Saving Her Kingdom

♡ Chapter 59

Chapter 59

In the middle of the fourth day of traveling, my father and I reached the border between the kingdoms of Ravenport and Tannerson. We had had a lot of time to catch up, and he had told me of the troubles he had been going through during all these years, while I told him of my life until I arrived at the Tannerson's palace. We had both been saddened by the other's experiences, but my mood had lifted up when I realized that things were now looking up for us.

It was in that state of mind that we arrived at the bridge, which crossed the river that separated the two kingdoms. The carriage halted for a few moments, during which our coachman explained the reason we were crossing to the Tannerson guards, and it began going forward again.

Once we were on the other side, my father looked out of the window, nodding at the Ravenport guards when we went past them and checked our surroundings. "I have organized a meeting tomorrow with the high-ranked officials of the army and a few nobles loyal towards me," he told me, his eyes still scanning the outside, before turning back to me, "We will stay the night at the inn of Darkwood and continue towards the palace with everyone at dawn tomorrow morning."

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The next morning, I walked down the stairs of the inn, stepping into the eating room. It was already filled with various people, most of which seemed to know each other, as they regularly interjected something in lively discussions. I spotted my father speaking to what seemed like two high-ranked officials and an old regal-looking noble with gray hair.

I looked around the room, noticing that I was the only female, beside the hostess. All the tables were occupied, though there were still a few seats left. My father looked like he was having a serious conversation that I had learned over the years I shouldn't interrupt, so I went over to the least crowded table, where only a teenage boy was sitting, quietly eating his breakfast.

"Can I sit here, please?", I asked, and he looked at me curiously, nodding in agreement after a few seconds.

I sat down opposite of him and ordered my breakfast to the hostess, thanking her when she came back with some bread, marmalade and cream cheese.

The boy stared at me intently for a moment. "Are you Annabelle of Ravenport, the sister of Marguerite?", he asked suddenly. He had stopped eating and was looking at me inquisitively.

I looked up sharply, startled that he knew about my identity, before lightly shaking my head. It's not a secret anymore, I reminded myself. "Yes, that's me," I replied.

His eyes widened and he leaned forward urgently, "I have something to tell you."

I raised my eyebrows and stopped chewing, listening attentively, "Yes?"

"I met your sister, Princess Marguerite a few years ago," he murmured, brushing away his dark chocolate hair from his light brown eyes.

I chocked on my bite, coughing several times, before gaping at him, "You met my sister? Do you know where she is?"

"I don't know exactly," he replied, looking at me unsurely, and I gestured for him to continue, "I only met her once for a short time in the kingdom of Tannerson at the docks of the town of Wingston. I was nine years old at that time and we became friends when she took care of me when I got beaten up on the streets. I would surely be dead if it wasn't for her, and even in the short time she was with me, I came to love her like an older sister," he explained, not fazed at all by my mouth hanging half-opened at what he was telling me. "She stayed two months with me," he continued, "And then told me she wanted to go oversea on one of the ships because it wasn't safe for her to stay in the kingdom of Tannerson. She happened to already speak the language from there, so she said she would be fine there, until King Ludwig took the throne back."