The Forgotten Princess

Chapter Two

    “You’re clearly mistaken,” I say to the royal court. When Kayden made his announcement, the entire room erupted into a frenzy of calling and whispering. The King stood from the table, looking at me like he saw a ghost. The Queen ran to me, throwing her arms around my neck and crying loudly into my shoulder.

    “This is no mistake,” Queen Amaryllis says. “You’ve returned.”

    “I have not returned,” I say back quickly. “For I never belonged here.”

    The queen looks to others for help supporting her claim, but I am quick to dismiss any of the remarks.

    “Please,” I say, standing. “If I am not here to be punished I would like to go back home.”

    “Fair lady,” the King says. “You’re home has been destroyed in a burning realm of fire brought upon from the Pallatians.”

    “Not Sierra Verona!” I cry. Everyone has heard of the story of Sierra Verona. It was a simple country. Good for trading and better for gambling. There was never really trouble between that and other countries. Until one day, the princess was sent away to meet the Prince that she would one day wed, and the Pallatans brought fire and destruction to the country for not choosing their own.  It was obvious that the Pallatans only wanted the country due to it’s high demand in trade and wealth, but the king forbade it, setting his daughter up with the prince of his choosing.

    “You really don’t remember it here?” Kayden asked me, reaching out a hand.

    I flinch away, looking for a door.

    “I have never been to Court before,” I demand. “Now please, my head is spinning. I need fresh air.”

    I turn and leave the room of nobles standing in shock. Never would I ever have imagined that I would turn my back on a room full of royalty and noblemen.

    I make it out onto a nearby balcony, gripping onto the railings for my dear life. This has to be some mistake. I remember growing up with James. I remember growing up poor. True, I don’t remember everything about my childhood, but what of age adult does!

    The wind is brisk and clean. The cold feels good on my face and I lean over the side. It’s dark out now, but I can still see the different shades of the lake next to the castle, and the trees that look like winter may come early hanging in the background.

    “May I join you?” I hear from behind me.

    I turn abruptly to find Ashton standing at the door.

    “My Lord,” I bow.

    “Please,” he says. “Call me Ashton, or Ash.”

    I look back out to the night, sighing.

    “Ashton,” I repeat. “There is clearly a mistake.”

    “No mistake,” he tells me, nonchalantly moving close to the edge with me. He throws his hands on the railing besides me, turning his head to smile at me.

    “This is absurd!” I exclaim. “No one can honestly believe that a peasant such as myself, who was brought to Court because she stole a loaf of bread, is actually a princess of some ruined country.”

    “But you are,” he says, matter-of-factly.

    “Well, you’re wrong,” I snap, frustrated.

    “I know this is a bit much,” Ashton begins. “But I knew it the moment I saw you. You look exactly like you did when we were younger.”

    "Don't be ridiculous," I snap.

    “You might not believe us when we tell you that we know you, but it’s true. You are the princess. You were taken away from us around the holidays. Your mothers Lady, Elizabeth I believe, and footman came to gather you.” He stared out into the darkness. “It was reported to us a week later that you never returned home.”

    Elizabeth was my mothers name.

    “You don’t know what your disappearance did to this family. My aunt cried for so many days she got sick. My father feared war.” He turned to me sharply. “At least show enough sympathy for this family for all we’ve endured during that time. It broke my aunts heart; it broke our countries heart.”

    “I’m sorry I don’t remember my childhood,” I say slowly. “But I have spent the last sixteen years of my life as a poor beggar. I stripped the street for food and coins that I could bring home to my family. I watched my mother starve to death when I was nine. I watched my brother grow so hungry that he couldn’t open his eyes in the morning. Now, suddenly, everyone is telling me that I am actually a princess of a lost country. That I was born of royalty. Forgive me, my lord, if that doesn’t pinch a nerve inside of me.”

    Ash looks at me and smiles. "You know, for someone who does not believe that she is of royal blood, you sure have no problem speaking your mind to those who hold power."

    I look away from him out into the autumn night, and sigh. "If what you say is true, I want to ask a favor of you."

    "Anything, Kennah," Ash says, approaching me.

    "Find my brother, James."

    “James?” Ashton asks.

    “The boy I spent my life calling my brother." I tell him. "He is lonely down in the town, probably worried sick about me. Blood or not, James is one of the reasons I am alive today, and I will burn in Hell before living a life of royalty while he suffers a life of poverty down below.”        

    Ash looks out into the distance before running his hand into his hair. I take quick notice of his shoulders and muscles flexing in the moon light.

    "I can see what I can do," he tells me.

    "That's not enough," I demand.

    "I will personally go down and gather him myself tomorrow morning," Ash says.

    "I wish to come," I look at him.

    "Absolutely not," he grins.

    "Why exactly not?" 

    "You will be harmed!”

    “By whom?” I laughed. “The villagers I was waving to yesterday? No one knows where I am or what I am."

    "It is too dangerous," he snaps.

    I don't say anything to him, instead holding his gaze and narrowing my eyes. "I beg you," I whisper.

    Ash lets out a small groan and smiles. "I shall go down tonight then, have him here in the castle for you before you even wake in the morning. I'll sneak in and out in the cover of darkness and no one shall know except us."

    "Thank you," I say, my stomach knotting up at his smile.  

    "Are you ready to go back inside?

  I let out a sigh and glimpse towards the castle.

    "Do I have to?"

    "You can not run from this forever," he says, smiling. "Come on, I will stay with you."  I look at his extended hand outreached towards me before reluctantly taking it, allowing him to lead me back to the expecting nobles. 

    The rest of the evening is full of greetings and introductions to members of noblemen who were insistent that they knew me as a child.  Ashton snuck away some time later, squeezing my hand in an attempt to tell me he was off on his mission.  I fake a smile and shake hands, hopeful that the sooner I can get through the crowd the sooner I can seek solace in the comfort of a quiet room.

    "Kennah," Kayden approaches me.    

    "My Lord," I smile.

    "What have I asked you to call me?" He grins. "No prince in the history of our world has expected someone of equal social standing to report to him as such."

   "It has been six hours," I roll my eyes. "Forgive my inability to adapt to royalty so quickly."

    "You have an exquisite vocabulary for someone who claims grew up in poverty," he remarks, raising an eyebrow.

    "My mother," I start. "Well, I guess, Elizabeth, always told me that proper grammar and speech was the epitome of success in life. Even if you had nothing to live on, properly speaking could be the deciding factor of failure or success in ones life."    

    "Brilliant," Kayden laughs. "Seems like even then she was training you for this moment."

    I feel my face scrunch up, understanding what he's insinuating to me. I turn away from him, causing him to reach out for my hand.

    "Wait," he says softly. "I apologize for my comment, I promise I did not mean to anger you."

    "How dare you," I whisper. "Do not assume to know anything about the woman I spent my life calling mother."

    "I know," he says regrettably. "That was wrong of me, and I apologize."

    I look around at the room full of people and suddenly feel trapped. The room that I stand in is larger than the entire town square. The dresses that the ladies wear, myself included, could buy the nicest house  outer Arcadia has to offer.  The food that is being used solely for tonight is enough to feed the entire village for a week.

    "I wish to leave," I tell Kayden.    

    "Leave?"

    "Anywhere but here," I tell him.

    "Follow me," he sounds hushed and urgent. He grabs my hand and leads me out the large double doors that lead out of the banquet hall.

    "No talking," he whispers, pulling me down a hallway. He looks around the corner and holds a finger to his mouth.  After a moment he pulls me from off the wall and we run across another hallway, a guard at the end of the hall is facing away from us.    

    We run down a long passageway, small laughter escaping from me whenever we sneak past another guard.    

    "Wait," I laugh, finally slowing down. "I simply cannot keep running in these shoes."

    "Take them off," Kayden suggests. 

    "And what?" I tell him. "Begin leaving clothing around the castle as we sneak past guards! What would the royals think!"

    Kayden laughs, "they would think that the prince has snuck off with the princess." I blush. "We're nearly there."

    I take my shoes from my now blistered feet and hold them in my hand.  "Why would anyone choose to wear such shoes anyways," I mumble. "They are nearly impossible to walk in, less so to run."

    "Perhaps that is the reason?" he laughs. 

    I roll my eyes and smile at him. We arrive at a large stair case and I am taken aback from the sheer architecture and size of it.  The spiral stairs, ascending to a magnificent chandelier and balcony overlooking the room we are in now. Candles are placed illuminating the walkway and paintings of the royal families.

    "It's beautiful," I whisper, shocked. 

    "I thought you might like it," Kayden smiles.

    "Can I go up?" I ask.

    "Of course," he tells me. "You are free to venture everywhere in the castle freely."

    I walk up the stairs, marveling at the beauty around me. Each step holds a story of the royal families before; the great kingdom built from nothing, centuries before we arrived, and they created this glorious architecture. 

    I get to the top and turn around, smiling down at Kayden. I look to the right and see the current King and Queen, holding a young Kayden. I smile and get closer to the painting. 

    I get a weird sense of familiarity looking at the paintings before me, almost as if I had seen them before. The gold outlining of the frame reminds me of dreams I had when I was a child, the spirals filling my visions of a lost time. I reach up and draw over them with my fingers, brushing dust from the cracks of the the patterns. 

    I turn to Kayden, who is walking slowly up the staircase, holding on to the railing with his eyes on me. My head starts to feel light, my mind is racing in a myriad of thoughts. I start to breathe heavier, my emotions taking over.

    "Kennah?" Kayden asks, softly.

    My eyes widen, my mind opens, the lights around me start to brighten.

    "Kennah!" Kayden calls to me. "Mother says we aren't supposed to run up the stairs!" His breath is labored and sweat is forming on his small forehead. He can't be older than nine, his dark hair hanging around his blue eyes in a curtain.

    "Just admit I've won, Kayden!" my little voice calls back to him. I stand in the same exact spot I am in now, holding on the gold frame and breathing heavily. I am so young, no more than five at the time. 

    "Only because I let you," he snarks.

    "That is because I am faster than you," I tease.

    "Yes, my future Queen."

    I snap back to reality, gasping and dropping to the ground.

    "Kennah?!" Kayden says, before running to my side.    

    "My Lord," I gasp.

    "Kennah, please, don't call me that."

    "Not you," I breathe. "I know this place. I remember you chasing me up these stairs."

    "You remember that?" Kayden asks.  "This use to be your favorite room in the whole castle."

    I can't answer him, I just nod. 

    "How is it possible that I have blocked out all of these memories?" I ask him.

    "You were young," Kayden tells me. "You were taken from us so early in your childhood, I am not surprised you've forgotten things."

    "I felt so drawn to this room when we entered," I whisper. "It felt so familiar to me."

    "I was hoping it would help," he says, sitting beside me on the floor.  "I would bring you here when you were upset."

    I laugh, "that's so silly, to be amazed by stairs."

    "It wasn't the stairs that amazed you," Kayden says. "My mother always told you that each step represented the generations before us.  The stairs were a story of the line of succession and how one day we would be apart of that."

    I glance up at him, thinking back to when I first walked up the stairs tonight.  I remembered that too.

    "Kayden," I whisper, watching his face lighten at my use of his name. "What happened to me when I left?"

    "I do not know," he says, bringing his head down and placing his forehead against mine.  I blush at his sudden proximity, his blue eyes staring into mine. "I promise you, though, that we will find out."