Runaway Princess
Baticul Castle, 7 years after Van's defeat…
Not one sound could be heard throughout the eerily quiet halls of Baticul Castle; which was unusual considering the amount of guards and servants taking up residence there. Usually there was at least one drunken guard who managed to get into the liquor cabinet and took one swig too many of the palace's old wine bottles. This usually ended in a few of said guard's companion angrily leading him off to the sleeping quarters after he either tripped over a suit of armor or stepped on Cecilia's, Princess Natalia's new kitten, tail.
But tonight, all was quiet in the hallways. The liquor cabinet's newly unpicked lock remained fastened around the cold metal handles, seemingly untouched. The customary quiet gossip among the maids fell onto silent ears as each one of the girls appeared in a deep, almost unbreakable sleep.
The two stationary sentries stationed right at the bottom of the spiral stairwell leading to Princess Natalia's chambers were surprisingly slumped against the newly repainted wall adjacent to their supposed position. Their swords were left ungracefully clattered in a pile off to their right, each still having their full armor on.
On any other night every single lookout would be on high alert at this particular time because of the growing tensions between Malkuth and Kimlascan forces over the prospering land of Engeve. But tonight, everyone appeared to be forcefully brought to slumber.
If you strained your ears to listen over the noisy snores and soft chimes of the central clock, you could hear one figure still awake and shuffling about one of the upper chambers. The sound of high-heeled boots scrapping against age old wooden floors and soft thuds of clothes hitting the floor assured that some indeed was up past Baticul's new curfew hour, twelve o'clock.
Princess Natalia, soon to be Queen Natalia, was seated on the floor in front of her ivory, regal wardrobe, her legs tucked under her petite form as she dug through one of the bottom drawers. Extravagant robes and dresses were tossed about, landing in ungraceful heaps on the velvet rug covering her room, seemingly unimportant and uncared for.
The golden-haired archer quietly muttered to herself as she threw another red dress to the side, still searching for something that could not be found.
"Where is it? Where is it? Where is it? No… That's not it. Where could that maid have put it?" she mumbled, slamming the near empty drawer shut and bustling over to her walk-in closet.
Grabbing the only source of light, which was a small candle set on a golden holder by her nightstand, the princess silently entered her closet. The dim light from the flickering flame fell on the sleeping ball of white fur curled up on her velvety throne. A pair of bright, yellow cat eyes slowly looked up at Natalia, having been awakened by the click of the door closing.
"Meow?" was Cecilia's quiet response to her mistress' surprise visit.
"Shhh," Natalia hissed lovingly, putting one of her gloved fingers to her fair to show the cat to keep silent. "Keep quiet, Cecilia and go back to sleep."
Knowing the princess better than the oldest guards living in the castle, the small kitten knew something was amiss by the look of fear and shame present in her owner's eyes and the way her sheer golden night gown was wrinkled around her legs. Wrinkles were against Natalia's own morals, whether in be night wear that no one but her maids would see her in or the intricate robes she dawned for her suitors.
"Meow?" Cecilia questioned again, softly padding her cushioned bed as she arched her back to stretch. Quietly, the cat leaped to the ground and sauntered over to Natalia, her prodding eyes never leaving her face as the archer dug through one shelves lining the wall.
"Go back to sleep, baby," Natalia reassured the kitten, taking a quick minute to stroke her back affectionately. In a flash, the soon-to-be Queen returned to her work.
Not quite convinced that her mistress was fine yet, Cecilia leaned back on her back legs and plopped down on the tan carpet only present in the closet.
Inwardly groaning at her cat's stubbornness, the princess simply decided to ignore the cat and return to her work. Tucking a strand of her shoulder-length golden curl behind her ear, Natalia finally saw what she had been searching for the past thirty minutes.
A set of blue and white, neatly folded archer clothes were tucked in the way back corner of the shelf, far from anyone's questioned gaze. The tarnished clothes looked old and seemed to be mended in several places over the years due to their age, but other than that they were brilliant.
"Aha!" Natalia shouted, immediately cursing herself for being loud as she dug out her treasure. "Found you."
Turning away from the puzzled kitten, Natalia quickly tip-toed over the floor and to her queen-sized canopy bed where a large rucksack, a folded letter, and a newly cleaned maid's outfit were already present. The princess stuffed the clothes inside the leather rucksack which already contained an undersized bundle of food and flask of water, a sturdy bow, a map, and a plume of arrows.
Her heart was racing as she glanced at the clock on her opposite wall. 12:30… Natalia fumbled with the straps of the rucksack, eventually tightening it.
Okay, Natalia, you have around an hour before people start waking up, she thought to herself, trying to calm down. You can do this. All you have to do is sneak out the front doors, down the steps, and out of Baticul before that time. Simple.
The princess' whole body was shaking as she slipped out of night gown and into the maid's clothes she had managed to swipe when everyone else was out celebrating the New Year. It hadn't been that difficult to spike the champagne bottles, talk everyone into taking a sip, and make sure to get rid of the evidence. So far, her plan of running away was going marvelously well.
Now all she had to do was make sure no one caught her on the way out. People around Baticul knew her face too well and even in the maid's clothes they would recognize her. If anyone saw her leave she would be back inside the castle quicker than you could say "fonic artes."
Adjusting the black straps of the dress around her slim shoulders, Natalia dispersed any negative thoughts and slipped into her matching black high-heeled shoes.
Cecilia unhurriedly padded into the room, a look of confusion flashing across her face when she saw her mistress in maid's clothing. "Meow?"
Natalia's head shot up from smoothing out her skirt at her kitten's voice. Guilt glazed over her pale grey eyes for a quick second at the thought of what she was doing and what she was leaving behind, but it was dismissed before she got too deep into thinking.
"It's for the best," she whispered to herself. "I would only cause pain if I stayed any longer." Glancing at Cecilia, she added, "D-Don't worry, baby. Mommy's just gonna take a little trip and then she'll be right back." Her heart sank at the complete lie but she knew well enough not to say what she was doing out loud for fear of someone overhearing everything.
The kitten seemed satisfied with that answer as she ambled back to her bed, intent on catching up on her late-night dreaming of cat nip.
Natalia let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. Even if it was just a cat, she still didn't want anyone else to see her leave. She grabbed the rucksack off the bed and scoped up the letter sitting beside it. The letter was meant for her father, the King, and explained that it was not his fault or anyone else's she was leaving; it was her own.
Shutting her bedroom door behind her and not knowing if she would see Cecilia again, Natalia swiftly ran down the stairwell, making sure that the guards were still knocked out before continuing.
Hallway after hallway whirled past her, not a sound escaping from any of the knocked out guards. Questions flew past her conscious, as if interrogating her on why she was doing something so stupid. What if she was captured by Malkuth forces on her escape and only made things worse? What if she couldn't escape? What if her father woke up and found out what she was doing? How would she face her family and friends knowing that she had abandoned them? What if she never saw any of this again and died before she reached the desert?
Her mind was in turmoil when she reached the grand entrance hall, just paces away from her father's sleeping quarters. The short letters was clutched tightly in her hand, her knuckles going white from her grip on it.
"I-It's for the best," she choked out, tears threatening to run down her slightly flushed cheeks. "I-I-It really is."
Taking an arrow from the confounds of her knapsack, Natalia twirled the silver head in her hand and let the feathery end tickle her nose, much like her mentor did to her when she was little and just learning. How she longed for those days…
Natalia quickly shook her head to clear her mind of those thoughts; she needed to be focused for her escape. Not everything would go this smoothly, that she knew.
Shaking with anxiety, the archer placed the letter securely on the door with her hand while her other one drew back, still holding the arrow. In a flash, her hand was brought off the door and the arrow pinned the letter in place.
A curvy 'N' was detailed in fine lettering on the outer edge of the letter, hiding its secrets from passing eyes. Natalia's signature.
No doubt the king would be furious and so would her friends for that matter. There was no telling how the people would take it and she had a feeling that she would be the gossip of the maids for some time now.
But there was no turning back now. She had made up her mind long ago and was going to keep it that way. …No matter how much it hurt.
A single tear escaped from her control and slid down her cheek. It quivered as it hung from the very edge of her chin, eventually dropping off and hitting the tiled floor without a sound.
"I'm sorry," the golden-haired female whispered, hoping that her words would reach everyone's ears.
Turning away from the door and focusing her mind on her goal, Natalia ran to the door. The silver handle which usually felt welcoming was cold underneath her touch. It was as if the door itself was begging her not to depart as she tugged it open, seemingly heavier than usual.
Or maybe it was just her heart and mind imagining things.
Natalia slowly closed the door behind her; glad that she hadn't woken anyone and afraid of the unknown path ahead. Not even in her wildest dreams would she picture herself doing something like this.
And yet here she was.
An unknown pressure was suddenly applied to her heart and Natalia was sure that her heart itself was breaking. Breaking for her now destroyed future and the things she was leaving behind. The things she loved.
Breaking into a spring, the princess ran across the courtyard, determined to get out of this place. The female used the back of her black sleeve to wipe away the forming tears that dared to blur her vision.
She needed her mind focused.
"I'm sorry," she whispered again, this time unable to stop herself from crying. "I'm so, so sorry."
Among the late night owls perched atop the castle's roof watching the princess flee, was one eerie female figure. She was dawned in a black and white tattered dress with haunting red eyes observing Natalia's every movement, unblinking. Her blonde-white hair was pinned up but one patch refused to be captured and instead fell in the gaze of her right eye. A power unknown to many surrounded her, daring anyone to even glance her way let alone challenge her directly.
A chilling laugh escaped her throat, skittering her owl companion.
"Well, well, well," the female murmured, her voice strangely seductive. "The little princess is running away from home. I didn't think she would have the guts to do something like that. All though I do admit that I could do without the crying."
Her blood red eyes tracked Natalia until she got the elevator. At this point, the female figure gave up watching her and turned her sight on the full moon shining in the night sky.
She let out a small chuckle.
"All is going according to plan…"