Alexia
Sounds and noises in the background made my heart flutter, I ran, but it was as if I never left the place.
The dark forest, trees blocking my field of vision and branches that brushed and tore at my skin, I kept running.
"Death to the princess" they shouted, and I kept running, panting and frightened, looking for an escape, a place to hide, a way to save myself.
Charlotte had left me for dead, I couldn't keep up the lie and now I had the rope around my neck, running to avoid being caught, feeling that at any moment my lungs would give out from exhaustion, it was as if my whole skin would tear from the inside out, my blood was hot and the adrenaline was driving me forward, I wanted to live, I wanted to keep running.
I came to the edge of a cliff where all I could see below was the abyss, I looked up at them, their swords sharpened for just one helpless woman, I knew that my head would be cut off in the square and that shame would follow me even into the afterlife, they shouted things like "sinner" and "usurper" Charlotte left me to die in Olimper and now, the swords were pointed towards my heart.
Only the wind and despair ran through me, standing on the edge, with every step I felt closer to the precipice, I felt it was my end, there was no other way, no other way.
I struggled against the hair hitting my face, barely seeing their faces in the darkness, the lit torches showing a glimpse of their angry expressions and my blurred vision.
I closed my eyes and threw myself into the abyss.
I woke up in tears, struggling on the bed, looked around and realized that I was in Estevan's room, alone and that I had only slept in the afternoon.
I looked at the clock; although it was half past five, the sun had already set and it was cold. My heart was still racing because of the strange dream I'd had, I still feared for my life and I knew that dream could happen, I still feared that Charlotte would leave me in Olimper while she lived out her escape, even if it exposed her a little.
I wasn't sure about holding on so the fear was growing by the day or maybe it was the anxiety, Charlotte said she would send a signal on the third day and on the sixth, I looked out of the window.
I was waiting, it was all I could do.
I walked through the castle corridors in order to explore, taking advantage of Estevan's absence and imagining that he must still be with his parents, I walked aimlessly looking for visible and non-visible gaps, secret doors that I could pass through if I needed to save my life, just like in Torrem Castle, where I knew every corner of every secret door that was freely accessible to me so that if Princess Charlotte needed me, I could protect her, hide her or buy time.
I found a secret door just two corridors from my room and entered through it, happy to have found one of the secret doors near Estevan's room, knowing that I probably had at least a quick way of accessing the others.
I walked carefully up the narrow stairs, which were made of clay with no finish, while the rocky walls resembled a cave.
There were lit torches illuminating the path, I frowned as I realized that they were lit, noticing that I couldn't continue or I would soon bump into someone along the way.
I started to hurry up the stairs again, but then I heard the sound of conversation coming from upstairs and I hurried back down the stairs, almost falling over until I reached a large room and saw a table covered with a blue cloth that covered the entire length of its legs.
The conversation, which had previously been quiet, grew louder and I could understand what they were talking about with regard to Estevan's poisoning.
"If you used one more dose."
"The taste would be too strong," they quickly discovered. It wasn't the dose, it was enough to knock over a horse, I don't know how he survived."
"Witchcraft."
I looked up.
"Maybe it's a girl, the doctor said she took the lead several times and that she induced the vomiting."
"If they claim she's a witch."
My heart raced, I was in the same room as the men who tried to kill Estevan, I noticed that a piece of my dress was sticking out a little and I pulled it up, if I was caught I would be killed right there, without a trace.
"We need a fool, someone to do this, we can't attract attention."
"Or we could blame her for his death, I think that would be like ending the whole problem in one go."
I felt my blood run hot and I clenched my hands tightly. One of the voices I recognized was that of Councillor Marcelo, who had been in the meeting room earlier, and the other I didn't know who it was.
"It's a good plan, soon the kingdom will be ruined without Estevan and his dragons," said the man with the big beard, and soon his voice became distant.
I heard his footsteps coming up the stairs and waited until I heard the door close before I came out from under the table.
"Damn them!" I said to myself and walked around the room, seeing that there were many objects in the room, a row of glasses labeled with poisonous plants was there, all the evidence of their crimes.
I looked around, the room had another door which I intended to explore. The whole lair was very well designed, but easily accessible. Perhaps they didn't want to hide their sins, only that they had caused them.
They thought it would be easy to kill Estevan.
I didn't know what the point of everything that was happening was, why he wanted to kill the prince of Olimper W why so many enemies W there were more secrets under the cloth that I didn't know, the words that Estevan shouted while he was delirious with fever said that the story was to be seen from both sides, I wasn't that innocent, Estevan said that he had committed many sins in the past, I didn't know the man who was putting me to bed very well, yet I was certain about Estevan.
I wouldn't leave Olimper without first making sure that Estevan was no longer in danger, and to do that, I would have to expose Councillor Marcelo and his assistant.