The Royal Maid And The Lost Kingdom

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

As we emerged from the tunnel and approached the palace wall, I could hear the alarm bell ringing in the distance. I knew that it signified that I had escaped and that the guards would be coming after us. My heart was pounding with fear and excitement, but I was determined to see this through to the end.

Meredith turned to me, her face serious. “Listen to me, Alice,” she said. “You have to keep running. I’ll hold them off as long as I can.”

“No!” I protested. “I can’t just leave you here! We have to stick together!”

“There’s no time for arguments,” she said firmly. “Just go! I’ll catch up with you later.”

She turned to the two people who had been helping us, who I now realized were part of the resistance.

“Take her and run,” she said. “I’ll hold them off.”

I started to object, but before I could say anything, an arrow whistled past my ear and lodged itself in a nearby tree. I looked up and saw an archer on the palace wall, aiming at us.

Meredith stepped in front of me, shielding me from the archer’s line of sight. “Go!” she shouted. “I’ll handle this!”

I hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave her behind, but then I felt the two resistance members pulling me away.

We started running, darting through the shadows and dodging behind trees. I could hear the sound of pursuit behind us, but I kept my eyes fixed on the path ahead, determined to escape.

As we ran, I couldn’t help but think of Meredith and the danger she was in. I felt guilty for leaving her behind, but I knew that she was strong and capable and that she would be okay.

Eventually, we reached a small village on the outskirts of the city. The resistance members led me to a safe house where I could rest and recuperate. I was exhausted and scared, but I was also filled with a sense of hope and determination.

Days passed, and I heard no word from Meredith. I was growing increasingly worried about her, but I knew that I had to be patient and wait for her to make contact.

One night, as I was lying in bed trying to sleep, I heard a soft tapping at the window. I jumped up and peered outside, and to my relief, I saw Meredith’s face. I ran to the door and threw it open, embracing her in a warm hug.

“I thought I had lost you,” I said, tears streaming down my face.

“It’s okay,” she said, holding me tightly. “I’m here now.”

We sat down together and she told me about her escape from the palace. She had managed to take out the archer and make her way back to the resistance. She was tired and bruised, but she was alive and that was all that mattered.

“I’m just so glad you’re okay,” I said, smiling at her.

“And I’m glad you’re okay,” she said. “But we can’t rest for too long. We still have work to do. We have to clear your parents’ name and reclaim your rightful place as the heir to the Lost Kingdom.”

I nodded, determination filling me. “Yes,” I said. “We have to keep fighting. For my parents, for the Lost Kingdom, and ourselves.”

As I sat with Meredith in the resistance village, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency. My parents’ names had been tarnished and I was determined to clear their names and reclaim my rightful place as the heir to the Lost Kingdom.

“Meredith,” I said, turning to face her. “We need to leave this place and fast. The guards are closing in on us and I fear that if we don’t act soon, we’ll be captured and all will be lost.”

Meredith nodded in agreement. “I understand your urgency, Your Majesty,” she said, using the title I had been stripped of. “But we need to be careful. Prince Andrews is leading the search for you and he won’t stop until you’re back in his custody.”

“I know,” I said, frowning. “But we need to find a way out of here. Can we make it to the kingdom’s border?”

“It’s risky,” Meredith warned. “But it’s possible. We have some allies within the palace who can help us, but we’ll need to be careful. We can’t let anyone know that we’re leaving.”

I nodded, my mind racing with the possibilities. “Alright, let’s do it. We’ll leave at night when the guards are changing shifts. That should give us the best chance of escape.”

“Yes that would be best My Queen.” She replied. I was feeling a bit uneasy with her and the tittle she keeps calling me.

“How are you able to pick up the sword and fight Meredith?” I asked her wanting to clear the air of us thinking about my escape and how to not to die.

“Oh, I was taught once when I was small as it was a requirement for one of the lady in waiting to know how to fight and defend the Monarch should the case arises. And during my free time here I would go visit the training room and try to replicate what they do later when everyone had slept.” She said and I was beyond surprise, no wonder she had been able to harness her emotions.

“That sounds wonderful. I am impressed.” I teased her and we laughed.

“My Queen, you know I will always follow you till the day I die but can I at least ask you of how sure are you that the King ordered the death of your parents.” She asked and from her tone I knew she was being cautious as well as curious.

“I saw the sigil when I was a child, I saw the sigil but I forgot them. I forgot my own parent Meredith but I remembered the sigil.” I told her.

“But we were running from something before we came into this kingdom. Could we have been running from an enemy into the enemy’s territory?” She questioned again, I was able to understand the sense in her words but I saw it clearly in the vision of the knights with the King’s sigil on it.

“I saw it, they killed my parents. And I do not wish to further this conversation.” I said feeling loss at her questions because they questioned everything I had believed.

Meredith agreed and we set to work planning our escape. We reached out to our allies within the palace and they agreed to help us. They told us that when the time was right, they would create a distraction, allowing us to slip out unnoticed.

As we approached the border, my heart was pounding in my chest. I was hell-bent on reclaiming my rightful place as the heir to the Lost Kingdom. But as we got closer, I realized something was wrong. There were too many guards, far more than I had expected. And then I saw it, the gleam of armor, the flag of Prince Andrews. He had found us.

I stood at the border, surrounded by my protectors as we tried to make our escape, I saw a sea of guards waiting for us, blocking our path. I realized then that we had been betrayed.

Meredith stepped in front of me, shielding me with her body. “My Queen, we must go back,” she said. “Someone has betrayed us.”

“Meredith, what do we do now?” I asked, my heart pounding with fear.

“Your majesty, we will fight our way out,” she replied, determination in her voice.

I could feel the fear and panic rising in my chest. “Yes, we will,” I said, determination in my voice. “I won’t let Andrews win. I won’t let him keep me prisoner in that dungeon for the rest of my life. I won’t let him execute my parents. We have to go forward, no matter the cost.”

Meredith nodded, her eyes filled with pride and fierce determination. “Then we shall face this together, My Queen.”

And with that, we charged forward. I could feel the wind in my hair and the ground pounding beneath my feet. I could hear the arrows whistling through the air and the screams of my fallen men. But I kept moving forward, my heart beating fast and strong.

I looked around at the guards closing in on us, their weapons at the ready. I saw my men fall one by one, their cries ringing out in the air. I was outnumbered and outgunned, but I refused to give up.

That’s when I heard Edward’s voice in the distance, calling out to me. I turned and saw him running towards me, his face filled with fear and desperation. I felt a glimmer of hope as he drew closer, maybe he would be willing to come with me, maybe he will stay with me for life.

But why is he stopping? And what is he looking at? I thought as he was coming but then he suddenly stopped and looked to my right. That’s when I saw the arrow coming straight towards me, an arrow came flying straight toward me. I could see it, hear it, feel it.

I had no time to react, no time to think. All I could do was brace myself for the impact. But then, in a flash, Meredith stepped in front of me and pushed me out of the way. I stumbled back as the arrow hit Meredith instead, and I heard her gasp, I saw her spew blood out of her mouth. No, no this was not what I wanted.

I looked at her, shocked and horrified, as she fell to her knees. Her eyes were still filled with that same fierce determination, but now they were also filled with pain. She looked up at me, and I could see that she was smiling, even though blood was streaming from the wound in her chest.

“It has been an honor to serve you, My Queen,” she said, her voice soft but steady. And with that, she bowed her head and was gone.

I was stunned, tears streaming down my face. Meredith had given her life for mine. She had given up everything, just so that I could be free. And now she was gone.

I screamed with raw pain as I was dragged away by my two protectors, and we fled to my Kingdom. I remembered when I saw her for the first time in the market, how I called her blonde-haired girl.

I remembered when I was locked in prison for the first time and how she always came to give me my meal even though she had no idea who I was. I remember how she always shielded me and taught me everything I needed to know.

I also remember how she taught me to adapt to the palace and how she always tries to give me fewer workloads. I cried harder as I recalled how she wanted me to consider her my friend but even though I did I never told her.

My heart aches when I remembered her advice about how palace politics were terrible and unpredictable and how they are like vicious animals who will tear at you when they can.

I was filled with a mix of emotions: grief for the loss of Meredith, anger at the betrayal that had cost her life, and a determination to make sure that her sacrifice was not in vain.

And as I lay down after traveling far from the border that night, surrounded by my protectors, I made a promise to myself. I would make sure that Meredith’s sacrifice was not in vain. I would reclaim my kingdom, clear my parents’ names, and make sure that no one else would ever have to suffer the way that she had. I will survive just for her, I owe her that much and my parents too.

I was weak, I knew that after she died, she died to protect me and I was just standing there like a fool, I was even flinching when they had needed to kill and protect me to get pass the border but I had fucking flinched at the sight of blood.

As I traveled with my two protectors toward my father’s land, I couldn’t help but feel helpless and vulnerable. I had been sheltered for so long, first by my parents and then by Prince Andrews, that I had never learned how to defend myself.

I couldn’t rely on others forever, I needed to be able to protect myself and those I cared about. So, I made a decision. I asked my protectors to teach me how to fight.