That night, I left without saying goodbye...
It was the second night after we buried my mother to the ground. I was six years old then. I left that night without saying goodbye to anyone. It was because there was no one to miss or to miss me. Despite being a royal daughter, I have never stepped foot fully into the royal court. The day I did, I was thrown out like a maid who had trespassed and watched the guards look down on me. I never even saw my father-the king-for once. The day I set my eyes briefly on him was the day my mother was to be buried. My mother's brother was the one who stood beside me and took me by his hand—he accepted me.
You don't want to start thinking that why is a royal daughter being treated this way? Well, I'll tell you. My mother was a nobody. She was just a maid who works house-to-house for people, but she was a freewoman—that I know of. My mother loved her work and dressed like an elite and people loved her. I guess she got known and my father hijacked her foolish heart. That was the time he clipped her wings and she was not able to fly again. The day he made me in her womb must have been the most painful part of her existence. I know I can't be too sure because I never lived her life nor do I know what her thoughts were, but I am beginning to feel a part of the life she must have lived. There was nobody for her when she had me in her womb and the people who once loved her were now the ones to criticize her.
Wouldn't it have been lovely if the king married my mother? There was never a wedding, because my father probably never planned on taking another wife, but the commoners knew that my mother had a relationship with the king and that I was a princess the day I was born.
I was never acknowledged of my title as the princess. I was the illegitimate daughter of the king, and I am the second child…well, fortunately.
After my mother's death, Uncle Garett took me away and out of the kingdom and we resided in Coldbourne, a small town the king promised my mother—after her death.
Coldbourne, like the name says, is a cold small-like city. Winter comes up early on here and there's a different sense of time. We experience the different seasons earlier than the rest of the towns. Apparently, Coldbourne is like a deserted town. No one wishes to live here because the seasons are somewhat harsh and abnormal. Currently, my uncle is the king of Coldbourne. It was a title I gave to him. He left Dellmount Town to make a life for me. Unlike here, Dellmount is where everyone wishes to live after the royal court.
It has been over sixteen years since I left the kingdom. I wish my mother could see how big I've grown…
We are not alone here though. There are others like me who are…abandoned, with no family. Uncle Garett took them all in and built high walls around a spot he chose to make us all live in. We are family and we are warriors, trained by him.
_
Winter is when I don't like to come out because of the heavy snow. The wind whips relentlessly and trashes at my face as I take the horses to the stable and walk over to the other side to check on Ash in the cage.
Ash is my wolf pet. I found her in the woods around this time eight years ago. She is a lone wolf and over time, she got attached to me. When I first brought her in, my uncle was against the idea because wolves are always known to be wild. But Ash is different. It is like a pet dog.
"Ash!" I yelled out her name as the wind kept thrashing at my face. I shone the torch I had with me and searched around for her. "ASH!"
The night is so cold that it seems to be shortening the breath in my lungs the more I am exposed to it. Ash is missing and nowhere to be found. I wonder where she ran off to on her own.
My boot dipped into the snow as I walked back into the house with effort. Once I stepped inside, I shut the door close and rub my palms together as I make my way towards where the others are.
"Has anyone seen Ash? I can't find her anywhere."
This is our quarters and we all live under the same roof but in different rooms. It isn't uncomfortable at all to see ourselves each day whenever we step out. It is how we have learned to live. At least, it is better than when I was still at Geovia.
Geovia is the Kingdom my father founded and presently is with the queen and the rest of my sisters. I haven't seen any of my sisters in the last sixteen years.
Ravenna, who was walking by to sit at the fireplace with a blanket in her hands, stopped to ask me;
"Ash?"
"She is not in her cage," I tell her.
"I think it's time you let the wolf go. I've seen her run off to the forest plenty of times recently," Ryan said without looking up from the chess table.
"That pet of yours give me the creeps," his chess partner, Zeke, said and they both let out a laugh.
"You are the creepy one here, Zeke," Raven shot at him and looking back at me, she said, "Ignore him."
Something didn't feel right. Ash is not the one to run off and not come back. I guess I haven't been paying much attention to her. What if she is mad at me?
"I'm going out to look for her," I say and turn on my heels, hurrying back out without looking back.
"Hey! What the hell?" I hear Raven's sharp voice but I was already out of the door and back into the snow before I could see who she was yelling at.
I took to the forest with the torch leading my way and I regretted immediately for not putting on a glove and a proper fur to cover myself. My hands are freezing and the wind hit at my body with fury. Uncle Garett won't like it if he finds out I went off on my own in a state like this but going back was not an option now.
"ASH!" I yell her name every time, hoping she hears my voice and come back running. I feel really bad for ignoring the signs she must have been sending my way.
Zeke had complained of her growling at him whenever he tries to touch her but I had thought it was because he didn't like her anyway and she could read his intention.
I'm just going to look for her a little more and turn back home is what I tell myself. If she reunites with her pack, I guess I really have to let her go.
My feet are six inches into the snow as I struggle to find my way through the harsh wind that hit hard at my face. The wind blew so hard that I hear a tree snap behind me and it was too late for me to move away from it. The tree fell hard to the ground and the impact threw me off balance to now roll down the slope.
The leaves whips at my face as I roll down the snow. I take out my knife and stab the snow, hoping it would at least hold something that would stop me from rolling to my death. I know this path. Once I reach the end of the slope, it's a death fall. I would plunge head first into the frozen water and my head would split open. The thought of that alone made me nervous and I try dipping my hand into the snow to look for a buried tree or something that would hold my weight.
Each second I failed to stop myself from rolling down the slope seems like the seconds that would eventually kill me. I know I should never have walked this path in the first place especially during winter. I shouldn't be out in the first place. If I die now…
No! Dying is never an option. Entertaining the thought of it isn't an option either.
The torch slipped from my hand and as heavens would have it, I see someone pick up the torch and flash it in my face…the one who has come to save me.
Killian was running at the other side with his brows slightly pulled as he stared at the front. He must have known today was going to be my last day.
"Brie, catch!" he yelled in the wind.
I roll on my side and saw the incoming rope he threw my way. I quickly caught it in the air and made a knot before tying it to my leg. Before I could raise my eyes to look at him again, I saw myself in the air, the snow pouring down like balls and hitting the frozen water about a hundred feet down.
I was already about ten feet when I suddenly felt a pull at my leg and my body is dangling in the air. I glanced above me to see Killian looking down at me.
"What are you doing out here Kill?" I ask him, my voice loud because of the wind.
"Saving your ass. You're welcome," he shouted back and I started laughing, my laughter echoing in the air.