"How dare you stare at the princess in that manner" the maid beside me asked.
My first thought was that she was probably Alaric sister.
"Alaric, take your wife to rest" the king ordered.
And Alaric turned and left without any argument, he left me and the king alone.
"Where are you from?" He asked me.
"Elthara, your Majesty" I said
"Well, young woman. The prince is married, and about to become a father"
I felt my world crumble, I had figured it out when the king told him to leave with his wife.
But why did it hurt more when I was being told directly.
"You are a beautiful woman, so go back to your kingdom and find your match. But my palace has no room for past recony" he said before asking the guards to see me out.
I walked out lifelessly, I stood outside the palace staring at it's large double door.
Is what we shared really that easy to forget, was I the only one missing him.
My knees felt weak as I sat on the floor backing the door.
It wasn't long before two guards highjacked me, when I woke up I was in a room on a king size bed.
Alaric came inside, I didn't think he would have the guts to see me again.
"What do you want" I asked in the coldest tone I could find.
"Are you upset with me" he sat on the bed facing me.
I didn't respond to him, I didn't want to.... Or rather I didn't know what to say.
"Kiara, why didn't you wait for me?"
"I would have come to marry you"
"You would?, after becoming a father, right?"
"My marriage to Natalia, is a duty call"
"Duty? So now what?"
"Once Natalia gives birth to a boy, I'll get married to you and you will be the heirs mother"
In all he said, my brain seemed to only pick' a boy' then what if it was a girl?
"And a girl?"
"Then we'll have to wait a bit longer"
I acted before my thought, giving him a slap across his face.
He didn't get upset, he stayed calm.
"The maid who hit you, she has lost the hand she used. Sorry, I stayed quiet because pregnant women shouldn't get agitated" he said softly.
But his tone couldn't stop my emotions from skyrocketing, he cut someone's hand for a mere slap.
Who was this Man?
"And the princess, she'll die after delivering a male child then our paths will be clear" he declared as if death were something he controlled.
I stayed silent in shock.
That day, this Alaric left. And I was sure that Evan, my Evan was no more.
I stared outside the window, watching the moon. Remembering the sunset by the spring.
Evan, where are you?
The prince sent maids to take care of me, but who would bother with that.
I would always hear them whisper about me being a witch who casted a spell onto the prince, they said:
"Can't you see her strange hair color "
"And her evil eyes "
My hair was pink, and my eyes blue. But in Elthara, we did have blue eyes or rather everyone who visited our house did.
But only I had pink hair color, it was what I inherited from my dad. He is dead.
The first week things were under control but after a few weeks the who thing spiralled out of control.
The maid served me cold food and would hit me if I complained, Alaric stopped visiting. The princess claimed something was wrong with her baby.
One night while staring out the window, a wild thought entered my head.
Why not runaway, instead of still hoping on a love that is long gone.
But that night Alaric came to me, I didn't know that I was still happy to see him.
He walked to me and slapped me across my face.
The laughter that followed was heart crushing, it was the princess laugh.
He hit me for her sake
I looked up at Alaric and he wore a sad face like this wasn't his will. But he did it again. Give times Alaric hit me to make that lady laugh
Maids and guards were all watching, my face was swollen and my side lip bleeding for the weight of his hit.
"Alaric, how far will you go for your kingdom?" I asked moving back with tears streaming down my cheeks.
He didn't respond to me.
"How dare you call the princess by his name?" A maid dragged my hair forcing me to kneel.
I had seen outside my window towards the north led to a forest, thick with trees that covered lights from entering.
I stood back up, pushing the maid and went to the window.
"Evan, I hope you find that which you seek" I said before jumping off the window and running into the thorny forest.
My gown was heavy but my heart was heavier, I knew that if I didn't escape now then I'll never be able to run again.
Because this night the guards left their duty post to watch the drama.
The thorns in this forest were thick, they were meant to kill. It cut my dress so easily.
I was running for a long time but the voice of guards running after didn't stop. I had gotten several injuries and was bleeding a lot.
Left to me, I would say I have been running for a whole day, it was probably already morning. But they was no light in this forest, not even a tiny ray.
My fast running had slowed with time; my once-elegant gown was now nothing but rags clinging to my body. My throat burned, and every breath felt like shards of glass.
I had been running for days, yet the forest showed no mercy: no end, no light, only endless darkness and the whisper of leaves mocking my escape.
When I first saw it from the window, I knew it was vast, but I never imagined it would stretch this far, like a cursed maze meant to swallow the lost.
Just as my legs began to fail me, a faint glimmer broke through the shadows ahead. Light. Real light.
I stumbled toward it, my heart pounding, and then.... there it was.
A beautiful fortress stood tall