The Princess's Stolen Body

Chapter 4: An Audience

-Liana-

I looked around not knowing what to do. I was f*cking trapped! I was unsure if this woman had really been a part of stealing my body, or if she was just helping her daughter. I didn’t care! I just needed to find my way out of here, but first I needed something to wear.

I looked around the room, finding a dark blue dress swung over a chair in the corner of the room. I walked over there pulling the dress over my head and then standing there, until I realized there weren’t any servants coming to help me. I sighed annoyed and then pulled the dress higher up on my shoulders before I started to tie my corset. Usually, I could pull quite hard before I felt all the air leave my lungs, but I wasn’t in my body anymore and this one was a lot curvier. One pull and I felt I was being suffocated. I tried my best to ignore it before putting on some boots and tying them. I then walked over to the mirror.

I gasped, as I saw the way my … her breasts almost spilled over the top. Oh my! I couldn’t walk out like this. No one would even try to look me in the … eyes. It was then I stopped to look at the eyes that were now … mine, in some way. They were really interesting, with a green-blue color and one of them with the pupil spilling into the color and then running down. It did look quite odd, not that it was ugly.

I forced myself to look away after standing there studying my new body and then looked around for something to cover myself with. I found a cloak hanging over the end of the bed, and quickly pulled it around me before looking for a way out.

My eyes landed on a small window to my left and I ran over there trying to find an opening, and when I finally did, I pushed it open only to look down on the ground far beneath me. Oh sh*t!

The street was already bushing with life, as the people down there walked around the mud going to wherever they were headed and doing their daily chores. I wanted to yell down there for someone to come help me, but who would? They would just think I was crazy, or the mother to this Elisa, would simply tell them I was being a naughty child, who deserved to be locked in her room.

I shook my head, knowing screaming for help wouldn’t do me any good, and so I looked around trying to find something that might help me. I noticed to my left a thin rope hanging from one building to the other, and small flags with the lion symbol hung on the rope, yet it was quite far from my reach. Even if I leaned out of the window.

I moved back, knowing what I had to do …

I pressed my hands on either side of the window, as I stepped up onto the edge of it, and then gulped, as I looked down at the ground. It suddenly seemed so much further away, as I stood there balancing on the edge. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath before turning to the thin rope. I had to let go of the window with one of my hands, as I reached out …

I let out a small scream, as I leaned too far, losing my balance. Luckily, I was able to grab the rope just in time and then I hung there, my legs kicking the air before I heard something snap. The rope gave in under my weight, and then I swung down towards the ground before going crashing into the other wall, and then falling down into the dirty mud.

I groaned deeply, as the people around me took big steps away from me, looking at me like I was crazy. I didn’t even try to explain myself. I just got back on my feet trying not to let the pain get to me, as I stumbled my way down the street, feeling quite dizzy from the fall.

I noticed I was far from the castle. Almost at the end of the city, where people lived very tightly together, and a lot of poor people had their homes. It was dirty here and it smelled badly, but I didn’t have time to ponder over it, as I ran through the city, apologizing to the people I accidently stumbled into. They barely even noticed me, other than giving me dirty looks.

I was out of breath, not feeling quite in shape, as I finally reached the gate to the castle, where two guards stood, only allowing certain people to enter and exit. And, of course, my family as well. I smiled as I walked closer, forgetting for a moment, as I felt relieved seeing my home, that I was not the same person … or I didn’t look the same, I should say.

I just walked up there, and the guards held out their hands, telling me quite clearly to stop.

“Please. I need to go through,” I pleaded.

“And what is your business here?” one of them asked.

“I must speak to my mother!” I said.

“And who is your mother?”

I was about to say Queen Grace, but I then remembered who I was, and I knew they wouldn’t let me pass. Sh*t, what did I do?

“I need an audience … with the king and queen,” I then said.

The two of them shared a short look, but then finally stepped to the side. Any citizen was allowed an audience with the king and queen, and in this case, that was my brother and his wife, Raven. They would believe me. They had to!

I stormed inside, feeling like I was so close to getting to where I needed to be. I was running up the stairs and inside to where I knew Cole would already be having the audience. There had already formed a line of people outside of the room, he was sitting in. Raven was there too. I couldn't see much over the many heads, so I had to jump a little.

It was hard to wait for my turn, and I feared I was running out of time. What if this Elisa truly wanted to hurt my family? I couldn’t let that happen and pushed passed all the people, who complained and told me to get back in line, but I didn’t care. I just jumped in front of the person about to explain what was going on with him and found myself in front of my brother.

He looked at me shocked from the way I had just cut in like that, and I had to admit, from a stranger’s point of view, he really looked like a king. A powerful one, even. He sat straight up on his throne with the golden crown on his head, and the ceremonial sword resting against the throne, while Raven truly was the queen. Wearing a little smaller crown, and her long red hair running down her shoulder and down her dark red dress. She was fierce looking. Truly, and I begged she would believe me.

“Do you not see the line?” my brother asked me.

I almost wanted to laugh. It felt so strange hearing him speak to me in this way. Almost indifferent or coldly.

“I do … but …”

“Then you must wait your turn. There are a lot of people wanting to be heard as well,” he said.

I would have been very touched by the way my brother cared so deeply for everyone, if it wasn’t because I had had my body stolen, just this morning or night, or whenever it happened.

“I know, but-“

“Listen, you cannot just cut in and-“

“Please listen to me, Cole!” I said.

Everyone started mumbling, and it was then I realized I had accidently said his name. I had never called him your highness or anything like that. Not unless I was mocking him, of course, but now I had spoken his name.

“How dare you address the king by name,” one of the knights in the room said.

I noticed it was Sir Gawain … Oh no, he didn’t recognize me either, but how could he? I didn’t look like me. I turned to my brother again, who looked so shocked, but there wasn’t time to apologize.

“Please … Cole … it is me!” I said, but he didn’t understand. “I am Liana!”

“Sorry?” he said, confused by my words.

I took a deep breath trying to gather my thoughts.

“I am your sister! My body was taken last night or I swapped bodies or … you see, I bought this stone yesterday at the market, and then after dinner this thief tried stealing it, and I got it back from him and then I went to sleep with it on like the woman, Elisa, I now know she is called, told me to do, and then I had this dream and when I woke up, I was her! I was Elisa, and then her mother locked me in her room, but I escaped and then I came here to tell you that I am your sister, and someone took my body!”

I was breathing heavily, as my brother and Raven stared at me scared. He glanced at her, and she just shrugged, having no words. He turned to me, backing a little further into his seat.

“You are telling me … that … my sister isn’t my sister … you are,” he said, pointing at me.

I nodded.

“Yes!”

He blinked several times, glancing at Raven too, who just looked at me like I was insane.

“You don’t believe me …” I breathed, irritated. “You don’t believe me!”

“No, no, I … eh … believe you,” he said.

“You do?”

He nodded, and then turned to Sir Gawain.

“Get my sister … or my … non-sister,” he said.

Gawain just looked concerned at me before finally leaving. He believed me! Cole really believed me. He was getting that imposter who had stolen my body! I smiled at him, as we waited for Elisa or me … or someone to arrive.

It was such a shock when she finally appeared, looking like … well, me. She was coming from a door further inside the room. Gawain was right behind her. Her eyes grew big, as she saw me standing there, but she quickly masked her shock and then looked at Cole, as she moved a little closer.

“Yes?” she asked, sounding just like I would. “I hear you called for me.”

“Yes,” he said. “I am told you are not my sister.”

“I’m sorry?” she asked, laughing a little like it was the most ridiculous thing she had heard.

Cole even smiled as well, even though he tried hiding it … Oh God. He really didn’t believe me, but then why bring her here?

“Yes, but maybe if she heard it from you,” he said. “She might see what she is saying is … eh … not true.”

Elisa … or me … turned to … me, and then a calm, eerie smile spread on her lips.

“I do not know who you are,” she said politely, taking a few steps closer to me. “But I am Princess Liana. I don’t understand what you are talking about.”

My anger was boiling inside of me now, and my hands turned into tight fists as I watched her. How dare she do this to me?! I glanced at my brother, who was just shaking his head as if he was dealing with a lunatic. I couldn’t take it, and before I knew what I was doing I threw myself towards her.

“You liar!” I screamed. “You thief!”

Unfortunately, my loyal knight got to her in time, pulling her protectively behind him, as he grabbed my wrists holding me back, while other guards quickly came and took an arm each.

“You liar! You liar!” I kept screaming.

“Guards! Throw that woman out!” my brother commanded.

“No! Listen to me! You need to listen! That is not your sister! I am!” I yelled, as I was being pulled away. “Cole! I am your sister!”

But no one listened, and I was forced out of the castle and thrown away, onto the hard ground. The guards standing there over me, telling me quite clearly to walk away before I was thrown into the dungeons instead. So, with tears in my eyes, I got up from the ground and started to walk away, not knowing what to do now.