Chapter 5. The Escape
1006 Words
* Arriane *
I lowered my head as the Royal guards checked the carriage. Damien was holding the reins.
"Why are you going out so late Damien? And Amira is with you, did Princess Arriane allow her to leave?"
He was silent for a few seconds then he glanced at me. "Yes, it's to fetch something urgent. The Princess needs it for tomorrow in preparation of her engagement with the Alpha of the Shadow Pack."
Usually the Royal guards does not ask much questions on the matters that the Royal family needs. But now I have my doubts when I wore Amira's clothes and drug her so she can sleep on my chambers. Giving me time to escape with Damien.
The guard's gaze lingered on me a second too long. I felt it, like claws brushing against my skin. I knew they were trained to do their best and I couldn't blame them for being vigilant.
"Lift your head," he ordered.
My fingers tightened against the rough fabric of Amira's cloak. I forced myself to obey, slowly raising my face just enough for the dim torchlight to catch my features, but not enough for recognition.
Damien shifted slightly in his seat. He was nervous too.
"Do you question the Princess' command?" he asked, his tone calm, but edged. The guard hesitated. Then he stepped back.
"Proceed."
The gates opened. And just like that, I took a deep breath to calm my senses. Now, I am no longer a princess inside a cage.
The carriage rolled forward, iron wheels groaning as we crossed the threshold of the palace gates. I didn't dare move my cloak until the towering walls disappeared behind us.
Freedom, I often dream about this for so long and tonight I finally get the courage to do it. But somehow. It didn't feel how I imagined it would. It felt, cold.
"Don't celebrate yet," Damien muttered, eyes fixed ahead. "You're still too close to the Palace."
"I wasn't celebrating," I whispered. But deep inside I was. At least... I thought I was. Time passed in silence as we continue.
The further we traveled, the rougher the road became. The smooth marble paths turned into uneven dirt, the scent of roses replaced by damp earth and smoke.
We travelled for many hours. And I have slept through the journey. Until finally I noticed that we stopped.
"This is it," Damien said.
I frowned. "Have we arrived?" I stepped out of the carriage.
The air felt cold. And I froze. This place. This was the outside world?
The buildings were crooked, wood rotting and patched with mismatched planks. The air smelled of ash and something sour. People passed by in worn clothing, their faces tired, hollow.
A child stared at me. She does not look like those cute little children I saw inside the Palace. Her eyes held no admiration. But curiosity.
As if I were something strange. Something, out of place.
"This is where we're staying?" I asked, my voice quieter than I intended.
"Yes, Princess Arriane."
"That's not an inn," I said, staring at the leaning structure ahead.
"It is," Damien replied. "Just not the kind you're used to."
I swallowed. Inside the palace, even the servants lived better than this.
" People actually live like this?" I whispered.
Damien finally looked at me. And for a moment, just a moment, there was something unreadable in his eyes.
"Most of them do. And I am sorry that you have to stay here for now."
As we get inside. The room was small. He spoke with an old woman and her husband, as the owner of the inn and then he took me into a room. A single bed with a cracked basin. One narrow window that would barely let in moonlight.
I stood in the center of it, unsure where to place myself, like my existence didn't belong within its walls.
"I thought freedom would feel different," I admitted. Damien closed the door behind us.
"It does," he said. "You're just seeing the part they don't show you inside the palace."
I turned to him.
"You knew," I said slowly. "You knew it was going to be like this."
"Yes Princess."
"And you still helped me leave?" He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he walked toward the window, pushing it open slightly. Cold air rushed in, carrying distant voices and the sound of something breaking, perhaps glass, or something else.
"You wanted freedom," he said. "This is what it looks like Princess."
Silence stretched between us as I was unable to speak. Suddenly Damien feels different. His formality and honorific when speaking with me were gone.
"Why?" I asked.
He stilled.
"Why help me?" I stepped closer. "You risked your position and your life. For what?"
This time, he did turn. And his gaze locked onto mine, sharp, calculating and dangerous. I'm seeing a different side of him now, someone I didn't know he had.
"Because," he said quietly, "you're more useful outside the palace than inside it."
My breath caught.
"That doesn't sound like kindness Damien."
"Oh, It isn't. Princess."
A chill ran through me, deeper than the night air.
"Then what is it?" I whispered. Damien took a step closer. Close enough that I could see the faint scar along his jaw, the kind earned in battle. Close enough to realize something is not right.
I didn't know him at all.
"It's strategy," he said. My heart pounded.
"What do you want from me?" A faint smirk touched his lips.
"Not what," he corrected.
"Who." My stomach dropped.
"Soon," Damien continued, voice low, "you'll understand why letting you escape, was the most important move I could make."
And in that moment. Standing in a broken room, in a world I didn't recognize. I realized something far more terrifying than the palace I left behind. I wasn't free.
I had just stepped into another game.
How could I be so careless and trusted him that easily? Now it is too late for regret.
- Writer
