[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Alex reached the spot Aaron told him to meet him at, but didn't see him. He sat on a rock as he waited for the young princes return. A few minutes passed when he noticed a figure approaching, which he saw was Aaron. He got up and met him halfway.

"Any suck luck your highness...?"

"Oh I found him but he refused to leave. Now I must go tell mother his proposition which she will not take lightly."

Both Alex and Aaron mounted their horses. "And that would be...?"

Aaron sighed "He wouldn't come home unless a commoner he supposedly loves can come with him..." Aaron scoffed at the idea of a commoner stepping foot in the palace "As if."

He galloped away with Alex not far behind. Alex despised that boy, really he did. He had no idea of what it was like to have nothing. To be told where you could live, what you could eat, what you could wear. He was just downright coldhearted. He couldn't help but wonder if what the young prince had said earlier was true, would he really make him head knight? Something in his gut told him he wouldn't fall through with his promise.

They reached the palace and dismounted their horses going in. Aaron prepared himself for the outburst he knew was coming. The guards standing at the door bowed to him as he pushed open the doors.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down, so...have you found your brother?"

"Indeed I have Mother."

"And...where is he?"

"He refused to come home."

"What do you mean he refused to come home?"

"He wouldn't come...made quite the proposition..."

Jane sat back in her throne "Did he now, and what might that be?"

"He has found shelter in a rat house...he claims to have fallen in love with a villager, a common wench."

Alex got up from his kneeling position not able to take anymore of Aaron's harsh words "You take that back."

"And if I don't...? That's exactly what she is."

"She is not. How can you berate people this way? You are not fit to be prince or run a kingdom for that matter."

"How dare you...you will lower your tone Alex..."

"I will do no such thing."

"Are you defying me? I should think you would know your place by now..."

"Oh I know my place perfectly well and it is not here."

"Is that so...?" said Aaron, walking towards the disrespectful knight.

"Yes...it IS so. How could you say that to someone you don't even know?!"

"BECAUSE I CAN! And no one...not even YOU can tell me other wise, MacLean!"

Alexander hung his head down, trying to 'obey his commander'.

"Now...you WILL bow to me..."

Alex looked up at him, anger written in his hazel eyes. "Never."

Aaron turned around, looking at him. "What did you say?"

"I said Never!"

He walks to him, and lays a stinging slap across his face, a wet instantly rising. "I said BOW TO ME!" Alexander cowers over his master in fear. the prince looks down at him, and spits at his direction.

"And as for you becoming a Lord...you can forget it! I don't need anyone weak and puny to be Lord of this empire...your father was a disgrace to this court, and NEVER shall his name live on through these walls..."

"Why you..." Alex charges at the young prince only to be pulled back by two guards

"Get him out of my sight."

"LET ME GO!"

The guards carried him out as he screamed at the young prince who wasn't even paying attention to the words that were being thrown at him. Once Alex had been carried out he turned back to his mother.

"What do you propose we do Mother?"

"I say we go and retrieve him ourselves, I will not allow any son of mine to live among those...commoners..."

"I must warn you he will not leave with out a fight."

"Then if it's a fight Nickolas wants then it's a fight he's gonna get."

Jane stepped down from her throne and rushed out the doors, willing to beat some sense into her son to make him come around.

As she rushed out, members of the court, and the slaves bowed to her. Her blue eyes were lit with blue fire.

"GUARDS!" she shrieked. "Come Forth! Now!"

4 guards came towards her. Lord Madias, Kevin, Brian (pronounced Bree-on) and Lord Acevedo were the only 4 guards loyal to the kingdom.

"What is thy will, your Grace?" said Lord Madias bowing to his Queen.

"You will come with me to find my son. We will spare no expense. Grab the torches." She said in an angry tone, pulling the door to the carriage open and getting inside. The elegant carriage raced towards the direction of the common village. The 4 knights followed thereafter.

---

"How do you think my Mother took my proposition?" Nick asked Dorough as he took a sip of water

"I do not know, my Liege. Hopefully well, but knowing thy Mother...You must really love Deanna, your Grace." Dorough said, looking in the kitchen.

"I do she makes everything worthwhile. She's more precious than my crown, and more valuable than any jewel. And even if Mother forbids it I will still be with her. And I could say the same for you and Christallina she's very nice and has treated me with the kindest repsect."

Nick suddenly hears the galloping of horses "Do you hear that?" He goes to the window and sees the palace guards making their way down the path followed by his Mother's carriage "Dear Lord."

Dorough quickly joins him at the window "What is it my Liege? Oh dear lord indeed..."

Anna looks outside, and crosses herself, putting her hands together, praying in Latin. Christallina and Dorough stood by the door, as did Deanna.

"What's going on?" Dorough asks. One of the knights gets off of his horse, opening the carriage door for the Queen.

"It's my Mother...I take it she didn't take the news well. I'll handle this." Nick opened the door and walked outside as soon as his Mother was out of the carriage.

"Nickolas, no..." Dorough holds Christallina back.

"No...let him..."

"Hello Mother."

Jane slaps him hard. "How DARE YOU give me such a preposition?! You are coming back to the palace, and you are never coming out...I'll see to it..."

"You cannot treat me this way Mother. I am not a child any longer, I wish to stay here."

"Very well..." with a snap of her finger, the 4 knights walked towards everyone, and grabbed Nick. Deanna ran outside and tried pushing the guards away.

"No you leave him alone!"

"You're comin' with us, knave..." said Lord Brian, in a deep voice.

Nick strugles against their hold "Don't touch her! Deanna run!"

At the sound of Nick's voice she quickly backed away and made a run for it running down the dirt road. Lord Madias gallops after her, grabbing her by the torso.

"Where art thou going, my dear?"

"Let me go! Nickolas help!"

"Let her go. Mother please don't do this. I love her."

Lord Kevin and Acevedo make an X, blocking Nick from getting to his beloved. "This kind of love is forbidden...I will not have common blood in my kingdom!" She turns to Brian. "Burn this...this sty down at once."

"As you wish, your Grace..."

"It's only because they are not like you! That's why I left, that's why this kingdom is in shambles because of you!"

Jane ignored her son pretending to hear nothing of what her he had said. Deanna tried to scream but Madias covered her mouth muffling her cries. Brian walked to the house, and set the hay ablaze.

"NO!" Christallina let out a bloodcurdling scream, seeing her home starting to burn.

"How could you be so cruel to the family that has given your son shelter? They took me in...cared for me...unlike what your doing now."

"I won't let you do this!" Christallina rushes to the house, but Lord Acevedo stops her.

"Going somewhere?" He hits her in the face with the handle of his sword. She falls to the ground, having Dorough come to her aid.

Jane quickly had the guards grab Dorough "Take him away...now...and make sure that he won't speak."

Kevin and Acevedo let go of Nickolas and grabbed Dorough, covering his mouth with rope. They tied him up, and push him to a horse, placing him atop. Nickolas ran towards Madias only to have him gallop away, he quickly mounted one of the guards horses and went after Madias who was halfway down the road. Anna silently said a prayer for her daughters.

"Let me go! Unhand them, you asses!" Dorough mumbled through the rope.

---

Later on that dark, moonless night, Dorough, Deanna, and Christallina were chained up in a dungeon deep in the Cartesan Castle. Their clothes tathered, their bodies weak. Everyone had lost all hope.

"HELP US!!!" Deanna and Christallina shouted, their voices echoed throughout the dungeon. Christallina struggled to get out of the chains, but it was to no use.

"We're never getting out of here. It's no use..." Deanna tugged on the bars once more "We'll never get out of here and I'll never see Nickolas again."

Lord Madias, and Lord Brian guarded them with watching eyes. Christallina had an idea. "Psst...Sister..." she whispered. Deanna looked back at her acknowledging that she heard her. "I have an idea..."

"What is it, my dear?"

"It's a woman's thing, Dorough..." Dorough was confused at what she said at first, but understood what she meant. "I'll try anything at this point...what is it?"

"Seduce the guards. You take Madias, and I'll take the other one."

"I don't know if I can...what if they catch onto what we are doing?"

"Trust me." Deanna sat against the wall sighing looking over at Dorough "I can't do it, I'm too shy."

"You don't have to..." Dorough began. "Because he's not into skirts."

"Oh...you mean he likes..." Deanna bowed her head and covered her face "Oh dear lord."

Nickolas stormed through the castle passageways angrily, he never thought his own Mother would pull such a stunt. As he was walking towards the throne room his younger brother stopped him.

"Nickolas..."

"Not now Aaron."

"But Nick---" "I SAID NOT NOW!" Nickolas screamed his voice rising so that it echoed throughout the hall. Aaron stepped back having never seen his brother so angry. "If you will excuse me I need to have a word with our Mother," Nickolas said brushing past him throwing open the doors to the throne room.

"Ah...Nickolas there you are son." Robert said completely unaware of what Jane had done

"Father are you aware of what Mother pulled in the village today?"

"No I don't believe I am."

Jane looked down at her eldest son apparantly pleased at what she had done. She felt it was neccessary to keep that wretched girl away from him. Jane turned to her husband "I had to Robert it was best for everyone."

"Best for everyone?! No best for you. You arrested two young girls and one of our kingdoms best knights and for what? Not a goddamn thing!"

"Nickolas you will watch your tone." his Father stated firmly

"I am sorry Father I will not. She is an evil woman even if she is blood. So what I found love outside of your beliefs, why should that matter?"

"You'll ruin the lineage and you'll bring shame to the family name. If you are to be with a commoner than it makes it ok for any royal to. It just isn't natural Nickolas, I am your Mother and I am only trying to protect you."

"I don't need protecting. And I mean well on my proposition if Deanna is not to be in my life, then I don't want the crown."

"Then so be it, son..." Robert said, looking away from him, as if he was the most disgusting thing on Earth.

"Why does this disgust you so?"

"We've already told you, Nickolas. Commoners are bad people. You should have known better than to run away from home, and finding refuge in a rat house."

"You know nothing of them and you wouldn't know the first thing about any of them. I know what they go through, I know how hard they struggle. Why do I know? That is because I care Mother."