Chapter 10: "The Flashback, Joy's Memories"

"I remember it like it was just yesterday, so vivid in my mind, ten years ago, I was the Queen's chamberlain, it was a pleasant evening like any other, I had just put you to sleep, you were just three years old at the time and your sister was five," wait, I have a sister?" asked William," yes, please just listen to what I have to say to you ok," said Joy.

"ok," replied William.

"The night the Central Kingdom was attacked we were taken by surprise, it was late in the night, and Evan and I were sleeping and most of the kingdom as well, I was awoken by an alarm, and not long after men shouting and swords clashing, the castle was crawling with soldiers from the East and West Kingdoms,

I snuck out with Evan and made it to the King's Quarters, your mother, Queen Margo gave you to me so she could retrieve your sister Princess Deana, she was a few doors down the hall, I wanted to go for her myself.

I insisted but the Queen said "no I will go, keep William safe, I'll be right back," but before she left she showed me a hidden passage in her chambers, it led downstairs to another passage that goes under the city and ends about two miles away from the city, I waited a bit but I didn't see her return,

Your father King Cresswell came back to his chambers after beating off some of the soldiers, he asked where your mother was and I told him she had gone to get the princess, but more soldiers could be heard coming down the hall so he took off his chain and his ring off his finger and gave it to you, he then told me to take good care of you, the look in his eyes, I started to cry, he told me to go he will buy us some time to escape, so I ran and I never looked back.

I didn't know what happen with the Queen and your sister, I made it out of the city and when I looked back at the castle it was on fire, no one could have survived that, I cried so much, we all did, I promised myself that I would never let you go back to the city,

I swore to myself that I would keep the promise I made to your mother to protect you as long as I lived, while we were there I saw a few other people who had escaped the onslaught as well as Thomas coming towards us, I asked Thomas what of the King and Queen, he said they are dead," it hit me so hard,

One of the chefs who escaped with us told us that he knew a place where we could go and we would be safe there, no one would ever find us there so we followed him to the mountains and came to this place where I raise you as my own and Evan as your brother, and Evelyn as your sister,

I went back to the castle a month after the incident I cried my eyes out, it was heart-wrenching just to know that I was there the night all that madness took place and to see it afterward, I promise myself I wouldn't go back to that part of the city again, I never wanted you to see it either, I feared someone would see you and recognize you,

to lose you too, the pain would be unbearable, I know this is a lot for you to take in William but best believe I did this to protect you," said Joy.