Chapter 3, part 2 - Truths unfold.

Today I was in need of fresh air and a friendly face, one that I knew I could trust so I decided to visit Joan, she lived just outside the village in one of the less dilapidated houses, so I dressed in a gown and my cloak and snuck quietly out of my room. I knew I had to be quick and as silent as possible, so no one would bother me.

I paced down the long corridor and peeped through the door that led to the main hall, this was the only way out to the entrance of the castle. Even with all my adventuring around the castle when I was small, I never came upon a hidden way out, as I got older, I kept wishing I could claw my own way out.

The coast was clear, not a noise or whisper in sight, I shimmed through the open gap of the door and hurried across the hall, damning it for being so large, luckily, I had purposefully put my flat shoes on with soft soles on so they wouldn’t echo a clacking noise through the room. The entrance was getting closer with only one guard stationed there and it was only when I got nearer, I realised it was Nathaniel.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry, princess?”

“I’m visiting Joan, so if you have to supervise me, I suggest you keep your voice down and come quickly”

“Of course… but why?”

“I’ll explain on the way”

Nathaniel just opened the heavy door for me when I stopped and squeezed my eyes shut at Mallon’s voice calling out from behind me. I begrudgingly turned to face him, wanting to just bid him farewell and be on my way.

“Aurelia, you’re going somewhere?” he asked looking confused

“I am”

“I haven’t seen you for two days, are you ok?”

“I’m absolutely fine Mallon, now I must be off” I turned and started to walk out the door when he rushed over to catch up with me

“Well let me accompany you”

“I’d rather you didn’t, I’m off to see a friend and besides I have the kings guard to walk with me”

He ignored my attempt to leave without him as he followed me out of the castle with Nathaniel following closely. Mallon turned to him with a kind smile “It’s ok… sorry what’s your name?”

“Uh, Nathaniel, your majesty”

“Ah, well Nathaniel don’t worry about escorting the princess, I’ll see to it that she returns home safely”

Nathaniel looked to me for confirmation that I was alright for him to leave. I sighed and nodded to him to ease his uncertainty “It’s ok Nathaniel, I’ll be back before the evening meal”

“Of course, princess, if, you’re sure?”

“I am… I’ll be fine”

Nathaniel hesitated as he slowly turned his back to us and retreated back to his post.

Mallon looked to me quizzingly “He seems a bit protective of you”

“He’s a guard Mallon, he’s supposed to be”

“No, it was more like he didn’t trust me”

“Hmm or perhaps he sensed I didn’t want you to come with me, I was hardly subtle with my feelings on that”

Mallon huffed defeatedly and looked at me with a forlorn expression “Aurelia I’ve been wanting to speak to you about what I said”

“No need, now I’d rather you go and play with the king than take up anymore of my time” I rebuffed him. I was just about to move past him, but he caught hold of my arm then slid his hand down to mine as he held it tenderly.

“No, Aurelia I have to apologise, and I have to explain, I hate that your mad at me and I hate that I was so rude to you, you didn’t deserve any of what I said, and for that I’m truly sorry, but I guess I just didn’t know what to think. My home is not like yours, my father’s land and people are treated completely different. I could see even when I first arrived that you and your father were not close, but I didn’t realise just how badly he treated you, and how he just disregards you like your not even his own daughter. I knew you were good in your heart, but I doubted it for a moment, thinking perhaps you were too good to be true. Aurelia, you’ve captured me in every way possible, I am so drawn to you that a moment without you is too long, and I feel myself aching to see you, to be close to you”.

His warm hand covered mine as he placed my small cold tipped fingers on his chest, until my whole hand could feel every beat of his heart, and I could feel its rhythm becoming faster under my touch.

“You feel that?” he asked with so much emotion escaping from his eyes, as if he was trying to bare his very soul.

I just nodded, speechless as my own heart began to race just as fast and hard as his.

“That is for you, only you have the power to make my heart beat quicker than lightening. I see that you are nothing like your father, and you are everything I’d hoped you’d be. You really are the sweet and beautiful Aurelia that my father heard so much about”.

“Heard?” Was all I could voice as I stared into his deep calm eyes

“Yes” he nodded softly “when the kings noblemen came to visit my father with your father’s proposal, they were so adamant that you were the most beautiful and kind princess they had ever known, and that my father would never find one that could match you in any way, and how right they were! It’s not just your beauty I’ve fallen for Aurelia, its you, all of you. I’d be the luckiest man to spend every waking day of my life with you”.

I felt so touched and dizzy at his words as my legs felt weak and wobbly beneath me, I felt at any moment I would wake to find this all to be a dream, but his heart vibrating onto the palm of my hand assured me this was real, his big strong hand still covering mine… it was all real, so real! And I felt on top of the world as the most genuine and smitten smile spread across my face as I looked up to him, allowing my love for him to shine through.

With his free hand, he lovingly cupped my cheek with his palm, and I could feel in this moment I wanted nothing more than to feel his lips against mine. I moved my face into his hand, and I softly grazed it with my lips, and I could feel his heart quicken.

All of a sudden, we were jolted from each other’s touch when a loud voice boomed close by. I gasped as I was stirred out from my own little piece of heaven, and I could sense that Mallon was just as flustered as I was.

My eyes suddenly focused on Edric as he stormed toward the castle doors, several of his guards behind him dragging a skinny pale man along with them as he struggled on his feet.

“IN” Edric glared at me as he pointed to the castle and a wave of nerves enveloped my entire body as I quickly followed behind, with Mallon looking just as confused as he walked through with me staying close by.

Edric led us all to the throne room and I knew the moment we entered, it was unlikely this man would ever see outside this place again and I gulped at his possible fate.

He sat on his red velvet throne as the guards flung the poor man to the floor, landing on his knees, tears streamed his face instantly, with his hands grasped together he began pleading with the king for mercy, but the king just stared down at him callously.

“Please, my king, I beg that you find it in your good heart to give me more time, I promise I’ll do all that I can, please, my gracious and fair king, I beg you show me mercy” his voice crumpled as he gasped for air in between his pleas

“If I show mercy to you, then everyone would think they can make a fool out of me” Edric glared

“Oh, no your majesty, no one will know, I’ll keep quiet, I swear it on my life”

Mallon tensed as he looked to Edric “Your majesty, can I ask what the man’s crime is here?”

Edric cleared his throat and straightened up his posture as he looked emotionless at Mallon “This man is late on his taxes, by two weeks!”

“I’m so sorry you, majesty” the man cried “but my wife, you see she’s been taken ill, and I had to pay the good doctor to see her”

Edric sucked in a deep breath and looked mystified at him “YOU PAID MY MONEY TO A DOCTOR?” he shouted as he shot up to his feet, to intimidate the man even more.

“But… but she could die”

“AND HOW IS THAT MY PROBLEM? YOU SPENT MY MONEY!”

I heard a faint growl come from Mallon’s throat and as I glanced at him, I could see his jaw clenching and his fists tightening.

“Please forgive me, my king, please! I haven’t sold much flour, I can barely feed me and my wife, but I’ll do whatever I can to get you what I owe”

Edric snarled at the man and stomped over toward him as his voice deepened and into a scold “well at least now your wife can have all the food to herself, and you get to eat whatever criminals like you eat” He looked up to the guards and motioned for them to pick him up off the floor “take him to the tower” he ordered

“Oh no your majesty please don’t do this, please I beg you” his cries became more desperate, begging over and over, screaming for the king to reconsider as the guards dragged him away through the side door which led to the other side of the castle, and alas, to the tower, the tall, dilapidated narrow part that held any prisoners my father sent there.

I looked dispiritedly at Mallon, I could see by the shock and exasperation on his face his time here was beginning to take its toll on him, it was obvious to me that he was sick of Edric’s behaviour and cruelty. I sympathetically took hold of his hand and squeezed it, his eyes shot to me, and his expression softened, and the corner of his lips tucked into a faint smile.

“Prince Mallon” the king called as he sauntered over casually “come with me, I have some exceptionally expensive wine in my study let’s go and have a pre drink before we make use of all the entertainment and the feast, I have planned for us men tonight” he chuckled

I felt Mallon stiffen and his hand flinch in mine at Edric’s invitation

“Actually, your majesty I was hoping to spend some time this evening with Aurelia”

Edric scoffed and looked amused “Ahh no need prince, I can guarantee you’ll have a much enjoyable time with us” he then shot me a look, a look that told me to ‘disappear’ but I felt torn, I knew if I ignored Edric’s clear warning he’d make me pay, but I didn’t want to leave an unwilling Mallon in Edric’s grasp.

As if sensing my hesitation, Mallon began stroking my hand with his thumb as he smiled and nodded at me reassuringly “I guess this is goodnight then Aurelia” he kissed my hand and offered to escort me out of the hall.

Once we were through the doors and out of earshot of Edric, Mallon took hold of both of my arms and looked at me with sadness in his eyes “Sorry Aurelia, I want nothing more than to have some more time with you, but after the way your father treated that poor man, I didn’t want him turning on you too. That’s something I can’t stand by and watch, so I thought it best we bid each other goodnight”

I nodded “I understand, I… I don’t know what to say about what you just witnessed, I’m assuming your father doesn’t sentence people over late taxes?”

“Well, if they were a thief or a known criminal then yes, he would, but that man genuinely couldn’t pay his taxes and for a good reason too! Can I ask… how much does the king take from his people?”

I shrugged frustratingly “I really don’t know, but I do know it’s a lot. Nora has told me a few times about him increasing the taxes and it is becoming harder for them to eat and clothe themselves properly”

He let out a heavy sigh as if weighed down by the greed and ruthlessness of Northalye’s king!

An anxious and jealous sparks flew around in my stomach and my mouth began to speak on its own “Anyway, it’s not all bad for you, you can have fun with all the fun women my father will bring in tonight, while you all drink and toast at how spectacular your lives are” I commented with a taint of sharpness.

Mallon chuckled and covered my cheeks with the palm of his hands as he lifted my face, so my eyes were on him only and not the floor. “Aurelia, my love, I never stay around long enough to participate in any of that, luckily your father drinks quickly and heavily, then he leaves with a few women, back to his bedchambers, which means I can leave too. It never takes long for him to pick which ones he wants”

I cringed inside at the disgusting thought of Edric being with other women, I could imagine those women would have to drink a fair share of the wine and ale to want to go to bed with someone like him! But my heart felt lifted and reassured. I kissed him gently on his cheek, and for a moment I just let my lips hover over his warm clean skin, that alone teased me in a way that had my entire body aching for more as I breathed in his masculine soapy scent, locking the deliciousness of it in my memory… something I could think of when I’m alone.

His fingertips slid up my arm like a feather and I felt my skin tingle all the way up to my shoulder and my neck, as my body began to pulsate in hunger for his hands to caress every inch of me as much as I wanted to explore him.

He bought his face closer, and his lips pressed against my jawline, and he breathed in deeply with a craving desire. Before we could get carried away and get caught being indecent and alone, I reluctantly forced myself to step back, and I bit my lip in annoyance at the strain of wanting him so badly.

“Goodnight, Aurelia” He whispered as he laced his fingers though a lose tendril that fell around my face.

I placed my hand affectionately over his “Goodnight, Mallon”

“Sweet dreams, my beautiful princess”

I smiled smittenly as I slowly stepped back, one at a time, until finally turning around and heading to my room. I looked back to see he was looking back at me too as he headed through the hall doors.

My heart felt like it wanted to leap out of my chest with complete and utter happiness and I couldn’t wait to see him the next day… hoping Edric wouldn’t prevent us from having more time together.