After having breakfast early in the morning the next day, Hazel and her parents did their duties as usual, she was at the market selling her fishes when their neigbour ran to her screaming
"Hazel come quickly some Royal guards are at your house and they are hitting your parents", the boy informed her.
"What" Hazel shouted and ran off with the boy
When she got there she saw the woman whom she had met yesterday along with some Royal guards who were more in number than they were yesterday.
"Please, let go of my parents", she shouted trying to hold the stick they were hitting her parents with.
"Sorry your highness but this is a Royal command, guards continue" the woman who her parents had told her was the high chief said
"Please stop hitting my parents", Hazel pleaded crying.
"Mom, dad. Please stop hitting them high chief", she cried but the woman ignored her.
" Alright I will come with you. They want me right then I will go, just stop hitting them please" Hazel cried holding the woman's leg.
"No your highness don't hold my leg" the high chief shouted and quickly moved away.
"Guards stop" she commanded and the guards stopped hitting Sarah and Saman. Hazel ran to them and hugged the both of them
"Mom, dad" she said sobbing
"Its okay my dear we are fine" Sarah said wiping her tears.
"Your highness we should be on our way then we can't reach the kingdom late" the high chief said
"No Hazel we won't let you go there" Saman said holding her.
"Let me go dad till when we will keeping running from them. They are more powerful than us" Hazel said again crying
"Hazel you are not going to be safe there" Sarah said
"I will be fine mom, don't worry"
"Okay Hazel but we will come with you", Sarah declared
"No mom, you won't and what will you do there. Your presence can't stop them from doing whatever they wish to do to me so you don't have to come with. I promise you I will be fine am your brave girl right", Hazel assured them smiling.
"We will at least be there to take care of you Hazel, please let us come with" Saman said again.
"No dad please don't make this harder, the both of you are going to be in danger over there. You both have done so much for my mother and I you raised me for thirteen whole years and never made me feel like I wasn't your daughter, I will never be able to fully repay you for everything you have done but I can at least make sure that you both do not get into anymore danger because of me. Please mom, let me go" Hazel said crying again.
"We did everything we did because we love you Hazel" Saman said crying
"So let me go because of that love dad" she said again
"We are getting late, your highness" the high chief said interrupting the emotional moment
"Come on mom help me pack my things" Hazel said pulling her mother up
"You do not have to pack anything your highness" the high chief said again
"I have to, I spent my whole life here so I have some memories behind if I can't pack all I can at least pack a few important things" Hazel said turning to the high chief.
"Alright Your highness but please don't take long", the high chief pleaded getting anxious if she didn't get the princess to the Kingdom today, the Royal mother was sure going to behead her like she had promised.
"Come on mom, dad" Hazel said pulling her parents into the house.
A few minutes later she came out with an old bag,
"Please take care of yourself my dear", Sarah said hugging her tightly
"Try to come and see us if you can, we will miss you my dear" Saman said crying
"I will try to dad, the both of you should take care of yourself too, dad don't forget to drink the potion the physcian prescribed for your back ache just because am not here, and mom don't stay long in the river every morning you know you easily catch cold and if possible don't stay in the market till late in the evening you get sore feet remember and....." Hazel was saying when she burst into tears and hugged her parents.
"I will miss you mom" she cried, then hugged her father too
"Your baby will miss you papa", she sobbed into her father's chest
"We will miss you too, baby so stay safe and healthy"
"And no matter how much you hate King and Queen don't disrespect them its called treason"
"Respect all your elders the way you have always done and be happy my dear" Saman told her
"Bye" they said and let go of her.
"Let's go your Highness, the high chief said, and opened the Palanquin doors, Hazel got in and continued waving to her parents until the cart moved away and they disappeared into the distance.
Looking out of the windows Hazel couldn't stop her tears she had never thought that she would have to leave the village she had grew up in her whole life one day, she looked at all the faces she had gotten used to seeing everyday of her life and cried harder on realizing she might never see them again.
The walls of her village, the weather, the smell of nature, the oceans, the markets, the people, the life she had lived her whole life everything turned out to be a dream and a lie and the reality of her existence was that she was a princess born into royalty and luxury, if she had a choice she would trade all that status, wealth and status for her old happy life but alas it was just her wishful thinking.
In between her tears, the cart left Elainor village and she looked back at the entrance of her village, and cried harder "till we meet again" she yelled and continued crying. In the midst of her tears the cart entered Lexan Kingdom and she found out they had been riding for eight hours. After riding for a few more minutes, the high chief notified Hazel that they had reached the palace.
She opened the window and watched the cart slowly enter the majestic gold gates of Lexan Kingdom's Palace. Immediately the palanquin entered she was bewildered by the show of wealth, the distance from the gates to the palace doors were as long as the distance from the market to her house back in the village, there were beautiful flowers planted on both sides of the pathway leading to the Palace doors.
Maids were moving up and down and the whole place looked busy, Hazel looked at the magnificent building in front of her and was shocked, it was just at least five times taller than the house of the Duke back in her village which was the tallest building there. The whole building was painted white and doors, windows and everything on it was made with gold even the large fountain in front of the building.
"No wonder Lexan is the third most powerful Kingdom among the seven continents, everything here screamed wealth and luxury" Hazel thought as she got down from the Palanquin and saw an array of maids standing in queues in front of the Palace doors it was obvious they were there to welcome her.
"Welcome home your Highness" the maids chorused and bowed. Hazel looked at all of them not knowing what to do then she bows too and the high chief quickly pulls her up
"Sorry to correct you your Highness, but Royals don't bow to commoners, you were meant to ignore them" she corrected and Hazel nodded.
"Let's go in" the high chief said and entered the doors with Hazel trailing behind her.
After climbing a flight of stairs and turning some corridors they both arrived in front of a huge gold door and the high chief signifies the guard at the door to announce their presence.
"Your Majesty, the high chief demands an audience" the guard informed.
"Audience granted", the King replied from inside and that guard opens the doors, the high chief entered and Hazel followed her.
On entering the hall she was shocked at the size of the place the High chief already told her was the throne hall. She kept on looking around the hall until she stopped beside the high chief.
"Your Majesty" the high chief greeted and bowed while Hazel kept on looking at all the unfamiliar faces.
"Greet the Royal family your Highness" the high chief told her
"Your Majesties" Hazel said and bowed.
"This is her Highness, Your Majesty", the high chief said and everyone in the hall turned to look at Hazel, she raised her head up and met the different gazes of everyone looking at her without a single fear. Her gaze was indifferent and non chalant.
"Your Highness let me introduce everyone", the high chief said looking at Hazel.
"That's the King of Lexan and your father, His Majesty Sebastian Salcharaz, sitting on his right is the Queen, Her Majesty Queen Marah Salcharaz, on his left is your grandmother and the Royal Mother, Queen Dowager of Lexan, beside the Royal Mother are your two elder sisters Princess Klara and Princess Astrid Salcharaz, beside the Queen is the Crown prince of Lexan and your younger brother, Prince Roshan Salcharaz and beside him is the Kingdom's General Commander of the army, Queen Marah's father" The high chief said to Hazel pointing at everyone sitted in the hall.