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The Runaway Princess

Once upon a time in the kingdom of Czech, long time ago, Queen Katrina gave birth to the little

princess Reyana. The happiest day for the Queen and King Moras. Everything was perfect for the

royal family for four years until Queen Katrina caught pneumonia. She battled it for weeks, but

eventually, it took her life. Leaving behind the little Princess Reyana and King Moras. Fourteen

years later, the king prepares the arranged marriage for his daughter as she approaches her

eighteenth birthday.

Princess Reyana and her father, King Moras, were walking in the garden dedicated to her

mother. "Father, I do not want to marry Raphael. He barely knows a thing about me," Princess

Reyana had the same conversation with him many times before. Since Reyana was young,

romance and true love often filled her fantasies. She used to dream about her prince, tall,

blue eyes with soft brown hair, coming to sweep her off her feet and riding straight into the

sunset. Her birthday is almost a day away, and the fantasy is now shattered.

"My little princezna," the king sighed from the fatigue of explaining his same answer in a

thousand ways, "it is your duty. With France's allegiance solidified by this marriage, we have

protection against the Ottoman Empire." Both Moras and Reyana acknowledge the marriage is

inevitable since it is a contract. Reyana became silent as the butterflies flying around the vibrant red

flowers. "I'll be out of your way, princezna, but please, as your father consider marrying him."

Reyana is looking out at the yellow, orange, and pink ombre of the sunset. The wind

blowing through her silky brown hair. Her blue eyes are watery, showing the pain of her broken
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heart. Along with the tears in her eyes, they show her mind is full of determination to maneuver the

upcoming inevitable.

She walked to her room and took her mother's necklace with the family insignia of the

roaring gargoyle on it stashed it into her satchel. Sneakily, she put on the servants old, ragged,

depressing grey cloak and headed on to the stable. Reyana mounted on her golden-colored horse,

Dahlia, and ran away from her home. She rode out into the pitch dark, the owls are hooting, but

the wolves are sleeping, the wind ominously whistling, the only light guiding her is the moon.

"Dahlia, what a reckless choice I made. I should have made the effort to know him at least"

regret, fear, and anger are clouding Reyana's rationality. Dahlia's neighing seemed to agree with

her, as they had been out in the dark and cold for a long time. "Just give me a sign," she thought of.

Magically she heard a bird chirping happily in the middle of the night. Curiously, she

motioned her horse to tread in the path of the majestic chirping.

The chirping gave Reyana a magical remembrance of a song closely associated to her heart.

Unfortunately, she can't figure where she heard it from but proceeded to find it. She reached out for

the small blue bird with a brown streak running down from the head to its tail, when she saw it.

The bird hopped on her fingers and hypnotize Reyana with its chirping. Eventually it led her to

another castle.

The castle gates open magically when the bird flew by them. Reyana entered and

thought she should adopt a new alias to hide her royal status. Kamila, a refugee from the warring

lands of the Ottoman Empire. Reyana roamed throughout the castle and looked around. There

were multiple insignias of eagles plastered on the walls of the main red colored hallway indicating
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another royal family. The kingdom of Germany, that is just great, Reyana thought. The Queen

spot her and demanded Reyana to reveal her identity.

Frightfully Reyana curtsied, without a thought. “My name… is Kamila, your highness,”

then frantically explained to the Queen that she escaped the distress of the ongoing war in her

homeland and need a place to stay.

The Queen had suspicions of Kamila because she looks divine and made her jealous.

Yet she gave her the benefit of the doubt. “One of my servants will escort you to the guest room. I

hope you say what you are or else,” then the Queen yelled at her servant to escort Kamila to her

room. The Queen observed Kamila as she followed the servant and thought to herself, who is she

really, a refugee is in a much worse condition than she is.

The guest room is smaller than what Kamila is used to, but it conveniently works. She

hides her satchel under the bed and looks out at the window. To her right, she sees Dahlia resting

in the stable among the other horses. For a moment she thought she was dreaming. Something

caught her eye that made her looked straight ahead, inside the window across into the other room.

Kamila saw the prince who had gorgeous blue eyes and brown hair soft like a fur coat. The prince

also caught her gaze, awestruck by her divine beauty. She blushed and quickly closed the curtains

and went to sleep.

The next morning they bump into each other at the corridor. Both are embarrassed, but the

prince breaks the awkwardness, “Hello madam, I am Thomas, king of Germany,” he slightly

paused to see Kamila’s reaction at the title.

“King? Aren’t you a little too young to be king,” she jokingly replied. Kamila learned

Thomas had been the king since 17 years old due to his father passing too early. “I am very sorry
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to hear that.” Kamila is head over heels for him, that she almost revealed her royal status, “My

name is Kamila, just a refugee.”

The next five days had been a complete fairy tale dream for Kamila. Thomas and her have

walked along the river, ate their meals at the same time and mostly spent their days talking about

anything. They both have something in common such as enjoying nature, their favorite food is

dumplings, and both want to change their oppressing lives to a better ones.

“If you were a royal, you would be my Queen,” Thomas stated, “Unfortunately, my mom

is pressuring me into marrying the princess of Spain. I do not want to but it is my duty to serve my

kingdom.” Upon hearing that statement, Kamila felt guilty on abandoning her kingdom, but she

praised on his nobility. That night they both had a lot to say to each other, but decided for their own

reasons not to.

Thomas escorted Kamila back to her room. They were both shocked upon seeing the

Queen holding Kamila’s mother necklace and two knights next to the bed. “My son do you know

the insignia on this necklace,” she sneerily asked and added it belongs to Kamila. Thomas took the

necklace and examine the insignia, the roaring gargoyle he muttered under his breath. Thomas

confusingly looked at his mother, and the Queen maliciously revealed Kamila’s true identity “I

can... explain... all of this,” terrified in a calming way Kamila explains to Thomas.

“No need liar,” the Queen explained to her son about the missing princess of Czech, and

how she betrayed her father, kingdom and France. “Tell me son, how are you willing to love

traitor, like this wretched,” The young adults were astonished that the Queen knew about them.
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Immediately, she ordered her knights to return her to her homeland, first thing in the

morning. Rayana took one last glance at Thomas. She saw his eyes filled with pain and confusion,

and that broke her heart into a million pieces. She couldn't even say goodbye to him.

(Two weeks later) The arranged marriage to the prince of France was still happening. Back

in her room in the land Czech, she stared out of her window, and her heart breaks at every thought

of Thomas. The small blue bird flew inside her room chirping. “Ah my little magical friend. I long

for my Thomas. He probably doesn’t love me after I lied to him.” The small bird flies away and

Reyana started to cry.

Reyana’s heart is aching as she walks down the aisle of the Cathedral. She wishes it was

Thomas at the end, not Raphael, but she puts on the smile, for her people. The minister welcomes

the people of Czech and asks the people if they do not accept this marriage. With a small portion of

hope remaining, looks at her father. King Moras shakes his head, but turns his attention to the

magical bluebird chirping the song both he and Reyana knew. The song is the lullaby his late wife,

Katrina sang to Reyana when she was younger.

Then out of nowhere: “Halt the marriage!” The deep booming voice Reyana love spoke,

“before you marry my princess you must hear this.” The last night before the Queen sent her away,

was the night he knew that he loved her. He did not care whether she is a princess or refugee. “The

way you make me feel, outweighs everything I know.”

“ENOUGH,” King Moras’s voice echoed throughout the Cathedral. “These last 14 years

without my beloved wife were miserable and depressing. You. My little princezna, made me

happy. I do not want to impose you a miserable life. You have my blessing to marry

Thomas.” At that instant they were husband and wife and lived happily ever after.