A few weeks passed, nothing happened and Nathan thought she wasn't serious, palace life went back to normal or so it seemed. People had been talking about what had happened the night of the gala and even the townspeople seemed to be on edge. It was hard to understand what was going on with the townspeople when no one would speak up.
Sherry Everett ran down the hall, her chestnut-brown hair falling out of its braided crown and laying down her back. Her brown eyes focused on chasing after a certain young princess. "Clarissa! Clarissa, please come back. I know you don't want to go to bed but it is bedtime." She called the girl, wondering how she was running so fast.
Clarissa giggled glancing back at her nanny, a huge smile on her lips. "No! I am not a tired Nanny." She called as she rounded a corner and hid under a table that had a long table cloth on it. She pulled her knees up to her chest and held her breath, waiting for her nanny to leave.
Sherry got on her hands and knees in front of the table. She reached her hands quickly and grabbed the princess from under the table, pulling her out. "Please settle down. Your mother would be upset if she found out you were still up and only half ready for bed." She told her to, picking her up, as the girl squirmed in her arms.
Clarissa started to whine loudly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I am not a sleepy nanny. Mama won't know if we don't tell her!" She leaned her head on Sherry's shoulder and sighed heavily. She knew there was no point in fighting, she would end up going to sleep whether she wanted to or not. She couldn't fight it forever.
Sherry turned around and began to walk back to Clarissa's room. "That isn't how things work Clarissa. How about instead you just think about tomorrow? A full day to run around like you had done today. You should be sleepy with all the running you have done." She commented, placing a hand on the young girl's back. Normally the young princess would already be falling asleep, but oddly enough, this time she wasn't.
She pushed open the door with her hip, glad she hadn't shut it all the way. She walked into the room and pushed the door closed with her foot. Moving over to the bed, she set her down on the bed. "All we have left to do is brush your hair." She told her as she grabbed a brush from the vanity. "This time please sit still so I won't pull your hair."
Clarissa shook her head crawling to get off the bed. "I don't want to have my hair brushed. I wanna play some more. I'm not sleepy Nanny." She whined, not understanding why she had to go to bed. She wasn't tired, so therefore she shouldn't be made to go to bed unless she was tired. It only sounded logical to her.
Sherry grabbed the girl and pulled her back sitting on the bed. "I understand that but it is almost past your bedtime. Your parents had said strictly eight o'clock is your bedtime and it is ten to eight." She explained pointing to the clock. Even though the young princess couldn't tell time, she still knew by the numbers.
Clarissa sighed, crossing her legs so her nanny could brush her hair. "I don't like that clock. I like my pocket watch." She said, opening up the pocket watch she had set down on her bed. "See, it says the same time but prettier." She started closing it and holding it to her chest. She treasured the gift her grandparents had given her.
Sherry ran the brush through her hair, giving a gentle smile. She recalled having to pry it from her hands to give her her bath. "Yes, it is quite beautiful. So much more than that old clock huh?" She was going along with the young girl, knowing this was harmless, and hopefully talking would tire her out.
Clarissa nodded matter-of-factly, closing the pocket watch and stuffing it into her pocket on her chest. "It is much more. Much, much more. It is special." She was overjoyed to have such a special trinket she would get to keep. It was her pride and joy, never before had she had something this special. She knew nothing would make her part with it.
Lena Nowak pushed open Clarissa's bedroom door as she walked in, having Cyrene on her hip as she blew her honey blonde from her jade green eyes. "Cyrene wishes to tell her older sister goodnight before she goes to bed." She softly spoke, a soft smile on her young nanny's lips.
Cyrene rubbed her eyes and yawned leaning over to her sister as she was set down on the bed. It was much easier to get her to bed than her big sister. It didn't take much for her to fall asleep. "Nighty night Rissa!" She exclaimed happily with a tired smile on her lips. She wrapped her arms around her.
Clarissa hugged her sister back before pulling away yawning. She rubbed her eyes then gave her sister a tired look. "Goodnight Cyrene. Sleep well." She looked over to Sherry hoping that she hadn't seen her yawn. If she yawned then her many would watch her like a hawk until she fell asleep. She could never get away faking it. She always seemed to have a plan to fool it.
Cyrene nodded, resting her head on her nanny's shoulder and yawning. She didn't know how much longer she could keep her eyes open. She smiled softly at her sister's words. "You too." She almost whispered, waving to her sister as she was taken to her room by her nanny and put to bed, falling fast asleep before she hit the pillow.
Sherry set the brush down on the nightstand and pulled down the covers. "Come on, time to get into bed." She explained, picking Clarissa up and setting her on the sheets before pulling the covers up. "Sleep well, Clarissa." She pressed a soft kiss into her forehead. She gave her the look of 'you better go to sleep or else.
Clarissa snuggled under the covers and smiled sleepily. else's. She knew that look and would obey because she was asleep, not that she would admit that. "Goodnight Nanny." She softly spoke, and within the time it took for Sherry to walk over to the door Clarissa was sleeping soundly. Her breathing was even and a little snore could be heard here and there.
Sherry gave a soft smile at the sleeping princess. She was honored to be able to watch over this young girl for the royals. She loved her job, she wouldn't have asked for anything else. She knew Clarissa was going to do big things when she got older, she was special. Just like her sister.
Everyone at that time had gone to bed. The palace was quite safe for the footsteps of the night patrol guards. It was oddly a nice night. It may have been bitterly cold outside, but there was no wind. Inside the palace, every fireplace within was blazing, keeping every room someone was in warm.
A few hours later was when things began to get worse. The royals had been unaware that the townspeople had started to gather at the gates. All those in the castle had been given the night to retire to bed early since it had been a busy few weeks. So, only two young guards were watching the front gate, since it was locked up as normal.
The sudden clanging of people ramming something into the gate to break it down since the lock was from the inside and not the outside. The two young guards had been sleeping on duty so they were abruptly woken up by the rattling of the gate. Soon, guards rushed out, flooding the courtyard to see what was going on.
They noticed the people gathering up behind the gate, many carrying muskets or swords, others held torches chanting "Down with the Queen and King." over and over again. That was when they sounded the alarm, waking up everyone in the castle.
Persia gasped as she sat up in bed, hurrying and getting out rushing over to her window. When she saw some people trying to climb over the fence that was on the outer edge of the palace from their window. "Oh no, Nathan, get up." She exclaimed, rushing over to her husband while pulling on her coat and pulling on some boots.
Nathan fluttered his eyes open, his snoring had cut off when his name had been called. "What? What is wrong, Persia?" He asked sitting up and then phased hearing the alarm. "How are we under attack? Just an hour or so ago everything seemed normal. I called off all the protection." He calmly spoke.
Persia grabbed her bag and stuffed it with some clothes and other things of value. "I said that is what they were waiting for: for us to let our guard down. You shouldn't have let them go! I need to leave now. I need to grab the girls, go out the underground tunnel and out into the canal outside of the palace gates." She said, closing up the bag and rushing to the door.
Nathan got out of bed and pulled on some boots, grabbing his coat he slung it on. "Go grab the girls and wait for me. I need to tell Rolando to make sure everything is ready to defend the palace." He called her but she didn't seem to hear the last part, only the first about waiting.
Persia assumed he would see them off. So she rushed down the hall to where her children were. Any mother would think of their children first in an instance like this. She opened up the door. To her surprise, she saw Sherry was already getting Clarissa dressed. "Oh, Clarissa." She rushed over and hugged her daughter.
Clarissa looked up at her mother with a sleep gaze. "Mama, what is going on?" She asked in a sleepy tone, almost falling back on her pillow and going back to sleep. Her room was pretty much soundproof so she had no clue what was happening outside. She didn't understand why many rushed into her room and got her up since she had been asleep.
Persia picked up her daughter and set her feet on the floor, kneeling to her oldest daughter. She was so relieved to see her daughter was alright. "We have to go away for a while." She explained standing up and putting on her daughter's scarf making sure it was tight about her neck but not tight enough to hurt her.
Clarissa didn't understand why they had to leave when she was sleeping. She was tired and didn't want to go out. "Why?" She asked with a whine in her voice rubbing her eyes then yawning once again. She wanted to know the actual reason for her having to be woken up from sleep.
Persia looked at her daughter and sighed, opening the drawer and stuffing some clothes into the bag. "I will explain things later. Right now we gotta go, think of it as a surprise trip." She told her walking towards the door and opening it up.
Clarissa pulled away from Sherry's hand and ran over to her dresser opening it up. "Wait, I need to grab my bracelet Cyrene made for me." She pulled out the simple paper band that had "Rissa" written in slightly legible ink. She walked back to her nanny and held her hand after she slipped on the paper band on her wrist.
Persia walked out of the hall once her oldest daughter was back in the arms of Sherry. She swiftly made her way to Cyrene's room where Lena was reading to Cyrene. "Lena, Cyrene, you are still up?" She was surprised to see them awake. Well, she shouldn't have been due to all the commotion outside. It was only a matter of time before it reached them.
Lena looked up at Persia, furrowing her eyebrows at the panic in her voice and the bag in her hand. "Cyrene didn't want to go back to sleep. She said she had a bad dream. So I read to her to try and get her back to sleep. Then I heard noises and she got scared, but I reassured her everything was okay." She replied gently poking the young princess's side which in turn made her giggle.
Persia was glad that Cyrene wasn't asleep or else she would be throwing a tantrum. Of course, that was more like Clarissa rather than Cyrene. "Listen, we must go." She said, opening up her youngest daughter's drawers and stuffing a few clothes into the bag. "I will explain after we get out of the palace, just try and be as quiet as you can."
Lena stood up giving a nod. She walked over to the door and grabbed Cyrene's coat, gloves and scarf. "Of course your majesty, may I ask why are you leaving at such a late time?" She asked, getting Cyrene bundled up. She began to lace up the young girl's boots after she put on her hat.
Persia closed up the bag and turned towards Lena. "You will know as we leave. Follow me, we are going to the secret passage under the palace that goes into the canal. It isn't finished but it will do." She said, leaving the room and walking towards the secret passageway. She didn't want to worry her children.
Sherry held Clarissa's hand as she followed behind her. She looked around at the oddly quiet hallway they were going down. "But your majesty, what will we do about our bags?" She didn't have anything on her and she and Lena's rooms weren't too far from theirs.
Persia realized they needed to pack a bag too. She facepalmed and nodded, motioning for them to hurry."Oh yes, just hurry, grab anything you can, leave anything not necessary." She told them watching as the nannies left the two children with their mother as they went to quickly pack a small bag. It only took a few minutes and both nannies met back up with Persia, continuing to the canal.
Meanwhile, Nathan marched to where he knew Rolando would be. He was appointing guards strategically around the palace. "Rolando, may I have a moment?" He asked, continuing to button up his coat, his hands shaking making it impossible. He took a few deep breaths and finished up buttoning his coat.
Rolando dismissed the guards and walked over to Nathan, noticing his hands were shaking. "Yes, Nathan, what may I help you with?" He knew it was normal for Nathan to be on edge since this had never happened before during his reign or his father's reign.
Nathan had been planning what he was going to say the whole way over. He wasn't the least bit ashamed of what he was going to do. "I want you to focus on protecting those within the palace, forget everything else. Focus on getting everyone out and if you can try to reason with them?" He explained his plan.
Rolando's priority was indeed keeping the palace staff safe, rather than the palace itself. People's lives weren't replaceable unlike the palace and the objects. "I already had planned that. May I ask, what will you be doing? You are the King. Perhaps you should address the people publically, at the top of the palace?" He wondered what he would be doing since he was the king after all.
Nathan was not very happy he had asked that but he did not let it affect him. "That sounds like a good idea, however, I think it would be best if I stayed by my wife's side and protected my children as well. Until they get to safety that is." That was the truth, he would be staying by their side and protecting them out of Canada.
Rolando understood. He nodded his head, respecting his choice. However, he didn't quite think that was what a king should do."Oh, yes, they are your family but don't they each have guards assigned to them? I am sure they would lay their life down for your wife and children while you should focus on trying to calm this riot down." He questioned only to be cut off by Nathan.
Nathan was getting a little more uneasy as the time passed. "I will. Please be a careful old friend. Try and have little to no casualties. Even if they may cross with us, no one deserves to die tonight, not by the royal court's hands." He said. He trusted him with his life and knew what he was doing would be better for his friend.
Rolando pursed his lips and simply nodded. "Be safe yourself, Nathan. I must go, I believe they have breached the palace from the back. I will keep you in my constant prayers and thoughts. Be the king you were crowned to be." With a pat on Nathan's shoulder, he briskly walked out of his office and down the hall.
Nathan took a deep breath. He felt bad about lying but it was for the best. He couldn't die tonight. He knew they wouldn't rest until he and his family were dead. So, the only thing he knew to do was run and leave it all in the hands of those he trusted. It may have been a cowardly move but he didn't see it that way, he saw it as a noble deed to protect his family.
Soon, Persia waited at the entrance to the tunnel with her children and their nannies, waiting for her husband. "Come on Nathan, the girls and I need to get going." She whispered her voice laced with worry and every little noise made her jumpy.
Nathan came briskly walking up to them and nodded for them to go. "I still don't understand why we must leave. I put Rolando in charge and he doesn't know we are fleeing for our lives." His voice held disdain for what they were doing. He fumbled with a bag in his arms, trying to adjust it.
Persia frowned, standing there, and grabbed his arm. "We? You make it sound like we are cowards. The Rosenbergs are not common cowards. I am going. I am doing what is best for our family to ensure we stay alive. You need to stay here and defend the palace." She reminded him.
Nathan gave a heavy sigh. "I should have known she would attack when we were most vulnerable. Though how could she have known out of all the days tonight I was calling it all off?" He ignored her words. It was odd that not too soon after he had called it all off they were attacked.
Persia shook her head, she was disappointed in him. She gave her husband a blank expression. "Nathan, you are staying behind aren't you? As King, you must lead the kingdom and as a captain goes down with his ship, you are to stay until all ways are exhausted." She explained to him.
Nathan knew he had to make it seem like he would come back. In truth, he had no plans on coming back. He knew if he did he would be killed and he could not let that happen. "Yes, I am. First, I am making sure you make it onto the ship out of here, and then I will come back." He lied so smoothly that a normal person wouldn't be suspicious.
Persia wasn't entirely buying it but she thought she ought to trust him. She knew him better than anything and when he acted like this he was hiding something. "If you say so. Now speaking on this attack, we do have a mole in the palace. Otherwise, how would they have known we lessened the security." She pointed out.
Nathan sighed that was not what he wanted to hear but she had a point. Only someone feeding Medusa some information could know that. "You are right." He pulled his scarf up tighter around his neck. He tried to push all guilt that came bubbling up out of the way. He was doing what was best for his family. He continued to remind himself of that
Persia knew she was right. She was almost always right and when she wasn't she admitted it, unlike her husband. "I am sure Rolando will get to the bottom. Even if we find out there is nothing that can be done. I doubt anyone would want to prosecute the issue." It seemed the whole kingdom was going down in flames.
Nathan felt guilty but he pushed that aside. He didn't care if his wife saw him as a coward, he was not losing his life over a losing battle he knew he wouldn't win. "I trust Rolando. I have known him for quite a long time." He thoughtfully mused. "He knows his job and will do it with his utmost commitment."
Persia simply raised an eyebrow at what her husband had said. "Ah yes, Rolando is a trustworthy man. I do feel bad about not telling him goodbye. I am not sure if we could even contact him once to safety it would put a target on his back. Medusa would surely find out if we did." She sighed heavily.
It wasn't too long before the Rosenbergs made it out of the canal, they were met by a harsh blizzard. It was bitterly cold, the harsh wind nipped at their coats trying to get through. The snow was falling rapidly, making it hard to see through the dense snow. It was quite a change from when they first left, it seemed like everything changed in a split second, not only the weather but the attack on the palace.
Persia stayed close to her husband as she glanced back at Clarissa and Cyrene who was with their nannies. "Oh Nathan, I am so scared. I can't show how fearful I am around the kids. What are we going to do?" She whispered gently to her husband. She was trying to be brave for her children but it was hard.
Nathan looked down at his wife pushing his way through the crowds of people. "I know, I am scared too. I do have faith that we will be okay in the end." He pointed out knowing they would never be returning. Any guilt of leaving his whole kingdom behind had vanished from his mind.
Persia then was struck with an idea that would cover all he suggested. "Your parents have retired to France, that is where my sister lives. She lives not too far from our old house which my parents still live in. They can help us figure out what to do." She explained her ideas knowing it would be best to be somewhere familiar with her and her children.
Nathan smiled slightly but since his mouth was covered by the scarf only his eyes showed his smile. "That is brilliant Persia. France is so far away on the other side of the world. It will be a long journey but it will give you enough time to figure out what to do." He couldn't believe he had forgotten that key piece of information.
Persia glanced back at Clarissa who was right at her nanny's side, while Cyrene was being carried by her nanny. She looked back at Nathan as they pushed through the people. "Very long journey and will take up a lot of money. I am glad I was able to grab a coin purse I have been stashing away." She said.
Nathan gave her a sideways glance narrowing her eyes. "Please do not tell me that was the money I had been saving for a new custom-made sword." He exclaimed, hoping it was not that money. He had deserved a new sword, he had his current one since he was a young boy.
Persia groaned softly, shaking her head at his words. "Yes it is and you do not need a new sword right now. The best option is to get to France and have your parents help us out." She said, poking his bicep with her finger. "Then once you have everything settled here you can come and find us."
Nathan glanced at the massive ship docked and many people pushing to get on it. "Yes, yes," He ignored the last part of what she said. "We are almost there." He made his way through the people and up the ramp glancing back to make sure his family was following him safely on the ship.
Once safely on the boat, Persia looked over at Nathan who was still standing beside her. "Nathan? Aren't you going back to the palace to help?" She asked, her voice cross. She was a little upset with him over what he was choosing to do.
Nathan knew she would get mad at him. Frankly, he didn't care whether she got mad. "Oh, um, it is too late for me to go back. The kingdom is lost, there is no way to handle this situation. We will start a new life and I have laid it in Rolando's hand. Although he doesn't know we aren't coming back, it would be dangerous for him to know our plan." He replied nonchalantly.
Persia's mouth dropped open, her eyes went wide. "So you lied to him? Nathan how could you. I am disappointed in you. You are not the man I married. What happened to you? When did you get so cynical? Rolando may not be the type to get mad about what you did, but I don't have a clue what to say to you. The kingdom is most certainly not lost!" She yelled, trying to process what he had just said.
Nathan rolled his eyes, looking away and at the kingdom which was a war zone. "Just be glad we are here and our children are safe. We can start a new life in France. Forget about ruling and our kingdom, perhaps it is better this way. Having people think we are dead and the kingdom falls into a democracy." He tightened the scarf around his neck.
Persia placed her hand on her hat, shaking her head. "How can you think like that? Are you that much of a coward not to face what we did? Should we have handled everything differently with Medusa, none of this would have happened. You should've stayed. That would have made a statement." She yelled, tears rolling down her reddened face.
Nathan huffed, he was in no mood to argue with his wife in front of all these people. "What statement would that have made? Hmm? It would have made an easy target on my back and I couldn't even meet up with you in fear Medusa would follow me. Besides, I am not a coward!" His voice boomed, making a few people give them odd looks.
Persia frowned, then turned to Sherry after looking around her and only seeing Cyrene in Lena's arms. But her oldest daughter was nowhere in sight. "Sherry is Clarissa with you?" She asked, slightly worried, panic beginning to grow inside her stomach.
Sherry looked at the queen with wide eyes looking around her beginning to panic. "I swear, she was right beside me when you looked back that second time." She then began to ramble. "I am sure she was here, she has to be here. Oh, I am so sorry."
Persia placed a hand on her shoulder before turning to her husband with panic in her eyes. "Nathan, have you seen Clarissa?" She asked, her voice laced with worry and her heart felt like it would pound out of her chest with how fast it was pounding.
Nathan cupped his hands around his mouth. "Clarissa! Clarissa!" He called looking around their space than looking out at the crowd that was full of people waiting to catch a ship out. "Clarissa!" He began to push towards the entrance, shoving people out of the way.
Persia turned to Sherry and Lena. "Don't let Cyrene out if your sight stays right here." She said then followed after her husband pushing through the crowd. "Clarissa, oh Clarissa where are you?" She called loudly hoping her voice carried over the many speaking people.
Nathan rushed over to the crew who had just put up the ramp. "Sir, sir you have to let me off. My daughter may still be out there." He asked, placing his hands on his shoulders, looking into his eyes, begging him. He was worried about his oldest and what could happen to her all alone.
The man kept his head low to try and stay out of the bitter cold. "I am sorry sir, we can't do that. We are leaving port and won't be coming back. The ship is already over its limit, I can not let anyone on or off." He said and began to walk away from the king and queen.
Nathan followed after him but was stopped and held back by other crew members. "I am the king and I demand you stop this ship and let us find our daughter. She is all alone lost somewhere and we need her." He growled at him. He was hoping his title got him somewhere because his daughter was his world.
The man gave him a sympathetic look and shook his head. "I don't care if you are the king or not. You are abandoning your kingdom are you not? Not much of a king now are we? We are not going back to the ship that is already leaving. I would offer to send you out a message but alas our lines are down due to the ice." He asked, turning around and walking away.
Nathan's heart sank in his chest then broke into a million little pieces with the realization that he couldn't go back, not even with his power to get his oldest daughter. "No, no, NO!" He yelled. He couldn't be strong anymore, they were leaving without their daughter. He had realized what his actions had caused.
Persia had tears flowing down her cheeks as she buried her head into her hands. "Oh, what are we going to do?" She sobbed, not knowing how she was going to cope with this. Her daughter was alone in the war-torn kingdom, which wouldn't have happened if Nathan hadn't lied nor rushed them.
Nathan blinked back tears and held his wife in his arms. "I, I am not sure. Once we get to our destination, I can make a few calls to see if anyone has found her. All we can do is pray she is alright." He said, taking a deep breath and trying to keep from sobbing anymore.
Persia wiped her tears with her gloves looking over at her youngest daughter who was now asleep in Lena's arms. "What am I going to tell Cyrene? No one knows we left the castle, can't we tell Rolando and ask him?" She asked, looking up at him with red puffy eyes.
Nathan looked down at her blinking away tears. "No, we can not get him involved. If Medusa is trying to harm us she will go after anyone who helps us and Rolando will always stay in Canada. I can't let him get hurt and I will tell him soon, just not right now." He promised.
Meanwhile, Clarissa began to look around as she began to panic when she saw she was alone in the crowd of people. "Papa? Mama? Nanny? Cyrene?" She called turning around in circles trying to figure out what had happened. She tried to push her way through but due to being a child, she got pushed to the ground.
She tried to crawl away from the people but kept getting stepped on by people. She cried out in pain as they stepped on her hands, hit her head with their feet. It seemed no one heard her amongst all the commotion. She gathered up all the energy she could and collapsed in the fresh snow, curling into a ball and falling unconscious.
For hours Clarissa had been laying in the cold snow, on the edge of an alleyway. The snow had covered her in a light blanket. She was out cold, ironic because she was freezing and the cold weather put her in a comatose state, slowed down her breathing and heart rate to protect her
A black car pulled up beside the alley and two people got out talking and pointing to where the oldest princess was at. They had seen something and it piqued their interest in what it was. They had been having a rough day especially since they had just moved to Frontrance a few weeks before.
The lady pushed her brown braid to her back as her warm brown eyes looked down at the girl as she knelt. "Oh Roger, Roger! She is alive but freezing." Naomi Jefferson said, placing her two fingers on the girl's neck to make sure she was alive. She immediately withdrew due to how cold her skin was.
Roger Jefferson pulled down his hat over his black hair, his dark brown eyes looked down at the girl. "Come on, we must take her to the infirmary." He said, bending down and picking up the unconscious girl, adjusting her in his arms. "Naomi, you drive please?" He knew she was just learning to drive.
Naomi nodded, pulling her coat closer around her body as she opened the door for him. She could manage driving to the infirmary, it wasn't too far. "I will drive. I hope it isn't too late for her. She looks like she has been here for hours." She said, worry laced in her voice as she got into the car. She turned on the car, turning on the windshield wipers.
Roger closed the door with a nod of his head. Looking down at the unconscious child, made his heart ache. "I don't know how anyone could leave their child behind. It seemed like she had crawled into a ball to perhaps calm down from crying?" He suggested rubbing her arm under the coat he had wrapped her up in. He pushed some hair that was frozen to her face out of her way.
Naomi pulled the car onto the road and drove to the infirmary. "Poor girl." She said, glancing over at her and noticed something on her wrist. "Roger, what is that on her wrist?" She asked, turning her eyes back to the road as she drove slowly. Her body was shivering due to the cold and a bit of nervousness due to how slippery the road was.
Roger pulled back the girl's coat sleeve and saw a thin piece of paper wrapped around her wrist. "It says, Rissa? I can't make out anything else. It seems to be a bracelet. I suppose that is her name right?" He questioned. It might not have been the best time to point that out but it was something he saw.
Naomi shrugged, she hadn't the faintest clue. It could be anything. "Perhaps. It seems that is what we should call her and tell the nurses to call her until she wakes up and can tell us who she is." She said, pulling into the infirmary. She turned off the car and got out, rushing up to the infirmary.
Roger carried her in, his wife following behind him. "We could use some help here!" He called out looking around and seeing how busy this place was with those who had minor injuries to major ones. He was worried about the young girl and hoped that she would be okay in the end.
A young nurse pushed back some strawberry blonde hair from her face and her green eyes had dark circles under them. "Oh dear, what happened? Here, lay her over here." Constance Hilton said, showing them to a gurney and pulling it away from the wall where it was sitting. It had been a busy day for her and everyone there.
Roger laid her down on the gurney and looked up at the nurse. "Not sure, ma'am. We found her lying in the snow just outside of an alleyway. She had a light blanket of snow covering her. I have no idea how long she had been out there in the elements." He replied, grabbing his wife's hand and pulling her close.
Naomi stepped closer to her husband following the nurse as she led them back to the open room where they went to recover or get checked out for non-severe patients. "Will she be alright?" She asked with worry laced in her voice. She didn't want anything to happen to such a young child.
Constance placed the back of her hand on Clarissa's cheek. She was cold, no doubt her nose and cheeks were red. She couldn't tell if she had frostbite without taking off some of her layers. It did seem she was loved due to how bundled up she was. "Let me get the doctor. Meanwhile, you can fill out the form." She handed them a piece of paper on a clipboard and a pencil.
Naomi took the clipboard and looked down at her. "We just found her. We don't have any clue about her. How can we fill it out if we are not the parents?" She asked, handing the clipboard back. She didn't know how she could help. They weren't the girl's parents. She didn't even know if they were looking for her, had died, or escaped.
Constance took it back and grabbed the pencil. That wasn't of any help. She tried to think of something else. "Oh, you can just fill out what you do know. How she was found. What she is wearing. What she looks like." She replied, jotting it all down rather quickly. "Does she have a name?" If she knew a name it could be of great help.
Roger looked to his wife then back to Constance. "Rissa, or at least we think that is her name. Her wristband has it written on there. It could even be her mother's name or sisters. We truly don't know for sure." He replied, looking down at the ground. He couldn't even ask the child her name since she was unconscious. "But couldn't you ask her that when she wakes up?"
Constance hung the clipboard on the foot of her cot and covered up the girl. "Risa, that could be her name. For now, that is what we will call her. You can wait here until the doctor comes." She said, walking out of the room to try and find the doctor. She was only a nurse and she wasn't trained to be a doctor.
Soon the doctor, Winston Hilton, had come and had the girl a thorough exam, occasionally blowing his black hair from his face. "Hmm, she seems to have hypothermia. It is strange how she did not freeze to death out in the bitter cold. She had to be at least out there for hours. She doesn't have frostbite, thankfully so that is nothing to worry about." He looked up at the young couple, his hazel eyes focused on them.
He straightened up and gave a gentle smile, he was thankful for these people. "You were her guardian angel to have found this girl at the time you did. A half an hour more and she would not have survived." He then phased for a moment. "Let's let her rest. Perhaps she will wake up. You two can go home now. Thank you for bringing her."
Naomi followed the doctor out. "Will you be able to locate her family?" She asked a bit worried about the young girl. She truly did hope they could find her family and she wouldn't have to be sent to the orphanage. She held out a piece of paper. "Please keep in touch with how she is doing."
Winston took the note, gave a nod, and opened the door while pushing up his glasses. That was a loaded question for him. She wasn't the first child alone he had to see today. "When she wakes up we will try and find out. For now, she needs to rest and get warm. We can take it from here. Do not worry a bit." He said seeing them out then turning to help the next patient.
It wasn't until a whole day later that she woke up and looked around, not knowing what had happened. She looked around with wide panicked eyes chewing on her lip. She tried to get out of bed feeling confused about where she was at. It was drafty, open, and quite quiet which she did not like.
Constance saw this and rushed over to her, preventing her from getting up. "Oh, you are finally awake. We were all getting worried about you." She said softly, sitting down on the bed slowly and facing the girl. Seeing her awake made her feel so much better. She was going to be okay and she loved good outcomes.
Clarissa looked up at her feeling all of a sudden shy which didn't seem normal. What would she need to be shy about? She had asked a simple question. "Where am I?" She asked, her face showing how confused she was about being here. She did not recognize his place at all, it was not home.
Constance was a bit taken aback but it wasn't uncommon for people to ask where they were once brought here. "The infirmary." She replied simply by pushing her hair from her face. She seemed so sweet and her family was missing her no doubt. She didn't seem like a child whose parents meant to leave her. She was too well dressed and fed for that.
Clarissa looked down at her lap and chewed on her lip. The infirmary? "How did I get here?" She had no clue how she got to this place or what happened for her to be here. Everything was blank and she hated that. She tried to recall anything, but nothing came. It made her frustrated.
Constance gave her a gentle smile as she replied. She seemed to be one cute little girl. She just wanted to squeeze her but she wouldn't want to make her uncomfortable. "Some nice people found you and brought you here. Is your name Risa?" She asked hoping she at least remembered her name so it would be easier to find her family.
Clarissa tilted her head and looked down at the bracelet around her wrist. She couldn't recall if it sounded familiar or not. "I think so." She asked not recalling anything, not even her name. Which she found to be odd. She couldn't recall anything from when she woke up. What had happened before? That was a mystery to her.
Constance nodded, feeling sad for this girl and her not being able to remember even her name. "You don't know for sure, do you?" She was worried that without the girl's help they would never find who she belonged to. So many people had escaped on trains, ships, or in cars, whatever they could find.
Clarissa shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes, threatening to run down her cheeks. "No, I don't. I don't know anything. I, I wanna go home." She began to sob curling into a ball and just wanting to go home. She tried to recall anything but she couldn't get her brain to work. Everything was blank and that stressed her out not knowing anything about herself.
Constance rested her hand on her head. She felt bad for this young girl. Alone in the whole world with no one but herself. She was sure they could find her family. They just had to be looking for her. "I will bring you some hot cocoa okay? Just wait right here." She said, getting up and walking to find her husband to tell him what had happened.
Winston looked up at his wife and smiled seeing her face, then it dropped into a frown seeing she wasn't smiling."Honey, what is wrong?" He could tell something was wrong and his smile fell. He could read her better than anything and that look showed she had something on her mind.
Constance sighed gently before explaining what had just happened. "The girl, Risa, is now awake. She doesn't know anything and she is sobbing. I offered to get her some hot cocoa. It sounds like she has amnesia, although I am not trained to make that conclusion definite. Should I call the orphanage to take her?" She asked.
Winston sighed, not liking the fact that she couldn't remember anything. "Let's wait a few days to make sure she is okay, then call them to come and take her. If anyone comes asking we will tell them where she is or maybe she will regain some memories." He didn't want to abruptly send her off; that would be cruel.
Constance nodded and went to get the girl some hot chocolate to warm her up. She came back and handed it to her, doing her best to take as good care of this girl as she could. As if it was her daughter. Although she couldn't adopt her, she hoped that her family would find her or another family would take her in.
The days passed and Clarissa couldn't remember a single thing so the orphanage was called and she was taken to the orphanage. She never knew what would await for years later, no one could have. It was the beginning of her story.
Clarissa, or now she was called Risa, sat in the back seat of the car Constance was driving. She looked at the cold snow covering the ground as she drove along. The warm sunlight made the blanket of white sparkle like millions of diamonds. She hadn't said a word since she left the infirmary.
Constance looked back in the rest view mirror and spoke. "You will be fine. You will be around kids your age and perhaps your family will come looking for you." She tried to encourage the melancholy girl. "Keep your head up high and smile, persevere through this little bump in the road."
Risa simply nodded. She was feeling a little shy only because she was torn on how she was feeling. She felt like a whole part of herself was missing. She couldn't recall anything before she woke up at the infirmary. "I know." She shortly spoke. She rested her head against the glass of the window.
Constance pulled up to the gate and got out, she opened the door and let Risa get out. "All you have to do is go in. I already covered everything with Mrs. Hemmingworth. Just keep that head up high and stay true to yourself. Take care." She said getting back into the car.
Risa looked up at the towering gate before looking back at Constance before walking through the gate and towards the house. This was where her new life would begin. The only thing keeping her going was the pocket watch she held in her hand, the only clue she had to where she could find her family. She wouldn't have a clue what life had in store for her.
❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅
A/N:
As stated in the previous chapter like suggested I needed to show more of what was happening instead of telling. The nannies were suggested by @charlottemallory which I couldn't thank her for. Since it never crossed my mind to have and it would be easier to have everything happen if she did.
The prologues are still a working progress. They need to be polished and shaped up. This is more like a rough draft you could say and this is not the finished product. I will get around to that soon enough.
Chapter talk:
This was an intensely sad chapter which before wasn't all that sad. I am just glad I am able to make this more gut wrenching by showing what happened rather than telling.
Naomi and Roger are guardian angels in a sense for Clarissa having been out there to find her and save her. They were indeed the ones to call her Risa since that was all they could make up being mumbled by her when they asked her name. I had to add that in to show how she got her name.
And lastly, anything else I forgot to ask away my pals. I am happy to answer anything!
In closing, all rude, impolite and mean comments will be replied to in a diplomatic way, reported or deleted if I feel like it is attacking me personally.
Thanks for reading!