Royal Entanglement

The Attack

Lady Lisette slowly went on her knees, her hands grabbing to the edge of her dress. "Please, spare me. I will do everything you ask. Please. I want to get married to him too, please. Please give me one more chance."

Her handmaiden suddenly came forward, then wrapping a hand around her, pulled her up to a standing position. Without a word, she brought her into her comforting arms, her hands sifting through the brown locks of her hair.

"Tis fine. It is the Prince's loss."

Lady Lisette let out a small whimper but said nothing more, her eyes closing, her body slightly trembling.

"My lady. Please come to the private hall. We are going to take measurements for your dresses."

Lady Sophia closed her eyes, then gave a sigh. "I am coming."

He nodded and left, and Charlotte slowly replaced him.

"I will escort you to the hall, my lady."

Lady Sophia said nothing to her as she slowly stood up, then followed Charlotte down the long hallway.

Prince Xander was seated on a sloped chair, his eyes closed, his hair falling on his sides. Charlotte let out a small dreamy sigh as she saw him, and Lady Sophia turned to her, her brows raising.

Charlotte immediately lowered her gaze, stopping right behind Lady Sophia.

Prince Xander opened his eyes, and turned to Lady Sophia.

"You are here," he said in a slightly mocking tone, like he wanted her to get angry and leave.

"Do I have a choice?" She said, arranging her dress around her.

"You brought this upon the both of us."

She did not reply as the seamstess walked up to her. They started to take measurements, and when they were done, they slowly walked out of the hall. Bundles of silk were soon brought in and laid in layers in front of the both of them. Charlotte swallowed. She had once fantasized about it, picking the material of her dress with him.

He had laughed then, a beautiful laugh she could still hear in her ears, and told her she would look beautiful in anything.

She felt tears fill the back of her eyes, and she lowered her head again.

Prince Xander leaned forward, his eyes taking in the bundles of differently coloured silk. Slowly, as if on instinct, he turned back to Charlotte, his eyes a little wistful. It had been her wish to do this with him, and now, in her presence, he was doing it with someone please.

He swallowed, then turned back to the silk, his fingers lightly touching them.

"What would you want, Your Highness?"

He sighed. "I would hate for you to not have a good enough reason for this, Lady Sophia."

She turned slowly to him. "Do you think I am happy marrying you?"

"So you would rather sacrifice your happiness than see me happy?"

Lady Sophia straightened, then gave a small nod. "Yes. That is how much I loathe you."

He swallowed, then turned away to the silk. "Your hatred...I wish you had expressed it some other way."

He leaned forward, then brought a black silk. "I will wear this on my wedding day. Because rather than joy, I will mourn."

Lady Sophia felt something clamp down on her throat as he slowly stood up, leaving the hall. He had not picked his jewelry, and had only picked a single silk when he was supposed to pick twelve, but he did not seem to care.

"I do not feel well. I will pick it tomorrow."

The servants nodded, and she excused herself and left the hall.

Prince Xander watched the moon as it descended, his eyes cold. He took in a deep breath, his hands clenching around the rocking chair, his breaths becoming shorter by the second.

Suddenly, he saw a shadow pass by his dimly lit chamber. He turned to it, but there was no one.

"Ron. Is that you?"

There was no reply. Ron would have appeared to him first, and Prince Xander grabbed the sword on his right.

Slowly, he walked out of the chambers, his steps small.

Lady Sophia turned in bed, her eyes closing tight. She needed to sleep, but so much was on her mind. She was yet to hear about Paul. She hated the guilt she felt with regards to Charlotte, and for the millionth time, she contemplated if she was doing the right thing.

Like Prince Xander had said, was she comfortable sacrificing her own happiness just to see him suffer?

She swallowed and turned, just as she felt a small thud in the room. She pushed the large silk sheets off, straightening to a seating position.

"Who is there?"

There was no answer. She gave a sigh, assuming it had been a result of her restlessness. She had started going back in to the bed when a sword passed her, only slightly missing her neck, yet leaving a small cut.

She gasped, moving instinctively towards the other side of the bed, her hand covering the wound. She could feel the sticky warmth of her own blood, as she glanced around wildly.

"Who are you?"

Slowly, a black cloaked person emerged from behind the large curtains, in his hand, a sword.

"What are you doing here?" Lady Sophia said, tracing her steps to the door.

The person did not reply, instead he rushed at her, his sword sharp as he lifted it, the reflection of the moon on one side of the blade. Lady Sophia pulled a large staff and held it up, keeping the sword from reaching her.

It was a lot of effort for her fragile hands, and the man pushed his sword down, trying to over power her. She gave a yelp, then kicked his leg as hard as she could, causing him to lose balance and fall on his knee. She let go of the staff, then turned to the door, just as he caught hold of her hair, pulling her back. She turned and bit down on his hand, and he released her, causing her to fall on the floor.

He was not out for too long, and he stood in front of her, then raised his sword. Lady Sophia closed her eyes, waiting for it to strike her. But it never did. Instead, it came in contact with another metal, pushing it off.

"Who are you?"

Lady Sophia turned, and she immediately stood up, her hair falling down her back, scared tears staining her cheeks.

Prince Xander turned to her, but said nothing, then walked slowly in front of her.

"Bare yourself." Prince Xander said, again, leveling his sword in front of the person's neck.

A tense silence fell between three of them, and suddenly the man pushed Prince Xander's sword off, then turned towards the large open widow. He was not fast enough, however, and Prince Xander passed his sword, tearing off part of the man's veil. It fell on the floor, but he managed to scurry out of the chamber, leaving it behind.