She was so still. I’d never seen a person lie so still before.
“She’ll live,” I murmured to myself. Glancing at Kyle, I crossed my arms and licked my lips. “She’ll live, right?”
“The bullet punctured her lung.” Kyle shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets. “But she’s breathing fine. Just lost a lot of blood. Lucky Joey was there.”
“Yeah, lucky,” I said softly. Through the narrow window gap in the door, I spotted Joey seated beside his sister, his hands clasped around hers. Allegra had been pale before but now, she just looked deadly.
“From what I know, if she wakes up, she’ll recover just fine,” Kyle mused. “But she looked pretty bad.”
“What she did was wrong.” A slight hint of bitterness dripped off my tone but it had already been a week; long enough to calm down. Allegra had been kind to me from the beginning. There had to be a good reason why she’d turned on us like that.
At least, that was what I wanted to believe. Joey hadn’t allowed any visitors since, and he had no idea Kyle and I had snuck off to check up on Allegra.
I’d done my hair up in a bun then tucked it beneath a beanie, my disguise topped off with a large pair of sunglasses.
Yet that didn’t stop some of the passing patients or nurses from giving me sidelong glances. I just hoped it was because they wondered why a traitor to the Crown had visitors, instead of recognising me as Izzy’s sister.
I couldn’t help but wince at the damage that had occurred that day. Though I received the scolding of my life once Peyton and my mother realised I was back in Aldern, I couldn’t have been happier to see them at the ball, after the attack. Not only had we surprised the entire security system since there were now apparently twin princesses, but the King himself. My own father.
Andrew had apparently forgotten to tell him that I was here, or let him in on the plan. He had claimed it had been a smart move on his part, since Elliot was probably prone to tell Slater who turned out to be a cult member from the beginning.
A shiver ran up my spine then skittered down my arms, my skin prickling.
Of course it had to be him. Even those closest to the King couldn’t be trusted.
“I still can’t get over your ridiculous attack on Slater,” I spoke aloud, trying to break the tension.
Kyle grinned broadly. “My greatest moment, yet.”
“So you’re saying your international chess title isn’t worth much anymore?”
His smile faltered. “Wait, let me rethink that –”
The door opened and Joey stepped out, dragging his feet. He looked up slowly, and by the time I could see his face, I was taken aback at how haggard he looked.
In fact, he looked horrible: pale skin clung to his gaunt face, his eyes were dull and lifeless, his hair was mussed and unkempt, as if he’d slept on it for days on end.
“What do you want?” Joey straightened a little and shut the door behind him gingerly.
“We were just checking,” Kyle stepped in before I could bite back.
“We don’t need your money, your help, or your anything,” he said sharply. “Now leave. And tell the King –” Venom dripped from the very word. “– to stop sending us money. I – we don’t need it.”
I stepped out from behind Kyle. “Joey, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Those medical bills are soaring, Allegra has an arrest warrant set out for her and your family still has some debt to pay off –”
“I’m not ashamed.” His voice rose, attracting a few scornful looks from nearby nurses. I looked away before they could recognise me through my disguise. “But I refuse to take charity money.”
“It’s not charity,” I snapped. “It’s accepting a helping hand from a friend. And Izzy was the one that sent it, not the King. He on the other hand wanted to send you to jail and have you tried as an adult. You’re lucky Izzy and Andrew intervened.”
“Well shouldn’t I feel honoured! The heir to the throne have excused my poor family and I from further suffering.”
“You should.” I mustered the fiercest glare possible. “Look, I know you’re upset over what happened to Allegra but her heart is beating and she’s alive. You should be grateful that the doctors haven’t cut her off from life support after the rumours going around about how she tried to kill Izzy.” And me. But there was no need to let him know just how much chaos there was now that they’d found out about my existence.
And Peyton. And my mum. And even Leonard.
“They wouldn’t. It’s murder.”
“But they’re loyal to their King and their Princess,” I pointed out. “Almost everyone is. Obviously, Allegra wasn’t.”
Joey suddenly released a frustrated snarl. His eyes flashed with a burning rage that he’d bottled up for a while now, it seemed.
“That’s what you pompous asses don’t get!” he hissed. “Allegra was more than devoted to you and your family. She gave her life trying to protect you –”
“She’s the one that put us in danger in the first place.”
I glared harder, trying to make him squirm uncomfortably until I realised that he probably couldn’t see me behind the sunglasses. So I scowled at him instead.
“You misunderstand her loyalties,” Joey muttered. “More than anything else, she loves her family. And she loves her country. But family always comes first to her. Always.”
“So?” I crossed my arms and Kyle placed a tense hand on my arm. “What the heck does that have to do with anything? She betrayed her King by trying to turn Izzy in to some crazed, misogynistic cult.”
“Astrid.” Kyle hissed at me warningly.
“For a person that claims to understand family, you clearly don’t seem to see the obvious.” Joey looked at me in disgust and it made my chest twists sharply with hurt.
I wanted to punch and apologise to him at the same time.
“Yeah, my family’s in debt. Allegra and I have a mountain of money ourselves to pay off for our tuition. Working at the castle was supposed to help that but one of my older brothers went out, gambled his entire savings away including our parents’. They’ve all been sent back to France to live with our aunt and uncle until we get back on our feet. Allegra and I are the only ones left, trying to make up for all that debt. I don’t suppose you know what Allegra hates most in the world?”
Already, guilt had begun to churn in my stomach but I held my ground. “What?”
“Struggle. Sadness. Our family was close to losing a home, even with the relatives in France. Not all of us are as privileged as you, Astrid. Even without connections to Aldern, you had a good life.” He laughed bitterly. “I’ve been working every extra hour since I’ve graduated high school. I’ve had to drop out of my university classes because I was falling asleep at every lecture. I was failing because I was exhausted.”
I swallowed the guilty lump in my throat.
“Then Slater?” Joey scowled ferociously. “He waved his money in her face. He offered to pay off everything. That’s a sum that would have taken Allegra and I combined years to even pay half of, and another more for my parents to find jobs. It’s hard to find employment when you’re old.”
“Joey, I get it, you struggled –”
“No, you don’t!” He raised his voice again and ignored the nurses hissing at him. “She went against her morals to secure a home for our family. She did what she had to do to survive. So don’t go around accusing me or her of being part of some plot.”
“You were part of it from the beginning?”
“I found the contract on her desk.” Joey narrowed his eyes at me. “I suppose you just thought I went along with it too.”
I glanced away without turning my head, grateful that the sunglasses hid my shame.
“What Allegra did was wrong.” His shoulders slumped and he lowered his head. “It was dangerous. But her intentions were good. She wasn’t trying to hurt anyone.”
“We can see that,” Kyle spoke up calmly. “But there’s no need to worry. Allegra’s arrest warrant will be cleared once she’s been interrogated and they realise she was only a tool, not an accomplice. Until then, you have nothing to worry about. Just accept the help that you’re being offered.”
“No.”
“Joey –”
“I know what that operation costs.” Kyle lowered his voice. “If you can’t pay, they’ll take her off life support. It’s as easy as that.”
“Kyle!” I shot him a warning glance. Was he threatening the poor guy?
Joey’s fists clenched at his sides until they shook from the pressure. And then all at once, he slumped down on his knees and bowed his head. He buried his face into his hands and let out a heart-shattering sob.
Almost immediately, I fell beside him in a squat and wrapped my arms around him. To my relief, he didn’t push me away but instead, dug his hands into my shirt and buried his face into my shoulder. I felt him shake and cry into it, felt all the turmoil of emotions rolling off of him.
“It’s okay. Everything is going to be just fine.”
The airfield was free of any nosey cameras and reporters. A few of Aldern’s private jets stood stationary, with one of them out and prepared to take off in the next ten minutes.
“You’re welcome back at any time.” Izzy pulled me into a hug. It seemed that we’d been doing a lot of that lately. I guessed that near-death experiences brought siblings closer. “I’ll send for a jet right in the middle of school for you.”
We pulled apart and exchanged grins.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied teasingly. “And if you ever want a break from royal duties . . .”
“No!” Elliot barked.
Everyone looked to him in surprise at the outburst. Elliot adjusted his tie, his face turning a little red.
“I mean, no more of this switching nonsense,” he mumbled, casting his gaze downward.
Izzy winked at me. “Of course, Dad.”
“And Kyle?”
My friend bounded toward us with a broad smile. “Yes, Princess?”
Izzy held out a hand, straightening her posture. Kyle mirrored her and took her hand, shaking it firmly. “You’re always welcome to use our library. In fact, I can put in a good word for you at Aldern’s top university.”
Kyle’s eyes bugged out of their sockets, a sight that sent me reeling with laughter. “R-Really?” He turned to me, his jaw dropping. “The University of Erris. Astrid, that’s – that’s –”
“Go,” I urged, chuckling. “It’s your dream to study overseas isn’t it?”
Kyle shook his head vigorously. “No, I mean Erris has the largest library collection in the entire world. You know the Dalai Lama visited to see what some of the old Buddhist scripts offered?” He shook his head and looked very close to fainting. “And it contains original poetry from –”
“You nerd.” I rolled my eyes and reached up to ruffle his curly head. “You might as well stay here then.”
His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning and twisted to look at the princess. “Can I?”
Izzy’s brow lifted in surprise, but it appeared that he’d given her a pleasing answer. “Of course. I don’t see why not.”
“Astrid, Mum, the plane’s about to take off!” Peyton waved to us from the top of the stairs. “Come on, I’m going to miss my friend’s ice skating party!”
Izzy gave a peal of laughter and waved to Peyton. “I’ll see you next time, Peyton!”
My – our little sister smiled shyly before disappearing into the plane.
“She’s such an angel,” Andrew mused, throwing an arm around Izzy’s shoulders. “Izzy was an absolute nightmare at that age.”
That made me snort. “Then you don’t know her yet.” I looked to the entrance again and sighed deeply. “Well, I better go before she brings out the tennis racquet.”
“Astrid!” Leonard popped his head out and glared at me. “I have a date tonight and you’re going to make me late!”
I rolled my eyes but got the hint already. “Okay. It looks like I really have to go.” Turning to my best friend, I gave him a wide smile. There were a few tears that pricked the back of my eyes, but I held them in. “And I’ll see you on TIME magazine’s cover soon.”
Kyle gasped. “A genuine compliment that wasn’t trying to offend me at the same time?” He grabbed my face and patted my cheeks. “My little girl, you have been mistaken: I’ll be on every magazine’s cover.”
Scoffing, I swatted his hands away and began my ascent up the stairs. “Good luck with that.”
“Just you wait!” he called after me. I didn’t need to turn to know that he was smiling like an idiot.
Lingering any longer might have dragged out the farewell even longer so I kept putting one foot after the other until I was in one of the comfortable leather seats.
Leonard sat across from me, arms crossed and eyes narrowed into a glare. “You can apologise to Nadine tonight.”
“Just tell her you’re running late,” I suggested. “She’ll understand.”
“She’s an impatient and demanding woman!”
“Well then she’s not good enough for you,” I retorted. “Go find some Aldernian girl. I’m sure Andrew might know a couple princesses somewhere.”
Leonard perked up at this and peered out the window. “Hmm. Not a bad idea.”
I kicked out a foot and nipped him in the shin. “Don’t be so rude. Girls aren’t objects.”
“I’m kidding,” he groaned, clutching his leg. But I caught the thoughtful look he threw out the window and rolled my eyes. Of course he wasn’t.
Peyton leaned across the aisle to tug on my sleeve.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think you’re ever gonna come back?”
“Of course I will.” I would take Izzy up on the offer to take the private jet whenever I needed it. The very vehicle soon began to move and rumble, beginning its takeoff.
“No, I mean as a princess. Are they gonna make you do all the stuff that Izzy did? That you’ve been doing in her place?” Peyton frowned a little at this.
I’d already gone through this conversation with Elliot and my Aldernian siblings before: being a princess wasn’t what it had been cut out to be. There was just too much responsibility for me to handle, even if I wouldn’t be acting as the Crown Princess anymore. Izzy’s life had had its ups and downs, but it had also made me appreciate the life I had back home. That was the one I wanted.
“Nah.” I shook my head and offered a reassuring simple. “It was fun but definitely not the life for me.”
“Good, otherwise I’d have to make Leonard play with me.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Leonard leaned forward and raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.
Peyton stuck her tongue out at him. “You’re a sore loser. At least Astrid doesn’t flush the ball down the toilet!”
A laugh escaped me and in no time at all, the pair began bickering over Peyton’s tennis practices and the true value of a tennis ball.
Further down the plane, I spotted my mother gazing out the window as the plane began to accelerate.
Izzy and I had caught our parents embracing the other day when we went to find out who’d been born first. Obviously they’d settled whatever tension had lasted between them and it had given me hope that one day, our family could properly be reunited, without the media hounding us or any royal duties to finish and charity balls to attend.
Obviously not any time soon. There was still too much circulation about my discovery for us to have any proper family vacation in the near future but maybe one day, it would happen.
After all, I couldn’t have seen my becoming a princess coming in the first place. And I was probably the least likely person deserving of being a princess.
At this rate, anything was possible.
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Author's Note:
So in case any of you might be wondering, no, there won't be a sequel. This was a standalone and I'd planned for it to be one from the beginning. There were a lot of struggles getting past some barriers, namely chapters that would transition me from one exciting point in the story to the next. It was horrible of me to leave it for a year and come back and update in such a long time and I apologise. Laziness and loss of inspiration and school basically sums up why I've been so MIA on Wattpad.
So thank you to those that possibly have waited so agonisingly long to see this get finished. I didn't think I would see that green tick but finally, it's there.
Thank you to those that leave comment, that push me to update. I apologise to those whom I've replied to and promised to update 'soon' and not actually keep that promise. But it's done, it's over and it's horribly unedited and not proofread so just bear with me here. The small influx of readers that have suddenly caught interest in this story was an absolute pleasure to see and it is everyone that reads this that spurs this story on and inspires me to write again.
Thank you for reading Astrid's story and her time playing princess!