The Sixteenth Method Manuscript PDF

 Thanks to: Momma - For supporting me Ray Gray - My supporter and prologue writer Nathan Freas - Editing my bad grammar Jerome Lelina- Editing my bad grammar x2 Prologue 3 Thievery 6 News 11 Dinner 16 Meeting 20 Poison...

 Thanks to: Momma - For supporting me Ray Gray - My supporter and prologue writer Nathan Freas - Editing my bad grammar Jerome Lelina- Editing my bad grammar x2 Prologue 3 Thievery 6 News 11 Dinner 16 Meeting 20 Poison 29 Discovery 35 Caspian 42 Kidnapped 46 Excuses 50 Alone 55 Execution 60 Escape 65 Plans 69 Friends 73 Traditore 79 Capture 83 Truth 87 Betrayal 90 Silence 93 Preparations 95 Attack 98 Epilogue 101  Prologue ——————————— Kingdoms have their people, and people all have special purposes. For example, the farmers help keep food in stock. Knights protect everyone in the kingdom. The queen? Usually, she’s just a pretty object in place with the king for all to gaze and gape upon because of her beauty. But, in my kingdom, I was powerful. I had a voice. I was more than nice. I was fair. I did the right thing. I was the reigning queen. The people loved me, and I did all that I could to keep them safe and out of harm’s reach. Out of death’s cold, inevitable arms. When I ruled, everything was perfect. As it should be. Nobody was struggling with finding a place to stay, things to eat, and a job to earn money from. Everything was astounding and the people loved my efforts. Then, suddenly, it all came crashing down. Of course, peace can’t last forever. Change must come eventually. A neighboring kingdom was crafting a medicine to dispose of the dreadful and protect the superior. As you’d expect, nobody wanted thieves and criminals going about their kingdom. It’s not exactly the best kind of reputation.  The medicine attracted a lot of unfortunate attention, and no one was stupid enough to be the test subject. I, being the good person I was, volunteered to test this medicine. I had been so foolish to believe that because I was already such a kind queen, nothing would happen to me. Oh, how dumb an idea. The medicine hit me like a rock to the face. As soon as I took it, I knew nothing would ever be the same. Yet… I was happy about it. Not the kind of happiness you get when money gets thrown at you, no. The kind of happiness you feel when you know things are about to change, all because of you. When you finally get what you want. I was a monster. I was a crazed, violence-starved monster. Nobody could stop me. Everything, all of the careful work and planning that had gone into my kingdom… it was all undone. Any time someone came to me with an issue they were having, I snapped my fingers and they were executed. Even my dear child, my poor firstborn son. He was the heir. Was. I got him killed after sending him off to a war I knew he’d never survive. What? He was annoying me. I got so out of hand that the next few generations, according to the fable, were cursed to only have a female heir every century. My kingdom, after this entire century, had rebuilt itself. The kingdom of Capo Dei Mari was beautiful. Greenery surrounded the village areas, with lovely cobble streets for the people to walk upon and the west edges were covered with beautiful rocky beaches. However, the most beautiful sight to behold was the ornate castle just up the hill, overseeing the entire kingdom. The castle had one tower high above everything else, and in this tower held the only thing that the crown would supposedly ever hide from their people- a girl. This girl was young, having turned 16 two months prior. She was kept in her bedroom for most of her life, only being allowed to walk around the castle- and even that she would avoid if she could, not wanting to deal with the harsh glares sent at her by her family. This young maiden, not-so trapped in her tower, was the first born princess to the kingdom in 100 years. The girl had the history books that lined the castle library, trying to figure out why she was so wrong, why she couldn’t be seen. All she could find was that her great grandmother had gone from being good to wicked, killing off most of the kingdom. That was why a witch supposedly cursed her lineage. She wasn’t allowed to be seen because of the fear her parents held. It felt wrong to her. It felt cruel, deciding that a baby would turn out to be a tyrant just because one had been so long ago. This girl was none other than Princess Eloise Mae Anthony II. After me, of course.  Thievery ——————————— The prince of Capo Dei Mari was a boy born to lead. He was the first born and he was a son, everything his parents had wanted. However, despite his teachings to be stern and not tolerate anything- he couldn’t help but feel sorry for his little sister. So, it had been mere “coincidence” when he had requested a maid to accompany him into town and Eloise was the only one awake. Of course, the girl wasn’t complaining. She had been trapped within the palace walls for 15 years, so it was about time she got to see more than just a window view of the kingdom. What she saw was- well, less than stunning. The village was still beautiful, of course, but Eloise’s eyes kept getting dragged back to the people tucked within the alleyways. The mothers, looking ill and malnourished, trying to care for their children. The tattered clothing that garnished the dirty and sickly looking people, who would go up to the rich- basically begging for even a penny. “Are mom and dad building new homes for these people? Marcus, why are they so… gross?” Eloise mumbles, her eyes scanning over the people in the alleyways. She can hear her brother audibly sigh as his eyes scan over the jewelry he was looking at in the market,”I wish I could say that was the case, El. But, I think mom and dad haven’t ever cared for more than the upper middle class citizens- that’s who all the laws are geared towards, anyway.” Eloise’s eyes squint in confusion. She didn’t know how these people could be so ignorant towards their own citizens. Not only that, but the fact that she knew she couldn’t even do anything about it. Marcus recognizes the look in Eloise’s eyes and he puts a hand on her shoulder,” Don’t think too much about it. Just… worry about yourself. You’re in a tough situation too, worry about that, not the things you can’t mend.” Eloise nods but her eyes still linger on the alleyway, watching two people who looked around her age splitting up half a loaf of bread that looked moldy. How could she ignore it? These people have it worse than her- when in a position of power worrying about yourself should be the last thing on your mind. But, that’s where the thoughts ceased- when Eloise came back to the reality that she, even though she had a title of power, was not in a position of power. She wasn’t even supposed to be alive, Eloise was cursed to only bring harm to the kingdom. The girl quickly shrugs this thought off, continuing to walk behind her brother, fixing the torn black rags she wore to blend in as a royal servant. Though even when she returned home, shoving her nose within the pages of a book, trying to keep her mind off of what had happened that day, she couldn’t. It was impossible. Eloise’s eyes kept trailing back outside her window.  From the view she had, Eloise could see houses and shops lining the cobble streets, their chimney’s all billowing with smoke. Children were running around playing on the streets- from a simple person's view Capo Dei Mari was the perfect place to live. And yet- the poverty that hid between the alleys, the petty theft that had to happen to survive- was rampant amongst the people. It was almost too much to handle. Elosie spent that night looking up at her ceiling- the guilt that she couldn’t do anything to help was eating her from the inside out. The girl had never done something wrong, always trying to stay on her parents' good side, so what harm would it be to have a little fun once in a while? Eloise looks into her closet, picking out a knee-length deep purple dress, an old thing of her mothers that she claimed was too disgusting to wear. With this, she threw on her old and tattered black boots and swiftly but quietly rushed down the stone steps of her tower. She hastily made her way down to the kitchen- which was on the lowest floor right before the dungeon. Eloise quickly grabbed some berries, a few pieces of bread, and some assorted vegetables and placed them inside the pockets that accented the dark cloak she wore overtop her dress. Without a word, Eloise pushed one of the many kitchen window’s up and began climbing out of it. She landed on the wet grass with a thump, standing up and brushing off her dress. Taking in a breath, Eloise closed her eyes before letting out a breath shakily,” It’ll be fine… this is for the good of the people- you can do this.” She says, trying to convince herself. It took about 15 minutes for her to even find anyone who wasn’t already asleep. However, once she did, Eloise froze. She stood staring at the two kids she had seen earlier. The girl laying her head on the boy’s shoulder, shivering. Eloise’s mouth felt dry at the sight- she was frozen, not knowing what to say or do. Sadly, the thieves had noticed her stare before she could think of something to say. The girl stood up, lips still blue and still shivering, but her glare was even colder,” What do you want, ragazza ricca? We aren’t animals, no need to stare…” Eloise let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, annoyed at the fact that she was already being taunted and called ‘rich girl’. She sighs before speaking,”I came to help, I don’t mean to stare.” She takes a piece of bread out of her pocket, along with some blueberries, holding them out to the thieves as a peace offering. The boy’s eyes widen and he immediately grabs the berries, popping a few into his mouth. He turns to his sister in shock,” Amara! They aren’t rotten!” He exclaims, proceeding to eat more. The girl, Amara, proceeds to give her brother a mildly annoyed look. She takes one of the berries from his hand, holding it as if it was the most disgusting item she has ever held,” Charlie are you truly that dense? They could be poisonous!” She says exasperatedly, dropping the berry on the ground before looking over at me,” How can we trust you, ragazza? I mean, normally the rich-folk don’t even dare to glance at us. Why are you here?” “I- well-” Eloise thought. She bit her lip, staring down at the ground. The truth was that she had no clue how to show them she was trustworthy. She didn’t even know why she was here in the first place. She sighs, picking her head back up to look at Amara, “I don’t actually know. But, just give me a chance.. I promise I come with no harmful intentions.” Amara gives a quick glance to Charlie, who was still popping blueberries into his mouth like candy. He looks at Eloise with a small smile before looking back at his twin, “I think we can trust her. I mean it’s not like she’s royalty or one of ‘em stupid noblemen.” Eloise gives a nervous grin to Charlie, “Oh- well about that…” she chuckles, nervously sticking out a hand for Charlie to Shake,”I’m Eloise. Eloise Anthony II.” Charlie’s face immediately pales, his eyes wide, “But- the king and queen don’t have a female heir.” He looks down at his sister, “I think?” Amara just stares at Eloise, her eyes looking her up and down, “I mean, she has the clothes for it. And knowing the king and queen it wouldn't be a shock, especially with what happened in the past.” She takes another glance and smirks, shaking Eloise’s hand,”Welcome to the team, principessa.” Eloise smiles and gladly shakes Amara’s hand, “Good to know that I won’t get stabbed,” she jokes, referencing the dagger that clung to the girl’s side. Amara just winks at her, “Don’t get too cocky about that, Eloise.” Eloise just nods slowly and looks at the pair, “I swear, from now on I’ll sneak down from the palace whenever I can. Can’t have my new friends starving, can I?” She smirks, “We’ll be like the three musketeers, three of a kind.” Charlie laughs and glances at Eloise, “There’s only two of a kind, three of a kind doesn’t exist-” he cuts himself off, wincing when Amara hits his shoulder. “This is why you suck at poker, idiota.” Amara comments, rolling her eyes at her brother’s words. Eloise chuckles at the exchange, about to comment when she notices the sun peaking out from behind Amara. Eloise grimaces, looking at the thieves she now called friends, “I’ll be back- tomorrow. I have to get back to the palace.” Eloise quickly bounds off down the cobblestone street, leaving the twins to look at eachother, wondering what in the world they had just gotten themselves into.  News ——————————— “Okay but, like, what if something was flying above you? Then would you use a bow?” Charlie asked his sister while chewing on a strawberry. Amara just shakes her head. “Nope. My dagger is my key to success. If I drop it, then I lose a fight.” The teens had been on a rant about their favorite weapons for a bit, the autumnal breeze nipping at their ears. It had been a month since the trio met and they had grown inseparable. Whenever Eloise could, she would climb from the kitchen window, food in hand, to see her friends. “No, it’s not. You’ve made yourself think that, Amara,” Eloise says. “It’s all in your head. I assure you, if you actually tried to pick up another weapon, you’d find it more practical than a small knife.” The conversation continued, Eloise occasionally playfully hitting Charlie or Amara on the arm. Moments later, trumpets blew in the distance and the calm streets quickly grew attentive as the royal squire appeared in the square. “Crap,” Eloise started, pulling her black hood above her head. Charlie walked to the end wall of the alleyway, peeking out into town square before motioning the girls over. “You might want to see this.” Amara and Eloise shared a knowing look and steadily walked over to Charlie.  “What’s so imp-” Amara started before shutting her mouth. In front of the group of townspeople was the squire, along with the prince, king, and queen. “Come one! Come all!” shouted the squire. “For this is a momentous occasion! Your future king, Prince Marcus Anthony, is engaged to Princess Eleanor Fletcher-Di Mario of Regno Delle Rose!” The crowd oohed and awed, cheering across all sides of the court. As if they hadn’t heard this type of news before. Eloise glared towards her brother. Prince Marcus was not as cruel as his parents to his sister. They actually got along quite nicely. However, she knew for a fact that when her brother went off to serve as king, her father, who will still stay in the castle, will most likely demote her to a scholarly maid for the princess. “Wow, Charlie, you dragged us over here to hear about the Prince’s promotion? Big whoop, the rest of us are still starving.” Amara spoke as she gestured to the few other alleyways that held crying children, poor old men, mothers who were thin enough to be twigs, and of course, all of this sadness came with the occasionally dead body. “Well I’m sorry that I thought Eloise might wanna know what’s going on with her family.” He shrugs looking at her. Eloise shook herself out of her trance when her brother went to look over in her direction. Immediately she just sighed, walking backwards to collect her satchel. “Well if they are here, they’re probably going to collect me for supper and the,” she mocks excitement, “big announcement, so I must be off.” Amara pouts, “El come on! Why don’t you stay out here with us? We treat you better and they wouldn’t even notice!” Charlie was quick to swat the back of his sister’s head who just glared in return. Eloise let out a mix of a sigh and a chuckle. “As much as I would love to, who would bring you fresh fruit and bread?” Eloise smirks before walking out onto the streets. As quickly as she could, Eloise ran up the back hill of the palace. On her way up to the back entrance, Eloise caught a glimpse of a white, gold, and blue carriage rounding the bend. She sped up, landing with an umph onto the concrete kitchen floor. “Prin-princess Eloise?” Asks the maid in front of her looking startled. Eloise quickly sat up, looking at the maid. “Molly! Heh.. funny story- Uhm..” she quickly tries to think of something to cover why she just jumped into the window. Luckily, before she could answer, Molly smiled and patted Eloise’s back. “Try not to get caught, okay kiddo?” Eloise smiled and nodded. Molly and a few of the other maids had taken care of her when her mother and father decided to stop, they were more of a family than her actual family were. She quickly bolts up the steps to her bedroom, throwing off the cloak and tossing it to the side while jumping on her bed. Just as she got comfortable, her mother walked into the room. Obviously looking a bit uneasy. “Eloise,” her mother started, “Your father and I request you join us for dinner tonight.” She says. Eloise raises an eyebrow. “And why exactly? As far as I know I'm supposed to stay in my room until the end of time because I’m a- oh what was that word you’ve used? Oh right!” She giggled. “Mistake.” The queen shot her a quick glare. “Eloise, I will not tolerate such an attitude. If your father and I request your presence, you shall do as we say, is that clear?” Eloise just put her hands up in surrender. “Fine. Whatever, I’ll be there.” “Good.”The queen examined her outfit a bit. “And make sure you change out of your rags please.” She said before shutting the door. Eloise just groaned, placing the book she was holding onto her face. This was going to be an eventful evening, wasn’t it? She sighed, lifting herself off of her deep, purple covers and walking over to her closest. As much as her parents disliked her, she still had to wear clothes. Most of her dresses were hand-me-downs from her mother that, even though they were fine, she disliked and said they were ruined. Looking through the clothes in the closet, Eloise’s eyes landed on a sage green dress, which had a white lace trim and a nice silky texture. It wasn’t overly large as to be mistaken for a ball gown however, it was fancy enough for dinner. Hopefully.  Stripping off her short black dress from earlier and putting on her new one, Eloise examined herself in the mirror. Then, Eloise sat herself on the ground next to her broken floor length mirror, to which she started to brush long strokes down her straight, dark and almost black, brown hair. Her olive skin shone in the light emitting from her window and she finished the final touches. She took any leaves that were in her hair, out,and tied it back into a half up bun. Eloise took a step back to examine herself, twirling in her dress. “This will do.” She spoke aloud to herself. “I mean, I’m only eating dinner with my parents for the first time in eight years. Who knows! Maybe they’ll re-own me.” Eloise laughed to herself at the improbable thought of her parents actually caring. For all she knew, this could be the dinner where her parents finally kick her out of the house. She took a breath in, and opened her bedroom door.  Dinner ——————————— “Lovely for you to join us dear!” Queen Julietta walked up and kissed her daughter on the forehead, to which Eloise responded with a look of disgust. “Dear? Lovely to see me?“ she exasperated, “I thought I was the rodent of this family, since when have you wanted to-” she was cut off by her mother, putting a hand over Eloise’s mouth. “ Oh don’t mind our girl! She can be very creative, she’s currently writing a piece on- uh- all of the lonely and sad children in our kingdom!” Julietta covered up, shooting a quick glare at her daughter that sent off a, mind your mouth, girl, vibe. Eloise just sighed and stayed quiet, sitting beside her brother before noticing there were three guests joining them. One was a burly man with a black and scruffy beard, most likely a king by the look in his eye. Beside the king, there was a petite woman with unnaturally blonde hair and deep brown eyes. She looked very unhappy to be here and kept looking at the third person there. The third was a girl, looking to be just a bit older than me. She had light brown hair and hazel eyes, and was holding hands with Marcus. Eloise saw this and it immediately rang a bell in her head. This was the new princess. Eloise subtly eyes her, looking for any signs of disgust toward herself. If her parents wanted her to be visible while guests were in the palace, something had to have been very wrong. “Thank you all for coming to tonight’s dinner!” The king started. “Tonight is a momentous occasion, the combination of two kingdoms within marriage. My son, Marcus, betrothed to the dearest Eleanor! “However,” his voice turned dim, “with this I must share with you the biggest secret of our kingdom, of our family.” Suddenly, Eloise realized what was happening, shooting a glare at her father. He just ignored her and continued his spiel, pointing towards me. “This is our daughter Eloise. She is,” he stops for a second, then continues. “She is the first princess in one hundred years for our kingdom. She is a.. possible bringer of doom,” he spoke, stuttering a little. Eloise slammed her fist on the table, “What, so now I exist only for you to tell me I’m some evil bringer of doom? Dad, great grandmother doomed our kingdom a hundred years ago! If any evil were to still be implanted in our blood from her offspring, it would have disappeared by now.” she shouts. In turn her father glares. “Eloise, I'm just telling them the truth. So you will be quiet for the rest of the night and let the important people speak.” She, instead, just huffed and leaned back in her seat. Submitting to the lies spewing from her fathers mouth. “Then why haven’t you had her beheaded or killed, Gregory?” King Severus glared. “I wouldn’t want my daughter marrying into a family where there appears to be a threat in the making.” “Severus I can assure you Eloise is taken care of and locked up at all times. She is no harm. And for the most part, she acts as a clean-up worker for the palace.” Eloise rolls her eyes at this comment, muttering under her breath, “Not like I have a choice.” Queen Melany nodded, “Well then, off of this topic. What shall we do to celebrate this fine engagement?” Julietta clapped her hands with glee, “Ah yes! We shall hold a ball for the newly weds, inviting the kingdom to come and meet them.” The king looked over at his wife momentarily, gesturing lightly to Eloise, “What about her, darling? The citizens may wonder about the palace.” “I have that covered. Eloise should be locked in her room so no citizens may enter. If needed, she can be a part of the help.” “Do I get a say in this? I know this might seem like a crazy idea but, I exist you know. And I have opinions. Amazing, right?” Eloise remarked, sitting up in her chair to look at her parents. Julietta just looked at her daughter and frowned, “Still here are you? Now that it’s official, you can leave to go to your sleeping quarters now. That room of yours is a mess, so why don’t you clean it?” Eloise gasped in astonishment. “Are you kidding? That’s it? You brought me down here, for the first time in eight years, didn’t even speak to me, just about me, and then made me go and clean.  “I have never, ever, in my entire life felt so disrespected by you all! Who's to say I’m evil, huh? That was grandmother! Not me,” she hisses between her gritted teeth, eyeing daggers at her so-called family and guests. Eloise stormed up to her room, slamming the door shut. She immediately landed on her bed, groaning into her pillow. Eloise’s parents have always taken everything out on her and she finally broke. She broke in front of them instead of a mirror, imagining how she would win that argument. What would be next? Would her family disown her? Feed her to the wolves? Eloise didn’t know the answers to these questions but, what she did know, is that whatever was coming her way would be better than this. And maybe, just maybe, she would finally get noticed.  Meeting ——————————— Later that night, when Eloise knew everybody in the palace was fast asleep, she changed into a black dress, applying her cloak on top. She laced on her boots and began to walk out of her bedroom door. Eloise ran down her tower stairs, nearly blowing her cover and tripping over a loose stone in the floor. She fell, cursing silently under her breath and letting out a sigh after making sure nobody was awoken by the noise. When she made it to the kitchen, Eloise quickly stuffed a loaf of bread into her satchel before completing her nightly routine by jumping from the window, which was four feet from the ground. She started to walk down the path into the village. In the distance, the ocean shimmered luminously in the moonlight. At night, Capo dei Mari looked like the perfect place to live, like a piece of work straight out of a fairytale. Though, not everything is perfect, is it? Eloise felt a feeling of comfort start to pool within her, watching the distance as she stepped onto the street’s pavement and turned to walk down the street towards the alley. Just before her last turn, Eloise bumped into a man. When she looked up, his face was covered by a hood, but his figure stood a foot above her. Eloise could barely make out his face however, she could tell he held a firm scowl. “Attenta, ragazza idiota.” He spoke in a harsh tone before shoving past Eloise and walking away. She, in turn, just rolled her eyes, muttering to herself. “Guess people can’t make mistakes anymore, huh?” However, it did irk her just a bit at the fact that somebody else was outside of their home at nearly eleven thirty at night. Most people were already in bed. It felt.. off. Eloise just shrugged it off for now, continuing to walk. He might have been a lost wanderer or something. Yes, that was it. She turned the corner into the alley where Amara and Charlie lay, waiting for her. Charlie was the first to notice her wondering expression. “You okay Eloise?” he asked, frowning. She just smiles and sits down. “I’m fine, just some really weird people in town these days.” Amara looked at her, as if trying to find out what she meant. She was scanning through Eloise’s eyes, almost like she knew that wasn’t quite the case. “Uh huh.” Amara started,” well anyway. How was the palace principessa?” Eloise just shrugged in response, “It wasn’t the best. I got to meet the future queen though. She’s kinda quiet.” Charlie rolled his eyes, “Eloise, maybe she was normal. The only girl you’ve met that actually has talked to you is Amara. And she’s loud.”  Amara laughed at this, “I’m not loud. I just express my thoughts and feelings even though this whole kingdom wants me to shut my trap.” All the teens laughed at this, unbeknownst to them, they were being watched from above. The man Eloise had bumped into earlier sat atop a fire escape just above the trio. He looked and watched from afar, scowling at the three before pulling out a piece of parchment. He began to write: I’m here. -C.A.P  Findings ——————————— “Eloise Mae!” The queen yelled, ramming into her daughter's room. Eloise, who at the time was reading To Kill A Mockingbird on her bed, scowled at her mother. “Can I help you? Also, I thought I had-” before her snarky remark could be made, she was cut off by her mother. “You were supposed to be in the kitchen about half an hour ago in order to help the staff bake treats for the ball!” Julietta shrieked, “how lazy could you possibly be?” Eloise just rolled her eyes and sighed, placing her book down beside her in order to walk over to her mother. “I’m not lazy, you’re the one who told me to stay locked up in my room so I don’t ruin the party.” Eloise proclaims, crossing her arms and glaring at Julietta. “And you were going to! However, we need more staff. Carolanne took off, she went into labor yesterday.” Julietta speaks, scowling at her daughter. “So, I need you to assist the staff. And if you talk back to me again I’ll have you tossed to the rats!” Eloise just rolled her eyes again, turning in the opposite direction of her mother. And I’m supposed to be the evil queen?, she thought as she made her way through the palace.  The halls grew dimmer as Eloise stepped closer and closer to the kitchen, located just above the dungeons. The marble floors made a clunk when Eloise’s leather boots stomped against them. Quickly, Eloise turned the doorknob and walked into the kitchen, her anger radiating off of her every step. “Princess?” Molly spoke timidly, her eyes wandering over to the girl. Eloise’s head snapped towards the voice, and a smile grew on her face. “Hello Molly!” She says, obviously faking her glee. Her malice wasn’t towards Molly, and Eloise didn’t want her to think that she’d done something to upset her. Molly crossed her arms and frowned at the girl in front of her. “My dear, what is bothering you?” She asked softly, placing a hand onto Eloise’s shoulder. Normally, one would be beheaded for touching a member of the royal court in such a casual manner; however, Molly was like Eloise’s mother. She bit her lip and sighed before responding. “Mom has decided I’m officially a scholarly maid. No offense to you guys of course- however I-” Eloise was cut off by Molly. Yet another strike that would’ve had her killed. “Wish that your mother cared more? Trust us darling, we do too, for your sake of course.” Molly smiled, pulling the princess into a hug, “Whenever you need me, I’m right here Princess Eloise.” Eloise smiled at Molly, hugging her back, “Love you Molly.”  Molly chuckled. “Now come on, no point in wasting time. We’ve got to have the meal ready by four.” Eloise smiled, grabbing the potatoes and starting to wash them, getting them ready to be boiled. She chatted with the maids around her, enjoying the free time. “Thief in the kitchen! Thief in the-“, Eloise heard Bernice yell. Quickly, her head turned to look at the person Bernice was yelling about. “Would you shut up, donna vecchia? I’m looking for the Princess.” The voice spoke, a voice only recognizable by Eloise. “Amara! Why the hell did you break in? I could have let you in through the door,” Eloise called, walking over to her friend. “All the more fun principessa.” Amara grins. “Now come on. You need to be back in time for your brother's engagement ball and Charlie and I wanna show you something.” Eloise looked over at Molly, who just nodded at her. Hastily, Eloise threw off her apron and had Bernice quickly fetch her cloak. Bernice happily obliged if it meant getting away from Amara, who was still glaring daggers at the old woman. Once the thin fabric was placed on top of her deep purple dress, Eloise made her way out the window to where Charlie and Amara awaited with a horse. “Charlie!” Eloise quickly hugged him before her brows furrowed as she stole a glance at the brown horse in front of her.  “Did you steal from the Mason’s stables again?” Eloise asked, looking Charlie dead in the eye. The boy earned a small sum of money working as a stable boy for one of the richer residents in the kingdom. However, sometimes he would take a horse or two on a ride when he wasn’t supposed to. In response, Charlie just whistled. Grabbing a hold of the horse’s reins again. “I'm assuming you already know the answer. Plus, Darcy will get us to our destination quicker.” Eloise just nodded, turning back to Amara who had already seated herself on Darcy. “Well come on then. We haven’t got all day, and you need to see this.” They went off down the street and a little ways out of the village. Not without nearly running over five civilians but, who’s counting that? When they reached the destination, Eloise looked around, taking in the view. They were at a cliffside with camping materials strewn across the land. The waves crashed onto the rocks below and seagulls cawed in the distance. “So, what? It’s a nice cliff- don’t tell me you guys stole from the person who was camping here.” Eloise spoke, turning to face her friends. Charlie shook his head, “We were going to. He had some nice food. However-” he was cut off by his sister. “You’re slow at explaining things. Basically, we were searching his tent for food and we found this..” Amara trailed off, walking over to the tent and reaching in.  “Amara! People need privacy!” Eloise glowered, earring an eye roll in response from Amara. She soon stood up and walked back over to Eloise holding a bottle of what looked to be wine. “So… he drinks.” Eloise nods,” guys I think hunger is making you hallucinate that bad things are happening.” Charlie shook his head, “No, not the hunger. Look at the label Eloise.” He pointed back to the bottle his twin had in her hands. Eloise picked it up, examining the label and gasped: Serpentine Poison It was a bottle of poison. Some of it was already gone too. In my age this wouldn’t be an issue however, since my reign, poison was outlawed in Capo Dei Mari. So, somehow somebody had snuck it past the borders. “Why the hell would somebody bring poison into the kingdom? What’ve we done?” Eloise yelled, gripping the bottle with such might that Charlie thought it would shatter. Amara shrugged, “I dunno but, I don’t think it’s a- happy fun-time poison. It’s from Regno Dei Serpenti. So, it’s like- instant kill stuff.” Charlie gave a confused look to his sister, “Happy fun-time poison? What kind of poison is happy?” She shrugs, “Wine maybe? Lots of people die from that. Either way, this is serious. We don’t know what this person is planning and we need to-” Amara was quickly cut off by a leaf crunching nearby.  “What was that,” Eloise murmured, turning around to see something lurking in the bushes behind them. Charlie’s eyes grew wide, “I don’t know. However, I suggest we get on Darcy and run. ‘Cause I don’t know about you both, but my plans for today do not include being kidnapped.” Both girls quickly agreed, climbing onto the horse (shoving each other a bit) and speeding off. Not knowing that the person in fact was watching them. The man took out a piece of parchment again and began writing: The plan is in action. La principessa is in sight. Begin preparing for January 1st. - C.A.P  Poison ——————————— “Come on Eloise, you were out longer than expected and you need to get ready for the ball.” Molly spoke, shoving Eloise out the kitchen door. The girl frowned, looking at the maid, “Molly why don’t I just stay with you? I mean I’ll just be serving people up there anyway, I don’t really want to do that.” Molly just shook her head, sighing, as she closed the door on the princess. Eloise made sure to make her displeased Hmph loud enough to be heard through the door before exiting. She climbed up what always seemed like twenty flights of stairs in order to reach her room and once there, she began looking through her closet. Eloise found the black dress she used whenever she was told to serve people. ‘Cause that’s what she was apparently, a servant, not a princess. Putting it on, Eloise examined herself in the mirror before giving a nod and walking down the stairs into the throne room. “Eloise.” Her father announced, barely looking her in the eye and she rose from her bow. “Father.” “You are to pass out drinks to the guests. Do not engage in talk with anybody, do not even utter a word. If you mess up your brother's engagement in the slightest, you’ll be sleeping on the stone floors in the dungeon.” King Gregory spoke in a harsh, warning tone. Eloise just nodded, turning on her heels to the door in order to grab her tray. From behind her, she could hear the bustling of feet as people moved into the throne room. She walked down the hall, almost to the kitchen when she bumped into a figure. “My apologies sir-“ Eloise started, however before she could say anything the man was gone. A chill crawled up her spine, something didn’t feel right. For now, Eloise ignored the feeling. Thinking it was just her nerves playing with her mind or the cold of the stone hallway. Either way, she needed to get back to the throne room before her father realized she hadn’t already started giving out beverages. She ran quickly to the kitchen, grabbing the wine glasses and heading back up the stairs and into the room that was busy with chatter, music, and people. People would occasionally pick up a drink or two but, for the most part nobody even glanced in Eloise’s direction. Eloise did however catch a glimpse of somebody. A boy, lanky and tall in stature. He looked around her age and looked a bit too wealthy to be a commoner. Maybe we invited another kingdom? Or did Eleanor have a brother? Eloise considered walking over to him; however, something stopped her. It wasn't fear of being caught by her parents. No, it was the thing that caught her eye. In the boy’s hand was the bottle she’d seen earlier. The bottle of poison.  The boy took the bottle, looked around the room, and opened it. Slowly, it was poured into two of the glasses before him. Eloise’s breath hitched. She didn't know what to do. If she said something about it, there was a fair chance that she would be accused of attempted murder. Her grip on the drink tray tightened as she slowly glanced around the room. Eloise wondered if there had been any other spiked drinks, perhaps it was a ruse to kill her father. In which case, Eloise wouldn’t mind watching it unfold. Quickly, Eloise snuck out of the crowded room into the cool, dimly lit hallway. Letting out a shaky breath, she closed her eyes to think. There’s only been one attempted assassin of the king before but he wasn’t as careful. Maybe it wasn’t even an assaination attempt. Eloise’s mind raced at all that was happening. She knew she should probably tell somebody, but who would believe her? Better yet, who would believe she was innocent? Suddenly, an echo came from the room behind her. The echo of her father starting the announcements and… the toast. Eloise stormed into the room, standing still as the final toast uttered from her father’s lips. “Now, let us toast! To my son, his fiancée, and the future of Capo Dei Mari!” He shouted as everybody took a drink. From the corner of her eye, Eloise could see the boy from earlier smirking like a mad man.  Everybody in the room took a sip from their glass, practically playing Russian roulette of who would be the one to drink the poisoned wine. Eloise held her breath, cracking her knuckles to relieve her nerves and watching the room to see who would drop. Serpentine Poison was the strongest of its kind, a mere 60 seconds after ingestion and it became immediately lethal. So far, nobody can wrap their head around how Regno Dei Serpenti made it; all we know is that they were exiled for it. Nobody trades with or even contacts the kingdom, they are too power hungry.. too dangerous. So, even seeing one of their products in the kingdom is creepy. Eloise began to examine the boy, his apparel was a black double vested suit with a dark gray button-up shirt underneath. He wore no tie and his black hair was a mess. However, what caught Eloise’s eye the most was the emblem on the front of his suit. A dark green snake laying up on top of a mix of yellow and black. Underneath, there were words scribbled in a line; however, it was illegible from where Eloise stood. Before she could process what that meant, there were screams and gasps that flowed throughout the crowd. Eloise’s head snapped up to meet the terrified eyes of her father, who was holding her brother in his arms. Tears began to swell up in her eyes and she ran out of the room. She didn’t care if her sudden outburst seemed suspicious to those around her; Eloise’s brother was the kindest person to her in her family. He didn’t care if she was meant to be evil or not, he cared for her as a sister. Now Marcus was dead, he left Eloise alone with their parents. He left Eloise alone with the responsibilities and.. the throne. What is going to happen? Eloise thought. She knew her father would resist to give her the throne for as long as he could. So, what would happen? Suddenly, her father storms into her room with two guards following suit. “What the hell have you done,Eloise?” He yells, glowering her way. Eloise gave her father the same glare before responding, “I haven’t done anything, father. I was staying silent and serving drinks as you told me. Do you think for even a moment that I would even consider murdering the only person who ever gave a damn about my existence.” Gregory rolls his eyes, “You know that isn’t true. We have just been keeping you and the citizens of our kingdom safe-” “Safe from what? A fifteen year old girl who rarely ever sees daylight? Who is nearly starved and is forced to work with the servants? Father it feels like you’re just projecting your fear of grandmother onto the only other girl of her blood.” The king sucked in a long breath, he had nothing else to say at the moment. His eyes were still red from crying at the loss of his son, and he looked at his daughter with a mix of anger and sadness.  “If that is how you feel, fine. We will discuss what happened in the morning. I declare Princess Eloise Mae Anthony hereby on parole. Until we have proof of your innocence, you are not to leave your room until beckoned. If it is found of your true evil, you shall be beheaded at first light.”  Discovery ——————————— The clock on the beside slowly ticks as the princess slowly awakes, memories of the prior night flooding back. Slowly, Eloise stretched and kept out of bed, going to prepare for the day ahead. Eloise browsed through her closet, thoughts of what could happen slowly flooding her mind. Nothing terrible can happen, right? There isn’t any effective evidence that says specifically I did it. However, nobody else saw the boy last night. So, I'm the only suspect. FInally, she found one of her more casual outfits, not feeling the need to get formally dressed today. It was a dark-gray, velvet dress that hugged her body. Over it, Eloise placed a black bodice and put her boots on her feet. “Well-” she took a look out of her tower window,” There’s a possibility I can find some rope. Or maybe sneak down to the kitchen..”, Eloise shrugs to herself and sits down on her bed for a mere second before a guard knocks on the door. “Princess, your immediate presence is required in the throne room,” he spoke, a tiny hint of fear lurking in his voice. A loud sigh exited Eloise’s mouth as she followed the guard down the dark stairwell and into the throne room.  When her family came into view, she saw another pair as well. Her mother looked tired, her eyes were full of tears that have yet to exit. Eloise’s father was putting on a brave face however, his body still shook with terror and sadness. Beside the pair, was Queen Melany and King Severus. Both look devastated beyond repair. “Daughter, did you stay in your room after I left you?” Her father asked. Eloise didn’t expect this at the least, she thought he would have barraged her for ‘her actions’. “Yes father. After you left me I immediately went back to sleep.” She spoke. The king's eyes narrowed, “Then how is it that Princess Eleanor was found dead in her bathroom with her wine in hand.” “I don’t know, father. Perhaps she missed Marcus so dearly that she too wanted to be gone.” Eloise shrugged. This explained why the king and queen of Regno Delle Rose were in such a state of shock at the moment. “Preposterous! The girl lies and I want her dead for killing my daughter!” shouted King Severus, angrily. His wife grabbed his shoulder in an attempt to sooth his rage. Gregory raised a hand to silence the man beside him before responding, “Princess, so far there is no large sum of evidence that you were the one to kill the Prince. However, for the next ball you will not be permitted to attend.”  Eloise’s brows furrowed in confusion, “What next ball? Father, the winter ball isn’t for two months to come.” “Yes, however I need a new heir. I do not want the kingdom spiraling downward into hell once more and this, young lady, in proof that you will cause its destruction once more. Therefore I am hosting a ball to find a young man fit enough to rule.” Gregory said, his eyes not facing Eloise. Slight rage burned in Eloise’s eyes. She felt it was her right as the second child born to the king to hold the throne after the incident. Just because she was female didn’t mean she would commit the same mistakes her grandmother made before her. “Fine.” She spat, hardly trying not to be harsh, “is there anything else father?” The king shook his head, “No, princess, you may go back to your bedchamber now.” Eloise quickly turned, storming out the door as fast as she could. Completely forgetting her cloak, she ran to the kitchen and sped straight for the window. “Princess Eloise?” Eloise could hear Molly call; however, she wasn’t listening. Rage burned so violently inside of her and all Eloise wanted to do at the moment was see her friends. Possibly throw some daggers. Anything to get what had been happening off of her mind. Gravel, dirt, and a bit of grass crunched under her feet until Eloise reached the sidewalk. From there she checked multiple alleyways until finding the correct one.  “Principessa?” Charlie questioned, placing the bit of bread in his hand onto the ground. Eloise quickly sat down onto the cold pavement, looking into her two friends eyes, “Distract me, please.” “Oh.. is this about last ni-“ Amara was about to say before she was cut off by a cold glare from Eloise. “Anyway,” Charlie nervously laughed, “Erm. I haven’t been fired yet, so far Mr. And Mrs. Hahn haven’t suspected a thing.” Eloise sighed, turning to meet his gaze, “You really are terrible at this, aren’t you?” She said, lightly chuckling. “I’m trying here- but, for real, what’s going on Eloise?” Charlie said, his lips curving into a pitiful frown. Eloise sucked in a deep breath, looking down to play with the laces of her boots, “I may or may not have been accused of murder.” Amara gasped, “No way! The principessa is running from the royal guards? Now that’s a headline!” She laughed, throwing her hands up and lying down on her back. In turn, Eloise glared at her friend, “Shut the hell up Amara. I didn’t do anything, I wouldn’t kill the only family that actually cared about me, would I?” “I wouldn’t put it past anybody,” Charlie shrugged, looking at both girls, “I mean you never really know anybody’s true intentions until they’ve come through.” This wasn’t helping Eloise’s case however, she was too tired to care.  Amara took the role of glaring at her brother and smacking him in the back of the head, “Charlie! Stop accusing la principessa of a crime she didn’t commit!” Eloise sighed, placing a hand calmly onto her friend's shoulder, “Mara, it’s fine. Let’s just please, try to change the subject and talk about something happy. I didn’t come here for no reason.” She chuckles. The twins looked at each other and nodded, silently agreeing to try and keep their friend happy. For the next hour they talked about all they possibly could. What horse races were happening, favorite foods, Amara’s inability to use nothing else but a dagger. It was nice for Eloise, not having to worry about anything for a while. However, it then hit her that she didn’t tell them all of what she saw that night. Maybe, just maybe, she could find out who that boy was at the party. “Guys,” Eloise said quickly, staring the pair down. Charlie’s head quickly snapped to look at Eloise, “What? Are you alright?” She just nodded, “Yeah I’m fine but, did you guys happen to see any form of like- identification in the tent you were searching yesterday?” “Uhm, I don’t think s-“ Charlie was quickly cut off by his sister who was nodding rapidly. “Yes, I did. We went back after you left to see if there was anymore illegal stuff and there was a gray blazer lying on the ground. There was the Serpentine family crest and under it read: Caspian A. Parisi.”  Eloise’s breath hitched at that name. Where had she heard it before? Eloise knew she had, at some type of gathering when she was little. And then, the memories flooded back to her: “Hello?” A young male, no more than the age of five stood in the doorway staring at the young girl. “Hello sir. My mommy said you shouldn’t be in my room, nobody should.” The young girl, known as Eloise, spoke. The boy nodded but walked further into the room, “Why? Do you not have any friends?” He frowned. Eloise shrugged, mimicking the boy’s movements and looking him in the eye, “Not really. Mother says I’m too much of a threat to everybody I meet to have friends.” “Well I want to be your friend. My daddy says I need to make more friends so that when I’m king, we have more allies.” The girl chuckled, “Alright then,” she shook the boy's hand, “I’m Eloise Anthony. You can call me Eloise though if you want.” “I’m Caspian Parisi. I don’t really have a nickname.” “Well, maybe I can give you one,” Eloise thought for a moment before continuing,” How about Ian?” Caspian smiled at her, “Only for you mio amico.” The memory made tears prick in Eloise’s eyes. The fact that her childhood friend, her first friend, would do such a terrible deed. She remembered everything, how Regno and Serpenti stayed for at least a month. How she actually had fun for the first time in her life because of him. And yet, it was the same person who’d murdered her brother. Eloise didn’t know how to feel, all Eloise knew was the dread she was feeling. And then? The world went dark.  Caspian ——————————— After a minute or so Eloise awoke, a few coughs exited her mouth as she sat up, abruptly being pushed back down by a hand meeting her chest. “What the,” Eloise coughed,” hell?” Her eyes peeled open a bit for her to see Charlie and Amara, leaning above her body. “This is a bit creepy guys,” She said, trying to sit up once again. “Doesn’t matter,” Amara pushed Eloise back down, “You just randomly pass out for five minutes and we aren't supposed to worry?” Charlie nods, “Yeah, you nearly gave us a heart attack Eloise. Why did you pass out anyway? You looked like a kid on Christmas, eyes wide and all. Then you look sick to your stomach and pass out.” Suddenly, it all came flooding back. Eloise did feel sick, she didn’t know how to handle the truth that she’d just learned. “Guys, I’m friends with Caspian,” she spoke. In response, Amara turned pale and Charlie nearly spit out the blueberry that was in his mouth- however, that would be a waste of good food. Amara turned to Eloise, “Nice joke Eloise but, I doubt that’s the case. You’re screwing with us right?” Eloise shook her head, finally being able to sit up and get a proper look at her two friends. “ I wish I was but, I remember. He was my first friend. The boy accidentally walked into my chamber and refused to leave. He specifically said he wanted to be my first friend.” “Well I, for one, am offended. I thought we were your first friends Eloise-“ Amara was cut off as it was Charlie’s turn to give her a glare. “What she means to say is, that this isn’t the best of news. Who knows? Maybe he was after you before you stopped being his friend. I mean, he was literally the only person outside of your family to know about your existence besides the King and Queen of Regno Delle Rose.” Eloise just laughed at the pair, “No, no, you two may not have been my first friends but you both are definitely my best.” Amara and Charlie just nodded as Eloise continued to speak. “In any case, I feel that we should go and investigate Caspian’s hideout again. If he really did it, he must have a motive. I hope..” Eloise trailed off with Amara placing a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go, we’re burning daylight here.” Amara chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. This event made Charlie smirk in delight, “I’ll go get Darcy!” The boy ran off in the opposite direction in order to obtain the horse. Eloise sat down on the pavement as the girl beside her rambled on and on. In her mind, Eloise didn’t know what to do if it was Caspian. For all she knew her father would see it as she wanted to start war with the neighboring kingdom.  Amara put a hand calmingly on her friend's shoulder, “Don’t sweat too much about what’ll happen, alright Eloise? Whatever happens, we’ll get through it together.” Eloise just nodded, her head still somewhat off in the clouds. From afar, footsteps were heard and both girls turned to look- believing it to be Charlie. However, it was not. The same boy from the night prior came inching closer and closer to the girls. His curly hair neatly parted and fell just above his eyes. The boy held a small smug smirk on his face, and it was one that started to make more memories stir in Eloise’s mind. It was the same smirk that had convinced the two of them to steal berries from the kitchen when they were six. The same one that held a look of sadness when her father had pushed her to the ground. To Eloise, this was almost as if this couldn’t be the Caspian she had once known. Yet- it was. “Well, well, well. Never do I usually have the pleasure of running into two lovely ladies in one day,” Caspian smirks. Eloise frowned, looking her childhood friend in the eyes,” Caspian- why..” “I’m afraid, principessa, that I cannot answer that question. Though, I am incredibly sorry for what I must do.” Amara took that as a sign to run. She stood up, beginning to run to the far end of the alley way before being pushed down.  “Not so fast, ragazza idiota.” Caspian spoke, keeping Amara’s hands behind her back,” Your going to be my little present for when your brother returns.” That made her eyes widen as Apsyn began struggling, attempting to free herself from Caspian’s grasp. Eloise looked around, unsure of what to do in this moment of panic. Soon, something shiny caught her eye; looking down, Eloise saw Amara’s dagger lying on the ground. In the heat of the moment, Eloise grabbed it, for a moment looking at herself through the reflective metal. Two steps is all it took, lifting the blade above her head and aiming for Caspian’s back. Hoping that no more people would be hurt over this man and whatever was hidden beneath. Eloise sucked in a deep breath before going to plunge the dagger into his back but it didn’t. There was no blood and her hands were still practically above her head. In Front of Eloise were two burly arms and Caspian glaring at her. “Principessa did you really think it would be that easy?” He chuckled. Behind him, Amara lay on the ground, frozen in fear. Eloise’s brain quickly tried to think of a way to fix this mess. However, it was already too late. Caspian held in his hand a bottle and a cloth, and before Eloise knew it, the world was dark again. Why did this always happen to her?  Kidnapped ——————————— Eloise, this time, woke up somewhere dark. It was freezing, and the girl's thin cloak wasn’t very warm. Slowly, the girl opened her eyes. She watched her breath in front of her as she looked around. “What the hell…” she muttered to herself, struggling to stand as her legs seemed stiff and cold beneath her. “I wouldn’t bother, principessa. I suggest you get comfy- you aren’t going anywhere for a long time,” A voice in the dark murmured. Eloise looked around, scanning her surroundings to try to find wherever the voice was coming from. Her legs wobbled as she began to try to walk over to where she had heard the voice, but she immediately fell as she felt something tug at her hands. Slowly, Eloise’s gaze turned to meet the chains that bound her hands together, and she gasped. “You jerk! Let me the hell go! What did I ever do to you, Caspian?” She yelled angrily, struggling and trying to find her way out of the chains. The boy emerged from the shadows, slowly walking over to the girl- his face held a small frown as he spoke, “Nothing. It’s what your kingdom did to mine. You all think you’re so great, and that the Serpentines are so evil!” Caspian complained. “But… but it isn’t like that! We’re sick of you all just not caring. We’ve allied with Regno Delle Rose and Capo Dei Mari for wars- and what do we get in return? Hate, threats, and violence. So I offered my services to my father. We will get our revenge- and you, dearest Eloise, are the first big step to this plan.” Eloise glared at Caspian. “So you killed my brother? Why the hell would I willingly help you- you murdered the one person in my family who truly cared about me!” Caspian nodded slowly, a bit of remorse glowing in his eyes, “Yes… that I did. And I apologize, however, it needs to be done in order for the next plan of action to occur.” A gasp exited Eloise’s throat in realization. “The ball…” she muttered to herself, staring down at the ground. “The ball for the next king. You knew he wouldn’t want me on the throne! You- you’re going to become king!” Eloise yelled. “Not I, principessa. We both have been hurt and tortured beyond repair by this kingdom. I feel we would make a powerful team, together we can rebuild Capo Dei Mari. We can make it an accepting place, where nobody is in poverty and nobody gets to lock their children in towers for being born the way they were.” Caspian smiled at Eloise. “You want me to betray my kingdom? To leave any friends that I’ve made and practically kill off everything- destroying what Capo Dei Mari is now? You want me to kill my family?” Caspian nodded, “I’m aware it’s a lot to ask but-“ The boy was cut off by Eloise,” Fine. Yes, I’ll do it.” Caspian stared at Eloise in confusion, “That easy? Principessa, you do realize that I am asking you to practically start a war right? To scheme against yo-“ He was once again cut off by the girl in front of him. “Yes, Ian, I understand the terms and conditions of this plan. Now, the first step, before we plan any further- is for you to release me from these damn chains.” Eloise glared, wriggling her wrists so that the chains clanged together. Caspian bent down to undo the shackles around Eloise's wrists,” What about your little- friends?” “They’ll be fine. They’re fine assets if we need their help but, honestly? I feel like this is so much bigger than them. This will be my chance to finally make my mom and dad pay for what they did.” Eloise spoke, a glint of hope in her eyes. However, behind that hope burned a fire of revenge. She needed to use this chance for her own good. The kingdom, it would be saved. And so would she. No longer would Eloise be the little girl in the tower. The girl who wished to be free, to have friends and a loving family. This kingdom needed something to stop the tyrants they were being ruled by. Eloise turned to Caspian and stuck her hand out. “Let’s spread our black plague around this already damned kingdom; let’s save it.” The two shook hands, and the plan was to begin. After they shook, Caspian turned his back to Eloise and began to write: La principessa is on board. This is all going according to plan. -C.A.K & E.M.A  Excuses ——————————— Gravel crunched beneath Eloise’s feet as she walked down the streets. Her mind tried to wrap around the deal that she’d just agreed to, around what she was about to do. Before she’d left Caspian, the two agreed. She would go and try to figure out what her father was looking for in a successor and report back to him. When the ball came along, if all went well, he would be crowned king the following day. What Eloise didn’t think of before, however, was the fact that either the guards could catch on; or, her father would find it suspicious. Perhaps he would try to charge her for murder once again. To justify herself, she could always say that all's fair in love and war, however, there was no love involved with this decision. Just pure war, pure hatred towards those who were supposed to love her. The ones who were supposed to be there for her. And they weren’t. Finally, Eloise would be able to take her revenge. She would be able to see to it that nobody else would be hurt or abandoned anymore. That is all Eloise ever wanted. All of these thoughts ran through her head as she walked up and through the palace doors. As soon as she did, she was met with a tall, shadowed man towering over her. As soon as Eloise looked up, she was met with the face of her father. “Eloise Katherine-Jane-Allison Anthony! Where were you? I’ve been storming around the castle looking for you all day! Were you out committing more felonies?” He yelled, a fiery rage burning in his eyes. Eloise rolled her eyes as she took off her cloak. “I wasn’t doing anything. I was taking a walk to clear my head, father,” she lied, glaring deep into her father’s eyes, “Also my name is Eloise Mae Anthony. Not whatever the hell you just said.” The king nodded slowly, glancing over Eloise’s damaged attire, “I don't care about your name Eloise- however, I do care about the fact that you perhaps got attacked by wolves on this walk. Or did you just tear up your clothes to match the other criminals in our society?” Eloise looked down, the nice, clean dress that she’d put on this morning was now covered in muck and mud. She sighed, really wishing that Caspian had just talked to her instead of deliberately trying to beat her and Amara up. Amara. Eloise had totally forgotten about Amara. She had no clue where her friend was or even if she was okay. Quickly, Eloise ran down the cobbled pathway of the palace, her father shouting curses behind her as she bolted to find the alley. Once there, Eloise gasped at what she saw. Amara was on the ground, curled up beside Charlie with a huge bruise on her cheek. Darcy was trying to chew up a rock in the background so Eloise assumed they’d been there for at least an hour. Charlie turned his head up to face Eloise, frowning at her before beginning to speak, “She got knocked out by him… after he gave you chloroform. What happened Eloise… you two are strong, I never expected this to happen. Especially because I know you. And you wouldn’t just leave her for dead. You would’ve broken out of there and came to find us.” “Or, even better, Eloise, you know how to deal with chloroform. You've watched us use it to rob people on the streets. You know how to stop it, get it out of your system, or how to make sure it never gets in your system, you know hand-to-hand combat.” As Charlie spoke, his voice slowly became more agitated, “Eloise you know how to take care of yourself and get out of these situations and I want to know why you didn’t. We are lucky Amara isn’t hurt more but, come on Eloise. You can’t possibly tell me you didn’t hesitate, I know you did. And the Eloise Anthony that I know wouldn’t of let this happen” Charlie’s argument made Eloise think for a moment, his words kind of stung. She thought about how she knew, deep down in her heart that she did hesitate. He was right. Maybe it was because she had a glimpse of hope that it was a joke, or maybe she hoped she would get her friend back. Whatever it was, Eloise didn’t know but she did what she had to. “Look Charlie, I know you’re kind of upset right now but, I did what I had to. I negotiated terms with Caspian and guess what? You can Amara won’t have to suffer anymore! You two can have a house, eat home cooked meals, and be happy again! I can rule on the throne in a new kingdom where nobody is forgotten and nobody is miserable.” Eloise pleaded with him, trying to get Charlie on her side. “What are you planning, Eloise? To play with us like dolls? The world doesn’t work like that. You can’t just change something that has been set in stone for decades just because some guy tells you that it’s possible. No matter what happens, there will always be people forgotten or in poverty. Eloise, you can’t stop the world from revolving okay? This is just what life does. Are you seriously telling me you left Amara for possibly dead because you wanted to change the world?” “You aren’t a superhero and you can’t act like it, Eloise! I’m not kidding when I say you need to get over this, ‘I was forgotten and abandoned’ stuff because you aren’t the only one! If Amara and I weren’t abandoned, or forgotten, we wouldn’t be on the streets. However, we don’t look back on things we can’t change or say that we can become rich and better. Because we can’t. We just do what we need to survive. So either stop dreaming, and be normal again. Or send me a letter when you're done playing pretend.” Charlie glared at Eloise, picking up his sister, who was still unconscious, and walked out of the Alley and away from Eloise. Deep inside, Eloise knew that Charlie was right. That she wasn’t the only person suffering and that this was a long shot. However, at least she could try. And if he and Amara won’t even stand by her while she does this- then maybe Eloise only ever had one friend.  Alone ——————————— Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The clicking of the clock beside Eloise’s bed was the only sound in her ears. After the argument with Charlie, she ran home and locked herself in her room. Eloise’s father hadn’t come to check on her, and currently her mother was out of town sending invites for the ball. All Eloise could wrap her head around was the fact that the people she thought were her closest friends betrayed her. They wouldn’t come to help when she would really use it. But, now she knows, sometimes people you know the least will become your greatest allies. However, this isn’t a fact that Eloise could dwell on for long. As much as she felt hurt, that was a feeling the girl was used to, and right now was not the time to pity herself. Five days from now the ball will begin. She had five days to figure out how she was going to begin the plan and get everything set up for Caspian. Right now, all she really knew is that they needed to either, one, make Caspian likable enough by her father to gain the throne. Or two, take the throne by force. Either way this isn’t going to be easy. Eloise slipped out of her bed, placing her book onto the nightstand beside her as she walked to her closet. She needed to find something presentable but not suspicious. So that, maybe she could talk to her father and gain some info on what he’s looking for in a future king. What caught Eloise’s eye immediately was a purple dress, almost like the ones she usually wears, however, this one had a lovely black corset built in. Eloise wanted to wear it as she hadn’t really seen it in her closet before. However, when trying to get information out of her father, Eloise really did not want to hear his “You dress like a slob” lecture again. So, instead, she chose a dusty pink ankle-length dress with a white collar. To her father, hopefully, this dress would seem like she was finally trying to be formal. And not, according to him, a felon. Eloise put the dress on, grimacing at the fact that she was actually trying to please her father. She put on white flats and pulled her hair back so that it was half up. Taking one final look in the mirror, Eloise nodded and went to open her door. She made her way downstairs and into the throne room. In front of her stood her father who was scribbling things down onto a piece of paper in front of him. For a moment, the king looked up before turning back to his work. “What do you want, felon?” King Gregory asked Eloise. She just sighed, “I decided to earn your trust back,” she lied, “I’m going to go around the kingdom and find anybody that might actually have a decent chance to become the next king. I just wanted to know what you had in mind for a suitor.”  This caught the king's attention, as he slowly looked back up and stared at his daughter. His eyebrows creased in confusion, obviously questioning why Eloise of all people would offer to do such a thing. “This seems… unreal. Are these your true intentions?” The king asked. The fact that he didn’t shout and he asked calmly was already a good sign. Eloise was starting to believe this might actually work. Eloise nodded in response, offering him a smile, “Of course father.” Gregory nodded, waving over a guard and whispering in his ear before turning back to Eloise. “Very well, you may go. As long as you keep a guard within ten feet of you at all times. But, first, follow me… Eloise. We can talk about this as we go to get a snack, yes?” Gregory offered, standing up from the throne. Eloise nodded, excited that her plan actually worked. She walked up to her father when he came down from his throne. It was at least two minutes before he began to speak, and by then, Eloise realized they weren’t really going in the direction of the kitchens. Molly, who was sweeping the floor, looked down the hallway and back to the group, eyes widened in shock. “Now, tell me daughter, what were your true intentions? Were you planning to get rid of me as well?” The king asks, glaring down towards the girl.  She frowned, “What do you mean sire? I was being completely truthful. I am also truthful when I see I am not a felon and I have murdered nobody.” The king let out a low laugh and suddenly stopped in his tracks, motioning again for the guard behind them. The guard grabbed both of Eloise’s arms tightly and started to guide her into the room ahead of them. This room, Eloise noticed, were the dungeons. “Trying to deceive me, young one? After what I’ve done for you? I let you live, as a child. I let you be a princess, I gave you clothes, a room and books to fuel your mind! And when I return, what do I get? A felon for a daughter. This is why no princesses have been born, they are pure evil. So, now we will say goodbye to the evil in you. Tomorrow morning we will exile you publicly, so that you may never hurt Capo Dei Mari again.” King Gregory smirked, beginning to walk away from the scene as Eloise struggled against the guard’s hold. The guard all but throws Eloise into the holding cell within the room. Looking around, Eloise’s brain raced trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. All of her plans completely backfired, and there will be no more plans if she is executed. Now she’s going to die alone. Without any friends. If only she’d actually listened to Charlie and stopped. Maybe then… maybe then she wouldn’t be about to die. But, on the other hand, this is the whole reason the plan needed to succeed! If it doesn’t, more poor people like Eloise will be tortured. Or, in another hundred years, one of her descendants will be cursed to live alone, live forgotten as a ghost. She can’t let this happen, she can’t. But, what can she do if she’s trapped by the chains that have always held her down. This was her fate, it was inevitable. This isn’t some dumb fairytale, with some damned fairy godmother to come save her. No, this was Eloise’s reality. And she would die alone.  Execution ——————————— Eloise woke up to the stone floor resting up against her head and a guard clanging against the metal bars of the dungeon door. “Get up, ragazza idiota, it’s time to get you to your deathbed.” The guard laughed, before walking off to block the dungeon exit as Eloise sat up stretched, frowning down at her clothes that were now covered in dirt and grime. The poor girl didn’t know what to think anymore, she was about to die at the hands of her father. With the entire kingdom watching. She wouldn’t be able to see Ian, or apologize to Charlie and Amara. Or even finally feel loved by her parents. However, Eloise believed that sitting around on her deathbed pitying her life was no way to go out. She stood up, brushing off as much muck off of her clothes as possible before knocking on the dungeon door. “Kyle, I’m ready to go.” Eloise called, if she was going to go out she might as well go out in style. And having fun. The guard, Kyle, frowned, “You aren’t supposed to announce me by my name, Eloise.” The girl shrugged,” Deal with it I guess, Kyle. I’m a fifteen year old about to die. So, I don’t think you should be picky right about now.”  Kyle just rolled his eyes, unlocking the door that held Eloise in the cell and stepping to the side, “Come on now principessa. Let’s get you to the stands.” Eloise stepped out, her lips holding a small pout as Kyle cuffed her hands behind her back,” You know- maybe you could just let me go? I know the code to the vault and I-“ the girl was cut off by Kyle as he dragged her up the stairs. “Nice try Eloise.” He spoke sternly and they walked through the palace halls. Eloise took these last few moments to take in all that was around her. The neatly decorated halls, the cobble stone and marble floors. Nothing she’d really miss in particular however, she did wish she could go in something she’d actually like to wear instead of the remainder of her failed plan. Tears started to prick at the corners of Eloise’s eyes. For any particular reason? She didn’t know. She knew she wouldn’t miss the people, or the palace, or the endless supply of books. She wouldn’t miss the cruel and unfair world she lived in. So, why was she crying? It was possibly because of Amara and Charlie, how she never got to apologize. Or maybe it was because she would never be able to save future generations from this toxic and infuriating kingdom. Whatever it was has made Eloise cry. Tears were slowly streaming down her face as she was marched into the sunlight. Looking up, Eloise was able to see her father talking to the people of the kingdom. Everybody gathered around just to see her execution. What filthy game were they playing anyway? Was this fun to them? Everything about this moment hurt. And it was all real. Eloise was sitting in front of a guillotine, hands tied behind her, watching people stare at her in awe. Whispering behind her back. Within the crowd, Eloise was able to spot two wisps of wavy, light brown hair. While it may not be them, it also could be. And that small possibility hurts Eloise to know that her two former best friends have come to watch her execution. And then, it was time as the king stepped up to the front and began to speak,” Ladies and Gentlemen! We are gathered here today to witness the fixing of wrong and releasing of the devil! This girl has done our fine kingdom no good, and it is time to see this devil leave forever.” Just as Gregory was about to wave his hand and signal that Eloise be placed into the guillotine, there was a silver dove that flew above the heads of the crowd. However, it wasn’t a dove. An arrow flew above Eloise’s head, missing by mere inches and plunging into the diaphragm of Kyle, who stood behind her. The man keeled over in shock and in pain everybody in the crowd gasped. The king pointed at his daughter, his eyes burning with anger, “You- you witch! You sent that arrow flying, didn’t you?” Eloise shook her head, “Sire I am no witch I can assure you I-”, before Eloise could finish. Another arrow was fired, missing the King’s head by what seemed like less than an inch. A boy emerged from the crowd, with curly black hair and a bow and arrow. With a smirk that Eloise would recognize from miles away. “Sorry, m’lord, but it seems like nobody will be getting executed today. You see, this is my partner in crime here and I will have to take her back in order to fix the many messes you’ve made in your kingdom.” Caspian chuckled. Gregory stormed over to Caspian, snapping at the guards to follow behind, “You dare try to assault the king you- you- peasant!? You think you can get away with this?” Caspian shrugged, a playful look still planted on his face, “Yes, sire, I believe I can.” He said before sidestepping the king and walking over to Eloise in order to unlock her chains, “Now, King Greg, can I call you that, Greg? This is in no way to treat a princess, let alone your own daughter.” When the words flowed out of Caspian’s mouth, both him and Eloise shared a look as Eloise shook her hands out of the chains. The crowd overtook looks of shocked and worried faces, one voice in the crowd even called out, “Is this true m’lord? There is a female heir? Will she kill us?” The king’s face grew with worry as he attempted to calm the citizens down, “No, no, everybody! The boy lies! I swear to you, the only heir to the throne is gone! I assure you all, there is no female heir!” While the kicking rambled on, Caspian grabbed Eloise’s hand and ran. They went until they couldn't hear the crowd any longer. Ian and Eloise hid behind a wall, close to the edge of the kingdom, Once their hearts stopped racing, Caspian looked at Eloise, “What the hell happened? Didn’t I tell you to be safe and not spoil our intentions?” “I did nothing of the sort, Caspian! I simply went to get information so that we could initiate the plan!” Eloise retorted, glaring. Caspian rolled his eyes, “Principessa you are terrible at lying.” He spoke, looking off past the wall, “But that’s not important right now. Currently, we need to figure out what we are going to do now to invade.” Eloise nodded, “Well there will be a reward out for our heads in this kingdom. Where else could we go?” A small gasp came from the boy’s mouth and he smiled and looked at Eloise, “You really aren’t stupid, huh, shocker.” He chuckled, “but you’re right, they will be out for our heads here. So why not go to a kingdom that is also on their wanted list. It’s also a hated kingdom.” Eloise’s lips curled into a smile, “I see. Let’s do it.” We are on our way back. Panic has been spread, be ready with a plan to invade. -C.A.P & E.M.A  Escape ——————————— Grass and leaves crunched beneath Eloise and Caspian’s feet as they made their way through the patch of woods that was in between Regno Dei Serpentine and Capo Dei Mari. “Why couldn’t we’ve just stolen a boat, Caspian? It would be a way shorter walk and we are already criminals so there isn’t much more to lose.” Eloise said, stretching out her legs as they’ve been walking for at least two hours. The boy sighed before responding to Eloise, “If they see a boat missing they could easily assume that we’ve escaped to a neighboring kingdom and send out a search party. At least trekking through the woods, they can’t find us easily. Now, stop complaining. We only have like- a half an hour walk left,” Eloise groaned, attempting to keep pace with Caspian as she walked. While they did so, she began to think of the recent events that seemed to be engulfing her life. Her life has always been a little bit chaotic, I mean, she was born half princess half scholarly maid. But, mainly a scholarly maid. However, this was the peak of chaos. And Eloise knew that people said that the teen years of life were some of the worst. However, this is not what she thought they meant. She was now a felon in, probably, two kingdoms. Her life was taking a turn, and honestly? Eloise didn’t know whether it would be good or bad. “Oi! Principessa, get your head out of the clouds and hurry up!” Caspian yelled as he ran faster. Eloise attempted to keep pace as she tried to respond. “What’s going on? Did they find us?” Eloise questioned, as she caught up with Caspian. However, the boy just shook his head and pointed in front of them. In front of the two was a large stone gate, covered in moss and it looked kind of old. However, in front there were two guards standing ready to attack at any moment. Caspian walked up to the two guards, “Boys, lay your weapons down and let me and my friend into the kingdom please.” Eloise chuckled, elbowing Caspian in the side, “I believe that’s the first time I’ve ever heard ‘please’ leave your mouth.” Caspian just rolled his eyes as the guards quickly opened the gates, mumbling under their breaths, “Of course Prince Caspian.” Once the gates were opened, the pair walked into Regno Dei Serpenti. While they made their way to the palace, Eloise stared in awe at the city around her. Everybody seemed to be happy and have a home. As far as she could tell, there were only one or two beggars and peasants. “Amazing, right? Just because we made some poison, doesn’t mean we’re all bad. The Serpentines have hearts.” Caspian smiled, grinning over at Eloise.  The girl nodded in reply, still in utter awe at her surroundings, “Yeah. I guess everybody misjudged you. I guess this is why you guys wanted to get back at Delle Rose and Dei Mari.” “That’s part of the reason. But I mean, there is more to it. To make sure everybody is happy, and there aren't any more evil kings and crap, we have to take a stand. Starting with the bigger power. Capo Dei Mari is basically a supreme overlord or something. Yes, we do have our own kingdoms. But, in reality, everybody else listens to your dad whether they are kings or not.” Eloise nodded slowly. She knew where Caspian was coming from with this, I mean she’s learned from experience and reading that power always corrupts. Every kingdom or empire always falls. This was the whole reason they wanted to spread their New Plague’. So that this long reigning empire, and this reigning tyrant, can fall. All of this distracted Eloise as she thought of it. So much so that she wound up face planting into somebody’s back and nearly falling over. “Falling for me already, Principessa?” Caspian chuckled, sticking his hand out to help Eloise up. Rolling her eyes, Eloise slapped his hand away and stood up. After brushing herself off she swiftly kicked the back of Caspian’s knee. “Call me that, or talk to me like that again principe and I’ll break your kneecaps.” Eloise stated. Caspian’s eyes widened a bit, knowing full well that Eloise would do it. He sucked in a breath and they began to walk into the palace, in which they were told to wait outside for a moment. From inside, Eloise could hear a faint announcement. It was a squire speaking to the king,” Your son, the prince, and his companion Princess Eloise Anthony of Capo Dei Mari request your presence, your majesty.” The king muttered something barely audible in response moments before the doors opened wide and the pair were welcomed into the throne room. “Eloise, welcome to the palace of Regno Dei Serpenti, I am King Alystor Parisi. Come along now you two, we have much to discuss.” Plans ———————————  The three walked past the throne room and down a long corridor. Eloise’s eyes never stuck onto one thing for long as there would be another painting or statue that caught her eye. The palace of Regno Dei Serpenti wasn’t the most beautiful, or the brightest castle in the world. However, Eloise liked it. To her it was- calming. After a minute or so they all arrived at the meeting room. Eloise was quickly ushered into the room by a guard and asked to sit down. The king swiftly took his place at the head of the table and Caspian sat beside him. Surrounding them seemed to be lords, ladies, and knights that were allied with the king against Dei Mari and Delle Rose. Eloise cautiously took her seat at the table, across from Caspian, as a few more people flooded into the room. She sat uncomfortably in her chair, every few moments adjusting how she was sitting. Being here felt awkward and Eloise didn’t really know how to deal with the feeling crawling up her spine. “I welcome you all here today as we have a new member to welcome into the alliance. As well as, we have a new plan that we must follow through on.” Alystor speaks, standing up and eyeing everybody in the room. He then turns to Eloise, nodding for her to introduce herself to the group. Eloise stands up, her fingers intertwined with each other to calm her down,” Hello everybody. My name is Eloise Anthony, daughter to King Gregory Anthony.” Suddenly, a figure at the corner of the room stood up, glaring at Eloise, “Alystor! Why the hell did you bring in a princess from their territory? What if she’s a spy? I told you sending your son wouldn’t do any good!” “Kolbi, you’ve yet to give Eloise here a chance. I trust the girl as she and Caspian have become friends. You see, she hasn’t had the most amazing past within her kingdom and she sees how corrupt it is. She wants revenge just as much as you and I do. Also, as I do recall you are royalty from one of the enemy kingdoms, yes? ” Alystor speaks, frowning at the figure. “Yeah, fine, whatever.” Kolbi grumbled, slumping back into their seat. To Eloise, the person, Kolbi, looked a bit grumpy after what Alystor said. However, what he said also did confuse Eloise a bit. For, as far as she knew, Regno Delle Rose only had one successor and she knew for a fact her parents didn’t have any more children. The girl knew, though, that now was not the time to dwell on that confusing thought. Eloise took her seat once more as Alystor began to speak. “Eloise was brought here to seek refuge from her kingdom. They attempted to kill her for no wrongdoings that were her fault. They accused her of poisoning her own brother as well. So, she will help us and be one of our spies on the inside.” Everybody at the table nodded at this before the king sat back down, allowing somebody to stand up in his place. “Ladies and gentlemen, for you new folk, I am General Howard W. Killarney. His majesty has entrusted me with preparing you all with our battle tactics. We are nearing war with our neighboring kingdoms for their wrongdoing. Our goal? To eliminate the tyranny and the corrupt societies from our world. Our target is the one they all listen to, the king of Capo Dei Mari.” The room fell quiet, everybody waiting patiently to hear what the general had to say next. After a moment, the man continued, “Our first step of action was to make sure that both Dei Mari and Delle Rose knew that we were coming. This course of action is now completed, thanks to our beloved Prince Caspian Parisi. They know that somebody took the princess, and that they both are not on the side of their kingdom. “So, we must move onto our second course of action. We will send our three youngest, Miss Anthony, Prince Caspian, and Miss Fletcher-Di Mario, into Delle Rose to begin trouble there. In order for our plans to work, we need all of the monarchy in one central location. So, if they are in danger, they will flee right into our trap. Right to the palace of Capo Dei Mari.” A hand shot up and began to wave around hastily. It was a hand that belonged to Kolbi, of whom still held a long scowl on their face. “Sir general dude- you do realize I was exiled and banned from Regno Delle Rose, right? I can't enter the kingdom without being recognized.” She said, crossing their arms stubbornly.  The general sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Miss Fletcher-Di Mario I believe that is half the point. You and Miss Anthony are near felons within both kingdoms. If the guards and monarchy see you causing trouble within their walls, they will take it as a threat and immediately try to escape.” Eloise thought about this for a moment, a small laugh escaping her mouth, “So, basically, they’re wusses?” The old general sighed, nodding slightly, “Yes… Miss Anthony.. I suppose in your terms they are ‘wusses’. For past history, we know that Delle Rose will flee at the first sign of trouble. And every time in the past, they fled into the hands of their allies. Into Capo Dei Mari.” The table erupted in voices of agreement. The plan was set in stone, and tomorrow morning, January 1st, the second phase of the plan, the sixteenth method, will begin.  Friends ——————————— The dewy grass mushed beneath Eloise’s boots as she, Caspian, and Kolbi walked through the woods in search of the gates to Regno Delle Rose. As soon as daylight broke the night sky, the three kids- no more than sixteen, were hurried off into the forest. It had been about an hour since they left and the only thoughts that had been swarming Eloise’s mind were the questions of how she’d wound up in this situation. Two months ago, she was sitting in her bed; being ignored by the rest of her family. And now what? She was a felon, she lost her best friends and- Her best friends. A new thought came quickly flooding into Eloise’s mind. The fact that, at this moment, her best friends were alone. With little to no food and possibly in an even more terrible environment, because of her. Eloise’s chest now felt heavy as she walked. Guilt filled her up as if helium to a balloon and she was getting ready to burst. With everything that’s been happening lately, it felt as though the pure reality of it all was coming to her. What if the plan didn’t work? What if she didn’t make it out alive? “Principessa? Are you okay?” Caspian asks, pausing his stride to peer over at the girl multiple feet away from him and Kolbi.  A shiver goes speeding up Eloise’s spine quickly as she looks up at Caspian, “Oh- yep I’m fine. Just a bit tuckered out.” Caspian nods but, from a distance, Eloise could see Kolbi rolling her eyes and turning to face the two. “Of course she’s tired, la piccola principessa couldn’t handle the hour that she had to walk like a peasant.” Kolbi spoke, scowling over at Eloise. Caspian sighed, walking over to place a hand of Kolbi’s shoulder, “Kolbi come on. You were just as much royalty as she was. Why do you dislike her so much?” Kolbi shrugged, “Doesn’t matter. Let’s keep moving. We still have like an hour until we even reach the gates.” “She has a point,” Eloise says, still frowning towards Kolbi. Eloise had no clue why they disliked her so much, but it was starting to get on Eloise’s nerves. The trio continued their journey deeper into the woods. Eloise still stayed relatively far from Caspian and Kolbi, feeling a bit unwelcome by somebody. Her boots squished the mud beneath her as Eloise watched them, unaware of her surroundings, only focusing on the sound of birds in the trees around them. Lost in thought Eloise, barely had time to react as something came from behind her and wrapped its arms around her neck loosely, in what seemed to be a hug.  “Eloise! Oh my god, Eloise we found you!” A familiar voice squealed before both her and Eloise toppled over onto the ground. Eloise groaned, tossing the girl’s body to the side, “Who the-'' Eloise gasped,” Amara? You’re okay!” The two girls embraced each other, smiles plastered across their faces. From the woods, another figure emerged just as the two broke apart. Charlie. Eloise stood up, clearing her throat, a smile no longer worn on her face, “Charles.” She spoke in a mellow tone. While it hurt Eloise to speak to him like that, what he’d said hurt. He just left her for dust. He left her, and she thought he was her friend. Charlie nodded, “Eloise.” Amara frowned, looking between her brother and friend, “Now what’s this about? Did something happen while I was knocked out?” Eloise sighed, smiling to Amara, “Nothing to worry about Mara. However, why are you two-” Eloise was cut off by the sound of feet rushing toward her. She quickly stuck out her arm to stop the figure, Caspian, who was moving over ready to slash his sword at the twins. “Settle down, Caspian. They’re my old friends. You remember them, don’t you?” Eloise raised an eyebrow, signaling over to Amara and Charlie. Amara, however, as soon as she saw Caspian’s face, charged. Her dagger flew from her pocket and into her hand, preparing to plunge it into Caspian.  Caspian jumped back, placing his sword in front of him and glaring, “Watch it principessa. Don’t wanna end up with another black eye, do we?” Amara pushed her dagger against Caspian’s sword, trying to get him to let his guard down, “Shut up. I let my guard down once, principe, never again. And don’t call me principessa.” The two continued to spar with each other as Eloise, Kolbi, and Charlie watched, visibly concerned as the two grew more hostile towards each other. After a minute or two, Eloise and Charlie both walked up to the two in order to intervene within their brawl. Charlie grabbed Amara’s dagger right out of her hand while Eloise swiftly grabbed both of Caspian’s arms. “Okay, okay, let’s not fight to the death, please.” Eloise stated, glaring up at Caspian, who in turn stuck his tongue out. “Amara can fight whoever she wants, Eloise, I just don’t want her to die because of your little boyfriend.” Charlie spoke, venom lacing his voice. Eloise glared back, “No, I care for the both of them and I don’t want to see them hurt. Also, what gave you the idea that he’s my boyfriend? Currently, we’re coworkers.” Kolbi cleared her throat from behind Eloise and Caspian, speaking as everybody turned to look at them, “Look, I get it you two have some beef or whatever, but we’ve gotta get moving. We told Alystor that we’d be at the gates by sundown at the latest.”  Amara looked over at them, “Charlie and I can help. Look, I don’t know what you’re planning but I want in-” the girl was quickly cut off as her brother grabbed her wrist. “No, no, Amara, we can't risk our lives for them. You can’t keep putting yourself out there for Eloise, okay? She left you to die. That isn’t something a friend would do. I don’t know what they’re planning but I doubt that it’ll work. Now let’s go so that we can find some food.” Charlie said, every once in a while glancing over at everybody else. Eloise was hurt, again by the words of something whom she suspected as her friend. Her best friend at that. Eloise didn’t know what happened to the sweet Charlie that she knew, but obviously, he didn’t care enough anymore. Luckily, At Least she knew somebody in the Lindton bloodline did. “Charlie! You can’t just control me, okay? We are twins and we are equals. You are my brother and I love you but that does not make it okay for you to control my life. I protected Eloise and got hurt by my own accord, she did absolutely nothing wrong! Plus, she was taken away by Caspian, she couldn’t help me even if she’d tried her very best. And she did. So, if you want to go hunt, fine. But I’m staying here, and being the friend I’m supposed to be. Come find me if you actually go back to being Charlie.” As Amara spoke, everybody around her watched in awe. Tears were poking at the edges of her eyes as hurt and sadness was obvious in her voice. Nobody dared to move and she turned back to them.  Charlie, as Amara turned around, was shocked. Never in his life has Amara said anything about him being controlling. He was only doing what was right for his sister, the person that he didn’t want to lose too. The twins gave each other one final glance before Charlie began to walk away, shaking his head. Eloise walked over to hug her friend, frowning at the event that she’d just watched occur, “I’m so sorry Mara.” Instead of tears, Amara playfully shoved Eloise off of her and laughed, smiling, “No time for sorry now- don’t we have a kingdom of roses to get to?”  Traditore —————————— The twins gave each other one final glance before Charlie began to walk away, shaking his head. The boy had no clue what that hit had done to Amara’s brain, but he knew that she wasn’t thinking straight. Eloise had left her for dead while he has cared for her since they were born- and yet? Amara had left Charlie for dirt. It’s not even like I was being unreasonable, Charlie thought, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he walked through the woods. All he wanted was for his sister to trust him and to realize that Eloise, and her little gang of idiots, were going to get themselves killed. But, no, now he was the one being idiotic. Charlie was now left walking through the woods alone, on the straight path back to Capo Dei Mari. His boots landed heavily against the ground with each step as his mind runs with curses and resentful thoughts towards everybody he once knew. However, even if this event was unfortunate, he wasn’t going to let it weigh him down like Eloise did. He knew there wasn’t anything he could do to fix it, so he was just going to go back to the alley way and wait for Ama