So many thoughts are swarming around in my head, buzzing back and forth.

The tears have stopped but I feel like the confusion has only just started. How can my mother be dead? I never wanted this to happen, I never wanted her dead, I just wanted her to listen. Now she will never listen to me.

It just does not feel right, it does not feel real. She has always been a constant figure in my life, even during the time she locked herself away after my father died, her presence was always felt. My mother never had any strong maternal instincts but I never went without and I know that deep down, she was only doing what she thought was best, even if it was not and now I am an orphan.

No father, no mother and yet I still have so much that some people can only ever dream of. A palace full of butlers, maids and guards, all that can keep my company but they never do the same job as a mother or father, do they?

Screaming does not help but I keep doing it, trying to let out some of my anger and frustration. Faces flash through my mind, my father's with his dark hair the same as mine, my mothers whose blonde hair makes her look like an angel and yet the country viewed her as the devil, Louis who I hope stays by my side because now he is the only constant figure that I have.

Then I see his face.

Ash Crow.

His sunken cheeks and lifeless eyes stare at me, taunting me of his small victory. What was it he said? Something about how royal blood will be spilt? Well he did, he finished his mission and killed my mother which is something that he never had to do. If only I had not been captured, or even rescued sooner, then maybe my mother will still be alive.

I want to hurt him, I want to make him suffer. Sitting here, imagining the different ways I could kill him, I start to understand why my mother would not give into his demands. Why would I want to give that scum anything. Then again it is not just him.

More faces flash through my mind, those of Katrina and Liliana along with Macy and her brother. Those people need me to listen. They are the ones who need help, not Crow besides, I have enough evidence to get him arrested, I can torture him in my own time.

I can do what I want, rule the country how I want because now I am queen. I did not expect this to happen, not this early in my life. All I wanted was to help my mother rule the country, by her side with the experience I have. Now I have to do it all by myself and I realise I do not know the first thing about being a queen. Maybe I should have listened to my mother.

Then again, maybe I did the right thing? I do not know anymore, my head is so confused with everything. I have so much that I need to process. A stroll might be good for me, some air might be able to help me make sense of some of my thoughts.

I get off of my bed and grab a coat, just in case I decide to go outside and then leave my room. Luckily for me, there is no one on the corridor to give me sorry looks so I am able to march straight on. I keep walking without having a destination in mind of where I am going to. I just need to get out of here.

My walking gets faster and faster and I almost break out into a run until I hear some familiar voices which are muffled by the door separating us. I sink besides the door and just listen to parts of the conversation that I can make out.

"Can't believe she ever ran."

"Who knew people actually lived like this?"

"Makes out shack in the forest look like...well a shack!" I let out a laugh when I hear Jasper say that but I think I end up laughing a little too loud.

Their conversation stops for a few seconds until Max says "is someone there?" and I realise that my game is up. No longer can I just sit there and listen in, now I have to show my face.

"It is me..." is all I say while I get to my feet.

"We were wondering when we were going to see you again." Max answers the door and says to me.

"Well here I am." I snuffle at them, my nose running from all the crying.

"Were you going somewhere?" Jasper then asks, noticing the coat in my hand.

Shaking my head at him, I tell him, "I am not sure. I was walking and then I was going to run but then I heard you two so I did not run."

"You weren't going to runaway were you, princess?" Jasper asks with shock all over his face.

I shrug my shoulders because honestly, I had no idea where I was going. In that moment of time I think I would have been quite happy to leave here but then where would I go?

"They're going to end up getting you a tracking device if you keep acting like that princess." Jasper jokes but all I do is smile weakly back at him.

"Princess no longer fits by the way. You are going to have to find a new nickname for me." I tell him.

Max and Jasper share a worried look between themselves before looking back at him.

"Hey, hey, what has happened?" Max asks me, concern written across both his and Jaspers face.

"My mother is dead and as of now I am acting queen. It is not official until the coronation but still..." I tell them through a laugh. I am laughing at my mother being dead, what is wrong with me?

I feel an arm wrap itself around my shoulder so I look up to see that it is Jasper. He pulls me into a hug which I slowly return.

"You're going to be okay." He keeps telling me and I almost believe him. "Do you want to tell us what happened?" he then asks me when I eventually pull away. I look up at him and see that he actually looks concerned. He looks concerned for me and not for the country which will probably make a change. After all, who care about how one person is feeling when she has a whole country to look after.

"Yeah, I will tell you. Can we sit down?" both of them nod at me and we sit down on the sofa that they have in their room.

I tell them everything that Louis had told me. From when I first left, the curfew, the letters and my mother locking herself away.

"It sounds like she really did miss you..." Max comments while I am in the middle of talking.

"Maybe." I say before carrying on with the tale. I then tell them about how the palace got attacked, hence the reason why we are here and not there. I tell them about the lack of guards which is ultimately the reason why my mother got shot and killed.

"What happened back in the camp? After we got separated?" Jasper then asks. For a moment, I look at him, unsure of what he is on about but then I remember the rebel camp and first meeting Crow. All of that seems so far away now.

"I followed a family down into one of those bunkers and then Crow appeared on the screen with the message about looking for the spy."

"We had that too. Did the guards start shooting people every hour?" Max tells me and then asks.

"Errr... yeah they did." I say not wanting to think back to those times. "Anyway, I came forward so Crow was sent down to the bunker and he started talking to me, telling me that if I go with him then all the attacks will stop but I said no."

"WHAT?" Jasper asks in shock.

"It does not matter. They knocked me out and then I woke up in the dungeon. I persuaded one of the guards to let me out at night and I knocked him out with his own gun."

"That is pretty badass." Max then comments.

"Thanks. So I stole the gun and then made a ran for it, shooting any guards that were in my way. Then I met Max and you know the rest from there." I tell them. "What happened with you guys?"

"When we reached the bunker, the same message was played but someone recognised Jasper for who he was which led to loads of people trying to get to him. The guards went crazy and stared randomly shooting people until they calmed down. Anyway they arrested Jasper and I came out at the same time so they arrested me."  Max informs me while Jasper looks like he is trying his best to think of something else.

"Then what?"

"We were put in some kind of van and were driven off. We were blindfolded as well so I have no idea where it was we were. When the blindfold was finally lifted, I was in the dungeon and so was Jasper, I imagine."

"Yeah, I was."

"That was about it and then you came." Max finishes off.

"At least we are all safe now." I mutter to them, not feeling safe in the slightest. "They were going to put you on trial." I remember and blurt out to the two of them.

"We know, they had us in holding cells before then telling us that this room was free. You know anything about that princess?" Jasper smirks, sounding more like himself.

"I cancelled the trial, thinking that you would prefer some proper rooms which reminds me, I am queen so you can stay here as long as you like, forever if you wanted. I do not really want you going back to that shack in the woods which you call home. If you do want to leave then let me find you a proper house to live in and that is an order." I smile at them, joking about it being an order.

"Don't worry, I don't think we are going anyway where for a while yet." Jasper says, playing his hands behind his head while putting his feet up.

"Be careful, you might get the bed sheets dirty." I scold, pointing to his shoes. "I never said I would not make you pay for any damages." His face turns white but then I burst out laughing at the panic on his face. "I should probably go soon, I will need start thinking about what I am going to do as queen. Oh, I should probably also make plans for my mothers funeral..." I realise, slipping back into my funk.

"We will be here if you need us, don't you worry about that." Jasper tells me before standing up to give me another hug.

"What is going to be one of the first things you do as queen?" Max asks before I open the door to leave.

"I am not entirely sure. I know I want to make the cure available for everyone in the country but first I will have to learn where the cure is actually kept and whether there is a cost and so on... who knew there was so much to think about?" I tell him.

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Yeah, I thought I should get one of the big things out of the way first. I was also thinking of holding a meeting... with Crow." Both Jasper and Max pause on the spot. "Anyway, I will see you later. Thank you for everything." I add on at the end because I really am thankful to have them both in my life.

A/N: welcome to another #RoyalWednesday. Did you enjoy what you read? I hope you did.

First of all, I have come across a book that I have read this week which I have really enjoyed by extramaria called 'Unraveling Ava' which I think you should all read. It is such a good book!

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