The Bandit and the Princess
1- The beginning
EIGHT YEARS OLD
"Daddy?" I ask softly, looking at the tall, four-poster bed. My feet pad toward their bed and I climb up it, laying between both my mom and daddy. I feel a warm, strong arm wrap around my waist and pull me against a warm body. I snuggle against it, knowing that my daddy is the one holding me.
"What is it, pipsqueak?" I hear him whisper out, sleep lacing his voice.
"I-I had a night terror again," I mumble into his chest. "I was scared and you said that I should come to you if I was scared."
"I said that didn't I?" He chuckles and pulls me closer to his chest. "Well, it is a good thing I keep my word then, my little princess."
I rest my head on his chest and stare into the darkness. I can almost see the shadows crawling towards me, their arms outstretched and their eyes glowing. I shiver and snuggle deeper in the sheets as my daddy's snores fill the room.
The spot where mommy would be is empty. Daddy said that mommy made a bad choice and she wasn't allowed to see us anymore. That she broke the law and daddy had to punish her. I remember that day clearly. It was only a few months ago, actually. She came home one day with no guards. Daddy said we always needed our guards with us. She has a sad look on her face and her clothes were nothing like what we normally wear. She had a man's shirt on and wore tight pants. I was hiding behind one of the curtains when the fighting broke out.
"I am not forced to stay with you, Alesio! I am not a Queen! I am a rebel who tricked you! Why are you so shocked at what happened?! I warned you in subtle ways they were going to attack and you ignored me. You could've saved yourself so much trouble if you listened to me!" Mommy shouted at daddy.
I could faintly see daddy tense up before guards rushed in and held mommy back as if they are about to put her in prison.
"Clairana, I warned you that you were a Queen now. I told you that you were going to have to give up on your fantasies to be a rebel, to join the witches. They loathe royals and you are now the prime example of a royal. Did you think your plans out at all?"
Witches? Mommy wants to be dangerous? Why?
"They don't know I am royal. They think I work for you, not am married to you, Alesio. Please, understand that what I ma doing is taking them down. I am just a spy!"
"A spy! My Gods, woman! How do I know that you aren't going to betray me, betray the kingdom? I worked hard to fix the mess my father made and I don't want a girl to break it again. If it means getting rid of you, then so be it. I want Ayanna to grow up in a safe kingdom, where everyone loves her family, not hates them. You wouldn't know that now would you, Clairana?" I could almost feel the hate that came off of daddy when he spoke to mommy that day.
The guards carried her off and that's when daddy turned around and spotted me. I saw his blue eyes widen in shock and they seemed to sparkle in the sun. He crouched down and opened his arms. I ran into them and he pressed his cheek against my head.
"Is mommy a bad person?" I asked and felt him turn stiff.
"Mommy broke the law. Laws are like rules but only for everyone. One of the big rules is to never talk and spend time with witches. Mommy broke that rule by trying to spend... time with them. I warned her not to but she didn't listen. I warned her and now she has to pay." His tone was soft and sad. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he picked me up. I hear screams before daddy covered my ears.
That is what I have my night terrors about. Mommy being taken, tortured and possibly even killed. He tells me that I will be able to see her later in my life. I never understood that until recently. Falling asleep, I see the shadows disappear as the comfort of daddy fills me. he will always be around, right?
"Daddy?" I ask softly, looking at the tall, four-poster bed. My feet pad toward their bed and I climb up it, laying between both my mom and daddy. I feel a warm, strong arm wrap around my waist and pull me against a warm body. I snuggle against it, knowing that my daddy is the one holding me.
"What is it, pipsqueak?" I hear him whisper out, sleep lacing his voice.
"I-I had a night terror again," I mumble into his chest. "I was scared and you said that I should come to you if I was scared."
"I said that didn't I?" He chuckles and pulls me closer to his chest. "Well, it is a good thing I keep my word then, my little princess."
I rest my head on his chest and stare into the darkness. I can almost see the shadows crawling towards me, their arms outstretched and their eyes glowing. I shiver and snuggle deeper in the sheets as my daddy's snores fill the room.
The spot where mommy would be is empty. Daddy said that mommy made a bad choice and she wasn't allowed to see us anymore. That she broke the law and daddy had to punish her. I remember that day clearly. It was only a few months ago, actually. She came home one day with no guards. Daddy said we always needed our guards with us. She has a sad look on her face and her clothes were nothing like what we normally wear. She had a man's shirt on and wore tight pants. I was hiding behind one of the curtains when the fighting broke out.
"I am not forced to stay with you, Alesio! I am not a Queen! I am a rebel who tricked you! Why are you so shocked at what happened?! I warned you in subtle ways they were going to attack and you ignored me. You could've saved yourself so much trouble if you listened to me!" Mommy shouted at daddy.
I could faintly see daddy tense up before guards rushed in and held mommy back as if they are about to put her in prison.
"Clairana, I warned you that you were a Queen now. I told you that you were going to have to give up on your fantasies to be a rebel, to join the witches. They loathe royals and you are now the prime example of a royal. Did you think your plans out at all?"
Witches? Mommy wants to be dangerous? Why?
"They don't know I am royal. They think I work for you, not am married to you, Alesio. Please, understand that what I ma doing is taking them down. I am just a spy!"
"A spy! My Gods, woman! How do I know that you aren't going to betray me, betray the kingdom? I worked hard to fix the mess my father made and I don't want a girl to break it again. If it means getting rid of you, then so be it. I want Ayanna to grow up in a safe kingdom, where everyone loves her family, not hates them. You wouldn't know that now would you, Clairana?" I could almost feel the hate that came off of daddy when he spoke to mommy that day.
The guards carried her off and that's when daddy turned around and spotted me. I saw his blue eyes widen in shock and they seemed to sparkle in the sun. He crouched down and opened his arms. I ran into them and he pressed his cheek against my head.
"Is mommy a bad person?" I asked and felt him turn stiff.
"Mommy broke the law. Laws are like rules but only for everyone. One of the big rules is to never talk and spend time with witches. Mommy broke that rule by trying to spend... time with them. I warned her not to but she didn't listen. I warned her and now she has to pay." His tone was soft and sad. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he picked me up. I hear screams before daddy covered my ears.
That is what I have my night terrors about. Mommy being taken, tortured and possibly even killed. He tells me that I will be able to see her later in my life. I never understood that until recently. Falling asleep, I see the shadows disappear as the comfort of daddy fills me. he will always be around, right?