Chapter 3
The kings' representative allocated to the village of Grea was called Oscar Pavey. He was a close friend of the oldest prince, Andrew, and he had given his word that he would do his best to find the lost princess.
He had personally known the missing princess, and he too had been upset at her disappearance. He badly wanted to find her, not only for his friend but also for himself. He had been so involved with the search that he couldn't help but feel guilty for not finding her.
Oscar's first visit to the village meant that he was sat down with the mayor and one young man, James Parson, trying to gain information on each of the girls in the village.
He had originally just asked for the mayor's help, but after seeing James, he couldn't do anything but ask him to help them as well. There could never be too much help.
James himself was 17, so knew many of the girls personally. They were a tightly knit group of friends, which consisted of just about everyone their age. In fact, there was only one girl that he didn't know much about. Her name was Elle Winters, and no matter how many smiles or waves he had sent her she still refused to acknowledge him.
The mayor was a friendly man who cared very deeply for all of the villagers and wanted the best for his village. He was always putting his work before his own life, much to the dismay of his wife. She was often left home all by herself while the mayor was off finishing work right into the early hours of each morning, This meant that the village had very few conflicts and was a lovely, peaceful place to live.
A visit from a royal representative was a very unusual thing in Grea. There were no issues to be solved and there was very little communication with the royals as the mayor was a well-trusted man who was more than capable of running a village.
This uncommon situation meant that there would no doubt be many questions from the villagers, and James was very curious about the news.
"What can we do for you, Mr Pavey?" the mayor asked, as they sat down around a table in the office.
"I'm here on business from the palace. I have been sent to find someone who may be living amongst you. I'm going to need details on every girl aged 15 to 17," he replied.
At this point, James' curiosity had gotten the better of him. His self-control was usually okay, but this situation had lead to his excitement.
"Who are you looking for?" he boldly asked.
"James!" The mayor chided, looking slightly embarrassed. James blushed slightly.
"Oh, it's no problem. I can hardly expect you to help me find her if you don't know who we are looking for," he kindly replied. "We are looking for the lost Princess."
"Which lost Princess? I wasn't aware of any missing royals." The mayor said, confused at this idea.
"Princess Elizabeth."
Shocked expressions graced both the mayor and James' faces. As far as they knew, the princess was dead. That had been the announcement made just a year after her disappearance when she would have been eight years old. The whole kingdom had mourned her death for weeks.
"I-I thought she was dead. Why haven't you come looking for her before?" James mumbled, but loud enough for Oscar to hear.
"That was just a cover up story. We have been searching for her for nine years, but we haven't got anywhere. We didn't want anyone to know because it would cause fear that this is an unsafe kingdom to live in. We have until her birthday to find her, and then the search will be given up for good." Oscar told them. "We have to find her." He added with deep sincerity.
"Of course we do," the mayor said, "and we will do our very best. Now you need to tell us what we can do to help."
So Oscar told the mayor and James what he needed, and by the end of his first day in the village he had names of every girl the correct ages.
Before he left he turned to James. "I hope you understand that this must be kept a secret. If anyone finds out that we are still searching they may hide her even further from our reach."
"Of course, sir, you have my word." The sincerity in James' voice was clear, and the serious expression was obvious.
Although James knew that it would be difficult to avoid questions from the more nosy villagers, he knew he could not make any mistakes. It was his first time helping the mayor, and he certainly did not want it to become his last.
As he walked home, James couldn't help but wonder who the lost princess was. What if it was someone in this village? What if the lost princess had been hiding out amongst them, or what if she was being hidden amongst them?
James knew that these were questions that would bother him until he had the answers, so he made a pledge to himself that he would do whatever it takes to find the lost princess, and he would not stop looking until he, or someone else, had found her.