Prison Princess

that information. This still wasn’t adding up. “If they’re royalty, like you claim, why didn’t they just command that the warden release me? Don’t they have that sort of power?”
Cypress scratched at the back of his head while looking ahead at a fork in the trail. I stopped, waiting patiently as he contemplated where to go. “The royal family doesn’t really have the leverage they used to,” he finally answered while picking the left path. It was a shadowed route with overgrown vines and thorny trees. The other looked safer, but maybe looks could be deceiving. “The old ways of the king died a long time ago as more supernatural factions came about. Druid magic is peculiar, though. It’s deeply connected to the earth. Your parents aren’t rulers over people, per se. They rule over the elements. Nature. Animals. They’re deeply respected but hold no true authority. I’m sure they could easily garner support if word got out that the warden was holding you hostage, but they feared retaliation at the cost of your life.”
I continued to walk after him, my feet aching. I thought back to the moon’s electricity washing over my skin and the vines that wrapped around our attacker. It was like I commanded them with sheer will. “Thank you for answering my questions,” I whispered. He’d been so evasive that I wanted to show some appreciation for clarity.
“I figured if I told you something, you’d leave me alone for a while to mull over it. Can we walk in silence now? I need to keep focused.”
I nodded, then bit my lip. I did have one more question. “Where are we going?” I asked.
“To a village called Kestramore. It’s a Fae city. I need more magic and supplies, and they’re loyal to the royal family. We can stay the night, get organized, and be prepared for the next attack. The Assassins Guild won’t give up easily.” He looked over his shoulder at me once. “As far as I know, the entire world thought you were dead, Princess. Peculiar things are afoot. I’m not getting in the midst of this.”
He was already in the midst of this. For a person who didn’t want to get involved, he was smack damned in the middle of it already. I wasn’t going to tell him that though. Cypress didn’t seem like a person who wanted to be told he was wrong. Nope. That was probably a very bad idea at present.

Chapter Four
We made our way to the city with no interference. Aside from Cypress’s rude comments, of course. Whatever temporary moment of compassion we’d shared earlier had completely disappeared. Now, his favorite pastime was finding things to complain about.
Mainly, the way I walked. Talked. Breathed. Ate. We stopped only a couple of times to eat rations along the way, but my stomach grumbled with hunger pangs the longer we walked. Two times, the sun circled the globe as we navigated the forest. I slept under the stars with my angry companion watching over us. I wasn’t sure how he stayed awake, and he definitely didn’t trust me to keep watch.
The assassins, his former people, didn’t catch up with us. I found myself constantly checking over my shoulder, waiting to see if one of the evil men would jump out from the dark forest and attack us. My skin prickled with awareness wherever we went, as if anticipating another sun bomb assault. Cypress’s shoulders were tense for the entirety of our journey. Although he didn’t speak of the people chasing us, they felt like a constant presence in our lives, especially with his incessant reminders to hurry the fuck up.
For two days, we traveled like this. Anxiously waiting to be attacked and bickering with one another. It wasn’t until a town bustling with life flickered into view that my thoughts wandered from annoyance and danger to awe.
I’d never seen a town before. I stopped walking to breathe in the sight of it. I was amazed. In front of me were buildings. Real life buildings that weren’t this never ending forest or Nightmare Penitentiary. Tears struck me, and I blinked them away. I’d missed so many things in life, and I wasn’t sure how to cope with all this change.
“Layne?” Cypress called, once he realized I stopped walking. He almost never used my name. It sounded strange coming out of his mouth. I wiped at my eyes and shook my head before responding.
“E-Everything is new,” I stammered while looking at the buildings again. “I don’t expect you to understand what I mean. But I’ve never seen...a town before.”
Pity and confusion mingled in his expression. “You really have been completely locked away. I hadn’t thought about what that means for you. Had you ever seen a forest before?”
I shook my head. “No.” Sticking my hands in the pockets of my clothes, I tried to smile and fake nonchalance. Things were easier if I played along and acted like everything was fine. I learned how to fake a smile. It kept you out of trouble, and others were more likely to leave you alone if you didn’t look like you couldn’t handle things. And if there was one thing I knew for sure, being left alone was usually better than garnering attention. “Are we going?”
He stared at me for a long second. “We need to get you some new clothes. This is too obvious. Even people who aren’t looking for you will talk about you because of that.” His gaze roamed my body, lingering on the tear in my dress just above my navel. “We need to make you blend.”
Somewhere a dog barked. I knew that sound. I’d heard them echo along the walls of Nightmare before. I often wondered if the perimeter was surrounded with them, but I never saw for sure. Based on the muffled sound, they were kept at a distance.
That had been my whole life—spent in isolation.
I took in the buildings. Vines covered the exteriors, as if the earth and