Emotions tumbled through me as we wandered through the night. These men belonged to the rebel group who were searching for Princess Estelle... and now they thought they had found her. Frustration bore into me as I desperately wanted to tell the old man he had caught the wrong girl. It was an understandable mistake, considering all the similarities between the princess’s story and mine, but there was no chance I was Estelle—Mother said so herself. She had to have perished in the fire, and there was no way she could have otherwise escaped.
I just have to hope they’ll listen to me.
What was Mother going to think when she found me and my entire bed missing in the morning? Part of me believed she would go mad with fear, but the other part of me knew she was extremely logical in dire situations—it was the same reason she had escaped the castle during the invasion. Her critical thinking always increased tenfold during times of crisis. She would likely gather a search party or collect information from anyone she could in town. My worries eased a smidge at the thought. Even if I couldn’t escape from these rebels, perhaps Mother could at least track me down.
Dawn was already beginning to break by the time we reached our destination. The soft pinks and oranges of the sun’s glow illuminated the sky like a vibrant painting. A heavy yawn parted my lips as we approached what appeared to be the mouth of a cave. I looked over at my captors with a puzzled look as we were forced to hunch down into the small opening. The cave was nearly invisible unless you were directly in front of it. The small hollow opening was extremely tight for two grown men and a petite woman. Fortunately, the mouth widened the further we entered and before long, I was able to stand to my full stunted height. The musty smell of the cave quickly permeated my senses, compelling my nose to crinkle in displeasure. Stagnant puddles littered the cave floor, attracting gnats and even a few toads. Stalactites dangled haphazardly above us, dripping the occasional drop of dew onto our heads. My lungs craved fresh air within minutes of entering the dingy dwelling. Before we had even seen a single rebel, I could hear the blaring echo of numerous voices ringing from the back of the cavern. Was this dump seriously the rebellion’s compound?
No sooner had the question passed through my mind, the cavern widened once more, this time opening up into an expansive space flooded with people. Dozens of eyes fell on the men and me as we stepped down into the widened space. My mind raced to take in the jumble of information around me. Men, women, and children of nearly every age quieted as they silently watched us enter. All the men wore the same dark green coat that the men escorting me wore, while the women donned simple cotton dresses in varied colors. It looked exactly like what it was—a make-shift compound, burrowed in the side of the mountain.
Lanterns lined the edges of the cave, meticulously placed in between puddles of water. The scent of the musty cave walls and improperly ventilated lantern smoke made me gag for a brief moment. A few gawking eyes raised their brows at my rude gesture, but I didn’t feel the need to impress the organization that had kidnapped me. My eyes itched from the lingering smoke and pestering gnats that insisted on nesting in my thick curls. I flicked my head viciously, flinging the insects away from me with a disgusted groan. The crowds parted as the men led me to the front of the room. The growing number of stares sent an uncomfortable shiver through me.
This isn’t going to end well…
As we reached the front of the room, my fatherly captor addressed the crowd, “Greetings, my loyal followers.” His voice echoed painfully loud against the cavern walls. “I’m sure you all have many questions for me and my son. It is not often that we bring outsiders into our protected sanctum, but as you may have already guessed, this is no ordinary outsider…” He turned to me, a proud smile plastered across his face.
Oh no…
“Um, sir,” I whispered, “I think there’s been a misunder—”
“We have found the lost Princess Estelle!” he announced proudly, ignoring my desperate attempts to quiet him. “Sybettal shall be its own kingdom once more. Our freedom is within our grasp!” A roar of applause reverberated against the cavern walls. The people whooped and roared in celebration as their leader raised his arms victoriously.
I pressed my hands against my ears, trying to prevent my eardrums from shattering under the intense noise.This can’t be happening...Despite my effort to block out the sound, a painful ringing persisted in my skull. The obnoxious smells, chaotic sights, and overwhelming noise pressed my self-control to its absolute limit.
My temper bubbled over as I sucked in a mildew-laced breath. “I am not the princess!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, expelling all the sour air as I did so. After the pressure of my anger was released, I noticed that the crowd had once again quieted. Dozens of eyes glared at me, some in shock or disbelief, others with despair.
A sudden yank at my wrist jolted my attention to the son, who stood behind me. “What did I tell you about being quiet?!” he hissed, keeping his words hidden from the crowd.
I opened my mouth to explain that I wasn’t going to sit by and let them parade me around as a false royal, but a new voice beat me to it.
“Is that true, Sir Baggio?” an older man called from crowd. His expression held the same look of hurt as a child being told they had been lied to.
“No, of course not.” Their leader laughed casually. “The girl is simply in shock from the news. It will take some time for her to adjust to her new role.”
I bit my lip in frustration. With a new flood of anger, I wrenched my wrist from the son’s grasp and stomped back to the front of the crowd. “I am most certainlynotin shock. I am, however, furious! These men dragged me from my home in the dead of night and have not even taken a moment to learn my name, never mind my status!” My chest heaved with my fiery outburst, and the eyes turned back to their leader once more.
The man, Sir Baggio, turned his face toward me, his body still positioned to address the crowd. “Nixie Greene.” His dark eyes held a far more assertive sheen now. “Adopted daughter of Rieta Greene, a former chamber maid in the royal castle.”
My anger was quickly replaced with the jarring shock of hearing both mine and my mother’s name. He knew who I was, but that didn’t change the fact that I still wasn’t his princess. But still, I couldn’t fathom how he had pinpointed me so quickly.
“How do you know all of that?”
A crooked smile spanned his face. “Well, Your Highness, I used to work in the castle, too.” he boasted. “I knew Rieta, not personally, but we ran in the same circles. I heard through the local gossip chain that she’d adopted a daughter, but I never thought much about it until the royal family’s remains were uncovered.” He turned back to the crowd. “This young woman was rescued by a castle chamber maid as an infant. She is twenty years of age, and as you can plainly see, was born with striking red hair. So, tell me, my loyal followers, do you believe me to be incorrect in assuming that this girl, is in truth, our lost Princess Estelle?”
Another uproar of favorable cheers and applause boomed from the audience, smiles dotting their faces, replacing their previously doubtful expressions. I clenched my fists; this was getting absolutely ridiculous.
“You’re wrong!” I shouted into the crowd. “My mother rescued me in a barley field, outside of the castle. I was completely abandoned and alone. Tell me, how could an infant princess stray so far from a castle, on her own, during a siege?” My steaming blood pulsed through my neck and cheeks, spreading a hot red into my skin.
“That’s simple, Your Highness,” Sir Baggio said shrewdly. “Your dear mother must have lied to you.”
Lied? That’s absolutely ridiculous.
“She would never lie to me!” I snapped. “Why would she? It’s not as if she has anything to gain by preventing me from becoming a royal.”
A belittling chuckle sounded behind me, and I turned to glare at Sir Baggio’s son. His dark brown eyes jested at me infuriatingly, and I wanted to smack the smug look off his face.
“She may have had nothing to gain, but she certainly did have something to lose.” Sir Baggio’s voice broke my violent thoughts. I whipped my head back to him and saw that his face held no hint of untruth.
She would have lost me…