The Princess' Second Chance

His glare narrowed as he stared at me—waiting for me to drink the poison he bestowed upon me. This was his mercy. No matter how I pleaded, or how much I cried, I knew it was pointless. He was set on killing me. So, with shaky hands I raised the bowl to my lips and stared back at him—at my King, my father, and drank the poison. This was my mercy to myself. As I choked on the blood that the poison induced; I reached for him one last time. I was not sure what I excepted from him. From a man who could easily watch his child die. That was my last memory of the wretch life I had lived. Because at 18 years old, I was sentenced to death. So, why was I back? When I was four-year-old, I started to remember pieces of the life I had lived before. Somehow, I had gone back in time-- to the very beginning. Perhaps the regrets I had left behind were too great. Whatever the reason; I was given the chance to start over again. And I was going to change it all. Just like the memories of my past life; I was born as princess Zariah, the second eldest child of King Michael III. Although our country was not the biggest, it was wealthy—this is how we maintained power and maintain to avoid conflicts. My older twin brother, crown prince Zechariah, was the staple child. He was smart, handsome, and a natural leader. Whereas I was spoiled, stubborn, and a dictator—this was how I was viewed. We were constantly being compared. And I was reminded of my place every time. Below Zechariah. “Princess? Are you awake?” Mary, my personal maid asked as she walked into the room ready to open my curtains. Memories of her being tortured in my past life flashed before my life. She had stayed loyal to me until the very end. And this time, I was going to make sure she stayed alive. “Yes Mary. Good morning.” I whispered as I sat up stretching. “Happy 12th birthday Miss!” She cheered as she helped me out of bed. It has been 8 years since I remembered everything. And I only had 6 more years left before my death. 6 more years to prove to my father and brother that I was not a threat to the crown. That all I wanted was to live a peaceful life. However, it was easier said than done. I had last seen my father on my 6th birthday, when Zechariah and I celebrated it together. The next day after our birthday party, my father ordered me to move to our palace in the countryside—never to be allowed back into the capital until I was summoned. But I was ok with the situation. I wanted to be as far from them as possible. And life in the countryside allowed me to do what I pleased. So, I studied. I studied theology, theories, history, archery, swordsmanship, medicine. I studied everything I could. Even when my teachers told me there was nothing left for me to learn; I pushed to be taught more. I needed to be smarter this time around. When I had free time from my lessons, I dealt privately with my finances. This was something I could not let my father find out. A disposed member of the royal family having private funds could be interpreted as conspiracy. But I needed to have more money. I needed to make sure I could support myself if I had to run away—if I failed to change my future. “…. Miss!” Mary’s shouted as she turned to look back at me. Noticing that I was not paying attention to what she was saying. “Sorry Mary—” I giggled out of embarrassment. “Seems I was in my own little world again.” “Seems you were.” Her eyes creased as she smiled. “What was it you were saying?” I asked now that I was paying attention. I lifted my hands as she helped me out of my nightgown. “Sir Ayden sent word. He unfortunately can not join you for your morning swordsmanship. He said to take the day off and enjoy your birthday Miss.” Mary repeated. Hmmm. It was very unlike Ayden to miss a session. Even on my birthday. “I’ll still go out for a light workout.” I concluded as I picked out my trousers and shirt. “Won’t do me any good sitting around here anyways.” “Very well.” Mary nodded as she helped me get dressed. Walking out of my room. I noticed how quiet it was. It has always been quiet. My father after all only sent me out with a handful of maids and servants and a cook. He figured a 6-year-old did not require much attention. And over the past few years the servants started leaving; noticing that I was just a forgotten princess with no value. Now only Mary, Steven, Mary’s little brother, and Mercy, Mary’s mother, reminded in the castle with me. I thought about hiring more maids to help with the work. However, nobody ever responded to my work requests. This was fine with my though. I had gotten use to it just being us. This was how it was in the past as well. It had always been us four. Until my 16th birthday—that is when everything will change. I will be summoned back to the palace. I do not have a lot of time left before that. I needed to be stronger. I had not been out longer than 30 minutes when I saw Mary running towards me. The fear in her face made me drop my sword as I ran towards her. “What’s wrong?” I asked as my eyes searched her looking to see if she was harmed in anyways. “Miss—” She gasped, out of breath. “—a butler from the palace is here.” My face dropped. Why were they here?