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

Epilogue: Goodbye

Juliana's POV

"No," I repeated for what must have been the millionth time as I slammed clothes into a suitcase. What little I had after the disaster in my country's capital, Priscilla, and the destruction of my palace.

"Juliana, be reasonable."

"I am being reasonable. And there is absolutely no way in hell that I'm going anywhere with that woman."

Haven looked at me, her big eyes, eyes like mine, grew tired and frustrated, but I stood my ground.

"You've just been exiled. Where are you going to go?" Her argument was sound, but my years of defiance matched her persistence.

"Not with Rosemary, that's for sure. I'll figure it out, I don't know." I shrugged as if it weren't a big deal, but in truth, it was. It was probably the biggest deal of my life.

For the first time, I was going to be, not only out in the real world but alone in it. No parents to pick up the pieces when I make mistakes, no guards to protect me and watch over my every move.

Alone.

The word tasted strange in my mouth, yet it felt a hell of a lot like freedom.

"Juliana, I know you're anxious to be out on your own, but you can't just go rushing into the deep end. Take it from someone who has seen the world beyond a palace. I've lived in it, almost died in it, it's beaten me when I was down, and torn me apart. And someone who has lived as sheltered a life as you have, you need someone to guide you. I mean, what else are you going to do? You can't just go out, hold out your hand and have people immediately rush to do your bidding."

I considered her for a moment. She was right, of course. What was I going to do once I was out on my own? I knew nothing of life outside my small, protected province. Barely anything outside of my own palace. And now I was being forced out of both Albion and Isola. I didn't know where I was going to go, what I was going to do, or how I was going to survive.

"One condition," I told Haven, who waited expectantly for my decision.

She rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Stick around long enough to teach me how to fight."

Haven let out a small chuckle, but the look on my face must have been an unpleasant one because she quickly cleared her throat and straightened her face.

"You're serious?"

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "Because now would be a prime time to make jokes, don't you think?"

Haven sighed deeply. "Juliana..." she began.

"Look, when I was kidnapped by the Isolian rebels, they beat me, punched me, grabbed me, choked me, attempted to rape me, and just about anything else you can imagine. And I lied there, helpless and screaming. Do you know what that's like? To be so immobile and forcibly having to surrender your own body to someone else's control? Because I'll go ahead and spoil the ending for you, it isn't fun. And I'm never going to allow myself to be that weak again. So, I'm asking you, will you help me or not?"

She stayed silent for so long that I feared she wouldn't say anything at all. But finally, she cleared her throat.

"I'm going to go let Mom, err, my mom...Rosemary know that you're almost ready." She said, which I took as her word that she would honor my request.

I turned back to my packing. "You can call her whatever you want. She isn't my mother."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Juliana, because she's all you have now."