guard turns to him, and bows before replying, "In her chambers, Sire, they making her bed" He said.

"Transfer her to her chambers and I want them at the court right now!" He raised his voice.

"Sire," another guard rushes toward him, "Your Grandmother awaits you at your chambers" Liam sighs frustratedly

"Prepare the wedding for tomorrow" he replied, leaving disappointed.

"Yes, Sire,"

Finally, she opens her eyes, and slowly took a deep breath, she looked around her and found herself stuck in the same room, she tried to escape. Seeing this she could tell her plan to escape failed, and tears gathered in her honey-brown eyes, she pouted covering her eyes with her hand, she cried.

She wondered, could she ever leave here? Maybe she could talk to the King herself, Aurora slowly got up. Her eyes widened at the wedding gown in the middle of the room.

It was happening, she could tell.

"_Search the tunnels_" Liam's voice recalls in her head, Aurora remembered. She is getting married to someone, whose voice she heard only once, she had never got to see the king and doesn't know what he looks like. Even when she knew she wouldn't make it out of the palace she had to provoke the king and he came looking for her.

The door creaked, and Aurora directed her attention to it, a young lady walks in.

"Your-" she paused, "Your Highness, Dinner," she said, keeping an innocent face, Aurora could tell she was frightened.

"What's your name?" she asked, nicely, making her a bit comfortable. She remembered her from yesterday.

"Your Highness" she called, Aurora took her blankets off, and her swollen feet touched the ground.

Seeing Aurora get down from the bed, the maid looked towards the door and Aurora's eyes followed her.

"Ah, about that" she bit her lips, finding an excuse for her action. "I have given up on whatever I was planning this palace is too secure to escape, if this is my fate I have decided to accept it," she stated, the maid blinked, confused.

Aurora smiled in return and the room is silent, Aurora stands by the window, "Are you going to tell me your name or not?" She asked, turning around, Aurora's eyes furrowed, and the lady knelt after placing the food on a wooden table. "Oh my, what are you doing?" Aurora knelt in front of her.

"Your Highness, what are you doing?" She asked, slapping her lips after.

"Get up!" Aurora urged, not caring about her pattern of speech.

"Your Highness," She called.

"Why do you keep saying your highness even when you have nothing to say" Aurora sighed softly, letting go of her hand.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," she said again.

"I just want to know your name" Aurora's face fell sad, pouting.

"I'm Sania, your highness," she bows, with her hand resting on her stomach.

"Sania?" Aurora smiled, "I haven't heard of that name before" she cleared her throat, she looks her head to toe, Sania could be the same age as her, but seeing how uncomfortable the questions made her look, she decided not to ask, hoping she couldn't feel scared. "Anyway, can you be my friend?" she suggested, Sania looked at her and when Aurora's eyes met hers, she lowered them.

"My lady, you're Queen, and Queen doesn't make friends with the maids" she explained.

"That's bullshit" Aurora spat, Sania looked at her and tightened her lips, knowing she must have used the wrong word but instead she laughed, Aurora smiled.

"Your Highness, your mother sent your luggage" A voice announces behind the door with a small knock.

"My mom?" She rushed towards the door, curious and desperate to see Mrs Dan standing outside. But her face is filled with disappointment seeing the senior maid standing outside.

"Your highness? what's wrong?" She asked, Aurora looks her up and down, and she held a brown box.

"Where's my mom?" she asked, calmly.

"She asked us to give you this," she replied.

"Really?" She questioned, disappointed and feeling hatred.

Aurora heads back in, sucking the flood of tears, was this her life? She questioned if this was a dream, she prayed to wake up, because it was becoming scary.

"Your highness are you okay?" Sania asked, Aurora darts at her.

"By the way," she sighed, trying to sound happy, this wasn't the life she wanted. "I am not queen yet why do you call me that?" She asked.

"You will be queen tomorrow," The senior maid said, Aurora turns back to her, and placed the box on the bed, ready to open it.

"Leave that" she stopped her, their eyes met, and she stepped backwards, lowering her gaze. Aurora looks at the wedding gown, it was beautiful yet simple. "Wait! It's tomorrow?" She asked.

"Yes, Your..." Sania stepped forward.

"Stop it!" she screamed, and Sania takes a step backwards, "I hate my life!" Her eyes popped.

"Your Highness, you need to eat," Sania whispered, scared.

"I'm not hungry" Aurora calms, dropping to the edge of the bed, "I am not hungry!" She yelled, falling to the bed, and slamming her hands on the bed.

"And take a shower, the King would be here tonight," The senior maid said, she looked so confident.

"What?" Aurora's face wrinkled.

"It a tradition, for the king to sleep with his bride-to-be, knowing either or not she is a virgin," She said,

"What!" She blinked, speechlessly "What stupid tradition? what year is this? please!" she screamed confused.

"I have prepared..." Aurora interrupted.

"You've prepared nothing!!!" she said, aggressively, glaring at her.

"Your Highness," Sania whispered, Aurora's eyes filled with rage, as much as she tried to control her anger, she couldn't, the urge to leave this place grew the more they talked.

"I can't believe this is happening, how could I forget about my life?" She whispered, looking at her restless fingers. "My whole life before I agreed to come here!" She looked at them, Liviana held her head in her hand, and her lips shake, "If I didn't come back home and stayed with Michael I wouldn't be here but that bastard..." She bit her nails, blinking severally, "Had to cheat on me" She swallowed, wiping her tears, and Aurora gripped the sheets.

"Aurora?" A soft voice sounded, Aurora looked up at the lady who slowly taps her slightly. "I know this is tough for you everything is new... We, the king, the palace but, the people you put in danger when the king doesn't get what he wants..."

"What people?" Aurora swallows.

"Each time you upset him, the people in charge are punished mercilessly, since he can't hurt you," She said, sitting beside her.

The reality was dawning on her, she had become the wife of a beast, and this even frightened her more, Aurora closed her eyes briefly and breathed out calmly.

"This is our second chance, please... We beg of you," she says desperately.

Aurora looks at her and Sania, those words, and responsibilities were impossible to her. Letting him take control of her, so she could survive and they could also survive.

"I want to be alone" Aurora takes her hand off her shoulders, shifting away from her.

"Yes, your highness," they both say, leaving the room.

She didn't know what kind of King he was, her whole life she had lived outside the palace, and now she was slowly discovering who he was.

She took a deep breath, and got up, walking to the table where Sania had dropped the tray of food. After she was done, forcing herself to eat, she takes off her cloth, and walk into the bathroom. Aurora soaks herself into the until the water covers her face.

After a while, the maid and Sania walk into the room, sneakingly.

"Your highness?" She calls, seeing no one, and she alerts, "Her Highness is missing! Sound the bell!"

For a while, the palace was not in order as the people searched for their queen to be. For the second time in Aurora's life, she was the centre of attention which she hated so much

"What about the bathroom?" Sania asked, they both rush inside, and open the bathroom door.

"Your highness!" Sania rushed over to her, pulling her out of the water.

"Oh my god, send for the doctor immediately!" The senior maid yelled.

Aurora wipes her face, looking around "What doctor?" Aurora looks at her, confused.

"Your Highness, are you okay?"

"You asked me to bathe didn't you?" She raised her brows at her.

"I did?" The senior maid asked looking at Sania.

"Clearly" She urged to roll her eyes, "and oh, I ate too" she rolled her eyes.

"Your Highness, I... "

"Just get out... I wanna sleep" Aurora picks up a robe, covering her nakedness, she walks into the bedroom and finds other maids waiting. She sighed, rolling her eyes and clenching her jaw. "Get out!" She spoke, they remained, and she looked at them, "I said get out! all of you!" she ordered.

The responsibility they had made clear for her was a difficult task. She had never in her life been in a situation where other people's happiness came first, instead of hers.