Page 44 of Not Another Happily Ever After

“I’ll take her.” Wolfe reappears from behind the carriage, in his hand, the small parcel of biscuits. “You three stay with the carriage. This crowd has nearly doubled in the last five minutes.”

All at once, we look out upon the shrinking space. Nearly every corner of the square courtyard is filled with unruly mops of hair and skeletal thin bodies.

“If we’re to do this, we need to do it now,” Wolfe nods, holding out the parcel toward me.

Slowly, I take it. Wolfe’s shoulders seem to relax, as if this were an offering of peace, which, I suppose, in some ways it is.

That is exactly why I offer him a small smile when I reply, “Let’s get to it then.”

Not wanting to give Rhidland another opportunity to stop me, I hurry to follow Wolfe through the crowd of gaunt, hollow-eyed people. The strength they were once known for is now just another ghost that haunts them.

I try to smile at as many as I can, but the taste of decay in the air is so thick, so rancid, it’s all I can do not to cover my face with my thin cloak. If my people are to go without such a luxury, then so shall I.

It doesn’t take long to find the curly-haired mother and her blue eyed boy again. They’ve been pushed toward a barren tree at the courtyard’s center, finding safety beneath its twisted branches.

The young boy’s eyes flicker with surprise when I step forward from the crowd, holding the parcel.

“Did you doubt me, little one?” I tease, earning a smile full of teeth.

“You didn’t have to do this, your highness.” The young mother’s voice cracks, revealing the truth in her lie. She needed this more than most.

“Nonsense. What’s sharing amongst friends?” I take her hand in mine, meaning every word. “Because we are friends, you and I. And friends are there for one another.”

Her eyes well. As do mine.

“Can I be your friend, too?” the small boy asks.

A soft giggle bubbles in my chest as my dress is once again laid into the weather worn gravel. “Of course!” I say excitedly. “A princess should be so lucky to have a brave young friend such as you.”

Wolfe shifts on his feet, and from the corner of my eye, I see his hand tighten around his blade. I follow what has his spine stiffening.

The open space around us has started to shrink. New, curious faces creep ever closer.

“Princess,” Wolfe warns through gritted teeth.

“Right,” I nod, hiding my nerves behind a smile where the young boy can’t see them. “Keep these somewhere safe,” I whisper.

But as I hand the biscuits to the boy, I’m struck with all the force of a fully-grown man.

Screams erupt around me, piercing my eardrums. It isn’t until Wolfe hoists me to my feet that I realize the blood curdling sound is coming from me.

I stare down at the unconscious man now lying at my feet, a sizable lump sitting atop his head where Wolfe hit him with the hilt of his blade. He can’t have weighed more than me.

“There’s too many of them.” Wolfe’s eyes are wild as he searches for a way through the frenzied crowd.

The people of Ruin are attacking the knights.

I watch as desperation steals all reason from the fold. Before us an older woman is pushed to the ground, hard enough to make athumpingsound. And all of this for a piece of bread…

I try to rush to her, but Wolfe stops me, his grip around my wrist ironclad.

“Please, she’s innocent,” I beg.

Something flickers across his features, but he’s gone before I can name it. Running toward where the frail old woman is struggling to her feet.

I’m only alone for a second when spindled fingers find their way into my fallen curls and pull. My head is yanked back. My gaze cast toward the sky. I try to look for the owner of the hand, but there are so many now. Grabbing and pulling, they tear at my cloak, scratching at the flesh beneath.

“Princess!” Merrek yells from somewhere in the throng, but his voice is so far I doubt he’ll reach me before I’m left all but bare.