The Queen Of Lies

Chapter 1

Chapter 1
There’s a certain quiet you hear when the ocean surrounds you. You can hear the water pounding at your ears, and yet it’s still quiet. On this particular day, that calm is interrupted by my head breaking the surface of the water and the crashing of waves against the shore. 
Seagulls surround me as the sand brushes against my back, the water washing over my body. I can’t help but shiver from its jarring touch. When I finally regain consciousness, I roll over and crawl farther up the beach only to crash in exhaustion when I finally get far enough away from the sea. I am in shock. I am supposed to be dead. I was ready for death’s cold hands to wrap around my neck. But no, what cruel twist of fate is this? 
There are footsteps on the sand. I open my eyes and turn my head only to see a dark figure walking towards me. When my eyes finally adjust, I can see a young man approaching me. He is in a royal guard’s uniform, a diluted red and green. The man seems to be looking for survivors among all the boat wreckage around him. I am one of them, but I can never let him know who I am. 
Maybe I should pretend to be dead, I tell myself. 
It’s too late though, for the man has already caught my eyes. He comes running over, the sword in his belt clicking with every step. He kneels beside me and lifts my head. Softly, he asks me, “Are you alright, miss?” 
I need to think fast. I nod my head yes in response, not able to speak nor wanting to, hoping he’ll think me in shock or incompetent. 
He helps me up once he realizes that I’m not injured, his large rough hand in mine. When I get up, I realize I am only wearing the rags of my clothes. He notices my panic when I look up. 
“Are you worried about your clothing?” He questions. 
I nod again. He starts to unbutton and remove his uniform jacket, but I wave my hand at him, insisting I do not need his help. He takes it off anyway. 
“You’re cold and wet, miss. I can’t let you travel with me like that. You need this jacket more than I do.”
I finally accept that he isn’t going to give up, so I don’t resist when he throws it around my shoulders and buttons it back up for me. 
“My horse is just down that way. Come with me and I’ll get you to shelter and food.” 
I lower my head in agreement briefly and he leads me down the beach from where he came. I watch my feet as we walk, not saying a word. 
“You’re not very talkative, are you?” He asks. 
I shake my head no and keep walking. 
“You know, you should really tell me your name. That way, I might be able to find your family.” 
I don’t respond. The man stops walking and steps in front of me, squinting his eyes.
“You look really familiar.”
It is then that I look up at him and analyze his face. He has shaggy, curly brown hair with brown eyes. A hint of stubble shadows his chin, and he is moderately handsome. But I do not recognize him at all. I open my mouth to tell him of my confusion, but he speaks before I can muster a word.
“You-you’re Princess Ann of Apela!” 
I look at him in surprise, then find myself nodding in agreement. I am obviously not the princess, but I suppose I bear enough resemblance to convince a man who has never actually met her. I’m not sure what compelled me to lie, but now I can’t go back. Claiming to be royalty when you aren’t is treason in every country.
“Your Highness,” he exclaims as he kneels down in front of me. 
I take his arm and pull him back onto his feet. 
“There is no need for that, sir.” 
“But you’re a princess, I’m obligated to be at your service," he replies.
“Well then, how about you take me to a place where there’s food? That can be your way of assisting me.” 
He nods his head and we start to walk again. I am extremely famished. My stomach growls furiously. I can see his horse in the distance, so I start to pick up speed. The sand sinks beneath my feet as I hassly make my way further from where I was found. I watch the sea slowly recede into the distance and vow to never go into the ocean again. As we get closer to his horse, I start feeling dizzy. I try to keep my pace, but my running slows as my vision goes black. I halt to a stop. I can feel my balance getting weaker as the guard yells something incoherent.
That is all I remember.

I wake up in a daze, the light of the sun blinding me as I open my eyes. I’m in the middle of the woods on a ragged blanket, the guard beside me. He notices that I’m awake and shuffles closer to me.
“You took a bit of a fall there, princess,” he chuckles. 
“What happened?”
Pain floods my body as I leave the shock of sleep. 
“I believe you fainted from dehydration or exhaustion. Maybe both," he replies, wetting a small cloth with his satchel of water. I try to sit up, but a burst of pain pounds through my head. The guard rushes over and lightly guides me back to the ground, placing the cloth on my forehead with care.
“Careful. Like I said, you took a bit of a fall back there.” 
His voice ushers me to a calm mentality. I look around a bit, seeing his horse a few feet away and a small stream next to us. When I see the water, I immediately lift my head and crawl away frantically, ignoring the pain. The guard approaches me with worry and asks, “Are you afraid of the water?” 
I nod my head yes, then look back at him and regain my composure. 
“Let’s go,” I say, trying to break the silence. 
As I stand up, head still throbbing, I can’t help but wonder where we’re going. I turn around to face him and ask, “Where are we going?”
The guard continues packing up the blanket and other supplies as he acknowledges my question. 
“We’re going to the castle so I can deliver you to the king. That way, everything can go as planned,” he responds. 
As I look at him in confusion, I remember. The wedding. The wedding I almost died trying to prevent. Attempting to hide my dismay, I flash him a smile as he helps me mount the horse. He swings himself into a sitting position behind me, reaching around my torso to grab the reins. What have I done? I’m posing as a princess, and I’m about to meet the king. The princess’s betrothed. This is probably the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve done some horrible things.
“We’re only about ten minutes away from the castle,” the guard informs me. 
I try to steady the nerves in my voice, but on the inside I am overflowing with anxiety.
“Good.” 
We sit in silence for what feels like an eternity. Eventually, we emerge at the outskirts of a village. Once we reach the center of the village, I begin to notice the village folk. I hear a man shout in the distance, and children crying. Voices rise and fall all around me, but I can barely make out anything specific. The denizens glance at us for a moment, then avert their gaze just as quickly. Some individuals stare at us and whisper, which makes me mildly uncomfortable. 
After we exit the town, I feel a tap on my shoulder from the guard. I look over and see him point slightly upwards. I can see the very top of a castle, grander than anything I’ve ever seen. As we get closer, I can see it in better detail. It is made of beautifully carved stone with moss creeping up the side. Instead of going through the front doors, we head to the back of the castle. 
“Why are we going this way?” I ask. 
“Do you want all of the nobility to see you like this?” He replies, motioning to my clothing.
I remain silent. He’s right. My waist length black hair is stringy and sandy from the saltwater, and my outfit can barely be classified as clothing.
We approach the stables. Horses are whining and I see servants hurrying around, most likely preparing for the princess’s arrival. One of the elderly servants lifts her head at us and squints, eyes widening. She yells in a unique accent, “Gertrude, Mary! She’s here!”
 They start shouting orders to each other while the guard brings the horse at a halt and hops off. He turns around the horse to face me and offers his hand, but I jump down on my own. He smirks at me and walks to tie the horse up, leaving me alone. One of the servants approaches me and curtsies.
“My name is Madeline. Allow me to escort you to your room, your highness.” 
I begin to follow her as she scurries away, but turn back towards the guard instead. 
“What’s your name, sir?” I question as he pours grain into a bucket.
He turns around, smiles, and responds, “Henry!”
I smile back and continue walking into the castle. Despite her small, round size, Madeline walks quickly, so I have to try hard to keep up with her. She leads me through narrow corridors and winding staircases, finally stopping at a large set of intricately engraved double doors. 
She opens them to reveal a large but cozy room, full of tapestries and home to the most beautifully carved bed I’ve ever seen. I realize that I must look suspiciously surprised, and quickly set my face to a more detached expression. I’m not supposed to be excited by things like this. I have to play the part of a princess, after all. 
Madeline cuts into my thoughts, saying, “Your ladies’ maids were not expecting you this soon. I’m afraid it might take them a while to get here.”
“That’s alright, inform them I can get ready myself. Please don’t let them come in.”
“As you wish, your highness.” 
She stands there for a while, unmoving.
“Um, you’re dismissed,” I tell her.
She nods and leaves me alone in the massive room. I take a moment to stand there, taking it all in. I catch my breath, and decide to find the bathroom. I discover that the bathroom is connected to my room, as are many other commodities. There is a sitting room, a bathroom, and a huge closet, all connected to my actual bedroom. When I find the bathroom, I head straight to the tub. My hair and body is still dirty, but as I see the tub fill with water, a sinking feeling overcomes me. I turn the tap off, and sit there for a moment staring at the crystal water. I have to bring myself to get in, but I don’t know how. As I try to touch the water, my body works against my mind and makes me flinch back.
“You can do this, Alice,” I mumble under my breath.
Slowly, I take my clothes off and dip a toe in the water. It’s too much for me. I shoot back and start to hyperventilate. 
“I can’t. I can’t.”
As I try to control my breathing, my eyes wander over to a sponge sitting on the side of the tub. I get an idea. Gulping another breath of air, I stand up and grab the sponge. I dip it into the water and begin to clean myself. This should work, it has to. I can’t just walk around the castle dirty. 
    When I finish my sponge bath, I drain the tub and wander into my closet. Staring at all the gowns in amazement, I have no clue where to start. The dresses are all color-coded, so I try to decide which color I want to wear first. I decide on green, and walk over to the green section. As I’m shifting through the endless clothing, I spy a dress that’s perfect for a dinner party. An emerald green cocktail dress with crystals lining the bodice and hem. I slip the dress on, and leave the closet towards my vanity. Sitting down, I stare into the mirror at my features. The bags under my eyes are darker than I remember them ever being, and my cheeks look sunken in. I take my hair in one hand and twist it into a knot on top of my head. I don’t bother with makeup, I’ve never fancied it.
Having no idea what to do next, I lay on my new bed, wondering what the rest of the night will look like.