As I attempted to get comfortable, my thoughts returned to the fiery red head who kept resurfacing into my thoughts.What hadn’t I killed her?Did the appeal of the Sybettian crown truly blind my thoughts? My memory flashed back to Nixie’s trusting gaze as I led her into what could have easily been a watery grave. There was something more to it all... Her desperation to not play the role she was believed to possess struck a tender nerve inside my stone heart. She didn’t want to be a princess, but it wasn’t a fate she could avoid.
My shoulder flared with pain as I slowly leaned against the cave’s wall. Images of my father’s stern scowl flickered through my mind.I have to be like him...If I was going to be king, I knew exactly the role I needed to play. It didn’t matter if that wasn’t who I wanted to be; it was the only fate that would bring me glory. Nixie seemed to be in the same situation, although the glory was already hers for the taking—she just didn’t want it. It was a curious contrast, yet not much of a contrast all when you considered we were both fighting to establish our future.
Geez, when did I get so philosophical? She’s only a Sybettian… a very fascinating Sybettian.
Another shoot of pain caused me to hiss through my teeth. Miron would probably laugh himself to death if he saw the predicament I was in now, and to be honest, I couldn’t blame him. With all the tools at my disposal, I still managed to fail in the most spectacular way possible. I sighed, allowing my eyes to drift closed. I tried to block out the pain in my shoulder, but the rough dirt wall behind me did an excellent job of prodding all the sensitive spots.
Please don’t be far, Nixie. I could really use a princess in shining armor right about now.
My dark-green cloak sagged limply around my shivering body. Wet clumps of red hair stuck to my forehead and cheeks as I forced myself to move through the raging storm. My boots held at least an inch of rainwater within the soles, but I didn’t bother to stop and dump them out; it was useless...
The first few days of the rainy season were always the most brutal. It was common to have flash floods and cloud bursts after the elongated drought. However, most people weren’t dumb enough to get themselves stranded outside with no way home when the rain came. Another shiver rolled down my spine as a crack of thunder spliced the air. It wasn’t terribly cold—in fact, the air was still warm—but the cool rain and my sopping wet hair were threatening to saddle me with illness.
I attempted to raise my head against the pounding rain, my eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of shelter or civilization. To my dismay, only flooding birch trees and muddy puddles remained ahead of me. The dense clouds blocked out the rising moon, darkening the sky with an eerie shadow. I cursed under my chattering breath, then pulled my cloak tighter around my shoulders, continuing my pointless journey forward.
For a moment, I began to grow envious of the true Sybettian princess; she was lucky to have perished. I didn’t envy her for dying, of course, but now she doesn’t have to deal with the unfortunate consequences of her unintended legacy.
How in the realms did I end up carrying the burdens intended for a deceased princess?I certainly never asked for any of this, and it’s not my fault that I bear a resemblance to her story.Why did it have to land in my lap?Everything was going so well for Mother and me before all this princess nonsense. We were happy... But in the blink of an eye, that all changed, and now we were separated with no current hope of reuniting.
I wanted to scream into the rain. The unfairness of it stirred my anger, urging me to lash out at something, but there was no one to hear me. I bit my lip, wishing desperately that I could vent my frustrations to Mother. She wouldn’t know how to fix it, but at least she would listen. All my words fell on deaf ears in the rebellion compound, and my supposed betrothed never invested more than a moment into my thoughts. Even the Timoren sisters didn’t bother to lend me an ear; they simply assumed I was out to snatch their suitors. If only someone would listen to me, take a moment to hear my end of the story and let me explain that I can’t help or hurt them. But nobody will; they only see what they want to see, they don’t want to hear what I want to say.
Well, except for one person…
Kian had listened...It hadn’t been a lengthy conversation by any means, but it still happened. Like everyone else, he believed I was the princess within only moments of meeting me, but when I told him it wasn’t true, he had actually heard me out. Not only did he listen; he believed me and even fought to help me escape. The only person who had seen past my fake crown might have drowned trying to protect me...
Why did this all have to get so complicated!
Water dripped down my face, and for a moment, I thought I was crying again, but the liquid that flowed down my cheek was too cool to be my own. I was sad about what had happened to Kian, but I felt as if I needed to remain strong for him and believe that he had survived the river on his own.
At least I was safe from the rebels on this side of the kingdom. If they hadn’t crossed the river when I escaped, there was no chance they could cross it now—the water levels rose far too quickly for safe passage. It was a relieving thought to know I wouldn’t be forced into a marriage anytime soon. Sybettal would have been doomed if I became a queen. The kingdom needed a real ruler, not a thieving scamp and a buffoon rebel.
Besides, I’m not a royal, right?
As much as I hated to admit it to myself, the first waves of doubt were beginning to flow through me. At my core, I knew I couldn’t be Estelle. I believed my mother; she had no reason to lie to me, and she only ever wanted the best for me. But what if what she believed to be true wasn’t actually true…?
I sighed, unsuccessfully trying to push down the intruding thoughts. Mother claimed that the distance between the field and the palace was too far for the princess to travel between when the attack started and when she found me.
But what if the princess was moved before the attack actually started? No one knew where she was located beforehand, so it wasn’t impossible for the baby to end up—
“Stop!” I pressed my hands to my ears as if I could quiet my traitorous thoughts.
It’s not possible... It’s not possible... I’m just Nixie, that’s all.
I wrapped my arms around myself, digging my nails into the thin cloak.This is all too much. The princess, the kidnapping, the river, the rain... the doubt, all of it.
My breaths came fast and heavy, despite barely moving. I sat down in the mud, letting the puddles soak through my skirt. For a few minutes, I did nothing but sit and breathe, trying to get a grip on my panicking mind. Normally, I was skilled at keeping a level head and clear thoughts, but today it wasn’t just the sky that was clouded.
I simply sat for awhile, allowing the water to wash over me and drown out my thoughts. The wind had begun to pick up and the rain began to blow into my face with enough force that it stung my skin. I turned my head so the rain would hit me in the back instead, and when I shifted, my eyes locked onto something in the distance.
A soft orange dot of light glowed like a twinkling star far in the distance. It looked like a small fire, but it was at the base of a hill.Maybe there’s another cave?The light was so far away that I had to blink the rain out of my eyes to ensure I wasn’t imagining the glow. Once I determined it was real, I clamored to my feet, splashing up mud and water as I did so. There was a chance that whoever was tending the fire would be suspicious of a red-headed young woman, but I was willing to take the chance. Hopefully, no one would be heartless enough to send a defenseless girl back into a storm by herself, even if they were another jealous young lady.
My feet splashed loudly as I wandered closer to the flickering flame. My teeth chattered relentlessly as I felt the chilly rain soak me to the bone. The sound of the tormenting weather and my own splashing was so deafening, I didn’t hear the footsteps approach behind me until a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
“Excuse me, miss.”
I squealed at the sudden touch. My head whipped around, and I nearly jumped at the sight of the strange woman standing over me. The woman instantly retracted her hand at my surprise, and her kind expression morphed into concern as she took a full look at my drenched state.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you, child,” she projected over the rain. She held a large blanket over her head, shielding herself from the downpour.