Chapter 1 - The escape

The sun falling in the evening beyond the castle's gates was beautiful. I ran to the woods looking for a place to think about my future that had already been decided by the king. I had just received the news from my father; I would marry in two or three months. I was going to marry a stranger.

How can he do this? How can he hurry this event? I was nervous not only because I didn't know my suitor or his family, a wealthy prince from a distant kingdom, but also because my father put in me the responsibility of the alliance between two nations. What if I didn't like this prince? What if all my father's plans didn't work exactly as he predicted? What if the diplomatic alliance between the two kingdoms did not work well, sealed by a wrong marriage? The weddings of princesses are usually made with these goals, the union of the kingdoms, to create a more powerful one.

When I was young, I found that I had a different upbringing from other children because I was the king's daughter. Now I could see my childhood pass before my eyes as I ran barefoot through the woods and into the forest. This strange feeling of freedom, from someone who had spent a lifetime surrounded by huge gardens, with guards and walls on all sides.

As the night fell, I realized I was very far from the castle. What would I do? Where could I spend the night? I looked for a small point of light through the vegetation and found an abandoned rustic little cottage. The light came from a candle that was burning low. When I walked through the door, a shiver ran down my whole body. I felt a different kind of fear, for the first time I was alone, and without the protection of the royal guards, I was at the mercy of my own luck.

Inside the cottage, everything was dusty. It was a little old cottage, with old furniture and a bed covered with a patchwork cover. I pulled back the blanket and started to think about everything that was taught to me during my life, and I hoped that this phase would have to be overcome. I cried a little. Took a deep breath. I didn't want all that responsibility in my hands.

After thinking a lot, I fell asleep, then I realized that I hadn't eaten the small snack that Anna, my maid and only accomplice, had prepared for me before my departure. I needed to eat and rest. I could not look tired tomorrow. Nobody could notice anything.

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