Marie Goodman, princess of Indie. Indie was a small country, an island, in fact. The Goodman's has been ruling it ever since Marie's great-great-great-grandfather George Goodman made contact with the locals, who made him their ruler.

Marie was a special child, ever since the beginning. Doctors told her mother there was no chance she was going to survive, but she is alive. Her mother, Julia, died in childbirth of Marie's sister, Marissa. Marie's father, who became depressed when his wife died, blamed Marissa for her death. Before the yelling got too far, Marie always ended the fighting by hugging her father and started begging him to stop. Marissa took her anger out on her older sister, but Marie just brushed off the words and the bruises.

At age 14, Marie wanted to see her country, but her father didn't agree. He told her that the country was full of bad people, but she didn't listen. Now, at age 18, Marie will be placed as the queen of the kingdom she loves. Her sister, who has recently fallen ill at the age of 15, was told she would die in a couple of minutes.

*Marie's POV*

"Marissa!" I called, throwing open the doors to my sister's room. I could see the disapproving glances that my father and the staff of the castle were giving me, but I pretended not to mind. I ran to my sister's bed, kneeling down next to it and taking my sister's hand. I brushed my chocolate brown hair out of my eyes, which happen to be blue. My sister had my same hair and eye color, but ever since she has fallen ill, her eyes had lost all light, sparkle, and shine.

"Hey, Marie," Marissa said, a small, painful smile noticeable.

"Is it true? You're dying?" I said, squeezing Marissa's hand. She lightly nodded her head.

"Soon. Very soon."

"But you can't go. I need my sister's advice for when I get the throne. You always know what to do. I stink at it."

"I will always be there for you, no matter what you do, and I will always support you," She said, coughing. She motioned me to lean in. "Do me one favor. My final wish. Run. Run away as fast as you can. There is so much you can do, other than being trapped here. Please, I want you to see the kingdom with your own eyes. I love you." Marissa whispers. As she finished her sentence, she went limp. Her grasp on my hand loosened, and her eyes fluttered shut.

"Marissa?" I whispered. No response. I froze, knowing that she's no longer with us. I let go of her limp hand and ran. I ran and ran, tears streaming down my face. My bare feet pounding against the hardwood floors ringing in the empty hallway. I through the door to my room open, and slammed it shut. Her last words to me rang in my ears. I started throwing clothes in an empty, small bag. I only grabbed 2 shirts, 2 torn up jeans and shorts, a pair of socks, and $100 I had stashed around my room just in case. I took off my dress I was forced to wear around the place and replaced them with ripped up commoners clothes that I wore to my horse riding practices. Before I made my escape, I grabbed my blue flower crown that Marissa made before she was sick.

I opened my window and threw my bag out the window. I hoisted myself up and out, landing on the soft grass outside. Good thing I had chose to have my sleeping quarters on the first floor. I stood up, brushed off the dirt, placed the crown on my head, grabbed my bag, and started running.

~Time Skip~

It has been 3 weeks since I ran away. My hair was getting greasy and my clothes were getting so many stains. I was hiding out in the woods for almost the whole 3 weeks.

I had woken up to a starving stomach, which I almost never had at the castle. I decided to go scavaging, looking for berries or water. I managed to stumble across a small fire in the middle of the woods. It had something over it, cooking. I take a closer look. It was, once, a wild chicken. Wild chickens were very common in these parts of the woods, but very hard to catch. It looked so good and tempting. Just ripping off a little piece wouldn't hurt, right? I reached over to the chicken, but something stops me, literally. There, on my wrist, was a hand. I screamed and fell back. In front of me was 2 boys, roughly around the same age as me. They seemed to be a foot taller than me. In Indie, if you were under 5'5", you were considered a midget, and I was 5'2".

"What are you doing?" One demanded. He had curly brown hair and dark brown eyes. The other boy had black hair and blue eyes. They had similarly styled hair, but they were flipped around. "I said, What are you doing?!" The brunette demanded, and I cringed.

"I was just so hungry, and I thought..." I started.

"Well, we're hungry too! You're not the only one who is starving in this kingdom." The brunette said. The other boy just stood there, silently.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. A single stray tear rolled down my face. I couldn't stand fighting and hated it even more when people were yelling. My bottom lip starts to quiver.

"Dan, stop it. She's crying. Let her be." The other boy said, placing a hand on "Dan's" shoulder. Dan instantly loosened up and sighed. The other boy offered his hand, which I took. He helped me up. "My name's Phil. That's Dan. What's your name?" The boy asked.

"Phil! I thought we said that we weren't, ever, giving out our names!" Dan complained.

"Come on. This girl is obviously scared and all by herself." Phil said, looking at Dan, then looking back at me. "So, what's your name?"

After a minute, I responded, "Marie." I said. I wanted to use my real name. I knew Marie was a super common name in Indie, so I wasn't too scared.

"Well, Marie. It was nice meeting you. Now, Buh-bye!" Dan said, shooing me away.

"Wait!" I said. "Please. Help me. I know I can't survive long out here by myself. Help me, and I will do anything you want. Please? I could even get some money for a decent meal." I said. Dan grabbed Phil's shoulder and pulled him towards him. After a minute, they turn towards me.

"Good news, you have the help you need," Dan said. Phil had a huge smile across his face. I couldn't help but smile back.