Lost Royalty

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The ride to the castle was short, if not slightly painful for the riders. Oscar had refused to have his leg properly looked at, and Elle's stiff and aching body was sore. They had to stop only a few times when Elle's lungs started to burn, but after a short break, she was good to go again.

Andrew was keen to make it back. He had missed his family, having rarely spent time away from them before. Even Oscar missed his home.

Elle's nerves had come in full force. She was absolutely terrified.

What scared her the most was not being able to remember everyone. She didn't even know what they all looked like. She knew that they would know her, so she felt a heavy layer of guilt at not remembering her own family.

As they rode, conversation between Oscar and Andrew was made, but Elle said very little. She didn't know what to say.

"Do you want me to tell you about the family?" Andrew asked, riding up next to her.

Elle just nodded her head. She had never been one to say much, especially around new people. Although a new confidence had been found on the announcement that she was royal, it seemed to be all gone with the nerves.

"So I am the oldest of our siblings. Then there is Rachel. She is seventeen, just a year older than you. You have a twin brother called Daniel, but we call him Danny for short. You were definitely closest to him out of everyone." He gave her a small smile and then continued. "Then there is Oliver who is twelve, and Sophia who is eleven. They hardly even remember you from before."

Elle took a deep breath. She would never have imagined that she had five siblings. It was almost unbelievable. She had always been so lonely.

"Are you okay?" Andrew asked. Elle nodded once more at him. She was speechless.

***

Before long, they arrived at the castle gates. The gate was opened straight away, and they were let in.

The castle was huge. Bigger than anything that Elle had ever seen before. And the gardens went for miles. There were trees and hills all around. Elle even thought that she could see a lake poking out from behind the castle. It was all so much to take in at once.

Andrew stopped by a guard and said something to him, but Elle was too busy to pay any attention. Her eyes wouldn't stop moving and finding new things.

"We are going to take the horses to the stable and then walk up. It will give the family a few minutes to prepare themselves."

As they rode through the grounds, Elle kept seeing new things. There were areas that looked like flower gardens, but the flowers weren't there at the moment. It was too cold.

The stables also shocked her. There were so many horses, all well-groomed. A man came and took the horses from them, and led them away.

"Are you ready?" Andrew questioned, with his hand on her shoulder. It brought her a deep comfort.

Elle took a calming breath. "I think so." She said. She didn't really think so at all.

"You'll be fine, princess!" Oscar said, offering her a bright smile. She almost believed him.

They walked up slowly, with Elle falling behind at several points.

Two guards opened the grand door, and Elle was ushered inside.

Standing there, right in front of her, was her family. Their faces were a mix of shock and happiness. Their lost family member was finally home. And they couldn't be happier.

Many people had never seen much emotion on the queen's face. Even those that had had never seen her like this.

"Elizabeth!" she gasped, almost running towards her daughter. Elle didn't have time to react as she was pulled into her mother's tight embrace.

The embrace was everything that Elle had expected it to be. It was full of calm and comfort, all the things she had lacked when she lived in Grea.

She finally had a mother.

After a few moments, Elle looked up from her mother's shoulder.

The king was slowly approaching, and as the queen pulled away, the king pulled her into a hug.

It was firmer, but Elle still felt comforted. She could feel his shoulders shaking, and hear his sobs.

He finally had his daughter back, after all of these years of looking.

"Welcome home, daughter!"

Elle had tears of her own, and when she was released she quickly wiped them away.

She looked over to Andrew, who nodded at her in encouragement.

Elle looked around at the other people. There were two girls and one boy. She couldn't see any boy her age. It made her almost sad that her twin hadn't turned up for her homecoming.

Rachel was the next to approach her. She gave her sister a quick hug and then stepped back.

"Hi, Eliza. Do you remember us?" she asked.

Elle shook her head slightly, eyes filled with guilt. Rachel didn't seem to mind, though.

"That's okay," she said, with a smile. "We have all of the time in the world now."

The younger girl, who Elle expected was Sophia approached. Her eyes were full of uncertainty.

Elle gave her a slight smile and a quick hug. Sophia looked so relieved.

Oliver was next, and he gave Elle a tight squeeze. It made her smile brightly.

***

Daniel Mason was stood in the corner, watching his twin sister hug each member of the family in turn.

She was so beautiful, and he had missed her so much. Seeing her now had made him speechless. He was unsure of what to do.

She hadn't said a word yet, but Danny knew that she was probably terrified.

Danny was so glad that she had been found. He finally had his best friend back.

When all of his siblings had given her a hug, Danny slowly approached. She turned to him when she saw him, and he pulled her into a tight embrace.

Both of them clung on tightly to each other, the desperation clearly showing. Danny couldn't help but cry, but he clung onto her for support. She didn't seem to mind at all.

When they finally broke apart, Danny held her shoulders at arm's length away. They looked so similar, but with his short hair, and her long hair, they were clearly very different.

"I like your eyes," she quietly said, smiling slightly.

Everyone in the room sighed in relief.

Danny laughed slightly, and the rest of their family joined in too. Elle began to laugh too. It was the first time that she could remember laughing so much.

She finally had a family, and she couldn't be happier.

A/N- She's finally reunited with her family!

I'm sorry if this chapter is pretty bad Xx

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Have a good weekend everyone!