My Princess

Chapter 3: 8 years later

I sit straight up, and it takes everything in my power not to scream. I can feel the sweat drip down my face. I had awoken from another nightmare. The last memory I had of Princess Clara is permanently burned into my mind every night. Her thrashing around in a stranger's arms, yelling my name as I'm stabbed through my left shoulder and pinned to the ground by my sword. I rub my arm. It has never adequately healed since that day.

I turn and look out the window to see that the sun has just started to rise. I slowly get out of the bed and stand up on shaky legs. My head still spinning from my nightmare.

I walk out of the small room and down the short staircase to the saloon. After the incident on the castle, I was kicked out on my ass. I was homeless, wandering through the kingdom until I came upon a tiny village near the king's Castle. I was taken in by Athea. An old, grouchy woman that runs the saloon after her husband's death.

Although she is an ungrateful hag, I can't complain too much. In exchange for my manual labor around the saloon she lets me stay in her small living quarters above.

I make my way out to the well. I fetch some water and head back inside. When I get back, Athena is up and serving a few drinks to an early morning drinker.

"Myra, I think we should go shopping for some supplies tonight." She winks at me. Shopping is a code meaning that we need stuff, but we don't have the money to get it. So I steal it.

I have gotten to be a pretty well-known thief. There is even a bounty for me. But they haven't got a clue about my identity. No one would ever expect the girl that works in the saloon.

I hear a crowd of people heading toward the entrance. The doors open only for a group of the king's knights to walk through. Amid the group is Cronus, my old childhood playmate, I wouldn't call him a friend because I dislike him too much. He keeps showing up here and keep pissing me off just like he did when we were kids.

I turn and try to walk away fast enough so he will not to notice my presence. I go to another end of the room and head behind the bar keeping my back to the crowd, hoping Cronus does not see me. But nothing seems to go my way, anymore.

"Myra. Are you trying to hide from me?" Cronus speaks making his way over to me. I mumble "yes" under my breath.

"What do you want, Cronus?" I ask, not trying to hide my annoyance with him.

"You are very rude, Myra." He says, trying to get under my skin. "Is that any way to treat a Knight?"

After years of training, I guess he finally became a full-fledged slave to the king — another reason I dislike him so much.

"Congratulations, you have become the King's little bitch," I say, my voice laced on sarcasm and disgust.

"Hey, you better mind the way you speak to me. I was also the person who saved your life." He says with an evil smirk.

The day of the attack on the kingdom, after I had lost consciousness. He had found me in a pool of blood, nearly dead. He had carried me to a healer, and I survived.

"Look, I know you saved me that day. And thank you... I guess." I say. He looks very content with holding this power over me. His happiness makes me sick.

"So, you going shopping tonight?" He asks me. I stare back at him. My eyes wide with anger. He and Athena are the only two that know of my thieving. I punch him in the arm, hard. He just smirks at me. Making me even angrier.

"Well, I know a great little place for you to go robbing." He says. I eye him curiously. He knows he caught my attention. "There is a nobleman who just left on a two-day journey to the outskirts of the kingdom. He shouldn't be back until the morning. And the only one in their home is his wife."