From Princess To Queen

Sneaking Out

Clara is a gem of a beauty who sneaks out of her castle at night when everyone is in bed sleeping and her guards are changing shifts; the only ones that are out and about are the warriors doing patrol along the borders. Clara put her workout clothes on and threw her gear in her bag along with her masking scent after she put it on. She grabbed her purse, wrapped her cloak around her, and left her bedroom. She ensured the coast was clear and walked down the corridor past a couple of guards standing in front of her father’s bedroom. They looked straight at her, sensing a presence but wiped the looks off their faces, and she moved on, being as quiet as a mouse.

Escaping through the castle's rear, where nobody ever was during this time of the night, Clara exited the house and headed towards the border, where she could leave the fence without being noticed or heard. This area was patrolled every thirty minutes, and the warriors just past five minutes before she arrived. She slipped through and ran towards the spot where she put her gear uniform and gear on. She moves forward when she finishes, putting her cloak back over her body.

Walking through the forest, she was thinking about her past; her father would never talk to her about who she is, who her mother is or be, and why she could never see her if she was still alive. She wondered if she had any siblings and how old they were. Before reaching her destination, she uncloaked herself and set up her equipment while others did the same, waiting for their instructor to come and join them. Everyone in the group wore disguises that covered their entire body and masked their scents.

Clara felt a pull towards some of the other group members but did not understand what that meant when she stood around certain people; the power and nagging feeling she knew them or of them was excruciatingly intense. Most members kept their voices to a minimum when talking or found a way to disguise their voices, so they were not recognizable when training.

“Let’s get into double lines and run fifteen laps in human form only and remember we are stronger in our human form, which makes us stronger in our animal forms. When do you get in your groups and wait for instructions, understood?”

“Yes sir!” they all say in unison, taking off running on the track made for them.

As they ran their laps, a few members competed to see who could outrun the others. Clara decided to get into the groove to show them how fast of a runner she is and to let them know she means business and is not a force to be reckoned with. Clara gained speed, moved out front of them, and finished her laps twenty minutes before the others did. She waited for the others to finish and stretched her muscles to keep them loose while waiting for the rest of the squad to return.

“Ready to spar since you think you are all that and then some?” one of the people asks.

“Sure, let’s get to it. See how good you are against me and everyone else.” Clara snickers under her face covering. She made sure her voice was disguised.

“Ok, teams in place, keep those muscles loose by working on you the moves you have learned thus far. Start with your jabs and uppercuts, moving into your kicks, etc. Each team will have an elite trainer to help with your moves, pointing out your weaknesses. They will show you how to be better and precisely make those moves. We have practiced these moves over the past five years; you should have improved. If you still have problems with certain moves, especially the new ones you have learned the last couple of months, stay behind and work on your weaknesses and the new moves.” the trainer bellows to the fighters.

“Yes, sir!” the group says in unison.

They kept this up for about an hour and then switched stations. Some worked throwing knives, hatchets, stars, arrows, and guns. This training was crucial because Felix and his pack used everything under the sun to wipe out packs. Everyone who would go up against him and his crew had to be ready for anything thrown their way. The last part of the training was self-defense with Kraal Maga, mixed martial arts, Chinese martial arts, Muay Thai, and others. Everyone in the groups had to learn every art form possible and not just one skill or the other. The misfit of pack members from all over had to take these skills back to their packs and incorporate them into training them. Clara and the others are licensed killers and could be used for military ops. The only problem is that she can outrank any of her trained men and women, including the guards. Nobody in her city or kingdom has the killer skills she has.

Once training was over, Clara went to a house for a private shower and food. The lead trainer did the same once all others left to return to their homes. She could relax more and unmask herself and her scent until she left her family pack's security. She had met her mother several years ago in the woods, and that is how she found out who she was and who her siblings were; she never let on; she knew the truth to those who lived in the castle, including her very own father, who lies to her.

“Mom, why did Dad banish you, my brothers, and my sister from the castle? He refuses to talk to me and tells me it is none of my business.”

“He did not banish my sweet darling; he made us leave for our good, knowing that whatever happened to Felix, he would come forth and do everything in his power to take you and take over as king, kill you and the rest of the members.” her mother said with sadness in her eyes.

“Why couldn’t he let me come with you then? Why do I have to be the next in line since nobody else wants to be the king?” she asks, looking at her older brother with a raised eyebrow.

All her brother did was huff and tell her it was time she covered herself up again and mask her scent that it was getting pretty late in the morning and Dad would want to know where she had been. She got up, hugged them all and kissed goodbye, masked her scent along with her cloak, then took off back to where she came from, home.

Barely inside her territory, she stripped out of gear and her cloak, throwing them in her bag, taking a wet wipe out, and running it across her body and over her clothes. She took out some perfume and spayed herself. She walked around the trees, keeping an eye on where she always entered, making sure the patrol was away. She came through, mending the fence again and walking around the area, then taking off running over several feet, letting them know she had been out running and heading to the training field, meeting up with her peers to train.

“I am exhausted. Can we skip training today?” knowing full well she had already done four hours in the wee hours of the morning.

“No, princess, we are tired too, but this is to benefit you and your people to protect, so get ready to have your ass handed to you,” Xavior states, chuckling.

“Fine, I won’t hold back against either of you, just to inform you.”

“We would not have it any other way,” they tell her unison.