The view of the sea was Luc’s favourite part of her bedroom. Standing by the open window, the sound of waves lapping up onto the white sand carried like a melody over to her. From above, the yellow moon watched in silence. The scene was almost like those intricate paintings Mother would spend fortunes on and hang in the halls to impress. There was only one difference.

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The paintings never seemed to include the wall.

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About a mile out from shore was the biggest eyesore Luc had ever seen, and it was one she constantly saw almost every day since the moment of her birth. Built up higher than God, the wall had existed for centuries, circling the entire kingdom and hiding them away from the world. Father would say it was there for protection, but she knew better than to believe him. Luc supposed she should count her blessings that this portion of the wall had not been worked on since Father was a babe. At least she did not have to hear men worked to their grave by building higher and higher as other areas had to deal with. Regardless of what blessings she could count or what reasons were promised as to why it was necessary, it did not change a thing about the monstrous creation. A cage was a cage, whatever you called it.

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“Are you sure about this, Mistress?” Maddie fidgeted from her place in the corner, hands gripping at the front of her outfit. Her mouth was twisting worriedly, her already pale skin seeming gaunt. “There will be no changing your mind?”

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A small smile pulled at Luc’s mouth. “I’m sure.” Her voice was soft, yet confident. It had always been that way, something she was taught from a young age. It would not do for someone like her to stutter over their words, nor to seem overly abrasive. A high demand was placed on her shoulders, until eventually there was no separating the girl from the lessons.

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But some things could not be completely wiped out. No matter what her role was meant to be, there was a spark she was born with, a spark much brighter than the tiara resting threateningly on her vanity. That tiara had always felt too heavy on her head, like lead willing her to sink beneath the sea’s waves and never return. If Luc stayed for much longer, it would end up getting its way.

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Maddie refused to meet my eyes, struggling to keep her composure. “Where will you go from here?”

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“I’m not sure.” She answered honestly, briefly looking into the mirror along the wall, ensuring her blonde hair was properly plaited atop her head in the typical servant fashion. “Somewhere far from here, somewhere they won’t find me.”

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Maddie bit down on her lip to stop yet another question as to why Luc would even consider such a plot. She never truly understood what was hiding in closets and around corners. She never saw the darkness.

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Although Maddie was the only friend Luc had ever known, the only girl her age she had known as a child, Maddie still held the beliefs of every other girl living in the city beyond the palace walls. The idea that fancy gowns and luxury parties was the greatest life one could ever live, the fantasy that they could one day wear a crown and dance with princes. Even if Luc tried to tell anyone the truth, to explain how they were luckier where they were, none of them would have ever believed her.

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Luciana Cordelia Ravilon was the first-born child of King Leander VII, almighty ruler of the Mestriean Empire. There was not a person in the whole kingdom who did not know her name, no girl who did not crave her place. Princess Luciana, shining gem of the empire, crown jewel of her father’s court, was blessed by God himself. Well, if they wanted her spot so badly, let them have it. Luc knew what her role really was, what the title really meant. It did not take much digging through her family tree to understand the truth of it all. Her fate had been sealed the moment her brother took his first breath.

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Soft fingers brushed against her hair, fixing a loose strand back into place. No, Maddie may not have ever understood why Luc would do something as rash as this, but she would help anyways.

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“Make sure to keep your shoulders curved in.” A lump hidden in her throat emerged. “Head down so as not to seem impertinent, but walk briskly, as if you have orders you’re following. No one will stop you then.”

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Luc’s throat bobbed, a mix of nerves and pain. “Thank you.” She was not sure how much more she could say, not if she wanted to keep her courage.

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Maddie nodded. “Will you ever return?”

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Adjusting the slightly ill-fitting dress she was wearing, Luc tried to take a deep breath. “At least once, in a few years time.” The letter in her pocket seemed to burn with every word spoken. “Perhaps I will see you again then.”

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There was no movement for a moment, as if thoughts were warring inside Maddie’s head, before finally snapping. Reaching over, warm arms enveloped Luc tightly, embracing her in a way she so rarely got to experience. “Please be safe.”

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No tears, Luc thought roughly, trying to stay in control. “The same to you, my friend.” She whispered. “Thank you, so much, for this. I can never repay you.”

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A brief blush could be seen on Maddie’s cheeks as she pulled back, only obscured by the tears now freely falling. “Repay me by finding your happiness. That’s all I want.”

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One quick kiss to Maddie’s temple and Luc began her trek out of the door, no matter how it hurt. She still had one last stop to make before her escape. She knew that someone would try to find her for some reason or another, but she immediately realised something was wrong. Wearing an outfit of Maddie’s with her hair done as a servant and her head bowed would suffice for quick encounters, but it would never stand up to actual scrutiny. She needed to be fast.

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She did not look back to see Maddie’s weeping face. She could not have borne it.

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It was the middle of the night, and the halls were empty except for the occasional harried servant and tired guards, both of which were easy to evade. Luc only needed to go a few doors down to her final stop—she had a letter that needed delivering.

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Creaking open the door, Luc slipped into the darkened room, a room populated by the same silks and fine furniture, the same sound of the waves floating in as her own, except for one major difference. In this room, the bed was occupied by a sleeping teenager, her blonde hair flayed out around her like a halo, completely oblivious to the world.

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Slowly, Luc stepped over to the bed, walking a path she had taken a million times before. But this time, there was no curling up under the comforter, no cuddling against the younger girl and falling into a peaceful sleep. Luc would not even wake her—no need to cause such pain. No, Lillian could sleep for now, and in the morning she could face the consequences of her older sister’s decisions.

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Lil had been their parents’ attempt to rectify the mistake of Luc. The Mestriean crown was passed from father to son, naturally making Luc the less than desirable outcome of Mother’s first pregnancy. Lil was what the second pregnancy brought, yet another disappointment to Father. In another, far grander room a few halls over slept attempt number three, the young boy who had no understanding of the cruelty the world was capable of, who did not understand that his existence was a nightmare for his two sisters.

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The third time really was the charm.

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Luc did not have much time to spare—stopping at all was a risk, really—but she could not have left without saying goodbye, not to her little sister. Lil slept soundly as Luc kissed her temple and placed a thick envelop on her pillow. It contained an explanation, one Lil likely would not find good enough, but it was all that Luc had to offer.

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The truth of the house of Ravilon, the ruling family since magic was destroyed and the wall was built, was not an easy one to acknowledge. While other royals in history had many children, spares upon spares in the case of an accident, that had never been the Ravilon way. No, more children meant more challenges for the crown. Rarely among the tree would you find two brothers, and even sisters could be considered risks to the throne. Either they were turned into the perfect tool for the King, a bride to be sold off to keep the nobles happy, a statue to be moved where their husband pleased, or they faced an accident.

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Falling, sickness, assassination attempts, drowning, eating bad food—the house of Ravilon was steeped in tragedy over the past few generations, and unmarried sisters and daughters ended up buried far underground and forgotten. The bodies of Luc’s many great aunts lined her path forward. The people of Mestriea never noticed the truth, never saw past the lies. All of the accidents always happened around the same time. No one ever made it past their 23rd birthday.

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Luc was turning 23 in the morning.

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The letter explained the truth and promised Lil that she had not been forgotten. She still had a few years of safety left. She was too young to brave the streets with nothing to her name, no backup or possibilities lined up. Luc knew the castle’s hidden secrets and tunnels like the back of her hand, knew ways in and out that no one would see coming. She would return in a few years, sneaking back inside and sweeping Lil off somewhere safe for the both of them. Lil just had to survive those years and trust that Luc would come for her.

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Inside the letter, there was also a small note for their brother. So much younger, so isolated from them, Luc barely knew the boy whose birth signed her death warrant. Still, she wrote of her hope for him; a hope that he would grow to be more than his blood, more than the legacy he was born to. It would be up to Lil to see if she could help him grow and break the cycle. There was nothing Luc could do but pray.

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Standing from the bed, she forced her feet to move, to keep going. They would not part forever—only for a while. She would see her little sister again, and perhaps even see her little brother as well. If God was merciful, perhaps it would happen. But in truth, Luc did not place much weight in the mercy of one who lived in silence. No, they were on their own, and it was up to Luc to make a place where they could be safe.

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She spared one last look, one last second to the life she was leaving behind, and then she opened the door. Princess Luciana Cordelia Ravilon was to die that night, to disappear and never be seen from again. Let her family wear black, let her sister have her jewels, let them lie to the world and usher a time of mourning. Father had never wanted her to be born, so let her birth be undone. Luciana could be buried in an empty casket. Luc was the one that left the palace that night.

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Slipping unseen through the halls and into the night, a mere serving girl that no one gave a second thought to disappeared. The shadows swallowed her, and when morning broke, no one remembered she had even been there.