Fortunately for us, we didn't see anyone else. The rest of the ocean tunnel was deserted, no more trains, no more dead bodies, it was practically peaceful. We managed to reach the Mainland without any more trouble and even the weather had cleared up for us. Some might say it was perfect.

We arrive near a beach. I can't see it but I can hear the waves somewhere in the distance, crashing against the shoreline. It adds to the tranquillity of the area because surrounding us are some fields and the sky above us is a shining blue.

"We did it. We actually did it. I can't believe I left The Island. I left The Island and no one caught me. Really, when you think about it, the security guards my mother has hired are rubbish. That plays to our advantage though." I say with disbelief. A big part of me thought that I would never get this far. I'm still in shock that I left the palace in the first place, never mind the fact that I have actually crossed an ocean to get away from it.

"Now we just have to make all of this count for something. And not get caught." Jasper says which dampens my mood a little bit but not too much.

The three of us keep walking through the fields, being very careful just in case there is anyone about but there doesn't seem to be. The more walking we do, the fainter the sound of the waves get and the more nervous I start to feel.

My mind begins to swarm with questions. Was this the right thing to do? Should I have crossed the ocean tunnel? Would it have been better if I stayed on The Island? What happens if Jasper or Max, or both of them get hurt? Where would I go then? How is Crystal doing? Is she in much trouble or did they let her off?

To try and shake these thoughts out of my head, I begin to count the sheep I can see in the field. I know this is to help people sleep but it does end up distracting my mind. That is until am interrupted.

"Are you alright, princess? It's just that you seem to have gone really quiet and your mouth is moving but you're not saying anything." Jasper asks me which almost shocks me out of my silence.

"I was just counting sheep." I tell him because there is no point lying to him or Max.

"Were you feeling tired?" Max asks me which I think is him trying to make a joke but it doesn't quite work out.

Shaking my head, I tell him "no I wasn't. I was trying to distract my mind. Have I really done the right thing by running away?" I ask them both, hoping they can put my mind at ease.

It's Jasper who replies first. "Honestly, no you probably haven't. There are palace guards all over the country looking for you. There are rebels from this country looking for you and there are probably rebels from Shadowfell also looking for you. To narrow it down princess, the whole world is searching for you and the palace probably doesn't care less about helping anyone else until you are locked behind their doors.

However, in the long term, yes you probably have assuming you return back to the palace on your own terms. You will know what you have to do to make the country a better place. Already you have seen so much that your mother hasn't. Right now it might be terrifying but in twenty, thirty, forty years, you'll be glad you did this. And you'll also become the most famous monarch ever." Jasper tells me and I realise he is right. It is just hard to see the benefits of my decisions when they are still decades away.

"Thank you." I whisper at him while I still soak in everything he had just said.

"Can you hear that?" Max asks not long after we have finished talking. I listen hard for about a minute and then I realise what he is on about.

It sounds like there are people close by. I can just begin to hear the faint whispers of conversations and if I look hard enough, I can see some buildings in the distance. "Are we close to a town?" I ask Max who just shrugs his shoulders at me. "If we are, what are we going to do? There is nowhere for us to hide." Panic begins to creep into my voice as I realise this.

"For now we'll just keep our heads down until we find somewhere to hide. People shouldn't be looking for a red haired princess." Max try's to reassure me although I can hear the panic in his voice.

It only takes us about another five minutes to reach the small town. There are numerous buildings surrounding us and the streets were all cobbled, making it feel completely alien from The Island. It also seems to be busier that the towns and villages I have travelled through. There are people everywhere, rushing around into different buildings. I notice that the accent they speak in is different to that of mine. I begin to understand how hundreds of years this was a country of its own and not part of Strongway. No one even glances in our direction which makes me feel better. What doesn't is the next sight I see. 

Stood on the end of every street are guards dressed in the official palace uniform; navy blue trousers and shirt. Sewn onto left side of their shirts is the willow emblem which represents my family. They stand up straight while holding a gun with both of their hands. I try and tear my gaze away from them but I find it hard that is until Jasper tugs on my arms and whispers to me "head down Ria." I nod back at him and look down on the floor.

We manage to walk few more feet until we hear one of the guards shout "OI!" My first instinct is that they are yelling at us and my heart starts beating faster than it already was. I turn my head around and I see that all the guards in the area have run towards this young boy, he may even be the same age as me. Four guards have their guns pointed towards his head as the young boy kneels down onto the ground. I don't have time to look away before I hear four unison bangs. Blood now splatters the cobbled streets and the guards pick up the lifeless body and remove him from sight straight away. The people surrounding the area don't even seem to flinch at what happened which surprises me.

"Why did they shoot him?" I ask both Jasper and Max hoping that one of them can tell me the answer.

"They're your guards Ria, I was hoping you could tell us." Jasper replies and I realise that he is right.

"Lets just get out of here." Max says and then goes onto saying "I think we should split up. You two stick together, don't either of you leave the other's side. Walk through the streets a few times but don't go into any shops. If you look, you can see there seems to be another forest over on the other side of the town. Make your way that way. I'll meet you there but I'll stop to get some food beforehand. Okay? Good." He tells us and before either Jasper or I can reply, he walks off.

"I guess it's just the two of us then." Jasper says to me. I guess it is.

We weave through the crowds, keeping our heads down but keeping the conversation flowing in order to not look suspicious. It seems to work as no one points us out and even the guards do not look our way. I would say that it was too easy but that would make it sound like I want the challenge. Right now, I am thankful for the easy.

It is only when we finally reach the forest is when I feel like I can actually breathe. The sight of trees and soil is slowly becoming a comforting one whereas towns and villages are becoming the source for my anxiety. It is strange how things change.

"How long do you think Max will be?" I ask Jasper after we had been waiting for what seems to be about half an hour.

"I don't know but hopefully he won't be too long. We really should be moving again." I know how he feels. The three of us never stay in one place for too long. Even our sleeping hours are getting shorter and shorter. All we want to do is keep moving otherwise we give ourselves the opportunity to be caught.

Fifteen minutes later we see a figure walking towards us. I can tell straight away that it is Max due to the clothes he is wearing and his unmistakable dark hair. As soon as he joins us we begin walking again through the forest.

Unlike the town, nothing about the forest screams that I am in a different zone, or what was once, a different country. The trees look the same; the soil smells the same and even the birds sound the same. You could tell me that I am still on The Island and I would probably believe you. To an extent it is almost comforting.

Before we know it, the sun begins to set and the night sky comes out. It has been a while since I have actually seen the moon after all the nights I have spent sleeping and travelling through tunnels. I can't decide if it is lucky or unlucky for us to have reached the end of the forest by the time the dead of night has arrived.

Soon enough I decide that it is unlucky because I begin to smell the same smell from the ocean tunnel. Expect this time it is even stronger. Somewhere around us is a rotting body and it must be close for it to be so strong.

"What if it's the boys?" I ask them both while holding my nose and I notice they are doing the same.

"It won't be. This one smells like it has been rotting for a couple of days at least, wherever it is." Max informs and I realise he is right.

It doesn't take us long to realise where the smell is coming from. The three of us walk down a hill only to find what seems to be a graveyard. By the looks of it, it seems to stretch out for miles. Bodies look to have been dumped and left and the smell is so strong, there is just no getting away from it.

"Some of these bodies are still really fresh." I hear Jasper say and I look around and see that they are. Some of them look like they have been there weeks, maybe even months.

"Let's just get out here." I say while trying not look at the sea of bodies surrounding us. The only problem about wanting to get away from all of it is that is goes on for miles. The only other option is turn around and go back towards the town. That isn't an option for me though.

"Come look at this one." Max beckons at us and I turn around to see that he crouched down next to one of the bodies.

"What are you doing? We need to keep moving and quite frankly, that is gross, being so close to the body." I say to him, avoiding going near the dead body.

Jasper moves so he is next to Max and he inspects the body. He then gets up and begins to look around at some of the others.

"We really need to get out of here." Jasper says to Max.

"Why? What is wrong?" I ask him, feeling like I have been left out of the loop.

"Remember the body we found in the ocean tunnel?" Jasper asks me and I nod at him. "Well some of these bodies, no, a lot of these bodies are showing signs of the unspeakable disease. They have the rash across their face which is one of the first signs." Jasper explains to me.

I look around and begin to see that some of the bodies all do have a rash on their faces. Some of them don't and in fact, on closer inspection, some of the bodies look like they have been shot like the young boy earlier today.

"This is awful. We really should leave." I say and I begin to hurry away from the bodies.

"Don't you find it strange that people call it the 'unspeakable disease' when people talk about it all the time.  It's not that unspeakable really." Jasper says to us out of the blue while we are walking away from some of the bodies.

Max shakes his head at him but then goes onto say "I think at this point it is merely just a saying. Everyone knows about it, it's not a secret." I don't pay much attention to the rest of their conversation; I just keep walking, hoping that we reach the end of this graveyard soon.

It takes us another few hours before we do finally reach the end of it but it doesn't come as a relief. Entering the graveyard is a family who look to be burying their child. From this distance it isn't clear to tell if they are burying a son or daughter but what is clear is how distraught they are. It breaks my heart until I realise that they might recognise us.

"What are we going to do?" I ask though in my head I already know the answer.

"Keep moving forward otherwise we will look suspicious. Make sure you stay quiet while we pass them which apply for both of you." Max tells us.

The three of us keep walking and we are soon close to family. I notice that they are burying their daughter and my heart breaks even more for them. I can hear the mother sobbing into, who I assume to be her husband's chest. He has two tears rolling down his cheeks but he looks like he is trying to stay strong for his wife. I want to tell them how sorry I feel for them but I can't. Instead I smile at them as I walk past, a smile which I hope they understand to be 'sorry for your loss'. The mother looks up at me as I walk past and I quickly throw my head back down to avoid eye contact.

"You have her eyes. Green, green eyes of the runaway princess. The most famous eyes in the country." I hear shout out to me.

Max whispers in our ears "get ready to run. I think we will have to." I don't say anything back to him.

"You must be her, the princess. Come back here." She continues to yell and then I hear her say to her husband "get in touch with the guards."

There's no time to hear what she has to say next as Max looks over at the two of us and whispers "run." And we do.

A/N: happy #RoyalWednesday everyone. I hope you are all okay!

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