Royale (Book #1 Royale Series) {Under Revision}

Chapter 39: Hopeless Escape

Juliana's POV

I held in my tears as I watched Emmy, the rest of her body hidden beneath my blouse, sleep peacefully. It was hard to believe that she could sleep so soundly with the storm raging on outside.

I wanted so badly to investigate further to find out who exactly was driving the abandoned car that we were all stranded in, but it wouldn't be wise. I couldn't keep Emmy or myself out in the cold in futile attempts at playing detective. I just had to sit back and "let the chips fall where they may" as Willow had put it.

Even so, I worried. Whoever was in this car had to be someone that I held dear to my heart. I did as best as I could not to think about it. As long as I could keep lying to myself, telling myself that everything was and would be all right, then I could get through this. Or, at the very least, I'd get through the night.

"You should get some sleep," I heard a glimmer of concern laced through Willow's soft voice. She sat up in the backseat and pulled a sleeping Ashley into her lap.

"I can't. I need to stay awake just in case something happens to Emmy during the night. Besides, I can't even talk in this cold, let alone sleep." I told her through gritted teeth.

At the sound of my and Willow's voices, Ashley stirred in Willow's lap.

"What's wrong?" Ashley asked through chattered teeth.

"Nothing," Willow assured her. "Go back to sleep." She whispered before bending her head down and kissing her forehead.

"Aren't you going to try and get some sleep?" She asked her.

"I will," she said before insisting again that Ashley go back to sleep in a way that only someone who's truly in love with you would do.

And yet, Ashley still resisted.

"Lie with me," Ashley told her, but not in a pleading way. She, like Willow, had insistence bleeding through her voice. "For the past two years, I've had to get used to sleeping in a cell and even that would have been fine if I'd had you in my arms. And now I have you back, so if you don't come here and cuddle with me, I might be forced to get violent." Ashley said with humor glimmering in her mocha colored eyes.

Willow's face twisted into a grin. "Yes ma'am," she said before leaning back in the seat and into Ashley's arms.

Ashley's face relaxed and she kissed Willow's hair before whispering in her ear, "I love you,"

Willow grabbed Ashley's hand and returned the sentiment in the most vulnerable state that I had ever seen her in.

"Forever," Willow whispered. And she did stick to her word and fell asleep, but she never let go of Ashley's hand.

Ashley fell back asleep as well and I was left there in the dark with nothing but my thoughts.

~*~

I roamed through the halls of the palace that I had once called home. The place where I had learned to swim when I was five, to drive when I was sixteen, and to be a princess, which everything I had ever learned before had molded me into that, without my knowledge.

I ran my fingers over the walls, perfectly adorned with a wallpaper that was so intricate, I couldn't even begin to describe it. I bent down to touch the marble floors that my feet had covered a thousand times before and yet, I felt like a stranger. An outsider. A commoner.