Fall for Me

two

~ l e o r a

THE SAME CROWD of villagers had circled around an area of the market the next day and were gaping as the royal family's daughters, excluding Princess Leorane, emerged from within a sleek car, a pair of guards surrounding each of them, looks of impassiveness covering their faces. The queen could be seen through the open door of the vehicle, and as if just noticing herself, she shut it hastily.

I knew instantly why they were here. They suspected that if the princess were to run or be taken somewhere, it would be this village for it was situated furthest away from the capital of Rheane, where the royal family lived. My father had taught me this fact when he had caught me flipping through one of his maps when I was still a young teen. I examined each face of the villagers and saw that they all seemed puzzled by the sudden appearance of the princesses. They didn't know.

The girls politely asked every villager to remove their hats or hoods if they were wearing one so it would reveal their faces and simplify the search. They all obliged. The princess's eyes inspected the large group, their eyes flickering from face to face. I was crammed between two women who had recently peeled off their woolen hats.  

"Excuse me, miss. Do you mind taking off your hood for a moment?" A sweet but authoritative voice called, causing me to jump slightly.

I lifted my head to see who had spoken and was met with all of their ferocious gazes. I hadn't realized I had still had my hood on. I had pulled it over my head to warm my ears from the morning chill. Forcing a smile, I plucked the hood of my coat back, letting my long hair fall loose around my shoulders, dark strands clinging to the side of my face. I brushed them away. 

All four of them surveyed me for a moment before a chorus of gasps escaped their lips. They alarmed me for a moment and I wondered what I had done wrong. The girl closest to the car knelt and flung open the door, hissing something at her mother as she stepped out in her light pink gown, her eyes settling on me. For some reason, a chill went down my spine.

"Guards," the queen ordered, her voice unfaltering. "Get the princess."

I stood there, confused by the queen's words, but I had no time to register what she had said for three guards were heading my direction, their dangerous weapons swinging at their hips. The terrorized mass of villagers parted for them to pass as I backed away, my boots colliding with the wall behind me. Suddenly, one of them pounced at me and I lunged to the side, barely missing his outstretched arms. Scrambling to my feet, I weaved my way through the cluster of people and frantically scurried down the market where I suddenly came face to face with another two guards, their expressions stony.

"We mean you no harm, Princess. The king and queen just want you home." One guard took a small step forward, raising his hand as the others tried to grab me.

"I'm not a princess. I live here. This is my home." I shot back furiously through gritted teeth. "You've got the wrong person." I had no idea why he thought I was the princess, but if the royal family wanted to take me away from this village, I was not letting them. I needed to escape.

The guard before me peered past my shoulder and I assumed he was looking at the queen or the princesses. His head bobbed up and down in a nod, which confirmed my thoughts. I sent the other guards a fleeting look and saw that they too were staring past me. This was my chance. 

Skimming past the men, I skidded around the corner and didn't bother to look back as I heaved myself over the brick wall at the end of the alley. Someone hollered the princess's name and I knew they would be over the wall soon. Spinning on my heel, I sped down the empty street with the sound of my boots smattering against the concrete. My surroundings were a blur and my heart thrummed erratically against my ribcage as I sprinted around the familiar pen where the chickens were kept, nearing the entrance of the farmhouse. Relief washed over me when I burst through the door, earning a disapproving look from my mother and sister.

"You've finished your chores already?" Natasha raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"Uh- Actually, I'm feeling a bit unwell," I lied swiftly. "Is it alright if I rest for a while?" 

My mother and sister shared a look before my mother nodded, my sister shrugging beside her. I was glad they had no idea the queen and her daughters had paid a visit to our village. I thanked them and clambered up the stairs, gliding past my brothers' room and into my sister's and I's room. The ragged curtains swayed harmlessly in the gentle breeze through the open window as the ageless sun scintillated in the cloudless sky, illuminating the cramped room, the rays of light dancing along the rough walls.

I kept myself busy by hauling up the clean, crumpled clothing lying on the floor and hooking them onto hangers which hung lonelily in the closet, or ramming the dirty ones into the laundry basket positioned by the vacuous bookshelf which used to be overflowing with books. We had to sell them all to cope through the winter. Afterwards, I shook off my boots and threw myself onto my bed, heaving a sigh. My mind turned back to what had happened in the market.

If the queen had really called me the princess and wasn't just a fragment of my imagination, why would she? I tried my hardest to come up with reasonable explanations and kept replaying what had happened in the market over and over again, trying to remember if the queen had given a hint of why she would call me as such, but my mind remained devoid of any reason.

A sudden crash seized my attention.

Slipping swiftly from my bed, I slid into my boots and hurtled down the staircase, nearly tripping over at the last step. Before me stood a dozen armed guards, their mouths set in thin lines. I recognized one of them as the guard who had told me the king and queen wanted be back in the palace. My parents and Natasha were clutching each other, pieces of the broken door littered at the feet. 

"-will do whatever it takes to find her. Do you understand?" The guard in front spoke, his eyes never leaving my parents and sister.

"I told you, the princess isn't here. You have the wrong family." My father had never sounded so intimidated in his entire life.

"Sir, I will repeat it one last time. Hand over the princess." The guard's tone allowed no room for argument.

As my father opened his mouth, my foot struck the landing, and everyone faced me. My parents and Natasha were shuddering with affright whereas the guards remained stoic, but a hint of a triumphant smile made its way onto the leading guard's face.

"Princess, it is time to go home." The guard raised an arm, his gloved hand reaching for me. 

"Pumpkin, what is going on?" My father broke away from my mother and sister and came towards me, his expression a mixture of confusion and terror.

"They think I'm the princess." I knew now that the queen definitely thought I was her daughter, even though I didn't know the exact reason why. 

"We do not know why you believe my daughter is the princess, but I assure you, you are searching in the wrong place." My father seemed to read my mind and the anger in his voice rolled like a tide.

"Our orders come from the king and queen. They expect their daughter home by tomorrow." My eyes flitted to the guard who still had his hand extended for me to take.

"I will not allow you to take away my daughter." My father clenched his jaw and took a dangerous step forward.

"Sir-" the guard started, but I cut him off.

"Why do they want me?" I trembled, my legs threatening to give out.

"Princess, you belong in the palace. They need you home." The guard looked surprised.

"But why do they think I am the princess?" My voice rose and my father rested a hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me. I didn't want to. I needed to know why.

"Princess, please. The king and queen will explain everything once you are back in the palace." The guard suddenly snagged my wrist, towing me to him. My father leaped forward, but two of the guards blocked his path, creating a barrier between us. I tried to wiggle out of the guard's hold, but it was useless. He was at least twice as strong as me.

"Pumpkin!" My father roared.

"Let me go, you...!" I screamed, thrashing against him.

"Please, Princess. Do not make it harder for us." The guard begged, but I was focused on my father and my frightened mother and sister who were now trying to soothe my two brothers.

"I'm not your bloody princess!" Tear blurred my vision and I elbowed him weakly in the stomach.

Dragging me back, the guard snapped his fingers and the rest of the guards hooked what looked like handcuffs over my father's wrists and then did the same with the rest of my family. My breath caught inside my throat as I watched. They were forced down to their knees, my brothers faces stained with tears.

"Take them away. They have committed a terrible crime for taking the princess," the guard commanded.

"No!" I screeched, kicking my legs. "Let them go!"

The guard ignored me, signaling for the others to haul them away.

"No, please! Don't hurt them! If I'm your princess, then listen to me!" The guard raised a fist and the guards halted in their tracks. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll go with you willingly if you let them go, and if you do not listen, I will report your disobedience to the king and queen."

The guard considered it. The king and queen never told them to capture the people who had apparently helming the princess captive, but just to take her back to the palace.

"Do we have a deal?" I questioned, my nostrils flaring.

"Of, course, Princess," the guard bent and gave me a bow before slowly loosening his grip on me. 

Under the guard's orders, the others uncured my family and herded them together, forming a semi-circle to prevent any of them from rushing up to me.

"What are you doing, Pumpkin?" My dad yelled over the heads of the guards, his voice strained.

"I'm protecting you, dad," I said through tears.

"No, I won't let them take you from me, Pumpkin!" My father cried, the sounds of my mother's and sister's quiet weeping accompanying his words. "Pumpkin!"

"Dad, let me do one more thing for my family." I murmured, but loud enough for him to hear. There was no one out, so the village was silent. My father looked taken aback and his face vanished behind the shoulders of the guards.

I didn't look back as they escorted me through the market.