1 CHAPTER ONE: GETTING AWAY

"Princess Grace Leonard is the first daughter and child of King and Queen James and Elizabeth Leonard. She was beautiful, with long golden strands of hair that could reflect the sun's light. Deep blue eyes the color of the sea, cherry pink lips that seemed stained with beetroot, and cheeks that always had the slightest blush. She was charming, with the most humble demeanor a woman of her class could afford, the kindest heart even to the lowliest servant, she was the bravest when necessary, and she was outspoken that, child, is who your mother was, that, is who you must become, but stronger, strong enough to defeat her enemies, and yours,"

A small commotion broke out outside the inn, so he turned to his wife. "Take her and run,"

He looked towards the window, and Evan's head followed. She was to carry the child and escape. "Go... I will hold back the soldiers,"

As if to add panic, the head soldier's voice rang out from inside the inn. "Where are they? FIND THEM!"

Evan did not hesitate as she took a piece of cloth from the bedding, rapped the child tightly to herself, and climbed out the window.

Davion stood from the bedpost he was sitting on, looked towards the window his wife and the young princess had just slipped out of, and a tear dipped down his cheek. He had to go down to the inn and face the ruthless beast Hector, the commander of the new Lord, he wasn't going to survive this, and he knew it.

He walked to the window, locked it, placed back the curtains then went downstairs, wiping the tear that stained his cheek, and took on his brave look. Reaching the base of the stairs his lips formed a grin

"hello Hector, it has been only five days since I last saw you,"

He looked around taking in about ten soldiers in the inn's tavern, the little place couldn't accommodate any more of them as they were all huge and ready to kill.

"I didn't think you'd miss me this much. He chuckled "you even brought your whole handmaidens just to look for me."

Hector let go of the innkeeper he previously held by the collar in a chokehold.

But Davion looked unmoved as he continued to speak. "Sorry to break your heart my dear hector, but I didn't miss you at all," He said with a laugh.

It took Hector only six strides to reach Davion, with one punch to the guts all the air seas knocked out of Davion's lungs

"gods Hector you don't have to be so vio….."

Another punch, then another and another Hector continued until he had his fill, feeling satisfied he got off him and in a low tone said "where are they?"

Davion spat out blood from his mouth he chuckled to himself when he thought of the innkeeper's face when he would be cleaning up this mess, by that time he would probably be dead. He looked up at Hector with his now bloodied and swollen eyes.

"I don't know where they are, go tell your King that he's gotten what he wanted"

Hector stooped down to be on the same level as Davion was, something shone in his eyes like excitement.

"what do you mean by that?"

"you were the one that killed them, Hector, so you tell me where do you go when you pass away? when you set that house on fire was your aim not to kill us?..... well congratulation. You've succeeded, they died in that fire, the Princess and my wife." a tear slipped down his cheek "burnt alive"

Davion shut his eyes he knew he was lying, a necessary lie, he could not fight Hector, not in his current state. He could at least make him and his King believe they were dead, he opened his eyes again and looked Hector straight in the eye "so must congratulate you, Hector, for a mission well done"

A wide smile crept into Hector's frightening face and stopped just where the scar on his cheek was "well Davion. Princess Grace's most trusted servant, it seems there is no more use for your life"

He stood up and slowly drew his sword, Davion lay on the floor knowing what was to come next so he closed his eyes and thought only good thoughts, and with a quick slash of Hector's sword, he was gone.

:::

Run, she had to run faster. The cold tore her skin, the hard rocks and broken twigs and branches bruised her feet, and the baby was crying, screaming, and very angrily that she could barely hear her own thoughts, but there was no need, all she thought of was running, the night was dark and she a knew her husband was gone, she saw the soldiers that came to hunt them or at least their flags, it was Hector's army, her husband was strong, very, strong, but Hector was the kingdom's strongest.

Tears burned her eyes now, it blinded her, but the pain in her heart was worse, she still had to save the child.

She ran, and ran until slowly the sun started to rise, Evan was deep inside the forest now, soon the warriors would patrol these woods in search of her and the princess, and if not them, then merchants travelers, hunters, or even herbalists in search of medicinal roots would love to take the reward for handing them in, the only people that helped them before an orphanage home built by the Her Majesty was burned to the ground. Mr. Edward, who was saved from being beheaded wasn't even willing to let them stay for up to two nights, but even he had his inn raided, no one would be willing to help her.

The sun rose even higher in the sky, it was now early morning and Evan was exhausted. She dragged her feet on the ground, her last attempt not to collapse.

"I need to get to safety, I need to get the little princess to safety, I need to..."

Her eyes closed shut for a brief second. She woke to catch herself midair as she was about to hit face first on the ground. She stopped her fall with her hands on the dry leaves and soil, then dragged herself up, the baby on her back stirring.

"please sleep some more child, if you wake, you will cry and they will find us."

Evan was on the verge of tears herself. She continued her mantra

"get to safety, keep the princess safe"

Evan got a little deeper into the forest, but exhaustion took over again, she could feel her body moving, but she wasn't sure it was hers, her vision started again to blur. When she heard murmured voices and footsteps, panic took over. Her brain told her to run, but her body gave out. She fell and hit her head on something, very, very hard, and everything went black.