Chapter 3

I had to be strategic with the way I had to leave the Palace for the Lycan Cave. I wanted to be discreet about my ways, I could not let my father worry even further than he already did. I did not want my father’s henchmen to hear my plans and try to hijack them, leaving me back to my starting point, only more humiliated, and perhaps assassinated.

I found myself contemplating in front of my reflection in the mirror as I tied my cape around my neck. What was Ia ruler meant to do if they wanted to save their country?

“Are you sure if you would like to go alone, Your Majesty?” Jasmine asked, “I would be happy to accompany you.”

“No need,” I waved my hand to gesture to brush her off. I needed to do this all by myself, I had already been feeling quite embarrassed, to begin with. A dangerous thing sometimes, the pride that is, but I am my father’s daughter, and I had already gone beyond my ways to ask for help, which was very uncharacteristic of me. I

called my handmaiden once more as she was about to step out of my room, “Get my horse ready. I wish to be back before dusk.” She nodded and went on to tell my orders to the horsemen.

I took one last look at myself in the mirror, and try to straighten the cape with my hands, half trying to rub the sweat that had been pulling in my Palms, half to come myself down with the touch of silky material. I swiftly put on my hood, just far enough to cover my eyes and start sprinting through the halls of my home.

As I walked down the gates of the palace, I was welcomed by my loyal horse, Violet. Violet was gifted to me after my mother's funeral when I was 10 years old. My father knew how much of a loss I was feeling on the inside, so big that weighed tremendously on my mind without enough aptitude- or vocabulary- to be able to freeze it. he must have thought that if he could distract me in one way or another that I may have forgotten about how I was left without a mother. He knew that I was asking for a horse relentlessly,

he knew as a princess I needed to learn horseback riding eventually, he thought it would be the perfect distraction for me as it was an amazing mixture of a sport and a hobby.

Violet truly was not young anymore, but she was loyal but I could trust her with my life, especially on a Dangerous Mission such as I was about to embark on. I quickly hopped on violet and kicked my heels to our side to startle her into running towards the Forest. I had already written down the instructions the Sorceress gave to me earlier that day into a parchment paper, as I could not trust my memory at times of distress.

It had let me down too many times before. I had a small Satchel with me, I only took necessities on my journey; a small map of the neighboring lands to find my way into the Forest and the cave, enough water to keep me somewhat hydrated in a brass flask, the notes of instructions The Sorceress given me, and a horn to call for help if and when needed.

I had waited until sunset to start my journey into the forest, towards the cave. I did not want to be an easy target For the spies of our enemies, and I certainly had no interest and became a Target for those who are waiting for me to slip up.

I wanted to be fast, I wanted to get it over with, I wanted to save my country as soon as possible so that we can go back to the important things such as diplomatic relations and the welfare move of our country. I did not like these Game of Thrones, and I had no interest in forfeiting my Birthright to the hands of an ambitious but incompetent man.

I did not understand why our country has been getting so much hate from the neighboring countries, up until I came of age and understood my father’s way of ruling. My father, the king, was a very headstrong man, a kind but headstrong man.

He knew where he wanted to take his country and his subjects oh, and if he knew what he had to do to get there, he did not allow anyone to intervene with his way of ruling. I thought it was only politics, as I had never left my Homeland prior to this mission bestowed by The Sorceress.

As my trusted horse Violet struggled with the slopes of the terrarium outside of our borders, I understood why anyone would want to invade such a land that could cater a lot of Agriculture and hence wealth. Our country had fertile soil and leveled landscape to farm to your heart’s content. It had shores to the Pryor Sea that allowed us to grow our trade.

Yes, we were a small country compared to our neighbors, especially when landmass was considered, but we had something much more valuable, we had abundant resources.

The land was angry outside of our borders. It had not been too far since I crossed the protecting walls of our country, but we had already been welcomed by the Steep mountains and sharp rocks beneath our feet. They had every reason to be jealous of the conditions in the rest of the settlements, at least half as rough as what we had been experiencing so far. And I felt Sympathetic, I would have felt jealous too if I were going through such hardship where my neighbor would be living in abundance.

I knew their hatred was only human, I knew it was a very natural thing to feel envious. What I couldn't fathom was, however, how centuries-old allies could turn into an act of maliciousness in a blink of an eye once the opportunity to conquer presented itself through the ill-fate of the royal family. It felt lowly, it felt opportunistic, it felt

like a well-planned ambush.