A Restless Night

            In the morning everything would be different, that was one thing Penny knew. There would be no more time with family, no more attacks on her parents, no more anything.

            Penny, the heir to the crown of Meadens, would be giving up the crown; she was leaving.

            She tossed again, and again, sleep never coming even when she willed it to. Nothing. Memories of the palace ran through her mind, reminding her why the seventeen year old had to leave.

            After another hour of tossing and turning the princess slipped out of bed, she crossed the room to where her riding clothes were. Pulling them on she slipped a cloak on, made sure her hair was hidden, then crept to her window.

            She knew goodbyes were hard, she wasn’t going to put her family through that. With one last look at her bed, she opened her window, and shimmied down the tree that was conveniently placed next to the balcony. Before her feet even touched the ground she was already running across the courtyard hiding in the shadows towards the barn.

            She smelt the familiar barn smell, and inhaled it, she loved this place, loved everything about it, it was better than her fighting lessons. She stepped into the darkness and walked down the aisle of stables, past her horse, Queen, who neighed softly. Instead of taking her Penny walked towards the very last stable.

            One of the stallions of the neighboring prince neighed at her as she crept into the stable. She shushed him by petting him, then by his halter led him out of the stall towards the tack room. After everything was in check she swung up onto the saddle and sighed.

            Nudging him into a walk she led him by the reins out of the palace, past Queen who was now neighing louder, past the palace where her family slept in their beds safely, and past her room where her childhood sat.

            Past everything that had once been hers but now was nobody’s.