There are dead bodies everywhere, in front of me, to the sides of me, below and above me. Blood seeps out of their bodies, oozing onto me. My pale skin slowly becomes painted in a deep crimson red, their deaths all washed upon me. I try and move but the stickiness of blood petrifies me in the spot, even causing my eyes to stay wide open, forcing me to watch the dead.

To begin with, they are just faceless bodies but the longer I look at them, the more features began to develop. Lifeless eyes, followed by slack, open mouths gaze back at me and slowly they begin to develop into familiar faces.

Macy and Jillian flash before my eyes, soon followed by some of the guards I shot. Jasper and Max soon join the sea of dead, causing a rotting feeling to build up in my stomach. Shaking and writhing on the spot, I try and break free but suddenly thousands of pairs of hands take hold of my body, holding me in place.

I let out a scream but nothing comes out. I try again and again but the hands begin to cover my mouth and pulling me under, deep under all of the bodies. They are downing me in the sea of dead.

Sweat is pouring down my face, I can feel it though I still have my eyes closed shut. I throw my head into my pillow, hiding from the world. It feels so soft against my skin and so comfy. Actually, when I think about it, my whole body feels relaxed on the mattress I am laying on. It is soft, allowing my body to make a mark on it. Running my hands up and down, I feel a blanket that is laying on top of me, soft like velvet.

Moving my hands away from the blanket, I stretch them out to either side of me. There is so much space. This is definitely not one of the beds in the cells, or even in any of the hotels that I stayed at. Relief floods through my body along with regret. A part of me really wants to keep my eyes closed because if I open them, then this bed might just be a dream but at the same time it might not be.

I open my eyes, one at a time, expecting to find myself in my bedroom, in the palace. To my surprise, that is not where I am although I am not that wrong.

The room is painted very similarly to mine in the palace, the bed is practically the same but other than that, everything else is smaller. There's a door that leads to my bathroom and then another to get out but no walk in wardrobe here. Just a normal, everyday wardrobe which is more than what I have had in the last few weeks. I could almost cry with happiness to be back home. Kind of.

I wonder why I have been brought here rather then straight to the palace. Sure my mother would want to see me straight away? Apparently not because here I am, in Inveress, in the very north of The Island. We used to come up here when I was younger for holidays and this is where we would stay. My mother would normally be too busy to spend any time with me but I remember the hours I would spend in the beach with Louis and sometimes Crystal if she was invited.

Why am I here now though?

Climbing out of my bed, I realise my body aches all over. I ache all over and groan to myself as if I am an old woman. At the end of my bed are a pair of slippers that I slip onto my feet along with a dressing gown which I wrap around myself, covering the pyjamas I am wearing. I wonder who put those one me?

The sun has risen, allowing me to faintly see my reflection in the glass door which leads out onto a balcony. I look like me, long black hair, green eyes and yet something looks out of place. Maybe it is the scars that now cover my face, or how sunken in my skin looks from the lack of food. I have bags under my eyes from little sleep that I have had.

I am recognisably but only just.

Turning the handle on the door, I walk out into the balcony, feeling the fresh air on my skin. The second of salt fills my nose while I listen to the crashing of the waves onto the beach. The rays of the sun hit my skin, warming me up ever so slightly. I still have not stopped shaking since the dream.

After a few minutes of just staring into the ocean, I make my way back inside and into my bathroom where I decide to take a shower. I would have had a bath but at this moment in time, I do not think that I would be able to get back up again.

Hot water burns my skin but I just stand there and let it, thankful for this chance to be clean once again. Washing my hair feels so good as over the last few days, it has gotten really greasy. I scrub every inch of my body, washing away all the dirt though I never feel completely clean. I keep expecting to look down and see my self covered in blood. It never happen but still...

By the time I get out of the shower, my body is red from the heat and the scrubbing. I wrap a towel around my body and then a dressing gown over the top. Guilt racks up in the pit of my stomach as I realise that I am here, in a warm, safe mansion after being responsible for numerous amounts of deaths. I should be locked up somewhere rather than being treated like this.

My breathing becoming heavier and faster and the tears have started falling down my face once again. I wanted to help people and somehow I ended up killing them instead. I actually shot someone straight through the chest without even thinking about it. My mother would do that but not me... and yet I did.

I sit down on my bed and place my head between my knees to try and calm myself down. Count to ten, then twenty, then thirty, breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth, I keep telling myself and eventually my breathing becomes normal again.

Standing on my shaking legs, I change into some clothes. My whole wardrobe is full of clothes that I have not worn in so long. There are so many blouses and shirts in there with matching trousers and jackets. The thought of sedating them makes me feel so stiff already. I have become so used to wearing inexpensive tee shirts and jeans that the wardrobe staring back at me seems so unfamiliar.

Eventually, I end up picking some black trousers with a white blouse and a matching black jacket. I look every part of the princess but somehow I feel like I am wearing a costume. Looking at me, you would not have believed that I have killed someone, instead, I look like I am about to attend a meeting.

No one has come to see on me in the hour or so that I have been awake so after thoroughly drying and straightening my hair, I decide that I have procrastinated enough and venture out into the hallway. Half of me expected to see at least one of the palace guards stood outside my room but the hallway is completely deserted. Half of me was also expecting that.

I have not been here in years but I can still remember where everything is. Upstairs are more bedrooms for when guests stay over. Downstairs is the dining hall, living room, a game room and many more rooms. Then below that is the kitchens and staff quarters which is where ultimately I am heading to find someone, unless I see someone before then.

When I reach the stairs, I run down them, wanting answers as soon as I can get them. I reach the living room, which leads to the other staircase, and just as I am about to climb down, I see a familiar head coming out of the dining room.

"Louis!" I yell at him.

Louis turns his head in my direction and a smile forms on his face. Without even thinking, I run towards him and wrap my arms around his body. I burry my head into his shoulder and before I can stop myself, I am crying once again.

"I am so so sorry. I never meant... I mean I did not want to... I killed people Louis. Some directly... some indirectly." I sob into his shoulder, telling him everything.

"Shh... shhh... it's okay... it is all okay now. Nothing will happen to you now." Louis says to me, trying to comfort me.

"You do not understand... I shot someone straight through the chest. He could have had a family, children who depended on him."

"And he could have killed you. You did what you had to."

"It does not feel right though. Louis, I feel so guilty." 

"Let's go upstairs. I really need to talk to you, about important things." Louis says to me. I do not have the energy to fight back with him so I follow him back upstairs.

The two of us sit down on my bed when we reach my room again. Neither of us say anything for a couple of minutes and my mind begins to panic.

"What happens to Jasper and Max?" I blurt out, suddenly remembering all about them.

Somehow, with all the guilt I have been feeling, I completely forgot about Jasper and Max. They were with me when we got surrounded by all those men, what happened to them?

"The two men who were with you? They are downstairs, in the living quarters. They are awaiting a trial for their crimes."

"WHAT CRIMES?" I scream at Louis, jumping to my feet.

"Please calm down. The crime is assisting your runaway, not handing you in... and their relationship."

"No, you do not get to do this! I told them countless times that they did not have to help me but they chose to. I wanted them there. They are the closest thing to friends that I have ever had, besides family members and staff. Cancel their trial. It is not happening, I order you too!

'And as for their relationship, well it is more meaningful that most that I have ever come across. They love each other and I do not see why that is a crime. Get them a room ready upstairs and show them to it.

'AND GET THAT TRIAL CANCELLED!" I scream uncontrollably at Louis, something that I never would ordinarily do.

"As you wish your majesty." Louis bows his head at me before leaving the room.

"Thank you-" I stop suddenly realising what he has just said.

Louis called me 'your majesty' when he knows very well that to address me properly, he would call me 'your highness'. Something is not right.

He has been working here so long that I hardly think it was a mistake. He is getting old though... much older than what most people are, in fact he has out lived everyone I have ever known. Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue, if was bound to happen sometime. Louis was probably so used to being in my mothers company over the last few weeks that he said it out of habit. That sounds... plausible.

But where is my mother? How come she has not been up to see me yet, she must know that I am here, everyone must know that I am here! Knowing her, she is probably attending some business meeting in order to secure some trade deals. In her eyes, that will be more important than the return of her daughter who ran away. Or maybe that is why she does not want to see me?

Is this some kind of revenge of hers, not seeing me because I ran from the palace? If so, she is even pettier than what I thought. For goodness sakes, I am her daughter, she should be glad that I am home safe, not using this as some way to get back at me.

After all this time, she still has not changed in the slightest. She can be so frustrating!

A knock at the door awakes me from these thoughts and only then do I realise that have been pacing back and forth in my room.

"Come in." I shout at the door, letting whoever is at the door the chance to come in.

Louis reappears looking slightly glum.

"The trip has been cancelled and as I speak, there are maids making up rooms for your friends."

"Thank you Louis... I am sorry for shouting at you like I did. I do not know what came over me."

"It is expected, your majesty... I really need to talk to you." There it is again, 'your majesty'. Why does he keep saying that.

"Okay... Louis, you do realise that you keep saying 'you majesty' instead of 'you highness'?" I ask him.

"I know... which is what we need to talk about. A lot has happened since you have left the palace..." I sit down, ready to listen intently to what it is he has to say.

A/N: welcome to another #RoyalWednesday! What do you think has happened since Ria has been away?

I can tell you there is only going to be another five Royal Wednesdays left (and one of those will be on a Tuesday but I'll tell you closer to the time). We are getting so close to the end now!

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and if you have then please leave a comment and vote!