Chapter 6: Escape
May entered the Throne Room. She meets the eyes of her stern father and King. She gulped. She came because her parents requested her presence. The guards told her it was urgent.
She can kind of guess what her parents want to talk about…
"So, Brendan told us that you were talking to Drew yesterday?" Norman asked.
("Why does Brendan have to ruin my life?") May thought. She took a deep breath. "Yes. That's true."
"I thought I told you that you're forbidden to speak with him ever again."
"You did. But that's not fair. He's…he's my friend."
"You aren't allowed to be friends with him."
"I'm friends with all of my people!" May yelled. "Let us not forget that Drew saved me from thieves!"
"Enough, May!"
May backed off.
"From this day forth…you won't be allowed to leave the palace."
May gasped. "You can't do that!"
"I can too, and I just did. Go to your room."
May's eyes get watery. She turns around, and runs out of the Throne Room. She runs upstairs to her room before throwing herself on her bed and sobbing into it. "This is so not fair…"
Drew was walking through town the next day when he heard two people talking about May.
"Did you hear? The Princess is now forbidden to leave the palace."
"Really? I wonder why."
Drew froze. ("Forbidden? Is that because of me? Did Prince Brendan tell the King?") He pauses his thoughts. ("How am I going to get closer to her now?")
At that moment, someone wearing a hood came running from around the corner. She wasn't looking where she was going, so she ended up crashing into Drew. They both fell, her on top of him.
"Ow…" Drew said. He looked at the face of the person on him. "…May?"
May looked at Drew. "I-I'm not May. Who's that?" She quickly got off of Drew and put her head down, so he wouldn't look at her face. He stood up and stared at her in confusion.
"What's with the hood? It's warm outside."
May doesn't respond.
"May?"
May bit her bottom lip, contemplating whether or not she should tell him why she has a hood on.
"Hello? Princess?"
May quickly took Drew's arm and pulled him to an alleyway.
"Okay…now will you talk to me?"
"I'm sorry, Drew. I just didn't want anyone to know that I'm the Princess."
"Why not?"
"Because…I'm running away from home."
Drew's eyes widened. "What?"
"Now, I really must be going. Bye, Drew." May turned and walked out of the alley.
"Hey, wait!" Drew called, rushing to catch up to her. They keep speed walking.
"Did you need something?"
"Yeah. An explanation. You're just going to leave? Where will you go?"
"Let's go to your campsite, and then I'll explain."
May takes a seat on a log bench in front of the campfire that Drew made. He sits down on a different log. "So. What's going on?" He asked.
May took a deep breath. "Okay. Well, my father forbids me to leave the palace now."
"I've heard."
"The reason being that Prince Brendan told him I was talking to you."
Drew rolled his eyes. "Of course…"
"So…to make sure that I don't become friends with you, my father said that I'm not allowed to leave the palace anymore."
"But I don't get it. What's so wrong with being friends with me specifically?"
"I don't know…I mean…you're really nice…and funny…"
Drew smiled.
"But I guess my father thinks differently."
Drew exhaled. "That sounds so unfair. The King shouldn't keep you from meeting the people because of one commoner."
"You're telling me. But there's nothing I can do about it."
"So…you're just going to run away?"
May nodded with a frown. "I mean…he's also going to make me marry Brendan in three months when I don't want to. Not just because he's mean to my friend, but because he's not even a good Prince. He shouldn't be titled a Prince when he brags like he does. I really don't like him."
"And…you can't just have a serious conversation with the King and Queen about that?"
"They won't listen. So I choose to say nothing at all. I figure that living on my own out of the palace will be better for me."
Drew thought for a minute.
May stood up, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I'm glad I was able to talk to you one last time. I really should be on my way to who knows where." She turned around.
"W-wait." Drew spoke up.
May looked behind her. "Yes?"
"Um…you can stay here if you want."
May swiftly turned around with wide eyes. "What?"
"Of course…if you don't mind sleeping in a tent."
"I-I can't ask you to save space for me at this campsite."
"You don't have to. I'm offering."
"B-but…why?"
"Because we're friends."
May's cheeks tint pink.
"Isn't this what friends do? Help each other?"
May shook her head violently. "I-I'm sorry, Drew, but I can't possibly accept."
Drew frowned. "Why not?"
"B-because…I'd be relying on you too much. I need to do this on my own."
Drew exhaled. "I understand. Then…I hope you take care of yourself. Maybe we'll meet again."
May smiled slightly. "I hope so."
"Here." Drew reached down and plucked a rose off its stem. He handed it to May. "A 'Good Luck On Your Own' charm."
May blushed. "Th-thank you. It's lovely."
Drew steps forward and embraces May. He doesn't know what came over him. His eyes get watery. He's really and genuinely going to miss her. ("…why am I actually going to miss her? I'm not supposed to be her real friend. You need to snap out of it!")
May sniffled. Drew pulled away, and watched her face as a few tears slid down her cheeks. He gasped softly, his heart beating faster than normal. ("I-I…I can't deny it anymore.")
Drew gently wiped May's tears away. ("I actually have…fallen for her.")
Drew lies in his tent, staring at the 'ceiling' of it, expressionless. He's thinking back to the fact that he had to say goodbye to May a week ago. He's wondering where she is right now. Can she handle herself in the wild? What if she gets attacked? Lost? Hungry?
"I'm sure she always had servants to serve her food…" Drew said to himself. "What will she do if she gets hungry? What if she gets kidnapped?" He swiftly sat up, breathing heavily, and thinking the worst. "She's already been gone for a week…Who knows what trouble she could've gotten into already?"
At that moment, Drew could hear footsteps approaching him from outside. He left his tent, and came face to face with Derek and Ethan.
"Um, hey. What are you guys doing here?"
"Your parents want to know how the mission is going." Ethan said. "It's been way too long since you've contacted them."
"And way too long since you left to do the mission in the first place." Derek said.
Drew hesitated before responding. "…I'm working on it. I'm getting really close to the Princess. Soon, we'll have our gold."
Derek and Ethan smirked.
"Good." Derek said.
"Oh, and…your parents also wanted us to tell you that you only have today and tomorrow to get us into the castle, or else we just ambush it." Ethan added.
Drew gasped softly. "Y-you can't." He quickly covered his mouth with his hand.
"…what was that?" Ethan questioned.
"N-nothing. I said nothing."
Derek narrowed his eyes, reading into Drew. "I think I know what's happening here…"
"What's happening?" Drew took a step back.
Derek steps closer to Drew, and speaks in a stern, threatening voice. "You better not be getting close to her in the way that your parents would disapprove of."
Drew gulped.
"If you actually fall in love with her…"
"…w-what will happen?"
"Well, let's just say that…we'll eliminate the distraction."
Drew gasped.
Derek and Ethan turn around and walk away.
("E-eliminate? I don't even want to think about what that means. It can't be good though…")
At that moment, more people entered the forest, stopping at Drew's campsite. Drew gasped. The King stands before him. The ruler of this kingdom…
Drew swiftly bowed. "Your Majesty."
Norman looks around the campsite as if searching for something in particular. Prince Brendan is with him, glaring at Drew. They're also accompanied by six Royal Guards.
"U-umm…can I help you with something, Your Majesty?"
"Where is she?"
"Who?" Drew questioned.
"May!" Norman yelled. Drew flinched.
("He looks really mad…") "Th-the Princess isn't here."
Norman looks at Drew with a stern expression. "Don't lie to me."
"I'm not. She's really not here."
Norman approaches Drew. "If I find out that you're lying to me, you'll be thrown into the dungeon without a second thought. Got it?"
Drew gulped and nodded. Norman signals the guards to start searching the area. Drew just stands there, watching.
("So much for this place being a secret…") Drew thought. ("I can't exactly tell the King that he can't check out my campsite. And why does he always look so intimidating?")
Norman glances over at Drew's tent, and the big letter 'N' on the front. He furrowed his eyebrows. "That stands for 'Nature', doesn't it? As in…Team Nature?"
Drew froze. ("What should I say? What should I say? He can't know that I'm on Team Nature, or he'll throw me in the dungeon.") "N-no." Drew answered. "It stands for…nobel. I-I just always like to have words of motivation around."
"Hmm…"
"Your Majesty, there's no sign of the Princess." A Guard said.
"Tell me where she went." Norman ordered Drew.
"I-I don't know where she went." Drew answered honestly.
Norman narrowed his eyes. "She disappeared last week. She must've told you where she was going before she left."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because you two are supposedly 'friends', aren't you?"
Drew nodded.
"Then tell me where she went."
Drew took a deep breath. "I honestly don't know. We did talk before she left, but all she said was that she needs time to herself. She didn't tell me where she was going. Or how long she'll be gone. That's the honest truth, Your Majesty."
Norman stared at Drew for an extra minute before turning away.
Drew could see a frown on Norman's face. He genuinely looks depressed and worried.
"I didn't mean to make her feel stressed." Norman said. "She should've talked to me about it."
"She told me that you wouldn't listen."
"I had no idea that she wasn't happy with her life. And maybe forbidding her from leaving the palace was too much." Norman exhaled. "Let's go find her." He turns and leaves the forest with Brendan and the Guards.
Drew let out a heavy sigh of relief. "That was a close one. I was almost caught. I hope that May doesn't put up a fight when the King finds her to bring her home."