Chapter 18 Listening to Juden explain how he found me, I close my eyes and try to envision the apple farm. I vaguely remember the tire swing he mentioned. But then again there was one in Ron and Liz’s back yard that I always used. It seems that is something my body remembered even after losing my memories. Taking a deep breath, I open my eyes and take in Juden looking at me with curiosity, as if trying to see into my mind. “You don’t remember them, do you?” He inquires unable to hide the surprise tone in his voice. “I don’t.” Deciding to be honest, I inwardly sigh and wonder if – in time – I will remember the farmers that betrayed me. "If your goal was the throne, why didn’t you just leave me with the couple instead. You say they owed you, so you could have had them keep me without anyone be the wiser.” Feeling like I am stating the obvious, Juden lets out a deep chuckle, his laughter echoing in the room. “It’s not that simple Allisara. There are laws in place. Laws the prevents
Chapter 19 Sitting in the S.U.V outside of a medical clinic, I look to Allisara who stares outside curiously. “Uncle Juden, why are we here?” She asks, turning her gaze to me. My hand moves to the pistol at my waist and I think about how quick it would be to kill her, but that would leave a trail back to me. “You’ve been gone for three months. I want to take you to a doctor so that he can give you a check up.” Pulling my hand back and placing it on my lap, I give this annoying brat a gentle smile. I remind myself over and over again that after today I will become King. All I need to do is wait for the Doctor’s job to be done and I will finally be rid of this brat. Opening the door, I climb out of the S.U.V and help Allisara to exit it as well. She holds tightly to my hand and I allow it. The clinic is empty as we walk inside, the Doctor being given notice earlier today that I will be arriving with Allisara to get rid of her for good. “Hi there, you must be Allisara.” Walking out
Chapter 20 "So you see, I thought you were dead.” Leaning back in his chair, Juden shrugs as he concludes his confession. “And without your body as proof you were dead, I had to wait for twenty years to pass so that I could claim the Throne.” Shocked by all this information, I run my fingers through my hair and try to make sense of all of this. The Rebellion fourteen years ago was caused by this man. My parents death was caused by him. But there is one thing I need to know. "You never tampered with my memories, did you?" Looking into his eyes, Juden stares back at me with an unwavering stare. "No, I just wanted you dead." I can sense his honesty in his words and sigh. The mystery of how I lost my memories remains. “Your confession has been recorded. You will be executed in two months time and so will you co-conspirators. It will be public and televised and the people will know what you did." My decision is final. The people need to know what a monster Juden Trilavantas is and how
Chapter 21 Looking at the lotuses floating on the pond, I allow my thoughts to wonder back to the information Juden gave me about the night of the rebellion. I don’t remember that day, remember the fear and pain caused by Juden and his men. But something inside me nags at me. "Are you okay?" Taking the spot beside me on the bench, Sky wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me to his side. I sigh, resting my head against him and lean into his touch. "No, but eventually I will be." I whisper, wrapping my arms around him. The green house is quiet and calm, the perfect place to be alone without worry. “We need to find that doctor Trilavantas mentioned. See if he can give us answers on your memory loss as well as what sort of business he had with that man.” It feels like Sky is inside my mind as I was thinking the same thing. This Doctor Lance seems to be the link to my missing memories and how I ended up in the Slums. After agreeing with him, Sky and I return to looking at the p
Chapter 22 "Alli veggies do not go into a mac and cheese." Looking up from cutting the red bell peppers in front of me, I roll my eyes as Sky glares at the small amount of vegetables in front of my cutting bored. You would think I just said I killed a puppy with how he is looking at the bell peppers. "Mine does. You need something to counter the meat and copious amounts of cheese." Returning to chopping the bell peppers, I make sure to keep them small. "Wait there is going to be meat in it?" Stopping my cutting once again, I look up at Sky who raises his hands in surrender. I guess he finally took the hint he is starting to annoy me. Around us the chefs and cooks are chuckling, leaving Sky and I in the small corner while they prepare meals for the rest of the Palace staff. "Yes. So grab the pack of ground beef in the fridge and start cooking it off. Make sure to strain the fat when its done so the mac and cheese isn’t too greasy." Ordering Sky about, I return to finishing my task
Chapter 23 "Now sweetie, that man who brought you here wants to kill you." Looking up at Doctor Lance, I wonder what he means. Uncle Juden came to find me, to take me home. "Why would he want to do that? He is my Uncle!” The Doctor lets out a sigh and pulls me into his arms, hugging me as I begin to cry. "Because he doesn't like you. He wants to be King and you are in his way." Doctor Lance does not make sense but I could tell he was being honest with me. Something about him screams that I can trust him. “But Demitrias will be King when we get married. Why does Uncle Juden want to be King?” Unable to wrap my mind around this, I ask the Doctor this question as I sob. “Because he is a bad man, Princess. I am sorry but I need to help protect you so he doesn’t ruin Nimairene.” The Doctor pulls away from me, resting his hands on my shoulders and looking me in the eyes. “How will you protect me?” I ask, lips quivering. Will I ever see mother and father again? Will I be able to return
Chapter 24 I lay awake in my bed thinking about today. From The interrogation and how heartless Alli was when Max was torturing Juden. She never flinched, just stared on with a blank expression. He had it coming, but even I flinched when he screamed in pain from his fingers being broken. At first I was worried with her reaction, but then when we left the dungeon and made our way to the green house I saw the girl that always sang to the flowers. The soft kind hearted smile that she gives to those who are kind to her. “I wish I could remember him, the boy I mean. I would tell him thank you for protecting me and helping me...” Those words, her voice, float through my mind. I wish I could tell her everything, let her know the truth of who that boy is and how long I have been waiting to see her again. How leaving her that day at the apple farm broke me. Demitrias never deserved her, never deserved to go retrieve her from Lady Pricilla’s Prison for Troubled Women after I was the one that
Chapter 25 Waking up in a warm comfortable bed that smells like pine, I find myself melting into the bed. I remember waking from my dream, of wanting to talk to Sky, but then nothing. Confused, I slowly open my eyes and notice that I am not in my room at all. This seems to be happening a lot lately. Groaning, I close my eyes and try to remember what happened the night before. Someone wraps their arms around me, pulling me closer and making me turn around to swat at them. "I get it, you are not a morning person." A deep husky voice calls out with a chuckle. Suddenly the events of last night flashes through my mind and I remember that after waking from my dream, my memory, I walked into Sky’s room to talk to him. I must have fallen asleep on his bed and now I am pressed to his side. "Um...morning.” I say sheepishly as my hands feel the hard naked muscle under me. Yep, I am not living this one down for a while. "Good morning." He says back, running his fingers through my hair. Leanin