The Royal Maid And The Lost Kingdom

To Alice, living in the orphanage is the most difficult life anyone will encounter.

“How would my life have been if I was not brought here in the first place” She tossed on the back, a woven mat which has been her bed ever since she could not remember. She has always experienced sleepless nights before and this night is no exception.

She sat down and saw the other hopeless children lying in the room next to her with numerous thoughts in her mind. They have always been her friend, or more like a Family now. She recalled the promises she made to Phineas and Ferb earlier that day. The twins who are like her younger siblings in the orphanage had pleaded with her to buy them buns from the marketplace. She tried to think of what to do and how to get the money, rubbing her red hair in frustration.

Then, she smiled.

Her crystal eyes illuminated as her smile grew wider, it was as though she won the lottery. She is going to do what she is best at-pickpocketing. At least, she won't have to worry about buying buns for them now. She laid back on the mat, grinning like an idiot.

The next day, Alice woke up very early and drew the curtains, stretching her arms. The other students also woke him up to wash their faces before Madam Beatrice will come in. She is the only person in charge of the orphanage.

Madam Beatrice is one of the highly influential women in the town. She is wealthy and well-known among the people in the Kingdom but there is something off about her. She uses the children in the orphanage for her gain, beating and injuring them if they disagree with her.

Once a lady in the orphanage reaches the age of 24, she would sell her off to a wealthy man who will gain sexual pleasure from her. As for the men, she would make them work for women who are old enough to be their mothers. This is. the darker side of the orphanage and she had promised herself that she will protect everyone from the orphanage.

On hearing footsteps, she jumped out of the window and made her way to the marketplace. Madam Beatrice badged into the room and the children. quickly went on their knees, greeting her.

“ Where is Alice?” She asked in a furious tone. The students shiver in fear.

Alice is always the stubborn one who is not afraid of Madam Beatrice and the children respected her for that. All the older sisters have been sold off, and she is the only elderly person remaining in two years, she would also be sold off like the rest. Madam Beatrice knew it would be very difficult to deal with Alice who is cunning and very stubborn. She fumed with anger and stomped out of the room, asking her boys to go get the girl. She had planned to beat some sense into Alice and make her realize who the boss is.

Alice wanders in the marketplace place, putting on a big smile on her face. While some of the people were looking at her with pity, others shot glances at her while pulling their goods away from her. Everybody knows she is a pickpocketer but she has never been caught red-handed, making it difficult for the people to report to the watchmen who are otherwise known as those in charge of law enforcement.

Alice noticed as she galloped with joy, looking for something to eat and what to steal. She knew Madam Beatrice was looking for her by now but she wouldn't go back, not until she got her hands on the buns she promised Phineas and Ferb. She saw a group of girls her age and some older women chatting and bantering. She approached them to hear their conversations.

“ He is more handsome than ever. I wondered what the king did in his previous life for him to be blessed with two handsome sons as gifts,” one of the women said.

“ I am going to get a lucky bracelet today. I might be lucky enough for him to get married to me” Another lady said and the others glared at her.

“ I am so happy that at least he is back,” the first lady said, adjusting the edge of her ball gown. Alice, who can seem to comprehend what or who they are talking about, decided to ask out of curiosity.

“May I know who you are talking about?”She asked, waiting eagerly for an answer as they stared at her dumbfounded.

“Who else will we be talking about like this if not Prince Edward who just came back from Overseas' ', the second lady said imagining how it will be to get married to the prince, smiling non-stop.

“So… is he like an extraordinary being or something? I thought he was human like us.” She said not understanding why the women are hailing him like some kind of God.

“Hmm.. will you walk away if you are not interested?” The first lady ordered. Alice scoffed and walked away, leaving the ladies to continue their imagination.

“They have eaten their breakfast and that is why they have nothing to worry about,” She hissed and stared at a Cart full of buns. She swallowed her saliva and bumped into someone while thinking of how to steal the buns.

“Oh sorry. Are you okay?”, A concerned voice asked her. When she turned to answer, a gold necklace was hung on the neck of the commoner.

“WOWW”, her inner thoughts as she imagined the thought of holding the necklace in her hand while smiling.

“Oh no don’t bother, I am okay”, She finally answered the man who was still holding her arm to prevent her from falling.

“I am relieved to hear that, '' the man said in a soft voice. She smiled and walked away holding the necklace in her hand while plastering an evil smile on her face.

‘’Pickpocketing sure is the easiest thing to me, ``she bragged.

Just then, so many guards from different corners came running towards her. She could recognize them to be the palace guards. She wondered what the palace guards were doing here but then their words froze her on the spot

"You are under arrest"

Alice tried to escape but to no avail. The palace guards searched her and collected the necklace from her.

“Hey, give me back!”, she ordered as though she was the owner of the necklace.

The people at the central market wondered why she was taken away by the palace guards. She gave up on trying to escape after so many attempts as they dragged her to the palace prison, otherwise the king’s dungeon.

“Why did they drag me in here?... It's not like I am a royal thief” She complained to no one in particular, observing her surroundings.

She sat down on the bench waiting to know if they would call her and explain why she was in the dungeon. She remembered Phineas and Ferb.

“Poor twins, they must be waiting for me”, she sighed heavily and walked to the cell. “Hello…anybody here?” She called but the palace guards turned deaf ears to her calls. She stomped her feet in frustration and sat back on the bed. “At least this dungeon is better than the commoner’s pr