Everything in her life had changed so drastically in the last day and she’d barely had time to think about it, but as soon as Maddoc left and her anger faded, she was alone with her thoughts, and the horror of everything that had happened weighed her down.
Father was dead.
It was unbelievable. He’d had a long reign ahead of him, and of all the things he could have died for, it shouldn’t have been because he was trying to protect his daughter. She couldn’t even imagine how distraught Mother would be. As his fated mate, she would likely never be the same again, and that kind of loss was devastating, not just for them, but for Ana who had watched them all her life. The thought darkened her mood, bringing fresh sobs to her chest and an overwhelming sense of loss, guilt, and shame.
This was her fault. She shouldn’t have left the palace. If she’d stayed with her parents and spent the last night with Maddoc as planned, they would still be alive, and Father may have successfully killed the outlaw on the final morning. Instead, her parents and her fated mate were gone. And she was alone in a strange place with an unreasonable, violent Alpha.
She wasn’t sure what would happen with the royal houses, especially with what she had learned about them recently. She could only hope they would take on the responsibilities the Kingdom of Allandis required of them. The people needed them more than ever—they couldn’t let Maddoc win.
He’d been one step ahead of everyone from the beginning, and if she was going to survive him, she had to be smarter. Even if she never escaped him, she would not give him what he wanted. He seemed to want to keep her as a trophy, an ornament of the kingdom he toppled, the last remnant of the king he murdered. But she wouldn’t allow him to do that.
Granted, she couldn’t do anything about how easily her body reacted to him, how quickly she became aroused, or how eager she sought to have him inside her. He had ensured he’d be the first to fuck her, and he’d somehow tuned her body to his so she would find him intoxicating—his taste, his scent, the feel of him against her. The attraction was intense and addicting, and she was powerless against it. So she tried to push away all guilt and accept that this was her fate; to be his whore the way he’d always intended, after all, he had been right—it wasn’t only three nights. But now she may even escape that duty. It was laughable he thought withholding sex was a punishment that would force her to talk to him. It was actually an incentive to never speak again! He could wait forever as far as she was concerned.
Regardless of being his prisoner, she couldn’t abandon any of her beliefs or values just because she was forced to share his bed or live among criminals. She had to be true to herself and still be Princess Ana, but now, she could be the Ana she wanted to be, the Ana she needed to be to help her people in whatever way she could. And the first thing she needed to do was find out more information. She wouldn’t take anyone’s word for anything. It was time to take her own learning in hand.
Standing up, she took her time examining the different rooms of Maddoc’s pavilion. It was built well; it was similar to one of the small cottages in the kingdom’s villages, complete with its own washroom.
Taking a scalding bath, she scrubbed all traces of the Alpha from her body, and dressed in one of the simple blue tunics with gold stitching that she found in the wardrobe. She then ventured outside.
The pavilion was situated in some kind of village. It didn't look like any of the villages she’d seen in the kingdom, but that’s what it had to be. Firm, hut-like structures, similar to Maddoc’s pavilion scattered around the immediate area, and people milled around, walking between them and talking among themselves. The flat ground wasn’t road or farmland, but solid dirt that had been smoothed over and set with something to prevent it from sticking to her slippers.
Nearby, tall, thick trees ran along the back of the structures, their branches intertwined so thickly that nothing could pass through them.
So it was true—Maddoc did have a base in Oakenshire Forest. Her breath caught as she noticed the dense tree barrier extending far into the distance. The base had to be huge.
She wandered around the immediate area, watching everyone carefully and examining the structures. Some of them were almost as large as Maddoc's, some of them were simple tents, others were shaped differently, but all of them were made securely and with lasting durability.
Strolling in whatever direction that interested her, she suddenly found herself in a busy open space with lots of people, all talking and calling out to each other. It had the bustling energy of a village square, and huts with wide windows offered different goods to trade. She stopped to watch the exchanges, noting that no money exchanged hands—one item was given for another, and in some cases items were just given freely.
Ana’s curiosity grew. What a strange type of base. It didn’t seem like the training ground for a band of hostile criminals who spent years terrorizing the kingdom. Why were these people here? Had Maddoc kidnapped them from their homes? They were clearly Allandis people, all different types and from different districts, but they didn’t seem unhappy. They wore very simple clothes; a variety of tunics, pants, dresses, but it was difficult to tell their status’—farmer, tradesman, merchant, peasant—because they all wore similar clothing, materials, and colors.
As she kept walking, she was shocked to find children playing in one of the clearings. They ran round her to a nearby structure, circling round and zipping past her again trying to catch each other. Two of them jumped on one larger boy, all of them falling to the ground, rolling and laughing. She stared at them in amazement. What the hell were children doing here?
"I’m sorry, Princess Ana, are they disturbing you?"
A woman in a grey dress stood a few feet away, having just exited the nearby hut. A nervous expression dominated her pleasant features, and she leaned forward wringing her hands.
"No… No, of course not," Ana said, glancing at the children. "I was just surprised to see children here.”
The woman relaxed and smiled. She turned her gaze to them. "I wouldn't have the strength to leave them, Your Majesty. I think I would die before giving up my children."
Ana frowned. "What do you mean? Why would you leave them at all?"
The woman shrugged. "For some, shame from peers is to be avoided at all costs, but for others, it’s shame of self." She gave Ana a lopsided smile and turned to enter the hut, leaving Ana confused.
"Wait," Ana raised a hand. "You called me princess, how do you know I'm the princess."
She smiled. "It is obvious who you are." She gestured to Ana's hair. "You are unique in many ways, Your Majesty. We expected to see you here eventually."
Ana stared at her. "You did?"
The woman shot her a puzzled look. "Of course." She turned and made her way into the hut before Ana could think of anything else to say. The children’s yelling caught Ana’s attention, and she watched them as they dashed off again.
Ana continued her journey through the village and was surprised how many people smiled or nodded at her, some outright greeted her warmly. It didn’t feel like when she usually visited a village—the people here didn’t want to talk to her beyond an initial friendly greeting. It was refreshing.
She came across an opening in the edge of the village, where the dense wall of trees were exposed, and she took some time examining the trees and their network of branches. Her first impression had been right—there was no way anyone could physically go through it, at least not without causing themselves severe injury. Yet, there had to be a point where she and Maddoc entered. She couldn’t recall anything about it now—she'd been too distressed to notice. But it was something to think about. If she could find the entrance, then she could escape or find ways to come back with the full force of the crown.