Burning Bridges (18 page)

“
I misjudged you, Ayden Grey,
”
she said. She snatched the scarf from my hand and began walking out the gates of the house.
As we made it down the street, I looked back at the house and noticed Milo s
itting
by the window watching us, frowning. In that look alone I knew no Princess could take me away from them.

We strode in silence. Echo wrapped her hair and face in the scarf, pulling it so that
it covered up to her
nose. Not once did she look at me, not once did I expect her to. The arrangement had been temporary, if you could even call it that.

When we approached the border, which wasn
’
t far from the house at all, Echo seemed to tense. I was a bit afraid mys
elf, but a plan had already been
prepared
in my mind.

“
Ayden Grey, right?
”
one of the guards said. The others hung around in the back, their
swords
in tow as if we
proposed
some
kind of a threat.

I nodded.
“
Ye
s
, but I
’
m not going through. She is.
”

“
Name,
”
he barked at Echo. She jumped.

“
Aleksandria,
”
I said, saying the first name I could think of. It was foreign, but I
’
d heard it from somewhere.

Echo
’
s eyes met mine then, a hidden message behind her own. She shook her head slightly and I could tell there was familiarity in the name.

“
Check her,
”
the guard called
to another. A hefty looking man
came from around the guard
and immediately started
to pat
Echo down. I was surprised how impassive she remained.
             

“
Unfortunately, we aren
’
t allowing anyone through the border until the Princess is found. You
’
ll have to come back another time.
”

“
No,
”
Echo whispered.

I stepped closer to the guard and said,
“
It
’
s important that she crosses over. She…has family and they
’
re sick.
”

He shook his head.
“
Sorry, I can
’
t help you.
”

“
Please,
”
I begged.
“
Does she look harmful to you?
”
He sized her up for a minute
, and
then turned to talk to the other guards. They watched Echo and one of them pulled out a picture, holding it up to the sun. I knew it was a picture of her, but without her dress, make up
,
and hair accessories, the Princess passed as a Hunter. It helped that she had eyes as blue as sapphires, too. She was odd, the Princess. She looked like she didn
’
t belong to either side.
Her
complexion
, hair,
and her eyes were Hunter, and her accent
and demeanor was strictly Warrior.

Thinking about her made me think about the picture I still had from the Queen
’
s wardrobe and how
strange
it had been to find it there of all places. Before I had time to process the similarities again, I remembered the money. I remembered Tyron. Suddenly, I wasn
’
t in any rush to return home.

“
She can go,
”
the guard said, tucking the picture away.
“
She can
’
t return
,
though. If we see her anywhere near the border, we
’
ll turn her in.
”

Echo nodded and quickly made for the
drawbridge
as they opened
it. I didn
’
t get to look at her
or even say goodbye. She just left with the unspoken words to fill the void.

It was until she
was completely gone
and the twenty foot wall stood between us that I really began to miss her.

T W E L V E

Echo

I
’
d never felt so alone.

In all my seventeen years of life
I
’
d
never second guessed myself so much, believed in the impossible to the extent where it became plausible, or jumped head first
into something
before thinking about the consequences. To say I felt stupid would
’
ve
be
en
an unde
rstatement. My father was right.
I was
imprudent; a hopeless dreamer. I was f
oolish for believing I could run away, foolish for thinking there was another way out.
The cold, harsh truth was that I would always be this way.

Utterly
alone
.

I ran blindly through the trees. The scarf had long blown away and I was too upset—too
angry
—to turn back. How could he? I didn
’
t know a thing about him, but I trusted him. It was as if he and I only existed on this earth and I had no other shot at survival without him. In this world where the very thought of
an
adversa
ry
was frowned upon, he was my
only hope. Now it was like I
’
d lost my light and way without him. All I became was a little girl stumbling through life with a glacial void that used to be a heart.

I brushed away the tears streaming down my face and continued to run. The thought of going back home was heartbreaking, but where else was there to go? I stopped at a crossroad somewhere in the market and ducked into an alley. I didn
’
t know when I
’
d broke
n
away from the forest, but I didn
’
t care. The alley was dark and I took the opportunity to stop and think.
I slid
down the brick
wall and curled into myself, crying silently and shivering
in the slight breeze.
I was still in the clothes from the night before
and I felt
naked and exposed. How was I a p
rincess?
Princesses
didn
’
t run, they didn
’
t hide. They…

I didn
’
t know. Honestly, I didn
’
t giv
e a damn what it meant to be a p
rincess or what they did. I just knew I couldn
’
t—
wouldn
’
t
—be one.
Only, I had no where left to go but to the palace—my personal hell.

I stood to my feet and brushed myself off. It did nothing, of course, but it made me feel better about lying on a street floor in a stark alley. I wiped my face
free of tears and attempted a smile.

“
This is your life, Echo,
”
I
whispered to myself.
“
Own it.
”
I put one foot in front of the other and stepped out of the alley. I was blinded by the sun and immediately raised my hand to shield my face. I took another step and was swarmed by the people in the market. It didn
’
t take long before someone noticed me—shouts, cries, and stares announced my arrival. I kept walking until I felt a guard grab me. Not roughly, of course, but to ensure that I wasn
’
t going to run away.
Fine
, I thought,
they can have me
.

They pushed me through the gathering crowd and into a c
oach
. I barely even noticed it there, I barely notice
d
anything. People gawked at me, clueless to the fact that what they were witnessing was self
inflicted. I could
’
ve only imagin
ed what they were thinking; their
precious Princess being held captive against her will. I frowned. In a way, in this city, I was.

“
The King and Queen will be glad to see you alive,
”
a guard said to me as
he
helped me into the carriage. I didn
’
t disregard the help, but I surely did not want to be touched. He climbed into the seat next to me and we left.

I watched the people outside the window as they pulled out their cameras and began taking pictures of me. I didn
’
t smile at them; they disgusted me. Worst of all, I had nothing to say or anything to own up to. I thought about
what
all
the people
in New Haven
had
,
and then what little Old Haven had. It was ridiculous how half of a country was striving while it watched the other deteriorate. It didn
’
t make sense to me and it never would. If for any reason I wanted to become Queen, it would be to change this nation. Not in the ways of two, but one.

The c
oach
pulled up at the palace and the place had never seemed so dead to me. I saw everything in a new light. The decorations, the gardens, the gold, the glitter—it made no sense. Mother wasted no time in getting the wedding together, even with me gone. To have so much and do absolutely nothing with it was an atrocious attribute my parents had, one everyone in the family seemed to inherit but me. I didn
’
t even believe I belonged to this family anymore.

“
Princess,
”
someone called.

I glanced down at the guard and growled,
“
Do not call me that!
”
I stared blankly at him.
“
My name is Echo. Just Echo.
”
I jumped down onto the walkway without any help and stood there staring at the doors. The guards walked ahead of me and parted way for my entrance. The palace felt colder and void of all feeling. I should have felt at home, I should have rejoiced, but all I could think about was Ayden. I knew he
’
d be on my mind a lot, willingly or not.

The maids crowded into the kitchen as I passed them and they all
curtsied for
me. I shook my head and they
looked
confused.
“
You are no lesser than me, stand on your feet,
”
I said to them. The
y
did as I said, but still hung their heads.

By the staircase, Noah
was
talking on what we called a
t
eli—small and simple, and could call anyone within the walls of New Haven. I didn
’
t know who he was talking to, but when he saw me, he froze. He shoved the teli into his pocket and with a fixated glare, excused me from the guards.

“
Noah,
”
I whispered.

“
Echo, what the hell? Where
’
ve you been all this time? Did you know—
”

“
It is none of your concern, Noah,
”
I said sternly.
“
Look, I understand your anger but I
’
m okay. I
’
m just afraid that my parents will not think so lightly
of
my
disappearance
.
”

He glanced behind me at
the
waiting
guards. He sighed.
“
I
’
m afraid I don
’
t know what to tell you.
”

I took a step closer to him
.
“
You must vouch for me. Say that I was away or something. They will not believe me, unfortunately. Perhaps they will trust your word.
”

“
Is this ab
out that boy?
”
Noah sneered, his expression becoming hard and ruthless.

“
What boy, Noah?
”

He whispered,
“
Don
’
t act stupid. Th
at boy you chased after at the B
all. I saw you with him, Echo.
”

My mouth hung open as I searched for
the right
words.
“
Noah, I wasn
’
t… I swear…
”
He arched a brow and I sighed.
“
You misunderstand, I—
”

“
Whoever he is, you
will
stay away from him.
”

“
Excuse me?
”
I was apparently seeing Noah in a whole new light, too. He was no longer the boy in the carriage, the sweet-talker, or the charmer. He was a cold, arrogant tyrant
no differe
nt from his father
.
“
You don
’
t know what you
’
re talking about.
”
But he did. The violet-eyed boy was no longer a secret.

Noah turned from me and held out his hand.
“
The King and Queen await.
”

I took his hand, I had to.
“
Yes, alright.
”
Fear planted its seed in the pit of my stomach and I felt it blossom into something disastrous. If he only told a soul…

I watched him and didn
’
t
bother
to think about the possibility. We walked with the guards into the throne room and I averted my eyes from everything. My reflection stared back at me in the marble floors
and I saw how disheveled I looked. I knew this wasn
’
t going to be any ordinary family meeting.

“
Echo,
”
my father said. He sounded close. I looked up at him, my dirty tresses in my eyes, and made an attempt to look happy.

“
Father, I am so—
”

“
Your mother an
d
I are glad
you are home and safe,
”
he interrupted. He stood from his throne, and I
then
noticed the other hundred eyes on me in the room.
“
We just ask that you tell us where
you
were
so that these people will be taken care of immediately.
”

“
No need for an apology, my child,
”
Mother said from her seat.
“
It is not your
fault,
just tell us where you were.
”

I stuttered.
“
I-I was…
”

“
Were you harmed?
”
Mother asked. She stood and came to me.
“
Did they threaten you in any way? Please, tell us.
”

“
No, Mother!
’
I
yelle
d. The room
went
quiet.
“
I wasn
’
t harmed, threatened, beaten, or taken advantage of.
”

“
Then where were you?
”
Father said. I stared at him and shook my head. The gaze in his eyes said it all. One wrong answer and that was it.

Noah seemed to remember our joined hands and he raised it to my father.
“
She was with me, my King.
”

Gasps echoed around the room
and I undoubtedly felt shameful
.

“
What business
have you
with my
daughter before the wedded day!
”
Mother barked at him.

“
She came to me, my Queen.
”
Noah looked down at me and I stared helplessly back.
“
She is a woman in love, she cannot help it.
”

I started to shake my head, but Noah grabbed me and kissed my lips. I stood still with my eyes open and kept my hands from touching him. His lips were cold
and wet
, not exactly how I imagined my first kiss.
I felt an overwhelming sensation, but nothing akin to love or compassion. It was emotionless and empty. He pulled away from me and everyone in the room
watched for my mother
’
s reaction
.