-Saybelle-

  I wandered the halls. My skin tight short lavender dress looked amazing with my pale skin but I have a tight face that probably gave away how worried I was.

  Even though Gabriella was on the mend, Adrienne was in hiding. She had locked the door of her room last night. And hadn't come out since.

    Was my secret going to be revealed? I hoped not. Mom and Gabriella would never lay eyes on me again if it was. Adrienne wouldn't really care I guess. She wouldn't, not after the night where everything happened.

   So if that was revealed at least I would have one family member still talking to me, but that's not preferable. Plus how would anyone know. I've kept in secret for so long. More than 6 months now.

  I passed a guard. He kind of looks like Adrienne, does that mean? No. Tons of people look like Adrienne. But I swear there is something about him that seems particularly Adrienneish but then again, probably nothing.

  Another reason I was worried was because I had to meet with a few princes. People always praised me for my looks instead of my brain. Including princes.

I opened the wooden doors and saw two princes waiting inside on leather arm chairs one with curly brown hair and one with straight platinum blonde hair. There was a third smaller chair waiting for me. I sigh silently. Of course it was smaller. Most Princes liked to degrade people anyway they could.

I faked a smile. "Hello. I'm Princess Saybelle."

"Hey. I'm Victor." The once with brown curly hair said.

"Hi, my name is Calvin." The one with platinum blonde hair smirked. I noticed his eyes looking at my partially exposed chest. I groaned internally, sometimes nothing changed.

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It was two hours into the princes visit and I was bored out of my mind. Calvin and Victor had already slut shamed my best friend Princess Amira and joked about my IQ, which they said had to be less than 100.

"Victor, guess what, I bet tonight at the Faire you can't get one girl to kiss you." Calvin said. "And if you don't you owe me."

"Bet, that's a deal." Victor shook Calvin's hand in agreement.

"That's gross." I spoke up.

"Oh, look who has an opinion. I bet you would kiss me for free." Victor laughed.

"You think. I can assure you, no girl will be kissing you tonight." I promised. "Fuck you guys. Betting on girls. I'm sure your mothers would love to hear about this." I get up and leave the room. Mom might get mad at me later but I cannot sit there willingly without punching one of them.

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    I ran off, I hated this dress and these heels. Why did I have to wear them. I would love to wear a hoodie and just simple jeans. Ugh, I felt cramped in all the wrong ways.

  I slipped into my room and locked the door. My room had an ethereal baby pink theme. The walls were that color, the bed sheets, the pillows. Everything except wood. Even the windows were pink. This was not chosen out by me. My mom had picked it out right before I was born and I have never had the heart to tell her I don't like it. And the clothes she always picked out for me. They sent shivers down my back, and way too much unwanted attention. But my desk, that was my safe haven. All my life I have wanted to publish my books. I love writing and have a numerous amount of stories I have written over the years.

    I sat down at my desk, kicking off my heels and slipping on a pair of converse. I relaxed and straightened up. My old typewriter (Valorie) sat there, just waiting for me to click click click. It may be old fashioned but I truly loved her.

  "Hey Valorie." I said to her. I set my hands on top of the keys. Time to pick up where I left off.

   Elle looked at the knight. She was scared but determined to not let her fear get the better of her. She ran one way, then another. Back, forth. Then she leapt. Across the cliff. She landed harshly but the knight had followed her and crashed down in the ditch below. It was too high to climb out of but not high enough to injure yourself badly. Elle was proud of herself for making it across, she knew gymnastics would come in handy...

   When I wrote it was like all time just disappeared. Hours could fly by and I wouldn't notice. It was wonderful. In fact hours did fly by, I was not aware that it was almost 6 (which was the time I had to leave for the faire) until Jaylin my scheduler came and told me I needed to get ready.

   After Jaylin alerted me of the time, I jumped up from my chair. I ran to my closet. My pale hands reached out to grasp a hoodie, but unfortunately I did not have the courage to wear it. My eyes flickered downward. How I wish I could. I crossed to the other side of my closet and found a dark blue bra like top with crystals sewn in it and a matching long skirt bottom. My whole stomach was exposed, just like the world wanted, unlike what I wanted.

   I took off my other dress and slipped the top on, it was a little bit tight, which only made me more uncomfortable. The skirt was looser and more comfortable. It was a light thin fabric. Very swishy. I put on ballerina flats that were the same dark blue as the outfit. Then I ran, putting on a light pink lipgloss as I went.

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    Lights were strung up, illuminating the wooden stands and their products but not quite the faces of the people behind them. The effect was striking as always, but tonight even more so. With the full moon complimenting the fairytale like celebration.

  I walked arm in arm with my mom. Gabriella still hadn't woken up and Adrienne refused to come.

  I smiled jauntily but inside I was terrified. I had asked mom yesterday if we could cancel the Faire but she said it would make the public nervous. It was best if we pretended this was normal. But my secret would be revealed tonight. And there was nothing I could do about it.

   The products that were being sold were amazing. I spotted all sorts of food (especially honeymoon cakes, as they were the official food of the Faire. Contrary to the belief, they are not for honeymoons. They are honey cakes shaped in a circle for the Faire which celebrates the moon.)

  In a shadowy stall near an alley, I saw the most elegant stationary, quills, ink, wax stamps and hand sewn bags (including book bags.)

  "Mom? Is it okay if I check out that stall?" I pointed to it.

  "Of course Bella." She replied, calling me by my childhood nickname.

  My ballerina flats made a clacking sound on the cobblestones as I walked towards it.

  "Hello? May I buy something?" I asked.

   "Yes dearie. You may. What do you require. Remember it comes with a free future reading." A old woman's face came into view.

  "It's fine, I don't need a reading. May I have a red quill. 2 cartridges of black ink and one of red. Also the moon stationary? Also two hand bags. One in green and one in sky blue. And a leather book bag." When I supported local businesses, I went big. The hand bags were for my sisters. Gabby's favorite color was sky blue and Adrienne loved green. Everything else was for me.

  The old lady grabbed all the stuff I had mentioned and put it inside of a cloth bag. "Now time for your reading dearie."

  "There is no need, don't worry about it." But before I had finished my last word, she reached out a grabbed my wrist with her bony hand. She opened my palm with her other hand and started tracing the lines on the inside.

  "Interesting. She is for a.." The old lady mumbled under her breath to herself and I couldn't catch the last two words but it had sounded bad.

  "I better put honeymoon cakes with everything else dearie." She said unclasping my wrist and pulling out a few honeymoon cakes from the shelves below the stand. She covered them with a cloth and added them to my bag.

  "Why? What is it?" I asked.

  "Dearie, your secret will be revealed tonight, but not in the way you expect. It will only make her public be more suspicious. Good luck." The old lady patted my arm.

  "What do you mean?" I didn't want the public to be suspicious of me.

  "Pay up dearie." She said pointing to my purchases.

   I pulled out my wallet and handed her 36 gold coins. "Is this enough?"

  She nodded her head and took them from my hand.

  "You got this all from my palm?" I said, picking up the cloth bag.

  The old woman shrugged and waved me away, so she could deal with another customer. I reached into my bag and pulled out a honeymoon cake. The sweet fluffy taste of the cake hit my tongue as I took a bite. It was delicious but I couldn't help but be bittersweet. Was this the last time the public would accept me. I could have made the process of grief so much easier if I had just told the truth.

  Then I heard a yelping sound from the alley. I dropped my honeymoon cake on the ground. Dang it. That sucked. But I better figure out what made that sound.

  I ducked into the alley and what I found made me speechless then unbearably mad.

  Prince Victor had pressed a young pretty blonde woman against the wall. He was leaning in to kiss her and she looked scared. Not today I thought. I grasped my bag and took a swing at Victor.

  Victor got the bag straight in his jaw and he fell back. The young girl, around 15 (even younger than me) had ran and was behind me.

  "Ow, fuck what was that for." Victor had sat up clutching his jaw.

   "Your 24! That is fucking pedophilia!" I yelled, hoisting the bag over my shoulder, ready to hit him again.

   "So. So what." Victor said.

    "Do you even know what pedophilia means! It's illegal!" I was so mad.

   "No, but what I do know, is that I won't have a 16 year old messing around with me." He got up a stared dangerously at me.

  "I told you I wouldn't let you kiss anyone here." I said.

  "Well you can't prevent me." He pulled out a sword.

   Fuck. Would I die for protecting a young girl?

  He lunged, sword in hand. I moved out of the way. He lunged again and again. I ducked and moved each time.

  "Ahh!" The young girl screamed. I looked at her. Victor had attempted to throw a dagger at her. It missed her barely.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw silver glinting. I moved out of the way, but not enough. The sword grazed my flesh. It was a scorching hot pain. I fell to the ground on something hard. It was a stick. I gripped it hard. Above me Victor was holding the sword over me. He swung, and I did too. The sword and the stick met halfway.

  I groaned as I got up and swung again. I wasn't trying to do much. Just distract him. And I had. Then I knocked the sword, right out of his hand. Victor looked down. Surprised. I hit him again and he fell to the ground, clutching his area down there.

  "Guards!" I screamed as hard as I could. I heard footsteps coming.

  Two guards entered the alley. "Put him in jail. Against the charges of pedophilia and assault."

  They looked surprised but tied him up. "Are you ok Princess." One of them asked.

  "I'm fine." I smiled.

   "You sure? You're bleeding." He pointed out.

    My hand went to my side. Ouch. It really hurt. When I pulled it away, scarlet blood coated it.

   "Yep, totally fine. Make sure to help that young girl find her family." I said, pointing to the 15 year old who was still standing there.

  I walked out of the alley and saw a bunch of people gathering around the lantern making stand.

  I walked over there too, wanting to know what the fuss was about.

  I pushed my way through the crowd. But gradually people noticed who I was and gave me tons of space. Why would they do that? When I reached the front I saw why. Scribbled on the paper that was used to make the lantern was blood red ink reading Princess Saybelle knows exactly who her father's killer is.

  I backed away. Bile raising in my throat. I threw up. Then I felt dizzy. My eyes closed and I fell. Black appeared. I had fainted.

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   Wow! This whole chapter was 2208 words! And also I'm back!! Thank you everyone who has read this story. Please vote and comment! I love all you guys!

Xoxo,
       Lemon🩷🩷