Chapter 6. Betrayed

“Where are we going mother?” I asked. The queen looked at me with her green eyes which closely resembled mine and smiled tenderly. “We’re going on a vacation Cybele,” she said. “It’s been a while since the three of us have gone to the vacation house. Your father and I want to spend time with you.”

She ushered me inside the car and I scooted in where my father was waiting with a smile. I got my toffee colored hair from him. The rest of my features were a combination of theirs. It turned out fine I guess since most people always say I looked like a doll or would also be a fitting supermodel when I grow up.

I could only ever laugh at them. Being a model was not for me. I was to be the queen and queens didn’t have time for that. I would be a good ruler though, one that was fair and just to all the people in the country. I’d make sure of that.

“My beautiful princess,” daddy said while giving me a huge hug. “I have a surprise waiting for you. I’ll give it when we arrive at the vacation house.” Mother got inside the car and shut the door close. “You’ll like your father’s surprise,” she said with a gleam in her eyes.

“What is it mother?” I asked. “Are you giving me books? Please tell me I’m going to receive books,” I pleaded.

“You and your books,” she chuckled. “Your father and I will be giving you any books you want, but our surprise this time is different.”

“Can I take a guess?”

“Sure,” they said together. When they did, they stared at each other lovingly and shifted their gaze back to me. Mother and father really loved each other. I wanted that kind of relationship with Talia. Speaking of Talia, she was my guess.

“Is your gift Talia?” I asked with wide eyes. My mother laughed. “You’re a very silly girl. I don’t think Esmeralda will like it if we wrap her daughter and give her to you as a gift.”

I pouted. “Aww. . . In that case I’ll just wait till we get there.”

Ronaldo, our head guard got inside the driver’s seat and started the engine. “Your highness,” he said while looking at the King through the rearview mirror. “Everything is ready. All the other guards will accompany us for this journey. Once I start this car, everyone will follow.”

“Let’s go then,” father said. As promised, Ronaldo drove safely on the road. Three other cars were in front, while four other vehicles followed behind us. Those were the royal guards, ensuring the king and queen, plus the princess would safely arrive at our destination.

Even though our family didn’t have enemies, and we were adored and loved by the people of this country, the guards took their job seriously. Only noble children like Talia could talk to me. But my parents communicate with everyone, even the poor people. Mother always said to be kind to everyone, even the poor. She also wanted to eradicate poverty, but that would take time.

We arrived at the vacation home before nightfall. I was exhausted from the travel but I was also excited to be here. The lovely villa was next to a lake. It has been a long time since we visited. Mother and father were very busy and I was often left alone to my studies.

“You look tired princess. Would you like daddy to carry you?” My dad wriggled his eyebrows which made me giggle. “Can you give me a piggyback ride?” I said.

“Of course,” he said while taking me out of the car and hauling me over his back. “Your father is not only the king, I’m also a very very strong man. That’s why your mother fell in love with me.”

“That’s just one of the qualities I liked about you dear,” mom said and got out of the car. Ronaldo the guard quickly followed suit. “Your highness,” he said to father. “Please let me carry the princess. You might hurt your back.”

“Nonsense,” father retorted. “I’m only 30 Ronaldo. Don’t treat me like an old man. Besides, it’s not every day that I get to carry my lovely princess. There will come a time when she’d be too big even for me. You’ll be a very pretty lady by then,” he said over his shoulder to me. “You’ll break a lot of handsome prince’s hearts.”

“But I don’t want a prince daddy,” I mumbled. “I only like Talia.”

Father walked us to the villa and when I glanced back, I saw Ronaldo and the other guards trailing close behind. Mother went to the lake with her personal guards.

“You can have anything you want princess, even Talia. You’re the future queen. Everything is yours,” father said. “But never forget your responsibility to this country. Rule first and love will follow. But what am I saying?” he said with a shake of his head. “You’re years away from that. Only think about relationships when you grow up. I mean it Cybele.” I almost laughed at his warning tone. Sometimes father liked to pretend that he was a tough guy. But he was a big cuddly bear when it came to me and mother.

“Okay daddy,” I said with a smile. He placed me down on the floor once we entered the villa. I took a good look around. I missed this place. It was in the countryside and was next to a beautiful lake. There were more than 20 bedrooms and though it was not larger than the palace, it was pretty peaceful and beautiful.

It was cold though because traces of snow have begun to fall outside. The servants welcomed us inside with a bow and each of them scurried to do their business. The guards took their positions, while father took my hand and walked me to a room.

“This will be your bedroom while we’re here,” he said and opened the wooden door to my chamber. The area housed a four post canopy bed, a large wooden table, a comfortable-looking couch, and a fireplace. It would be nice to read a book next to that later.

“But,” he continued. “You’ll only go here when it’s time to go to sleep. In the meanwhile, you can stay with me and your mother. We will tell you stories before bedtime and play like we used to. You like that princess?”

“Yes father. But where is mother?”

“I’m right here princess,” mother spoke from behind us. She was now wearing a lovely black coat over her beautiful white dress. “Here,” she said while handing a small coat to me. “It has begun to snow outside. It would be a little chilly so you need to wear this.”

Father helped me put the coat on and my parents took both my hands and walked me to their room. Their chamber closely resembled mine. It had a four poster bed and a huge fireplace that warmed the whole area. I quickly ran beside it and sat down. The charcoal glowed a bright orange and it was both pretty and scary.

“Have you guessed your gift yet?” mother asked. I caught her green eyes twinkling when she asked the question. I nearly forgot about the gift, so I didn’t know what it really was.

“No, mother. But please, please tell me.” I gave her my most endearing puppy eyes which made her laugh. She was immune to it by now. Only father got affected by it. “You have to guess first,” she said and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Aww come on,” father said. “Let’s just tell her.” See? I knew daddy couldn’t resist me. I looked too much like his queen. The smaller and cuter version.

“You spoil her too much,” mother said with a wave of her hand. “But alright I’ll tell you. Our gift is a horse.” I stood up immediately and almost jumped in delight. My own horse! I could only ever ride my mother’s horse before and I was going to have one of my own.

“Settle down princess,” she said. “It’s snowing outside and the sky is dark already. We’ll show you the horse tomorrow. Deal?”

“Oh my God! I’m going to name her Jessie! Can we go here with Talia next time? I want us to ride the horse together.”

“I have to talk to Esmeralda about that,” she said. “But I think she’ll allow her daughter to accompany the future queen.”

“Yay!”

Someone knocked on the door, halting our conversation. It was Ronaldo, informing us that dinner was to be served in the dining area. My parents and I went there and ate while swapping stories. Father recounted about his meeting with the other noble gentlemen, while mother told us about her charities and feeding the poor.

As for me, I told them about my studies and how I was learning not only etiquette, but other languages as well. It was important for a princess to learn how to converse with other people. Even those in different countries.

Then, I told them about my adventure with the maids. How I’d sometimes play hide-and-seek when it was meal time, or how I’d trick the head maid. Mother and father laughed heartily. They didn’t scold me for being playful. Even though I was to be a queen, they also knew that I was a child. And children tend to be naughty.

That was another thing I loved about them. They never took things seriously. I knew a couple of princesses from other countries and all their parents were very strict. Mine was different. Mother and father were as laidback as it could get. I was very fortunate to have them.

After eating dinner, the three of us went back to the bedroom. Father told me ghost stories about a beheaded horseman. I wasn’t scared at all. But I couldn’t say the same for mother. She was shivering in the dark and the soft glow of the fireplace gave an eerie glare to her eyes.

When we were getting to the good part somewhere in the middle of the night, someone knocked on the door. Mother and father were quite surprised since they thought everyone was asleep already.

“Come in,” said father.

Ronaldo went inside the room and closed the huge wooden doors behind him. Mother raised her eyebrows. It was unusual for Ronaldo to come in late at night. Was there a problem? It seemed that my parents were thinking of the same thing.

“What do you want Ronaldo?” father asked. The huge guard walked closer and stayed silent. We watched him stand there for a couple of seconds before he spoke. “I’m so sorry your highness,” he said in a low voice.

Father raised himself to a sitting position on the bed. Mother was right beside him while I was sitting next to the fireplace. Mother gave a small gasp when Ronaldo produced a knife from his coat and stabbed father straight in the chest.

“Daddy!” I cried out and ran as fast as I could to the bearded guard. I grasped his arm and bit it hard. He shook me off and tossed me to the wall where my shoulder slammed with a thud. Pain shot in my upper body, but I didn’t cry out.

I was more concerned for my father who was bleeding and gasping on the bed. Mother screamed with tears in her eyes, “Help! Guards! Help your king!”

Ronaldo shook his head. “I dismissed all the guards and servants and sent them on an errand. I told them it was the king’s orders. No one can help you my queen.”

Mother trembled and had a pained look in her eyes. I could see the conflict there. She was deliberating whether to save my father from dying or to defend me and herself from Ronaldo. Her duty as a mother came first. She ran in front of me and took a fighting stance.

Mother might not look like it but she was a fighter. We all were. We were trained to fight to defend ourselves even if we had guards. Only my training wasn’t complete yet since I was merely 10 years old. But I doubt I could do anything against Ronaldo who was the head guard.

“Why are you doing this?” she whispered in front of me.

Ronaldo took a step forward. “Esmeralda is my lover,” he said. “If the three of you dies she’ll be the queen. Talia will be the princess.”

Tears poured from my eyes. The threat was real. He was going to kill us mercilessly so Talia could have the throne someday. I hate him! I hate every single one of them.

“Do not do this Ronaldo,” mom pleaded. “Cybele is an innocent child. She’s to be the future queen and no one else. You don’t have to include her in this. Set her free.”

“I can’t,” he said while shaking his head and taking a step forward. “This is for Esmeralda.” He raised the hand holding his knife and it gleamed dangerously. Before he brought it down, mother took the opportunity to kick him in the stomach.

He doubled over and I ran to my father’s side on the bed. He was bleeding and unseeing. “Father,” I choked. “Father I love you.”

He raised his hand. “My beautiful princess. You’ll be a very lovely queen when you grow up. Promise me that.” I heard my mother and Ronaldo fighting but I tuned it out. Father was the most important right now. I knew he was dying.

I grasped his bloodied hand. “Don’t leave us. I beg you!” My body trembled and my voice was weak. But I didn’t care. Father just smiled and gasped. After choking on his own blood, he lay lifeless on the bed, a smile still pasted on his handsome face.

My eyes burned with tears as I tore my eyes away from him and back to my mother and Ronaldo. I was stunned to see him choking her. “Cybele,” she coughed. “Run!” The last thing I saw before I did her instruction was the red of her blood coating her white lovely dress. Like my father, her eyes were lifeless. She was dead too.

I ran to the hallway as fast as I could. But my small feet were no match for Ronaldo’s powerful ones. He caught me in an instant and dragged me back to the room were the dead king and queen lies. I kicked him savagely on the groin and watched as the knife fell from his hands.

I seized it from the floor and stabbed him on the stomach. He screamed loudly before punching me in the face and stabbing me on the back. I cried out in agony and slumped to the floor. It was going to be the end of me. I would die in this villa with my parents without anyone finding out. Before I knew it, darkness took my vision.

I was sure I died and went to hell the next time I opened my eyes. Everything was in flames- the curtains, the bed, the door. The whole place was on fire. Ronaldo was nowhere to be seen. I was still alive though I was bleeding badly. That meant I had a chance. A chance to survive.

With one last glance at my parents, I opened the window and climbed outside. The whole villa was burning and no one was in sight. Ronaldo wasn’t kidding when he said he took care of the guards and servants. It was snowing hard and I had nothing on but the dress I was wearing as well as the coat my mother gave me a few hours ago. I was barefoot while freezing and bleeding.

You can’t die here Cybele, I told myself. You have to set things right. I walked slowly, my feet digging on the harsh snow on the floor. I didn’t mind the biting pain it caused me. It was nothing compared to seeing my mother and father dead on the floor.

It was nothing compared to the betrayal that Talia and her family did to me. I would have my revenge on them. Somehow, somewhere I would come back and claim what was mine. For now, I have to survive.

One step after another, my foot carried me to God knows where. Revenge. Revenge. Revenge. It kept on repeating in my head. Run Cybele, I heard my mother’s voice in my mind. Yes I would mother. For now. But trust me. I’d come back and claim what was mine. Even if I hurt Talia. Even if I hurt myself.