"Wow," James breathed. "That is a lot of weapons."

I had led James upstairs to my bedroom to bring him to my weapons cabinet.  It used to be my closet for my clothes, but I had repurposed it and moved my clothes to small boxes under my bed.  

My weapons cabinet was filled with every kind of weapon.

Swords.

Daggers.

Knives.

Axes.

Spiky, metal maces.

Even slingshots.

"Take your choice," I told him. "You can use whatever you want." I grabbed some throwing stars and stuffed them in my pockets.

"What are those?" James asked, referring to the stars.

"They're throwing stars. I got them at a village me and my step-mother stayed at for a little while. You just throw them." I grabbed one and threw it at the opposite wall.  It stuck there.

"Alright, now we're throwing things," James said.

"They are throwing stars," I pointed out.

He laughed. "Yes, yes they are."

He grabbed a dagger and stuffed some throwing stars into his pockets.

"Man, these are sharp," he noted. 

"I sharpen them once a week," I replied. "I like to be prepared for anything."

He nodded and we walked out of my bedroom.  

When we got outside he mounted his horse. "Sorry I couldn't bring two horses," he said, offering a hand to me.  I ignored it and jumped onto the horse on my own.  I hesitated before wrapping arms around his chest.

James tapped the side of the horse, and it trotted forward.

When we got to school, I swung my leg off the horse and unmounted.  James got off next to me and led the horse over to a stand.  He tied the reins to it and patted the horse's side.

"We'll be back soon, boy," he said soothingly. "Come on. We're already late." 

I nodded and followed him inside.

"Look who's back," a voice said when we entered the stone entryway. 

I didn't bother to look to see who it was.  I already knew.  

I scooted closer to James as we walked, and Amber didn't say another word.

"I'll be right in," James whispered to me when we reached the first class.

"Can I come with you?" I whispered back.

"If you go now, you won't be late."

"I don't care."

"Alright."

I followed him to a door at the opposite end of the hallway.  He opened the door and walked inside.

"Prince James," a tall man greeted.  He wearing a noble's jerkin and shinny black boots.  His hair and eyes were dark and he had a small beard.

"Sir Edward," James returned. "May I have a word?"

"Of course," Sir Edward replied.  

We sat down at the large wooden table in the center of the spacious room.  The ceiling seemed miles away and caused an echo as Sir Edward and James spoke.

"This is Lily," James said, gesturing towards me. "I was wondering if you might change of few of her classes. History and Sewing."

"What is wrong with them?" Sir Edward asked, clearly annoyed, but trying to hide it behind his large, fake smile.  

I smiled back at him.  

The perks of hanging with royalty.

"I would like to do archery instead of sewing," I answered. "And to not spend all of history locked up in a small room with guards outside making sure I don't leave."

"Do you think you can have that arranged?" James asked.

"Of course," Sir Edward replied. "Anything for you, Prince James."

I gave him a wide smile and rose from my chair.

"Very well," James said.  He then rose up beside me. "We should get to class."

"Thank you for doing that for me," I said once we were out of earshot from the annoying noble.

"What they were doing wasn't fair," James replied. "Plus, you're my friend. We are still friends, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "I suppose," I answered with a laugh.  

He laughed too.  Then he said, "We're already late enough. We should get to class."

"Right."

I followed him into the classroom and allowed it to close behind me.

James acted like a human shield, protecting me from all the stares.  He was so calm under pressure.  

"So sorry to be late, Miss Parren," he said. "We had some business to attend to."

"What, getting kidnapped?" Amber mumbled under her breath.  

I ignored her as I went to my seat.

"King Andres of Vally North was believed to be the wisest king of his time.," Miss Parren said. "He ruled for fifty years, finally dying when he was seventy-three."

I raised my hand. 

"Yes, Miss Petronelladaughter?" the teacher asked.

"He actually took the throne when he was thirteen," I answered. "But his uncle tried to take it from him. King Andres had him killed soon after." I took a breath. "So, he actually ruled for sixty years. People think it was only fifty because the royal court helped him greatly for the first ten years of his reign."

Miss Parren opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.

"Don't bother," I said. 

Her mouth closed then opened again. "Young lady, that is no way to speak to--"

"Someone who locks children in rooms because they stand up for truth?" I questioned, rising from my seat.

"Lily, don't--" James began.

"No, James," I interrupted. "I told you I didn't want to go to school. Now you know why." 

With that, I rushed out of the room, down the hall, and out the school door.  I didn't stop running until I reached the familiar, calm forest.  I breathed in the smell and soaked in it's beautiful familiarity.  

I walked up to a tree and started to climb it.  I found a comfy branch to rest on and leaned back.  I had only been there for a minute before I heard someone calling my name.

"Lily!" James cried. "Lily!"

"Over here!" I called.

James was there in a few seconds and started climbing the tree. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize it was that bad," he said, sitting beside me.

"How can no one stand up to her?" I asked.

"They're scared," he replied. "Plus, they don't know any better."

"My father taught me the truth. He said the history he taught me had been passed down from his forefathers for centuries. They recorded it themselves. Not has the winners, not as the losers, but as the outsiders."

"I guess some people don't like change. They've heard this history all their lives and for a teenage girl to come in and tell them they're wrong..."

"I guess you're right."

We sat in silence for a few minutes before James spoke.

"So, are you going to the ball?" 

"The ball--oh, right." I swung my legs over the branch I was sitting on and leaned back.  I fell into the upside down position and rocked back and forth for a minute. "I don't have time to worry about some dumb ball."

"Come on," James said. "It's only one night. It'll be fun!"

"I don't have anything to wear."

Suddenly James was hanging from his legs next to me. "That's not a problem. Just come to the palace tomorrow."

"Wait, when is it?"

"The night after tomorrow."

"Then we need to get started on finding The Jackal so we can capture him before that ball."  I released my legs from the branch and backflipped to the ground. 

"Let's go find that jackal," I said.

A/N I made a new prologue! Please go check it out because, let's be honest, my old one sucked. Plus Lily is no where near the ocean.😆But I didn't really know that when I started it. So go check out the new prologue if you want! It is new and...somewhat improved. I hope you like it!

I also almost forgot about the ball.

Almost.

It's coming up soon so stay tuned!!

Thanks for reading!

Ciao,

SiSi