The next few weeks were rather nerve-wracking, as the murderers got wind that the last surviving heir to the throne had survived. Being constantly moved from place to place at a minute's notice taught me to treasure what little moments of rest I could get, and it also taught me to be a very light sleeper. There were often times we'd be somewhere for only half a day, before we got word our pursuers were onto us again, and we'd have to up sticks and make tracks.
The murderers were getting too uncomfortably close with each near miss, however, and it didn't take my keepers long to realise the conspiracy which had ensured the death of all the other heirs weren't going to give up without a fight.
My keepers, on the other hand, were just as determined, and just as stubborn, if not more so. And they didn't want me to meet the same messy end my predecessors had. Nor did I, if I was to be brutally honest. But the murderers weren't giving up. And now they'd issued an ultimatum.
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"They want us to give you up," Jenny said with a frown when she came into my room that morning. She was the lady who'd found me in the first place, and I'd grown to rely on her immensely. "They're saying if we don't surrender you to them within the next 48 hours, they're going to destroy the whole of London with bombs. There's no telling if there's any truth to the claim, but given what they managed to do in a single day to remove the royal family and all the other heirs, I wouldn't put it past them to be telling the truth."
I shivered. I didn't want to give myself up, but nor did I want to have all of London's population killed in one fell swoop. I had no illusions I'd be permitted to live, of course, once I was in the conspirators' hands; given the mass murder they'd enacted several weeks ago, wiping out the very last heir to the throne was high on their list of Nefarious Things to Do. "I can't have my friends and family killed," I said firmly. "Better to give my own life rather than lose the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in one day."
"Are you sure about this?" Jenny asked me anxiously.
I nodded. "I might not be queen," I said, "but I've felt responsible for the entire Commonwealth ever since I found out I was heir-apparent. And any ruler worth their salt would do what is right for the good of the people. These are my people, and if I have to give my life to save theirs, then that's what I'm going to do."
"I admire your guts," Jenny said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I wish you could have made it to the throne, Anna. You're everything a queen should be."
"I wish I could've given it a go," I agreed, firming my shoulders and taking a deep breath to settle my nerves. "But I think I'm giving it a go by giving myself up to save the city."
Jenny nodded her understanding. "I'll let them know," she told me. "I don't know if you believe in God, but... God bless you, Your Majesty. And thank you."
I managed a smile in spite of the tears starting to life in my eyes. I'd never dreamed I'd be the only one left to take the throne, and now that I was likely losing my one chance to find out what it'd be like to be queen, I was surprised to realise the loss stung me more than I thought it would. My keepers had done all they could to keep me safe, and had even taught me a little bit about all the protocols and procedures which went with being a monarch.
And now I'd never have a chance to put my lessons to use. But even as Jenny came back and told me the conspirators were going to come collect me the next day, I realised that, by giving myself up for the good of London's population, I had in fact shown that I was already a good queen. That didn't make the sting any more painful, but it did help me feel a bit better.
And if these last few weeks had taught me anything, it was always a good idea to take the small wins wherever you could.
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