The Royal Maid And The Lost Kingdom

CHAPTERFORTY – TWO

Edward’s POV

I was soundly sleeping in my bed, dreaming of my love, Alice. I have been worried about her every day since she was thrown into the dungeons. I knew she was innocent and that she didn’t deserve the punishment she was receiving.

Suddenly, the alarm bell started ringing loudly, jolting me awake. I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the drowsiness, when Andrew, my brother, burst into my room, looking pale and worried.

“Edward, get up!” he shouted, “Someone has escaped from the dungeons!”

I rubbed my eyes again, still trying to make sense of what was happening. “What do you mean someone escaped?” I asked, trying to hide the hopefulness in my voice.

“It’s Alice,” he replied, his voice low and sad, “The head maid, Meredith, helped her escape.”

I sat up in my bed, staring at him in disbelief. Alice had escaped? How was that possible? And why would Meredith risk everything to help her?

“What does father want us to do?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

“He has issued a kill-on-sight order,” Andrew replied, looking down at the floor.

I felt like I had been punched in the gut. Kill on sight? That meant they were going to hunt Alice down and kill her. I couldn’t let that happen.

I quickly dressed and made my way to my father’s chambers. When I got there, I found him seated on his throne, surrounded by his most trusted advisors.

“Father, I have to speak with you,” I said, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice.

“Not now, Edward,” he replied, not even looking at me, “I am busy dealing with this situation.”

“This situation?” I asked, trying to hide the anger in my voice, “You mean the fact that you ordered a kill on sight for Alice?”

“Edward, I suggest you watch your tone,” my father replied, finally looking up at me, “Alice is a criminal who has escaped from the dungeons. I have to do what is necessary to protect the kingdom.”

“Protect the kingdom?” I asked, disbelief in my voice, “By killing an innocent girl?”

“Edward, enough!” my father shouted, getting to his feet, “I will not have you question my authority.”

“I’m not questioning your authority, Father,” I replied, trying to keep my voice calm, “I just don’t

understand why you would do this. Alice is innocent, I know it.”

“Innocent?” my father sneered, “She accused me of murder in front of the entire kingdom. Do you have any idea what that could do to my reputation? To the reputation of the kingdom?”

“But Father, what if she’s telling the truth?” I asked, desperation creeping into my voice.

“The truth?” my father asked, disbelief in his voice, “Do you really believe that I would murder someone? That I would betray my own people? Do you think I was that greedy? Or do you think I’m bounded by money or power?”

“I don’t know what to believe,” I replied, my voice low, “But I do know that I can’t just sit here and do nothing while Alice is hunted down. I love her father; I am in love with her”

“And what do you propose to do, Edward?” my father asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, “Ride out and save her yourself?”

“If that’s what it takes,” I replied, determination in my voice.

“Edward, you are a prince of this kingdom,” my father replied, his voice hard, “You have a duty to uphold the law and the order of this kingdom. Alice is a criminal, and it is your responsibility to bring her back to face justice.”

I stood there, unable to believe what I was hearing. Alice, a criminal? It couldn’t be. I had known her more than anyone here, and she was one of the kindest and most caring people I had ever met. I love her for crying out loud, how could I let her die?

“Father, you know that she’s not a criminal,” I argued, “She’s been wrongly accused. You know that she wouldn’t hurt a fly. Please, let me bring her back, and we can get to the bottom of this.”

My father’s expression softened slightly, and he sighed. “Edward, I wish it were that simple,” he said, “But there are forces at play here that you don’t understand. I cannot simply let her go.”

I could feel frustration and anger building up inside me. I had always known that my father was strict, but I never imagined that he would be so unfair. “What do you mean, forces at play?” I asked.

“Edward, you are young, and you have much to learn,” he replied, “There are political and personal interests that you are not aware of. You are not ready to handle them.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Was my father truly saying that he was willing to let an innocent woman suffer for the sake of politics and personal interests?

“I don’t care about politics or personal interests,” I said, my voice raised, “I care about Alice. I care about finding the truth.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

My father’s expression turned stern, and he looked at me with disappointment in his eyes. “Edward, you are a prince of this kingdom,” he repeated, “You have a duty to uphold the law and the order of this kingdom. Alice is a criminal, and it is your responsibility to bring her back to face justice.”

With those words, he turned and left the room, leaving me standing there, alone and confused. I felt like I was caught in a nightmare, and I couldn’t escape. How could my father be so blind to the truth? How could he be so heartless?

That night, I lay in bed, unable to sleep. My mind was racing with thoughts of Alice, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency to find her and help her. I was determined to find out the truth, no matter what it took.

The next morning, I set out to find Alice, with the help of my brother, Andrew. We rode out of the kingdom, following the trail that she had left behind. It wasn’t long before we came upon a small village, where we were told that Alice had been seen.

We approached the villagers with caution, not sure of what to expect. They looked at us warily, and I could tell that they were afraid.

“Please, we are not here to hurt anyone,” I said, trying to sound as friendly as possible, “We are looking for a woman named Alice. Have you seen her?”

One of the villagers stepped forward, looking at us skeptically. “Who are you?” he asked.

“We are Prince Edward and Prince Andrew,” I replied, “We are from the kingdom, and we are looking for Alice.”

The villager looked at us for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, we have seen her,” he said, “She came through here a few days ago. She was with a woman named Meredith.”

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of Meredith’s name. She was the head maid at the palace, and she was one of the kindest people I had ever met. She always had a warm smile and a gentle demeanor, and I had always suspected that she held some sort of affection for Alice. I couldn’t believe she would be involved in anything like helping her escape from prison.

“Meredith helped her escape?” I asked, trying to wrap my head around the idea.

“Yes, like I told you before,” Andrew said to me before he turned to address the knights that were with us.

“But how? Last I checked Meredith was a maid also. And she not only killed an archer skillfully the night they escaped the dungeons but she was also able to get this far unchartered.” I said, Andrew too stopped and started thinking about it.

“I have seen her train before.” One of the knights said.

“What?” Andrew asked “She can fight that good? how long have you seen her train.” He continued.

The knight tilted his head trying to remember “I have been a knight for over 10 summers now so let’s say throughout those periods, I even trained her at one point. I thought she wanted to try her luck to become a female knight too like Ambrosia when I heard she was also a palace maid.” He said to us.

I was stunned to say the least but that should not even matter for now, what mattered to me is the state of my lover and how my father is hell bent on killing her. It’s not every day a prince gets to pick between his father and his maid lover. I gave myself a sad smile.