Status: The first three chapters should be up quickly, the rest will come whenever
Outlaw Princess
Chapter 1
In the courtyard, everything was covered in a thick blanket of snow. Just the sight of it gave Cecilia chills, knowing that this would be a long winter, thanks to the imprisonment in her own castle. She wasn’t sure what the Queen’s plans for Cecilia would be, but she knew that she wasn’t going to get out of her situation alive. All hope has failed her, despite what her advisors said.
Three years ago, she had been happy. Her father had been king of Lane, and her land was in full tranquility. Cecilia was happily married to the prince in the kingdom of Zorr, the next kingdom from Lane. And then he got sick, some same poisoned, and died. What happened next was where things turned bad.
Cecilia’s older sister, Ella was next in line for the throne, according to the Lanish law, since she was the first born. However, in her husband’s land of Zorr, the first male was the heir to the throne.
“Think about this Cecilia, the surrounding kingdoms won’t hesitate to attack while your sister is on the throne,” her husband said, pleading her to move against her sister, “Not all of the other kings are like Lane. They find a woman weak.”
“Well maybe if they see how great of a ruler she is, they will find out a woman has as much right to rule as a man!” Cecilia retorted. “If they give her a chance-“
“No, Cecilia!” her husband interrupted, “They won’t! They will come with their armies and fight for the land. They will marry, banish, or execute your sister, or a combination of those three! Don’t you see, this will lead to war! The peasants and land that you try to protect will be destroyed. Cecilia, please. If you really loved me and the land, you would give me your blessing to pursue the right of the throne.”
He went over and held her. Cecilia was quiet, tears rolled down her cheeks. She knew that he was right, but she also knew that her sister would be upset and Ella wouldn’t see his reasoning. Also, if they lost, they would both be considered enemies of her homeland in Lane, and she would be subject to treason. She had to make a clear decision, save her sister from herself, or risk being executed.
Her husband started to stroke her hair, but he held her tighter when she finally nodded.
That was two years ago. The fight for the throne ended six months ago.
“Keep looking up, Princess. The Queen would never hurt her own kin. She is probably making arrangements for you to live a peaceful life, elsewhere,” one of them had said, and kept on repeating. Cecilia couldn’t look up, all hope would just be desperate attempts to try to get her life back to normal. But it wasn’t possible after her father’s and husband’s death.
Her father had died in a mixture of vomit, blood, and spit. Her husband had died in a puddle of blood with a sword in his chest on a battle field. She received her husband’s body in a plain box. His head was on the Queen’s gate, covered in tar, a reminder to those who would try to rise up against her that they will lose and receive the same fate.
A movement outside the castle’s walls caught Cecilia’s eyes. A group of six riders were heading towards the palace. A flash of crimson let her know that it was the Queen’s royal guard. Cecilia knew that with each passing second, her fate would be known.
She stood up from the window sill and was about to head out of her bed chambers when her maid, Casandra broke it.
“The Queen’s guard is here!” She announced in a panic. “You need to get changed!”
Cecilia glanced down at her plain, gray dress. Changing clothes would take time, but she had to meet her fate with as much grace as she could muster. She was a princess after all.
Three years ago, she had been happy. Her father had been king of Lane, and her land was in full tranquility. Cecilia was happily married to the prince in the kingdom of Zorr, the next kingdom from Lane. And then he got sick, some same poisoned, and died. What happened next was where things turned bad.
Cecilia’s older sister, Ella was next in line for the throne, according to the Lanish law, since she was the first born. However, in her husband’s land of Zorr, the first male was the heir to the throne.
“Think about this Cecilia, the surrounding kingdoms won’t hesitate to attack while your sister is on the throne,” her husband said, pleading her to move against her sister, “Not all of the other kings are like Lane. They find a woman weak.”
“Well maybe if they see how great of a ruler she is, they will find out a woman has as much right to rule as a man!” Cecilia retorted. “If they give her a chance-“
“No, Cecilia!” her husband interrupted, “They won’t! They will come with their armies and fight for the land. They will marry, banish, or execute your sister, or a combination of those three! Don’t you see, this will lead to war! The peasants and land that you try to protect will be destroyed. Cecilia, please. If you really loved me and the land, you would give me your blessing to pursue the right of the throne.”
He went over and held her. Cecilia was quiet, tears rolled down her cheeks. She knew that he was right, but she also knew that her sister would be upset and Ella wouldn’t see his reasoning. Also, if they lost, they would both be considered enemies of her homeland in Lane, and she would be subject to treason. She had to make a clear decision, save her sister from herself, or risk being executed.
Her husband started to stroke her hair, but he held her tighter when she finally nodded.
That was two years ago. The fight for the throne ended six months ago.
“Keep looking up, Princess. The Queen would never hurt her own kin. She is probably making arrangements for you to live a peaceful life, elsewhere,” one of them had said, and kept on repeating. Cecilia couldn’t look up, all hope would just be desperate attempts to try to get her life back to normal. But it wasn’t possible after her father’s and husband’s death.
Her father had died in a mixture of vomit, blood, and spit. Her husband had died in a puddle of blood with a sword in his chest on a battle field. She received her husband’s body in a plain box. His head was on the Queen’s gate, covered in tar, a reminder to those who would try to rise up against her that they will lose and receive the same fate.
A movement outside the castle’s walls caught Cecilia’s eyes. A group of six riders were heading towards the palace. A flash of crimson let her know that it was the Queen’s royal guard. Cecilia knew that with each passing second, her fate would be known.
She stood up from the window sill and was about to head out of her bed chambers when her maid, Casandra broke it.
“The Queen’s guard is here!” She announced in a panic. “You need to get changed!”
Cecilia glanced down at her plain, gray dress. Changing clothes would take time, but she had to meet her fate with as much grace as she could muster. She was a princess after all.