Izrina woke up with a thunderclap headache, and the sudden sickness in her stomach that made her throw up.
The memories of the previous day came rushing in, replaying every moment. The scream, blood, pain, death, arrows, fire. Izrina felt her chest tighten, her palm turn cold and her breath seized. She couldn't cry even if she tried to.
Her parents had died, and the palace burned. The young girl didn't have a place or home to return to. Her eyes pricked, and she sucked up air. If she cried then it would mean it happened.
Izrina refused to cry. She refused to accept that her life was ruined. She had fallen from royalty into nothing.
"Mm." She pinched her thumb, bitting her lips hard that she almost drew blood. Izrina had hoped it was all a dream. It was no dream, and she wasn't in after life.
Else the pains she felt in the moment would have been elusive. It wasn't. She felt the pain as they came, raw and unrelenting. Her left ear burned, so did her lungs and limbs.
The pain equaled the feeling of having stubbed a toe moments after having the thumb jammed in between door. In Izrina's case, it came all at once.
"Breathe....Izrina, breathe." Spinola hit the girl's back, trying to get her to let the tears out and not hold it all in.
They had narrowly escaped their jump into the ocean by hanging on to the side. Once the arrows stopped, they swam with vigor, the only aim was survival through the night and until morning.
Cora and Izrina got washed up on a shore earlier, and when the wave came, Spinola coincidentally found herself with them. Izrina had fainted long before the sea carried her to the shore.
Spinola removed Izrina's dresses, wrapping her with balsa leaves while her dress dried on a short tree. They hid inside a make-shift shed Cora had made before leaving the women to rest. Spinola didn't know yet the effect of the arrow or Izrina's sudden deafness, but she cleaned the blood and wrapped a white piece around her ear.
It wasn't until mid-noon that Izrina finally woke up, throwing up the water remnants in her stomach. The pain hit her all at once. The young girl couldn't handle it.
"Breathe....let it all out." Spinola pleaded, if the woman could, she wanted to take half of the pain the young girl felt.
Izrina's face paled. She gagged and gurgled. Her eyes burned with tears, so did her throat from screaming- maybe, under water. She had no memory of it.
"WHY CAN'T I HEAR ANYTHING."
Spinola grabbed her hand, the leaves falling from her chest; she pulled the girl into a hug. It was the only comfort she could give. No words, just reassurance that she wasn't all alone.
A defenseless princess. An orphaned young girl. A fugitive from her own kingdom. It took a day to ruin someone's life.
Spinola didn't know what had happened, but she was going to find out. She was going to bring justice for her best friend and her husband. Protect their child at all cost.
"THEY KILLED MOTHER AND FATHER!"
Spinola cradled the girl. She wasn't going to stop her from grieving her family anymore.
All through the night the girl had been strong, though afraid but she ran. Injured, she didn't give up. She survived everything; she deserved to mourn.
Izrina cried until she could no longer feel her eyes, her body went in seizure. Her breathing, heavy and exhausted.
"Breathe, darling...please breathe." The older woman rubbed her back continuously. Cradling her head.
Each tear showed her the image of her parents with the executioner behind them.
Something like an hour passed, with Izrina resting on Spinola's chest. She could neither cry nor speak. Spinola knew tears and weakness wouldn't have granted them the survival they had. She pushed the girl back, holding her small shoulders that now felt fragile.
"Look at me,"
Fresh tears poured down from Izrina's bloodshot eyes, her nose running. "I CAN'T-"
"Shhh!" Spinola raised her own voice. "Read my lips, Izrina....look at my lips."
Izrina glanced down. "YO- YOUR LIPS?"
The woman made a hand gesture for her to speak slowly and calmly. "Good...Everytime. someone. speaks. Look. at. their. lips." She pointed at her lips.
It took Izrina time, then she raised her eyes. "Every time I look at lips?" she repeated, her voice trembling but softer. It was no longer loud and terrified.
Spinola nodded with a grateful smile. The young girl she had trained wasn't just witty, she was also a fast learner. And that made her Spinola's favorite and only student.
"Good." Spinola stood up, grabbed the dresses that were no longer dripping with water but remained cold. "Wear this."
Izrina repeated the words slowly first after watching the woman's lips before she grabbed the dress. Pushing away the leaves that no longer served its purpose, she got into the cold dress.
Cora, who had gone in search of anything useful, walked into the small shed. He'd gathered a sack filled with wild fruits and handed it to Spinola. His eyes fell on the princess for a quick moment, but he looked away. The guard didn't want the princess to see the pity in his eyes.
Spinola took the wild cherries, wiped them on her dress then offered to the princess. While the girl nibbled on it, she said to Cora.
"Did you find out where we are?"
With a brief nod, Cora replied. "The west gate of Ziadne, the next town, and we will be at the north gate."
Spinola bit her lower lip. "That is where the duke resides," she glanced at the princess. It was her first meeting with her betrothed; was the duke's son smitten enough to protect the girl?
The woman shook her head. She has served the royal family half of her life to know that nobody is to be trusted; especially when she didn't have enough information about what actually transpired and who had accused the Kensleigh family.
"We need to go as far away from Ziadne as possible....for now." Spinola finally said, she handed Izrina more cherries when she noticed she had finished what she had. The young girl was adapting easily.
"The princess seems to have lost part of her hearing. I don't know anything about it. So we need a place we can be able to use a physician."
Cora understood what she meant. They were leaving the kingdom for good. There was no given when they'd return. "On my way here, I saw a group travelling through the west shore...we can blend in with them."
"Can we trust them?" Spinola knew they didn't have a choice on that.
"The group seems to be entertainers...." his voice trailed when he noticed the princess sobbing softly while chewing the cherry. "We can leave Ziadne with them...then go on our way in one of the small towns."
Cora was right. Spinola chewed her nails nervously. They didn't know if the general had sent soldiers to hunt down the girl or if they'd given up when she jumped into the sea.
Spinola rubbed her forehead, it has been a rollercoaster since last night. A brief moment to think and maybe sleep on a good bed would be great but-
"Princess?" Spinola tapped the girl's shoulder, "Wherever we go to...remember your name is RINA....we don't know who might recognize you by your name." So far the only outsider who had seen Izrina's face was the duke's son. The more reason his place was a bad idea.
Izrina followed the woman's lips, then nodded. "I am Rina?"
Spinola clapped her hands in approval. To Cora, she said. "Let's go. We will join the travellers."
Cora led the way, it wasn't far from where they had rested. The group dragged their feet like they had travelled the whole night too. Everyone looked famished and exhausted that they barely noticed the newcomers.
Spinola noticed that half of the travellers were women dressed in rich silk and lots of shiny jewelries. Thinking it would attract unwanted attention, Spinola had Izrina's face covered with a sash, while they held each other. From afar, they looked like mother and daughter. Cora wrapped his sword,walking closely behind the women.
After an hour of exhausting walk, they finally crossed the Ziadne territory without being caught. Spinola gave Cora a quick glance. Soon they'd separate naturally with the travellers unnoticed. All they waited for was the right timing for it.
As they got closer to a bridge, Spinola saw an opening, and she gave Cora a nod as a signal. It was their only chance.
Cora moved his feet-
"Halt!"
Spinola's heart skipped; she was about to make a run for it grabbing Izrina's arm, but Cora stopped her. They hadn't been caught...everyone was stopping.
The horses of the soldiers surrounded them. These soldiers looked like nothing Izrina had seen before. Clad in heavy armor that was covered in blood, with flags that had the painting of an eagle standing on a wheel with spikes. Her first thought was these men weren't good news.
Izrina didn't know what was happening, but she could feel Spinola's grip trembling. Did they get caught? Was she going to join her parents soon? Izrina's eyes brimmed with fresh tears.
One of soldiers said with a loud voice, "Are you escaping from Amories?"
The travellers shook their heads in unison.
The soldier narrowed his eyes. "That dressing?" His eyes darkened as if he'd seen a threat. He took out his dagger, pointing at the group, who recoiled in fear.
"People of Ziadne?" He howled in sheer disgust. "Your Majesty...an order to bleed them all."
Spinola widened her eyes; they had survived all this time to die in a stranger's land?
Cora bent down slowly, reaching for the sword behind him. It would be madness to think he'd defeat an entire army, but enough time to let the princess escape was worth his life.
"Please spare us... we are only prostitutes."
Prostitutes?! The Princess was among Prostitutes?