Chapter 1

       The streets were surprisingly crammed with tourists taking pictures, eating, and laughing without knowing the truth hidden behind those walls. I walked down the street where stood a glimmering palace hiding the truth that's been buried deep within its halls. I was the last person remaining who knew the secrets about the first-ever world war. 

       "Isa, is that you?” asked a voice. I looked around the crowded streets and spotted his all too familiar face. That was the face of the person who made my life miserable and disappeared without a trace, a person I would never anticipate to be here. The face of a prince.

                                              __________________________

       The sound of a buzzing alarm startled me awake.

       “Isa, breakfast is ready!” my mother shouted. She was the predominant chef in the palace, which made the palace my home. I got out of bed lazily only to find my room filled with sticky gooey slime.

       "He is soo going to regret this,” I mumbled to myself, annoyed. I cleaned my room and went to the kitchen when the aroma of freshly cooked pancakes flooded my nose and made my mouth water. I squeezed my way through the stampede of chefs and helpers to a small table in the corner where I usually eat food. Mom had placed a minuscule plate of pancakes and honey as usual. 

       I ate fast and scrambled out of the kitchen unnoticed; I went downstairs to where the royal family's bed chambers were located. I sneaked past the guard stealthily, went straight to where the youngest prince slept and entered the room to discover a sleeping teenage boy. I went inside the bathroom, filled a mug of water, and dropped the water right over his head.

       "Aagh, I'm drowning," Max sputtered as I burst into giggles.

       "That's what you get for filling my room with slime," I muttered between a series of giggles. He shook his blond hair wildly, making me wet. "Hey, not fair," I pouted.

        Later that evening, I went to the garden near the east wing of the palace. The trees were getting ready for winter, storing all their energy deep within their core. This was my favorite time of year when the leaves started turning golden brown. The cold wind blew soft against my face; the animals made shelter and got ready for the upcoming harsh winter. 

       I strolled around the garden when I suddenly heard muffled sounds coming from a nearby window and peeked inside to find the King talking to a man with blue eyes and brown hair.

       "Your Majesty, you can't go! It's too dangerous," warned the blue-eyed man with fear in his eyes, but the King just shrugged it away.

       "It's nothing my guards can't handle," he replied.

       "But your majesty, they are more determined this time, and they will not stop until they get what they want," the man said. The king started saying something, but before I could hear the rest, a hand grabbed me from behind, pulling me away. 

       "What are you doing?” the guard barked in my ear. I trembled when he let me go. 

       I was always scared of the palace guards ever since I was born; they were tall, muscular, and had broad shoulders. "Nothing," I whispered. I slowly walked past the guard, heading straight for the library, thinking about what I had just heard. 

       “Good morning, Isabelle,” said the librarian.

       “Good morning, Mrs. Alexie,” I responded, walking down the hallway of books and towards the reading area, where prince Ernst had his whole face inside a book. How To Be a Good Ruler, the title read.

       “Don’t worry, you’ll be a great king,” I whispered encouragingly, sitting down beside him. 

       Hearing my voice, he looked up.  “Thanks.....…thank you for your support,” he replied the second time with more power and certainty. 

       I rolled my eyes and asked, “Seriously?” 

       He flashed his eyelashes innocently, “What?” 

       I hated it when he gave me that look, like he didn't know what I was saying. Annoyed, I just shrugged it away and said, “Nothing.”

       The next day, the King and Queen were going on an official visit to Sarajevo. It meant playing and running around the palace without much consequence of getting severely punished. It’s not like we can’t play around when they are here. It’s just that their regal presence made us want to act like grown ups. And so, we waited until they both left.

       “Tag, you’re it!” I roared, leaping up and running as fast as I could.

       The whole day we ran around the house, laughing and playing. Even Ernst, who spent most of the time in the library, came out and played along.

       The next morning, I woke up to the sound of trumpets. Trumpets are only played in the palace when someone dies. Groggily, I remembered the King and Queen had not yet returned from their journey. A sense of dread and confusion filled me. 

       I put on my slippers and hurried downstairs to find Max, Ernst, and Princess Sophie already there. They were still in their nightgowns, and Sophie was laying her head on Ernest’s shoulder, trying to calm herself down. Max was the one I was worried about; he sat near the corner of the wall. His eyes were devoid of any sorrow; they were filled with nothing but pure hatred. The look on his eyes was so unlike him; fear filled my insides.

       I walked down towards the butler and quietly asked him what happened.  “There was a terrorist attack, and the King and Queen were shot. The queen got hit and died instantly, but the King did not but he wanted to stay with the queen.  The doctors said that he died because of blood loss, and we could have saved him if we had brought him in earlier,” he replied, his voice filled with pity for the princes and princess. He lowered his head regretfully.

       The next few weeks were filled with burying ceremonies for the King and Queen. One day, the King's friend came to the palace and announced, “This palace is not safe anymore, we are closing the gates and the royal family will be living with me. So anyone who lives or works here will be sent back and will get new jobs with more money and a house.” 

       I didn’t want to leave the palace and the princes. They were the closest people to my family other than my mom, but I knew if they stayed, they would be putting their lives in danger. 

-Andrea M.