You kicked up dirt as you continued running down the streets of the village, looking wildly for two familiar faces. People shouted at you as you raced by stalls and narrowly missed knocking people over until you spotted who you were looking for.

"Alex! Nadia!" You yelled as you ran towards two surprised figures. Slowly you skidded to a halt in front of them, realizing just how far you had ran. Instantly your legs felt like jelly and you sank to the ground.

"(Y/n)!" exclaimed a girl with red hair and brown eyes, "Are you okay!?"

You nodded and held up a finger, signaling you needed a moment before saying anything. A boy with blonde hair and green eyes walked around behind you and hoisted you up and onto a conveniently placed barrel before joining the other girl's side.

"I'm," You paused, taking in air, "I'm fine, just out of breath." You finish.

"I thought you were supposed to have an audience with the princes," The boy inquired as he eyed you in case you sank to the ground again.

You paled at the mention of the princes, "Don't say anything about that Alex." You rushed out and looked at him pleadingly.

"What happened in there?" Asked the girl as she stared at you worriedly.

"N-nothing good. I'm just going to pretend I never went, and you should too." You stated and cut off all other mentions of the visit. "Anyway, how's Beli?" You asked.

Beli was Alex's Friesian horse. She was black with beautiful dark grey markings. A few days ago, she started walking differently and becoming startled when anyone approached her. You knew that Alex loved his horse more than anything in the world.

"She's...okay," he mumbled, "I had the vet come in to look at her but she couldn't see anything wrong with her." You could see that Alex's eyes were filled with pain and worry and you instinctively reached out to pat his arm. "It'll be okay."

He looked at you surprised and then nodded, putting a smile on his face.

"I'm here too!" Whined Nadia, "I'm your friend too. Show me attention!"

You laughed and shakily stood up to hug her. Nadia's sense of humor always lightened the mood and brought a smile to your face.

"You sure you don't want to talk about what happened?" She quietly asked as you pulled away. You felt embarrassment and hesitation rise in your stomach as you sat back down. Both of your friends looked at you expectantly and you sighed.

"No, I really don't, but I probably should."

You told them about the whole fiasco that went down in the palace while Alex and Nadia listened with wide eyes. Once you were done you didn't feel any better than when you started, but had a slight comfort knowing that Alex and Nadia now knew.

"I never would have guessed that the 'mysterious twins' were borderline assaulters!" exclaimed Nadia as she stared at you. "I guess having their attention isn't really something you want though."

You grimaced and nodded, not wanting to think about what was going to happen soon.

"We'll help you avoid them," Alex offered, staring at her in a determined manner, "We'll hide you and make sure they can't find you. We'll say you ran away."

You stared at Alex hopefully, "You really think that'll work?"

He scoffed, "What are they gonna do? Kill all of us?"

You laughed, "No, they wouldn't. This is why you two are the best people in the whole world."

Nadia crossed her arms in a mock pout, "What? Was there uncertainty before?"

You laughed again, "Never." You were thankful that your friends were able to lighten the mood and diminish your worries, now you just had to wait until the week had gone by.

Alex nudged you, seeing you space off, "(Y/n) don't worry about it. We've got your back. We won't let any stupid princes whisk you off to the palace without you wanting to go." He grinned.

You smiled back and nodded, trying to ignore the uncertainty clawing its way into your brain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day you woke up, still tired. You had had nightmares most of the night worrying about being forced into a job with the princes and it constantly woke you up in a cold sweat. You peered around your quaint room.

Your bed was against the left wall, and beside it lay a small writing desk. On the opposite side a small bookshelf sat with the remnants of children's tales and a few dusty old books. There was a small circular (f/c) rug that was placed in the center of the room and across from your bed was the door. Small drawings decorated the walls, showing the progression of your artistic abilities.

There was a knock at the door and an older woman came in. The roots of her hair were graying, but her eyes still held a soothing warmth and she smiled at you.

"(Y/n), come downstairs and help your father out back. I'm cooking breakfast and when we're done, you can tell us all about your palace visit." She excitedly said and slipped out of the room.

You sighed and stared at the door until you willed yourself to get up. You went over to a small dresser tucked beside the bookcase and pulled out black leggings and a gray t-shirt that hung close to your knees. You pulled your (h/c) hair back into a small bun and walked out into the hall.

After stopping into the bathroom and brushing your teeth, you walked down the old creaky stairs into the living room. It was also a quaint area with one long brown couch and a matching coffee table. Bookcases lined the walls and books were scattered on the coffee table as well. You passed through an archway and were hit with the smell of pancakes. Your mouth watering slightly, you made eye contact with your mom. She pointed towards the sliding door where you could see the shadow of someone in the yard. You slid the door open and stepped out onto the small porch staring at the person working hard to pick something from the bushes that lined the back of the property. You looked beside you to see a grey cat lazily sitting on the railing of the porch, eyeing you carefully.

"Hello to you too Ruby," You joked as you reached out to scratch her head. She purred in happiness and watched as you walked towards the figure.

"Hey dad," you call out as you approach him, "Mom said you needed help?"

A man turned around and grinned at the girl. He looked to be in his early 50s and you could see the slightest hint of white hair making its way into his normal color. His eyes were creased with years of worry, but still had the same warmth as your mom. He pulled you into a headlock and ruffled you hair and let you go again, gesturing to the bushes.

"It's the perfect time to pick them," Your dad said as you stared at the weird purple fruits. They looked similar to a strawberry but had a more circular shape and the seeds were smaller.

"What are they?" You asked as you reached out to pick some.

"They're called Bezaberries. You use them in remedies, although they're very potent." He explained.

You picked one and went to put it in your mouth before your dad slapped it out of your hand, "No (Y/n)! They're not meant to be eaten. They can cause serious nausea to anyone who eats them. I don't think you want that since moms making her famous pancakes right?"

You shook your head and eyed the berry warily before going back to helping your father. Both your father and mother worked as something similar to herbalists for the village. They sold remedies and concoctions that helped from headaches to broken bones. After you finished you went inside to see breakfast on the table with your mom smiling in her chair.

You sat down and quickly started eating, hoping to eat and get up before your parents started asking about your palace visit. "Slow down dear! It's like you're a vacuum!" Your mom exclaimed as she looked at you with wide eyes.

You looked at her guiltily and slowed down your pace, but still trying to get out of the situation.

"So," your father started, "how was your visit to the palace?"

Your movements stopped for a minute, before continuing to eat, "It was fine." You stated, not elaborating.

"Well, what did the princes want?" asked your mother.

"Nothing much, just asking for my opinion on the village and what could be improved upon," You lied, "I told them that there wasn't much to change, and they let me go."

Your father stared at you for a moment before shrugging, "I've heard of them doing that before."

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding and stood up from the table. You brought your dishes to the sink and placed them in there before turning to go back up the stairs.

"We love you!" called your mother

"Love you too!" you called back as you opened the door, your mood decreasing with every second.

It happened like that for the next 5 days. You would wake up to help your dad, eat breakfast then spend the rest of the day in your room. Dread washed over you as the 7th day drew nearer and nearer. You closed your eyes on the night of the sixth day, and then, the sun was already coming in from the windows.