Story of a Princess Unknown – Chapter 5
Hey everybody who reviewed! I can't believe all the reviews I got! Thanks so much – I love (or LOOF in taintedpromise's words!) reviews!
Emma – I JUST figured out who you are! I'm like – you met my horse? AAHH! Who is this? Do I know an Emma? And then I thought – Amy you are an IDIOT! Of course I know an Emma! So sorry bout that! Did you have a good lesson yesterday?
Tami – good luck – I hope you get to go to shows soon! I've been to about 4 – they're so much fun – me and Pippa go together! What sort of shows are you planning? Dressage, jumping? I want to get into eventing when I've had Frankie a bit longer and Pippa has done heaps of it already – she's really good!
Breathless-74 – well nothing really happens but my riding teacher just says that! Thanks for reviewing!
just Writer – finish it cause you don't like it? Or do you wanna read more?
Taintedpromises – my loyal reviewer. He's ucky? Okay...that's one way to put it!
ladygwen – Catherine's a cool name! I got a book about catherine the great so not to worry!
By the way – did anyone get the thing about how her mother could have been Queen of Kyrria in the last chapter? Hehe. I thought it was quite clever – but that's just me!
Okay – now the STORY!
Chapter 5 - Princess
Eve's eyes slowly opened. She saw trees above her, swaying in the early morning breeze. Wait...trees? She thought. Where the hell am I?
Then the events of the day before came rushing back to her. She rolled over to find Luke's sapphire eyes watching her. She quickly sat up.
"Don't do that, Luke! It's creepy!" She laughed.
"You're definitely a morning person! I, on the other hand..." He stifled a yawn with his hand.
"You can stay here and get a bit more sleep while I go have a wash in the stream. I feel disgusting after sleeping out here all night on the ground."
I can barely look him in the face, she thought, avoiding his eyes. No wonder – after last night!
"Eve, wait. I want to talk to you about something first."
She waited for him to say something more. He hesitated.
"I don't know what you're going to think about this – but here goes. I've heard about this rebel group who are rising up against the king. They're people who've been affected by the king – by how cruel and selfish he is. I feel like I need to ... to avenge my family in some way, to make up for them dying. I want to join the rebels. But I don't want to leave you."
"Remember what I told you yesterday? You're the only one who cares about me, Luke. You're the only one I have. I'll go with you – we've been starving these last two years, and the king hasn't done anything about it. If this group is against him – then I'm all for it."
Luke looked relieved as Eve went off to wash. He didn't want to lose her the way he had lost all the others in his life.
They were on their way an hour after dawn – both could hear the other's stomachs rumbling, but as neither had any money or food, they couldn't do anything about that. After they'd been walking for most of the day with only short rests, Eve felt ready to collapse. Two years on scant rations and hard work were taking their toll, combined with no food for a day. When she saw they were coming to a village, she was relieved. They saw an old woman coming along the road, carrying a load of wood.
"Maybe if we as her for some work she'll pay us – just a little bit of money to buy some food to keep us going." Luke whispered to Eve.
Eve felt like doing anything BUT work – but she didn't argue.
They crossed the road to the woman. "Lady," Lucas called. "May we help you?"
"No need for lady, young man! The name's Maggie – and some help would be greatly appreciated!"
Lucas and Eve took the wood out of the old woman's arms, and began walking in the direction she gestured – into the village. She had obviously been getting firewood from the forest outside the village.
"Now what be your names?" Maggie asked.
Eve looked at Luke warily, she wasn't sure giving out their names to a perfect stranger was a good idea. But Luke wasn't as wary as she was.
"I'm Lucas, this is Eve. We're just travelers passing through."
Maggie and Luke kept up their chatter all the way to her cottage – Eve didn't want to waste her remaining strength on talking.
"Now I'm sure you'll come inside for something to eat .. so thin, the pair of you – the starvation's been worse, where you've come from?" She inquired, while inviting them to sit down in her small, cosy kitchen.
"Such a quiet one, you are," she said to Eve, smiling. Eve shrugged her shoulders.
Luke shot her an annoyed glance. "We've come up here to get away from the south – would you happen to know anything about the ... the rebels in this part?" Luke's voice dropped to a whisper.
It was as if a shutter had dropped across Maggie's cheerful face and her smile was replaced with unbearable sadness.
"You shouldn't be going that way, lad. My husband ... my husband was one of them. He died fighting the king's men."
"I'm sorry, Maggie. But this is something Eve and I have to do."
"It's your own choice. But be careful, the both of you. I like you – I don't want to see you hurt. The men meet in a secret building not far from here." She whispered the way to them.
"We'll be careful. Thank you for your help, Maggie. It means a lot to us."
"Yes, thank you," Eve murmured.
"And thanks for your help too. Now remember what I said – be careful."
And with that Eve and Luke were on their way to a new life.
"Why were you so unfriendly to her, Eve? She was just trying to help us!"
"You've got to be careful who you trust in this world, Luke. You never know if someone's your enemy or not."
"She was just an old woman, Eve!"
They followed Maggie's instructions and found the concealed building where the headquarters of the rebels and knocked on the door.
"Password?" A gruff voice whispered to them.
"We don't know it ... we want to join your group."
The door swung open just wide enough to admit Eve and then Luke.
A man who towered over Luke and Eve stood on the other side. He had suspicious dark brown eyes and wild dark hair. "Come with me. Not sure what a girl like you's doing here – Mandy's the only other here. I'm Morgan, by the way."
Eve shot him an angry glance but Morgan didn't see it – he'd already turned his back and was going up a hallway. He led them into a room filled with men – and one woman, who Eve assumed to be Mandy, talking to a man up the front.
"Callum! New recruits here for you!" The man beckoned them over, not speaking as he seemed to be having an argument with the woman. "It's not the right way, Callum! You'll just turn the nobles against you!"
The woman glanced at Eve and Luke. Then she stopped talking as she took in Eve's face. "Mandy? What's wrong?" Morgan asked. Mandy ignored him. Eve was the only one close enough to hear what Mandy said next.
"Ella?" And then Mandy fainted dead away.
"I've never known Mandy to just faint for no reason," Callum said brusquely, shooting a suspicious look at Eve, who was feeling pretty bewildered herself. "Morgan and I will move her to another room – you, girl, can make yourself useful and look after her."
Eve opened her mouth to argue. Girl, indeed! She thought angrily.
But the pleading look on Luke's face stopped her. "Fine," she sniffed, and followed the men to another room.
They laid Mandy on a bed and left, leaving the women alone. After five minutes, Eve heard a sound coming from the bed.
Again the woman only said one word. Staring at Eve, she repeated, "Ella?"
"I'm Eve," the girl replied, confused. "Do I look like someone you know?"
Mandy suddenly grasped her hand. "Tell me, child – who are you? Where do you come from?" She asked urgently.
"I'm just ... Eve. I'm from a village about two days south of here." She faltered.
"But who is your family? How old are you?"
"I don't have any family. Someone dumped me on a doorstep when I was a few days old. I don't know who my parents are. I'm sixteen."
Mandy's face suddenly filled with joy. "I know who you are, child! You're the daughter of my beloved friend Ella."
Eve's mouth fell open. "You know my mother?"
Mandy's face grew sad. "Not know, Eve. I knew her. This may come as a shock, but I don't know any other way to put it..."
Eve was so shocked nothing else could have confused her more right then. Or so she thought.
Mandy took a deep breath. "Your mother and father were Queen Ella and King Charmont of Kyrria. I knew you the moment you walked in. You look just like your mother – the same hair, the same face – but your eyes, your eyes are your fathers."
Eve's world was falling down around her. She was the daughter of the former king and queen? But that meant ...
"Eve? Are you alright?"
Tears were pouring silently down Eve's face. She knew as well as anyone the story of the King and Queen's deaths, a year after the mysterious death or disappearance of their baby daughter. Her.
Mandy hugged Eve and held her tightly. "It must be such a shock for you ... it's a shock for me too. We all thought you were dead, Ella and Char were distraught. Even a year after you disappeared ... and look at you now, so grown up! But so thin! Oh, that a daughter of Ella's should have to live like this!"
Mandy's face crumpled and the woman and girl cried together. Then Eve wiped her face. "How did you know my mother, Mandy?"
"I was her dearest friend, and I was her ... her fairy godmother." Mandy searched Eve's face to see how she would react.
"You're a ... a fairy?"
"Yes, Eve. I was your mother's fairy godmother – and that means I'm yours too. I came to live down here when Mordred became him. He was a little ... er, angry when I said I wouldn't serve him. I joined this group when Callum started it."
Wow, Eve thought. Strange how a few minutes can completely change your life. I know who my parents are, and I have a fairy godmother!
"We'd better go find Callum. Don't tell him who you are just yet – he doesn't need to know. Are you planning to join our group?" Mandy asked Eve.
"My friend Luke and I ran away from our village after his family died. I wasn't .. wasn't happy where I was," Eve said softly, looking down, away from Mandy's eyes. "We decided to join the group – everyone's starving down here, and the king doesn't care. We want to do something about it."
"Eve ... there's even more. We think the king had something to do with the deaths of your mother and father. Who else? He was the next in line to the throne, he wanted them out of the way."
"Then I have a new reason to fight him," Eve said dangerously. "If it's true – it's his fault I never knew my parents."
She couldn't conceal the anger in her voice – she had only learned who her parents were a few minutes ago – but this man was the reason she would never know them, and she had a right to be angry.
They walked back through the hallway to the room they had been in before.
Luke was there with Callum. He looked concerned when he saw Eve's tearstained face but she shook her head – she didn't want to tell Luke in front of everyone – she didn't know how he would react.
"What took you so long?" Callum growled. Eve shivered – she definitely did NOT like this man, even if he was on the same side as her.
Mandy held her head high and replied, "I wasn't feeling well, Callum. Sorry about that."
He didn't look impressed. "While you were gone, this Lucas and I have been talking. I decided that these two should join our group – but you, girl, have to pull your weight, or you're out. I don't take slackers, and I don't normally take women." Eve didn't dare to reply.
"We're moving north tomorrow," Callum continued. "We're putting our plan into action. You two will start work for us when we get to the capital. For the moment, I've given you rooms next to eachother. Mandy will show you to them." The man turned his back on them and walked off. They were clearly dismissed.
"Come with me, you two," Mandy said. She showed Eve and Luke to two adjoining rooms on the next floor. "Goodnight you two. Sleep well."
Eve grasped the older woman's hand. "Thankyou, Mandy," she said softly. "Thankyou for everything."
Mandy smiled at her, then turned and left.
Luke, meanwhile was feeling very confused. "Eve, WHAT was all that?"
"I've got a lot to tell you," Eve admitted.
"Come into my room and tell me."
Eve followed Luke in, and they lay on his bed, Luke's arm around her, Eve's head on his chest.
"You know how Mandy fainted when she saw me? It's because ... because she knew my mother. And she thought that I was my mother."
Luke sat up, surprised. Eve sat up too and faced him.
"She knew your mother, Eve? That's ... that's amazing! Who is she?"
Eve felt anger and grief for her parents. "She knew both my parents. They were ... they were ... they were the King and Queen, Luke. I know that sounds strange," she said, seeing the look of disbelief on his face.
"Ella and Char were you mum and dad? That's ..." He trailed off. "You know what that means, Eve? It means that you should be queen!"
Eve, stared at him, realizing Luke was right but not wanting to believe him. "Don't tell anyone, please," she begged. "I have to deal with this first before we tell anyone."
"You know I'm here for you, Eve."
"Thanks, Luke," Eve smiled gratefully. Then she changed the subject. "Do you ... do you like that Callum? He doesn't seem very ... friendly." She shivered.
Luke's face went grim. "I know, but he's the leader. And you know we can't back out now."
"Yes, I know. Look, we'd better get some sleep now if we're going to be going north tomorrow."
"I kinda wish we were back at the stream ..." Luke smile roguishly.
Eve blushed.
"Do I get to kiss a princess goodnight?"
"If you really want to ..."
And suddenly Luke was right next to her, cupping her chin with her hands. He kissed her softly and Eve closed her eyes, feeling his body pressed against hers.
They slowly broke apart. Eve smiled at Luke dreamily. "Well ... goodnight," she said, then blushed again. Idiot, she thought.
"Night," Luke smiled back at her.
It was only when she was climbing into bed that she realised what he had said. Princess...
Eve had a lot to think about.
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