Theft of Vilennia

I walked along the castle walls, longing for a normal life that would never come. Two bulging bodyguards strode along beside me. My giant ball gown just barely touching the ground, yet specks of dirt still stuck to the pink dress. My sixteenth birthday, the day I was supposed to be crowned official princess, and heir to the throne of Vilennia. My parents had passed on long ago, my mother died when I was only seven years old, and my father died in battle before I was born, so my grandmother raised me on her own. She always called me her “pretty princess Penelope,” or sometimes “the triple P.” My mother had told me that my father had picked out my name; no one ever really told me much about him. All I ever knew for sixteen years was that he died in battle, and chose my name. I used to ask everyday about him, but after my mother passed I gave up on finding out more about him. My grandmother was my father’s mother, and he was an only child, so I was the only legitimate heir to the throne. I always wondered what lay beyond the castle walls; my grandmother had never let me leave the castle after my mother passed away. I was a prisoner in my own home. We would often have big parties, where the women would wear ball gowns and the men would wear eighty thousand dollar suits. My grandmother threw the same party ever year on my birthday; she would have my nanny Beatrice go shopping and pick out twenty ball gowns that I would choose from. On my sixteenth birthday, everything went the same. I picked out a beautiful pink ball gown, full of diamonds. The tailor fitted it perfectly for me. The party exactly the same as before, the same guests the same waiters the same everything. Except the clothing of course, everyone always had on a new extravagant gown or suit. All of my grandmother’s friends made up the guest list; it was pathetic that I was royally friendless, except for my nanny, butler, and most of the staff at the castle. My bodyguards Aaron and Wyatt walked no more than a few feet behind me. The ball continued without me, I was already introduced, and the coronation wasn’t until eight o’clock, and it was barely seven o’clock.

My mind was lost in thoughts of the outside world I hadn’t seen in nine years, so I didn’t even notice that Aaron and Wyatt had been knocked out before it was too late. I counted seven masked attackers, dressed in black, came running for me. I held up my gown and ran as fast as I could in heels. It was so stupid to wear ten thousand dollar heels, with a ball gown. “Help! Somebody help me!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, since I was on the opposite side from the ball there was little to no hope of someone hearing my cries. Eventually they caught up to me, with seven of them and only one of me, there was no hope of fighting them off. All the marshal arts lessons in the world couldn’t help me now. The captured me, but not without a fight. I knew I had inflicted at least a few bruises. They covered my mouth and nose with a cloth that smelled sweet; I could only assume it was chloroform. Within seconds it rendered me unconscious.

From there, I don’t know what happened or how the got me out of the castle walls that I’d been trying to escape for years, but somehow I ended up in a small dark room, with my arms and legs tied a bed. There was a black sleeping mask over my eyes when I woke. I must have blinked and moved my head around for at least an hour before I got that darn mask off. There was only one small barred window that let in the tiny bit of moonlight. The room was completely empty, aside from the bed and me. I still had on my pink ball gown that was covered in dirt, although I didn’t care too much about it. I was more concerned with escaping. My wrists and ankles ached from the ropes tied so tight. My legs were tied together and my arms were spread apart tied to the corners of the twin size bed. The thought popped into my mind that I had never laid on a twin bed, the smallest bed I ever had was a queen size bed. I found it funny that I thought of the bed size first.

After a few hours of struggling to untie myself, the small wooden door opened and I lay very still and closed my eyes pretending to be asleep. I longed for the castle that I had been trying to escape for years. My mind drifted back to shortly after my mother had passed and I’d slept with my grandmother for months afterwards. I didn’t want to sleep in my own bed, because all I ever did when I was alone was cry and long for my mother. “She’s still out, Edric.” The deep voice jolted my mind back to the present. “Check her pulse.” Edric yelled from the other room. I lay on the bed completely still, slowing my breathing so the man would believe I was unconscious. I suddenly felt cold fingers on my neck. “Odon forgot to put on her mask.” The deep voice yelled out to the other room, as he lifted his fingers off my neck. “Damn it Odon! Stop forgetting things!” I faintly heard an argument brewing in the other room. “I didn’t forget! I put on the mask!” Odon answered the voice of a man called Edric. “Clearly you did not.” The man in the room with me gently put the black sleeping mask back over my eyes. The loud sound of the door slamming shut made my insides jump; I remained still just to be sure the man was gone. An hour went by; there was no sound in the room, just faint whispers outside the door. With that I assumed I was the only person in the small dark room and started struggling to take the mask off.

When without any notice the voices in the other room raised, I heard the familiar voice of my grandmother on speaker phone. “I want a million dollars in exchange for your grand daughter’s life.” I heard the voice of the man they called Edric say. “How do I know she’s alright?” I barely heard my grandmother say, when all of a sudden several men came flooding into the room, I could barely see anything with the mask on. I lay still, until I felt a large cold hand grab my arm and shake it, I jumped at the uncomfortable feeling and did my best to sit up. “Say hello to your grandmother.” Edric said, by then I had assumed he was the leader of this kidnapping crew. “Where am I? Who are you?” “Just tell your grandmother you’re okay.” Edric demanded while jerking my arm around, I assume the phone what on mute because my grandmother did say anything when I spoke. “Grandma I’m alright, don’t worry about me I’ll be fine.” “Oh my darling!” My grandmother wept. “A million dollars or she dies. You have one hour to gather the money. I’ll call back with the drop off point.” “Wait! How do…” The phone went silent, the man known as Edric hung up. “Well, my dear princess you have awoken from your slumber.” Edric laughed. “Let me go!” I struggled, while I heard the footsteps of men piling out of the room where I was held captive.


I sat up completely and pulled the black mask off my face, I looked at the ropes that held my legs together in the dim light of the moon. I lifted my legs to my hands and untied the ropes. I struggled for a few minutes, but managed to free my hands as well. I quietly got off the bed, and looked around the room for an escape. The window was not a choice as it was barred and very small I would not fit even if it wasn’t barred. I walked to the door and heard a quiet conversation between men who stood right on the other side of the door.

My mind scrambled for an idea, when I saw a rather large old vent right above the bed. I stood quietly on the bed and unscrewed the two Philips head screws that held the vent door. I put the vent door on the bed and looked through the vent, about fifteen feet through appeared let out on an old street or alley. I endeavored to get threw to the other side. I quietly climbed into the vent, just barely fitting because of the giant ball gown that I still had on. I slithered my way to the street and climbed out of the vent into an alley. I accidently hit the vent with my foot when I was almost completely out, making a rather loud noise. I heard the frightening sound of my kidnappers coming into the room. “She’s gone! She crawled out the vent!” I heard angry voices yelling. My heart pounded, adrenaline filled my body and I ran. I ran faster than ever before down that alley, I heard my kidnappers yelling not far behind me. “Help! Someone help me! Please! Help!” I screamed repeatedly.

I saw a door swing open and an elderly woman signal me to come. I ran into her apartment. “My name is Princess Penelope Arabella Loddington of Vilennia! I’ve been kidnapped and I need you to call the police immediately.” “I know who you are; your face is all over the news. The police are already on their way, but I fear they will not be here in time. You must go out the front door, run straight for the freeway; it’s about five blocks west of here.” I jumped at the sound of banging at the back door, the kind elderly woman pointed me to the front door and I ran west toward the highway. You’d think I would’ve been out of breath, but I had never felt more energized, or scared before in my life.

I swiftly looked back and saw no kidnappers in sight; come to think of it the streets were completely empty no cars or people in sight. I ran until I saw the freeway. There were a pile of cars driving through a green light, I ran in front of a black SUV, still holding my ball gown I ran to the drivers door when the car came to a screeching stop. “My name is Princess Penelope Arabella Loddington of Vilennia! I’ve been kidnapped; I need you to drive me back to the castle immediately. My grandmother will compensate you when we get there. Please help me!” “Get in.” The teenage boy driving alone answered, he unlocked the doors and I flew in the back of the car slamming the door. I couldn’t stop shaking I was so scared. He drove quickly to catch up with the traffic. “Are you hurt? Do you need to go to a hospital?” The boy asked. “I’m okay.” My heart continued to pound rapidly, while I sat in the back seat of the car. “I’m Edmund. I’m seventeen; my mother told me something about our princess being kidnapped. I had never expected to be the one to save you, your highness.” “Thank you, Edmund. You can call me Penelope. Do you know the time?” “It’s almost midnight, why?” “I was taken around seven o’clock, I been gone for hours. Turn right here, then an immediate left, then right again.” Edmund followed my directions and we arrived at the back gate to my grandmother’s castle. He pulled the car up to the gatekeeper Alfred. Alfred had worked for my grandmother as long as I could remember; he was like an uncle to me. Edmund rolled the back window down revealing me. Alfred immediately opened the gates and Edmund drove to the main entrance as I directed him.

“Come with me.” I told Edmund as the car came to a stop. He followed me as I ran up the twenty five steps to the main entrance holding up my ruined gown so I wouldn’t trip. I burst threw the giant wooden doors my grandmother was in the living room to the left along with a whole load of police officers. “Grandma!” I ran into the arms of my grandmother, she started crying she was so happy, she held me so tightly it was hard to breath but I didn’t care I was just happy to be home. “My dear sweet Penelope, are you alright?” She pulled me back and looked at me. “I’m okay grandma.” She held me close. “Who’s this?” Edmund stood in the hallway behind me. “Edmund. He saved my life.” “Come here Edmund.” My grandma ordered, he walked over and she shockingly gave him a giant hug and whispered, “Thank you.” I explained to the police how I escaped and told them where I was being held. They captured the kidnappers, all seven of them and the elderly woman that helped me was awarded with a medal of bravery.

In years to come Edmund and I grew closer and at my twenty first birthday ball he proposed marriage and I happily accepted. My grandmother would have had a fit if it wasn’t for the fact the mere peasant as she called him saved my life. We had the wedding eight months later and lived happily ever after.