Alexis, the Princess with “Issues”

“Why haven’t I heard about this princess before?” asked Rufus.

The young soldier had been part of the Royal Regiment, assigned to the personal protection of the royal family, for less than six months. He was pleased to have been picked to accompany Captain Dathan to Sanguian Forest to provide escort for a VIP, but when he learned it was Princess Alexis, he was confused. As the two young soldiers drove the empty carriage on the long journey to meet their mysterious VIP, Rufus finally had time to give voice to his questions

“I don’t know the whole story,” admitted Dathan. “I’ve heard of Alexis as I was growing up, but I thought it was just an urban legend — a made-up tale about a fourth royal child of mystery. It was only when I became a member of the Royal Regiment that I learned she was real.”

“Why doesn’t anyone talk about her?” asked Rufus.

“Oh, plenty of people talk. It’s trying to get the truth that is hard. I’ve heard all kinds of stories. Supposedly after Princess Adella was born, the Queen has difficulty getting pregnant again. They were so to have a male heir that they tried all sorts of things to help her conceive. This is where the stories get sketchy. Some say the king enlisted the help of a sorcerer to cast a spell, but that the spell backfired somehow. Some say the sorcerer was actually an incubus, who personally impregnated the Queen.”

“What do you think?” asked Rufus?

“I honestly don’t know. I know that despite their hopes for a son, they got another daughter, and I know she lived with them in the palace until she was about 12 or 13. After that, she basically disappears from the family portraits, and no one talks about her. She’s been out here near the Sanguian Forest all this time.”

“So why is she coming home now?”

“Who can say?” answers the Captain. “I’ll just be glad when we safely deliver her to the king. I’d hate for anything to go wrong on this mission!”

The captain pulls the horses to a stop as they approach a fork in the road. A sign identifies the two different options. The arrow to the right points the way to “St. Andrew’s Hospital and Institution.” The arrow to the left points toward “Sanguia Heights.” Directly below the sign is a crude wooden bench, and it is empty.