They were back at the cottage, the prince opened the door and walked through the kitchen and into the living room. Once there he threw the tied-up girl onto her couch and sat down opposite her on a matching green denim chair. They stared at each other, the prince with annoyance but satisfaction and the girl in horror.
The prince leaned into the chair titling the front legs up. He rubbed his lips together and undid his bun. Sat on the chair properly and redid his bun. Then he leaned forward and grabbed hold of the girl's hands. He could feel her trembling. He let go, annoyed by her behavior. He got up and walked to the kitchen then came back into the living room as though he had something to say but he did not and left once again.
The girl sat there blankly had it not been for her slight tremble she would have looked bored by her situation. She could not accept the fact the prince had grabbed her from behind while she tended to the old women's garden, threw her into a gardening cart, then tied her up using the rope that was laying in the cart. The prince had pulled the cart through town. At first there were very few people around but then one of the town girls saw them and she screeched, calling people from shops and their homes. By the time the prince had found a horse to ride back to the cottage the entire town was watching, laughing, and pointing. The girl would have been humiliated if she was not terrified of what the prince would do next.
The girl had never experienced this before. There were aggressive men, touchy men, men that tried to order her to come with them. None however, had ever kidnapped her. The prince was by far the worst man she had the unfortunate luck of meeting.
The prince walked back to holding a cup. He handed it to her and sat on the chair opposite her again.
"To help with the nerves."
Something about the prince trying to help her feel less scared made the girl lose it. She busted out laughing hard and cynically. The expression on her face was that of stone. Hate had started forming in her heart and she could feel her body warm up. The air started warming up as well. The girl wanted to burn the prince, so hot that he would melt instead of turning to ash. She focused on the skin between the prince's eyebrows, staring at the sweat beads forming. It wasn't until the prince grabbed the cup from her and drank the whole thing that she regained composure.
She cleared her throat, "if you really wanted me to feel safe you would untie me, leave and never come back."
The prince gripped the cup and looked at the plush green rug underneath them.
"I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"You humiliated me the last time I was here, refusing my gifts and proposal. You did not hide your uninterest in me, how little I mean in your eyes, just a fly that buzzed too close to your ears. You were so cruel to me, not because you turned me down but because it was clear you didn't even think about it. Your face has haunted me for months now, no matter if it was day or night, who I was with or what I was doing, your face was always there. So much so that it drove me mad, I became sick and weak. The court had to take over and I spent every day in my bed."
The girl listened intently, had it been any other man who told her this she would feel very sorry, but she could not let the hate in her heart go. The prince had turned her life upside down too and she could not forgive him for this.
"Then my servant came to my door and told me that he would send an official order for you to be brought to the castle. I thought about it but I would rather you came to me. So, I escaped the castle and came here, thinking that destiny was by my side. When I came here, and I saw you that morning how weak and scared you looked...you were nothing like I remembered you being. I finally had your attention and I liked it."
There was a storm brewing in the girl, and she could not help but think of all the things she wanted to do to him, all of the ways she wanted to hurt him. Density he said. What about any of this seemed like Density? He was the one who decided to escape. He was the one who came here. He was the one who went looking for her and dragged her back here. None of that was density, they were choices.
The prince took her hands and looked deeply into her dark brown eyes.
"I do not want to keep you tied up nor do I want to keep running after you. All I ask is for a chance to know you and you to know me."
His words seemed genuine but his behavior up to this point made it hard for her to believe. No, even if she wanted to, she couldn't because he had already hurt her in more ways than one. She knew enough about the prince to know that the moment she crossed him in any way he would hurt her again. He would never let her go. She had to be smart and calculative. Escaping when the opportunity arose.
They sat in silence as these thoughts went through her head. She would not give the prince anything he wanted. She would not even for a moment let him think he was winning her over. She would never love him let alone marry him.
The prince sighed and let go of her hands. He got up "I'll leave you to sleep for the night but think about what I said." He made his way up the stairs. Likely to make himself comfortable in her bed, the girl thought.
She lay down staring up at the ceiling trying to figure out what to do next. Even if she did escape it was only a matter of time until the prince found her again. As well this was her home, her life, she did not want to give it up because of fear. Furthermore, she wanted revenge, she wanted to hurt the prince in the same ways he had hurt.
She closed her eyes hoping to regain control of her heartbeat. She was a healer and hurting people was not something a healer did. She was trapped unsure of what to do and with no one to turn to. For the first time in many months, she cried thinking of how lonely and pathetic her life had become.
---
The girl did not want to fall asleep, but her eyelids were heavy, and her couch was soft as clouds. However, she woke up to the sound of loud footsteps descending the stairs. The prince's footsteps became louder with every step, and it was clear that he was making his way over to her. She wanted to jump up and bite his nose but decided to pretend to sleep. Hoping to buy herself sometime and think of a better plan.
What she did not count on however was the prince's impatience. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her forehead. It sent a shiver down her spine.
"I know you are awake"
She said nothing and lay there trying to be as convincing as possible.
"Your face twisted in disgust when I touched you but good try though" he said.
Her eyes fluttered open and their eyes locked. The prince was so close to her she could feel his breath on her skin, his hand now was on her face, creasing her softly. However, no matter how tender he was, the look of disgust would not leave the girl's face. He could see the hate in her eyes, that dared him to make the wrong move. It was clear that the first chance she got the girl would escape him and this time for good. She was like the deer he hunted and given his abilities, he was sure he would win this chase.
"As I said the night before I have no intentions of keeping you tied up. I simply want reassurance that you will not try to leave." He looked at her but saw no change in her demeanor.
"In fact, I even want to give you your house back, it is improper for me to be here before we are married." She scoffed at his remark, reminding him that she thought very little of him.
He wanted to lose it, to pin her down, and start their union right away but, he would not give into the anger. She was only behaving in this way to provoke him. The prince would prove her wrong, he would show her that he was a gentleman and a loving husband, he would make her fall in love. No matter what he would make her love him.
"Well, I'm heading into town to get breakfast, what would you like?"
The girl did not respond. He sighed, got up and walked towards the door.
"I guess I'll ask the baker what you like."
---
It had been sometime since the prince had left. The girl was now trying to remove the rope that bound her. The prince tied the rope in such a way that it restricted most of her movements. He used one long rope to tie her feet, upper arms and hands together. It was impossible to break out of for a regular person. However, the girl had her own tricks. She focused all her attention on the part of the rope that was tied around her upper body. She imagined hot air rubbing against the rope, creating smoke and then a small fire.
Within a few minutes the rope caught on fire. She let the fire burn just enough to break the rope and then she released the hot air. The rope fell around her and she was able to break her hands free from behind her back. She then untied her feet and got up. She ran upstairs, escaping her mind. She went to her room and looked around. There was nothing of importance there. The only thing she really needed to take with her was in her parent's room, her mother's trunk.
She quickly ran down the hallway and into her parent's closet. On any other day her chest would tighten being in this room, but her safety was the only thing on her mind. She grabbed the trunk, opened it, and started throwing things into it. Then she remembered that she had hung some of the altered dresses in her closet. She got up and ran out of the room again.
Once inside her closet she pulled at the hanging dresses, she also opened all the drawers pulling out valuables she could exchange for food and other supplies. She made her way back to her parent's closet and threw everything else into the trunk. She paused and considered if she was forgetting anything.
It was then she heard footsteps downstairs. In her haste she forgot to keep watch for the prince's return. She bit her lip and rubbed her forehead, angry with herself. She was about to be caught once again. She could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. She got to the floor and started crawling to the bedroom's door. If she could lock it in time, the prince would think she had already escaped. If she was lucky, he would leave, hoping to find her. It would give her enough time to gather supplies downstairs and leave for good.
The footsteps were lighter and took their time to come up the stairs. Sill the girl was on guard, she would not be caught again. She moved as quickly as possible, praying that she was not too loud. Her heart was racing now, sweat was building up and her throat was dry. The steps were so faint that she swore it had to be someone else. Yet she would not trick herself into a safe sense of security even if it was someone else, they were here because of the prince.
She had finally reach the doorknob. She wrapped her hand around it and slowly closed it begging that the door would not creak. As she inched the door close the person made it to the top of the steps. She looked up and at the person, in shock and confusion she gasped. The person turned towards the sound, and they made eye contact.
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