Hiding From Royalty: Part 10

Written by Brooke.

The two girls quickly and quietly climbed down the wall. They must be perfectly silent, for fear a guard might see or hear them. Once they reached the bottom, they crawled along the wall behind the bushes. Once Maria kicked a stone accidentally. The girls froze and strained their ears, listening, waiting, watching. No guards appeared. They crawled some more. Then they saw a beautiful sight. Past the woods, at the very edge, they could see the castle gate.

The way to freedom.

"Maria!" hissed Isabella. "We have to make a run for it. See that huge tree? Run behind that one. Now go, go, go!" Swiftly but silently, their feet pounded into the mossy earth. Isabella made it to behind the tree first. Suddenly a hand clamped over Isabella's mouth. She tried to scream but was unable to do so. "Shh", a voice whispered. "It's me-Hannah. I came to rescue you." Isabella immediately relaxed. Just then Maria darted behind the tree. Then she saw Hannah. "What's going on?" she whispered in a frightened tone. "My sister", Isabella replied shortly. They must stop talking and press on. Every second counted.

Cautiously the three and Buttercup moved through the woods. They hardly dared to breathe. If they were caught, they could be badly mistreated-or worse.

When they finally got to the edge of the woods, Hannah let out a soft gasp. They couldn't believe their eyes. Surrounding the gate were at least a dozen armed soldiers. They were so close to freedom yet so far away. How could they ever escape now?