The Royal Family, the De’Claires, lived in a marvelous palace with thick, sturdy walls adorned with ivy and large windows with pearly glass that opened out to the ancient forest surrounding it. Everything about it was beautiful. The floors were a glittering white marble. The stone statues were kept polished and perfect. The furniture was soft and fluffy, the upholstery in beautiful shades of teal and silver in the tea room, maroon and gold in the dining room, and fantastically bright daffodil and tangerine in the sitting room. The smells all around the palace were pleasant, the fragrance of flowers or sweet vanilla encompassing you like a warm hug. The night of the siege, we didn’t get to see any of it, and we didn’t know it was going to be the last chance we would have had.

De’Claire Palace was equipped with a special alarm system. When a threat was near, low pitched horns were blasted through the pipes so that the sound could carry all throughout the palace’s interior. When a threat was imminent, the horns became a higher pitch.

I awoke to the rumbling, low horns rattling the pipes in my bedroom. I was lying on my cot on the floor, and the first note rang through the palace walls and shook its roots. I leaped from my thin blankets, my heart pounding in my chest and threatening to jump through my ribs. The sound was a soft rumble of dread, and it made my hands shake and my pulse quicken. I had no time to acknowledge the fear that was creeping over my skin. I moved fast, not even bothering to light a lamp. Luckily, as the princess’s loyal bodyguard, it was my duty to always be prepared in case of an emergency. As such, I already slept in most of my uniform, including the sleeveless turtleneck and cargo pants. All I had to do was shove my feet into the steel toed boots, throw on the double breasted trench coat, yank the leather gloves over my knuckles, plop my hat on my head, and tie on my special mask. I opened the door that divided my room from the princess’s.

The princess’s room was bright with moonlight from the large window, casting off the eggshell and coral shades inside. There was a beautiful dresser along one side and a gold lined vanity with a large oval mirror on the other. The four poster bed fit with a sheer white canopy was at its center. She sat up in bed, still in a lacey pink nightgown, her eyes wide as she waited to hear from me. She knew she was to go nowhere until I arrived.

“What’s going on?” she asked softly. She had such a sweet voice, one like the fresh scent of gardenias. I hated what I had to do next. I stopped at the foot of her bed, watching as her eyebrows creased with worry, and she wrung her hands in her anxiety. I would not betray her by telling her that I could barely breathe passed the panic beginning to rise in the back of my throat like bile. My first priority was the princess. I could not afford to think of anything else. I flipped around and wrenched a dufflebag from the top of her wardrobe.

“I don’t know yet,” I told her, her eyes trained on my every move. I opened the drawers in the ornate white dresser, throwing random clothes into the bag, and then I moved to the wardrobe and started grabbing the simplest dresses I could find. I shoved them in with no regard for their well being despite the delicate and expensive material, then quickly zipped it up.

“Do we have to leave?” asked the princess. I threw her a dress and a pair of shoes.

“Yes. Hurry, and get this on,” I demanded. She slid out of bed immediately, changing quickly. I handed her a furry winter coat, and then picked up the dufflebag I had packed for her. She followed me as I went back to my small room. I stopped for a brief moment and grabbed the emergency supply bag. I adjusted the bags on my shoulders, her dufflebag on one side and the emergency bag on the other, so that I could move effectively. I reached for the doorknob to leave, but the princess’s pale hand reached out to my arm to stop me.

“Please be careful,” she said gently, looking up at me with her big doe eyes. I wanted to hold her in that moment, but I had to restrain myself. I adjusted my bolero hat on the top of my head, feeling my hair catch on it slightly.

“I will do my best,” I said gently to her. She waited for my command, knowing that it was my solemn duty to keep her safe. She trusted me eternally. I looked over her smooth honey brown hair and deep chocolate brown eyes, and for one moment I wondered if I was good enough to save her. I quickly pushed the thought aside, knowing that a moment of doubt could destroy us both, and opened the door. As I did, the horn changed its pitch, going to its high-pitched warning. I shivered. The change meant that the enemy had arrived.