"Hello, Lily. I've been expecting your arrival."

Queen Madia stands tall and grabs hold of my collar, throwing me to the ground in an instant. She quietly shuts the creaking door as she locks the rusted bronze.

"Where did you find this?"

She holds up the light pink rose, making sure that it's in my field of vision. She must have been snooping around my room, because I hid it behind my mirror this morning! I don't answer her question as I look at her in utter disgust.

"Answer me, you ungrateful brat!"

"Why are you here?" I ask without a trace of kindness.

She gives me an angry smirk, stepping closer as her velvet green dress drags on the floor.

"Sir Louis told me some interesting news earlier today. He said that you not only ruined his new shirt, but you also admitted to have done it because you want to ruin the wedding!"

"I did not do anything of the sort! It was accident." I explain, frustration boiling in the pit of my stomach.

"Do not talk back to me, maid! Or else, you will for sure be banished into the dungeon!"

She walks up to me and once again kicks my side with great force.

"You disgusting piece of nothing, you are! You really think you could hide something from me? Stealing from the prince in an effort to ruin his big day?! Pathetic. You really thought you could get away with it?"

She holds up the rose and puts it in the middle of her hands, as if she's about to break it.

"NO!!" I scream in an effort to stop her.

She sharply turns her head in my direction, a confused expression on her face.

"Put. The flower. Down."

"How dare you tell me what to do! I am the great Queen of Scadia, and you are lower than the dirt you walk on so do not dare tell me what to do or not to do."

She kicks me once more, pushing all the air out of my lungs.

"Learn your place, maid. I truly cannot believe that the world has to waste air on a pathetic little nothing like you."

She then menacingly stands right above me, only enabling me to see her chin and her evil green eyes.

"You are a worthless piece of nothing. SAY IT!"

The moment she says those words, I immediately get taken aback to all the times people have told me otherwise. The nights Cara would tell me that I never deserved this abuse. The actions of sweet Mincy and Jack that would take care of me as if I were their own, always making sure that I'm healthy. Vicky always reasoning with me whenever I'd repeat what the queen would say to me. And Fredrick... all the things that he has said to me. The way he treats me and the kind words he had spoken just a couple nights ago. These little instances give me the strength I need to open my mouth and speak the words that I've been afraid to speak for as long as I can remember.

"No."

"What did you-"

"NO! I am not worthless! I'm not a rag doll that you can kick around as if I have no soul! I am a person. Like you, like everyone walking on this earth! I'm tired of listening to your words of hurt! I'm tired of taking this torment, and I am done taking orders from you! Your words mean nothing to me, Madia!"

She raises her hand in an attempt to slap me, which I respond to by gripping her arm with a strong grasp.

"Go ahead. Hit me."

I quickly stand to my feet with her arm still in my hand, pushing her in the process. She trips over her long dress, falling hard on her back. She looks at me through the pieces of hair that came out of her now less than perfect braided crown with a scared but furious facial expression, as if she's about to get up and whip the living day lights out of me. But I don't care. I let go of her arm, and grab my tall candle with the wick burning as I hold it up in front of me in an attempt to bluff.

"Where are my parents?"

She gives me a terrifying grin as she starts to laugh hysterically, filling the quietly tense room with her conniving laugh. I tilt my head at her strange reaction, my eyes not wavering from the fury of the moment.

"I'm guessing that Vicky told you?" She asks, trying to stop herself from laughing any further.

I nod my head at her obvious question, my hands shaking with every movement I make. Her laugh gets louder as she stands to her feet, keeping her distance from me and my candle.

"Your parents are dead, Lily." She says in a dark tone with great pleasure.

My heart drops and tears start to burn my eyes.

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" I assert, walking closer to her with the little flame.

"I'm not, dear. They really are... dead."

"You killed them!" I say, desperation becoming present in my voice.

"Aw boohoo, how dare I?" She laughs, putting a hand on her hip.

I step back as she steps in, now realizing the dark heart this woman has. She snatches the candle and burns my lower arm as I screech in utter horror. The pain seeps through my forearm, making it go further and further.

Suddenly, the door flings open with a startled looking Fredrick behind it.

"FREDRICK!" I scream, trying to get away from her grip.

He jumps on top of Madia and blows out the candle, pinning her to the ground. The Queen struggles under his strength as she tries to push herself out from under him.

"GO LILY!" He cries, pushing her harder to the floor.

"I can't just leave you here!" I say as tears stream down my face.

"GO! I'll be fine as long as you are!"

I spot the forever rose in the corner and swipe it from the floor as I stumble to my feet and bolt out the door. I run up the steep staircase, and sprint out as fast as I can, but I quickly notice a pair of guards on my tail. One runs into my room, and the other is right behind me.

I run past the Hall of Royals, and eventually end up in the back of the castle where there aren't any remaining guards to capture me.

He follows me through the darkness until I'm out of sight when I run behind a large pillar. I then make my escape through the metal gates as he yells at me to "Stop in the name of the Queen!" He jumps the gate and follows me into the crowd with the look of determination plastered on his rough face. The towns people are celebrating Fredrick's coronation for tomorrow, which is perfect for me because I can blend in.

He spins around, searching every corner he can. I dash into an alley that leads to the back of the town, making sure to be discrete.

The guard is long gone as I keep running to Mincy and Jack's house, the pain in my arm barely comparing to the inner pain in my chest. My parents are gone. There's no way I will ever be able to meet them, or embrace them. Fredrick is now in trouble because of me. I need to help him. Even if I get killed for it. I fall to my knees in pain, placing my hands over my chest as a blood curdling scream escapes my lips. Noise is nowhere to be heard as I yelp in utter anger and frustration.

I then start to see a blurry light coming my way as I fall to the ground in my own emotional and physical weakness, feeling completely defeated.

A HUGE thank you to my editor, !

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~Love