Escaping
1164 Words
*Karolina*
The sight before me is surreal. The king’s body sprawled across the desk, the remnants of a grand tea service scattered like the pieces of a shattered dream. My heart races as I take in Ryan’s fierce expression, the defiance in his stance, and the urgency that hangs thick in the air. I had been terrified when the princess and I heard the commotion, but now that I’m here, it feels like we’ve stepped into a nightmare.
“What happened?” The princess asks, her voice trembling slightly. I glance between Ryan and the others. The princess’ face is pale, her eyes wide with shock, but I can see a flicker of determination beneath her fear. There’s something about her that demands respect, even in this chaos.
Sebastian opens his mouth to speak, but the princess raises a hand, cutting him off. “No. Ryan. I need to hear it from you.”
I watch as Ryan’s gaze sharpens, the rogue in him coming alive. He takes a deep breath, his confidence unwavering as he begins to recount the events that led us to this moment. It’s almost as if he’s relishing the tension, savoring the chance to explain how he outsmarted the king.
“I realized the king was planning something,” he starts, his voice steady. “The moment you mentioned Russian connections, I knew this was much more entangled than we imagined and I had to act. When I saw the waiter slip something into Sebastian and Holly’s tea, I knew it was poison. So I did what I had to do.” He pauses, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as he continues, “I dressed up as a female servant and served your father his own poisoned tea.”
The princess’s eyes widen in disbelief, but I can see the flicker of admiration there too. “You… ”
“I had to,” Ryan cuts in, a fierceness in his gaze. “If I hadn’t, we would have been standing here with Sebastian and Holly dead and no way to escape. I couldn’t let him eliminate you both. I knew I had to take the risk.”
Holly looking like she is still processing the gravity of the situation, steps forward, her voice shaking slightly. “I’m so sorry, Your Highness. I didn’t know what was happening, and I…”
But the princess shakes her head, cutting off Holly’s apology. “You don’t need to apologize.” Her voice is surprisingly calm, almost regal. “This gives us a chance. A chance to flee and for me to choose my own path. It’s what I wanted all along.” She turns to Ryan, her expression softening. “Thank you for making sure I do not have to marry you.”
Ryan looks taken aback, his bravado cracking just a little. “I didn’t do it for gratitude,” he says, but I can see the warmth in his eyes, the way he’s drawn to her strength.
I step forward, feeling the urgency of the moment. “What now?” I ask, my heart pounding. “We need to get out of here before anyone realizes what’s happened. But we can’t do it without a plan. The palace is unfamiliar to us.”
The princess nods, her gaze shifting to me. “You’re right, Karolina. We must move quickly. I know the palace better than anyone. The secret passages out in the gardens can take us outside the walls where we can slip away unnoticed.”
“Then we need your help,” Ryan tells the princess. I look at Ryan, my heart swelling with a mix of admiration and relief.
She nods, “And I need yours too, Ryan. You’ve already proven you can think on your feet. If we work together, we can get out of this alive.”
“Agreed,” Ryan replies, his expression shifting from playful rogue to more serious. “If you know the way, we’ll follow your lead. But we need to move now. There’s no time to waste.”
The princess takes a deep breath, her resolve hardening. “Follow me. Stay close and be quiet. We can’t risk being questioned.” She gestures for us to move, and I feel a surge of adrenaline as I fall into step behind her.
The princess informs the guards that she is to show us the garden. As she is the princess, no one tries to stop us.
We weave through the opulent halls of the palace, the echoes of our footsteps swallowed by the heavy silence. Ryan has grabbed my hand and my heart pounds in my chest, the reality of our situation pressing down on me. Each corner we turn feels like a step deeper into a labyrinth, the weight of our choices resting heavily on our shoulders.
As we approach a door, the princess glances back at us, her brow furrowed with determination. “This way leads to the gardens,” she whispers urgently. “Once we’re outside, we need to hurry to the back right corner.”
Suddenly, distant shouts echo through the corridor, the urgency of our escape intensifying. My stomach twists with fear, but I push it aside, focusing on the task at hand. We can’t be caught now. Not after everything we’ve fought for.
“Faster!” Ryan urges, his voice low but insistent. “We can’t let them get to us first.”
The princess leads us outside, and as we near the exit, I can feel relief flood through me, but I know we’re not out of danger yet. There’s still a long way to go.
“Once we’re outside,” Sebastian says, ”we need to get back to the duckling an
and we need to find a way to blend in til we can manage. We can’t draw attention to ourselves.”
“Leave that to me,” Ryan replies with a cocky grin. “I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.”
But just as we reach the exit, a loud crash reverberates behind us. I freeze, panic surging through me as I feel the walls closing in. We have to move, and we have to move now.
“Go!” the princess urges, pulling a small door behind a bush open. “We can’t wait any longer!”
I step through the doorway, the city sprawling out before me like an oasis of freedom. The scent of flowers fills the air behind me, and for a moment, I allow myself to bask in the beauty of it all. But my heart races as I glance back at the entrance, the sounds of chaos echoing behind us.
“Let’s go!” Ryan urges, pulling me forward. “We can’t stop now.”
Together, we plunge out into the city, adrenaline pumping through our veins as we run toward freedom, determined to escape the shadows of the palace.
- Writer
