From Prisoner To Princess

Prologue

The sounds of swords clashing and gun shots being fired frightens the little Princess, making her cling to her Maid. She knows there are bad men in her home, that everyone is fighting but no one has told her why. All she knows is that her Maid is taking her to safety.

The stairs finally come to an end with a small passage way leading to the way out ahead. The Maid sighs with relief, tightening her hold on the Princess and quickening her steps.

"Just a little further and we will be free." She whispers, the Princess nodding her little head. The Maid’s arms are growing sore from carrying the Princess since she found the little girl huddled in fear, but she has a sworn duty to protect the little blonde girl and as she pushes the door open and the fresh air greets her, she feels a new found strength inside her. With the Princess so close to being safe, the Maid knows that the future of her country will be bright.

The maid smiles as she rushes into the cold night, sticking to the shadows of the trees as she tightens the cloak on the Princess doing her best to keep her warm. Finally she rounds the corner to find who she is looking for, a black horse saddled and ready to take her Highness away from the war filled Palace. A man in armour sits on top of the horse with a young boy in his lap – the Princess’s playmate and a night in training. The Maid knows that this mode of escape is old fashion, but if anyone were to take one of the vehicles, they will be tracked down and killed by the rebels. In this high-tech world, the quiet escape on horseback is what will save their Princess.

"Listen to me Princess.” The Maid begins, her pace nearly a trot at this point.

“The knight will take you to safety and when the time is right, we will return you home.” She places the Princess on her feet, looking into her watery eyes as she too does her best not to cry in front of the little girl she watched grow since the day the Princess was born. Reaching into her pocket, the Maid retrieves the necklace that the late Queen entrusted her with, carefully placing it around the young girl’s neck.

“This is from your parents. Know that they love you with all their heart.” With these final words, the Maid lifts the girl into her arms for one last hug before passing the Princess to the Knight, tears in her eyes as she watches the young boy wrap his arms around the Princess.

“Protect her.” The Maid pleads, before the night looks to the scared children before him. With a nod to the Maid as a silent promise the Knight flicks the reigns and the horse takes off, galloping away into the darkness with the Palace fading away….

♔

The woman jolts awake in a cold sweat, her cell freezing in the winter night. The vivid dream that she has just awoken from begins to fade from her mind as she tries to recall more than just the feel of warm clothes and the sounds of metal clashing. She sighs, her breath coming out as a cloud in the cold air. Its been years since she lost her memory and she feels hopeless, as if she will never remember who she really is.

Looking out the small window of her cell, she shivers and realizes that dawn is hours away. If she wants to have any strength for the day ahead, she will need to get more rest.

Pulling the thin material that the prison calls a blanket around her body, she curls in on herself hoping to conserve warmth. Her hand clutches the small gold necklace that she has had since childhood and she wills herself to fall asleep.

♔

Slamming his fist against the wall, the man screams in frustration. Twelve long years he has been searching for Her. Everyone kept telling him that she was dead, that she had been killed in the Rebellion, but he knows that is not true. He personally helped her escape so how could she have just vanished into thin air without a trace.

Suddenly the screens light up in alarm and the man rushes to see what has happened, worried that the latest search for a trace of her might have come up empty again – but he is met with something he has dreamt of for years.

Fourteen years of searching has come to an end. Fourteen years of using the small trace of DNA left on her hair brushes finally yielded the results he has always wanted. But who would have thought that she would have ended in a prison of all places.

With a grin he prints the results and stalks out of the room. Who cares how she ended up there of all places. She is safe and its time to return her home.