The Prince's Wedding

The People. 12.

ALEXANDER

"...we can't thank you enough, Your Majesty, Your Highness." Says the middle-aged, chubby woman as she bows numerously and it's taking everything in me to not just send her out already.

It's been like this the whole day, villagers trooping in with gifts and endless words of gratitude, all because the expansion of lands had done more than they had expected. Produce had multiplied and livestock thrived, and harvest was a big success, but I wish they would spare me the endless words of gratitude.

They're grateful, I get it.

But they were getting carried away... weren't they?

I turn to Melissa and she still looks happier than ever, conversing with the lady with a bright, unwavering smile. It's still a wonder to me how she gets so attached and emotional with them.

She's been hearing matters with me for a month now and it seemed like the villagers were increasing with each passing day, trooping in with requests and gratitude or gifts which Melissa always turned away.

Most times she would recognise some of them and rush to hug them without a second thought and as much as the whole charade feels weird and unfamiliar, I can't help but observe the change in the villagers' behaviour towards the castle. The look of fear seemed to turn to relief whenever they walked in and spotted her with me.

"Your Majesty?" Melissa calls out and I turn to her snapping out of my thoughts as her curios, big blue eyes observe me.

"What?"

"Helen says the people have been thinking of setting up a trade fair with other kingdoms. They believe they would profit very well from it if they trade in the extra produce for things they need." She says and I turn to Helen now, who appears to cower a bit at my gaze.

"A trade fair?"

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty. We--"

"And what kind of things do you need that you have to organise a trade fair for it?" I ask her and her fingers meet together as he toys with them anxiously.

"I... Well... The blacksmith c-could use some extra t-tools and... Umm..." Her gaze drops to her feet as she struggles to find the words.

"They could also make a lot of money selling it, regardless of the things they get in exchange." Melissa interjects impatiently and I to turn to her. Her big, blue eyes are pleading with me, begging me to understand and again, I wonder how she relates so easily to them.

"They wanted extra lands, I gave them that. Now they're getting the benefits and they want to trade?"

"The other kingdoms might want to trade too. At least give them a chance?" she pushes but I still want to refuse.

I should refuse.

But I know she's right. With the trade fair, the kingdom would flourish and it might build a stronger relationship between kingdoms. Plus, it'll give her the chance to be really involved with the people for a while...something I suspect she needs.

"All I'm giving is my permission, but I don't want to have any part in this. If it's going to happen, you're going to be in charge."

And then there's that smile.

"Thank you," she says before turning to Helen, "We'll begin planning next week." She says to Helen who no longer has the fearful look.

"I'm eternally grateful Your Highness, Your Majesty." She says and bows again before scurrying out in excitement.

"Please tell me that's the last of them." I say, turning to Felipe just as the doors burst open and Catherine rushes in.

"YOUR MAJESTIES, PLEASE!!! RELEASE MY BOY! RELEASE RUPERT!" She wails, rushing towards us just as guards surround her, stopping her.

Melissa and I get up, instantly alarmed as we watch Catherine struggle with the guards and still pleading in tears.

"He's all I have! He's my only son and family! Hear the cries of a hurting mother!" she cries and I turn to Melissa but she is already rushing down the stairs, away from the scene and heading for the door at the back of the room.

I race after her, catching her just as she gets to the other side, Catherine's cries still very audible behind us.

"Wait." I say to her, stopping her as I tug at her arm and she raises both hands in surrender.

"I can't. I can't. I can't. I just can't." She says over and over, her voice shaking uncontrollably and her eyes filled with tears.

"Can't what?" I ask.

"Can't be there! I can't sit there and watch that woman cry, knowing deep down that I'm the reason her son is starving—"

"Her son is the reason he's starving there and no one else's. I can't believe you would blame yourself when he clearly committed a crime."

"But he's suffering. He's a human being and we—"

"He's a murderer! Would you rather have him released and trying to poison you again? Or you want him hanged in front of thousands of people?"

"Of course not! He almost killed my sister." She says with tears spilling from her eyes.

"Then why the hell are you letting her get to you?" I demand and she bursts into tears.

"Because I know just how she's feeling!" she cries, "I would be here crying if it was Halley locked up in that cell to starve! How can I turn her away?"

The sight of Melissa in tears is still something I'm not used to and for a few seconds, I have no idea what to say to her to make her feel better, but I know I can't stand the sight of her crying.

Not now.

Especially not over a situation like this... a situation that risked both her and Halley's life...

I watch her lean against the wall as she cries into her hands, her shoulders shaking as she sobs and I know I can't bear to stand here and watch her cry. Normally I wouldn't care... but this is different. Rupert is a killer and definitely not worth crying for, no matter how much his situation seems to get to her.

"Hey." I say, walking up to her and she looks up at me with a tearful gaze.

"Listen, you have to stop crying. He's not worth it." I say, reaching into my pocket and handing her a piece of white cloth. Melissa stares at me for a while, the unmistakable look of surprise in her eyes before she takes the cloth.

"But...what about his mother?" she asks tearfully, wiping her eyes and I sigh.

"There's nothing we can do about her. Sure, she's hurting but we can't break the rules for her and you know it. Her son is a danger and a threat, not just to you and Halley but also the entire kingdom."

"Is it possible that we overreacted? What if he's changed and he regrets it? What if it was just a onetime thing--"

"Are you really feeling bad over this? For God's sake, open your eyes. I know you want to believe that everyone in this kingdom is pure of heart and has good intentions and I hate to break it to you but that's just not how it is. Trust me, I know what it feels like when the kingdom disappoints you, and it's a crushing feeling but you still have to accept that out of the thousands of people living here, some of them are just bad." I tell her, surprised by my words, even more so that it seems to have done the trick because she's no longer crying.

We stay quiet for a while and in those silent moments, Catherine's cries seemed to fill up the castle.

"I guess we have to go back there." Melissa finally says and I nod, turning towards the door.

"Yes. We do."

*** *

MELISSA

"So you're saying you can't release him?" Catherine asks, her tired eyes staring up at Prince Alexander and I and I look away as Prince Alexander answers her.

"Yes. I'm sorry Catherine but your son committed a crime and releasing him is breaking the law. He-"

"The law?!" Catherine basically hisses as she slowly gets up from where she was kneeling on the floor.

"You speak to me about the law? You cut off a boy's finger!" she yells and my breathing pauses at that moment. I turn to the Prince and I can see the accusation hits home as his expression turns to a blank, speechless stare.

Oh no.

"You denied us expansion for years, you tried to shut down a school, and you speak to me about breaking the law?!"

"ENOUGH!" It's Felipe who speaks now and Catherine turns to him just as I observe The Prince.

He looks... bothered.

"You're in the presence of His Majesty and you would not address him with such disrespect unless you wish to face the consequences." Felipe says and Catherine just frowns.

"So I'm supposed to pretend that this is fair? He can break the law because he is royalty but he can't do it to save my son's life?" she demands and this time, I don't hold back.

"Your son is a murderer, for God's sake. And the only pretending you're doing is trying to act like what he did isn't a grievous crime. He tried to kill me. He's the reason my sister was unconscious for weeks. I'm sorry Catherine but you have to accept that there is no going back from what Rupert did and I know you're hurting right now but that doesn't erase your son's actions. The Prince has already apologised and so have I... there's nothing else that can be done." I say to her and I watch as her gaze shifts from me to Prince Alexander to Felipe and then back to me.

"Well I hope an apology can take the place of my son in my home." And with that, she turns away and leaves the throne room. Felipe and I turn to Prince Alexander now and this time, he has his gaze on the floor, deep in thought.

"Your Majesty--"

"I want to be alone." He says and marches out of the throne room, guards tailing him from behind.

****

Since the situation with Rupert's mother, I hadn't set eyes on The Prince all day, even during lunch and dinner time... it's like he had just locked himself away the whole day.

I sigh as I shut my bedroom window, after staring out at the kingdom for so long, wondering how many other people believed that the Prince was taking advantage of his royalty... wondering how many of them were on Catherine's side...

Sure, Prince Alexander was no saint, not even in the slightest bit at first...but now? He doesn't seem to be the same anymore. The Prince Alexander I met here isn't exactly the Prince he is now. Sure he had cut off a boy's finger years ago and that alone had set an image for him in the kingdom... But he has granted the land expansion and he has kept the school.

And if he hadn't changed, he would have had Catherine in the cellar the instant she said those words to him.

I turn away from the window now and climb into my bed, thoughts of the Prince still in my head.

I hope he's okay.

*

The sound wakes me up. Brief but loud enough to penetrate my sleep.

I stir a bit in bed before forcing my sleepy eyes open to scan the dim room. The candles in the candelabra are still lit, casting a mild glow of light across the empty room and I drop my head back to the pillow, satisfied.

But just as my eyes shut, the sound comes again, this time even louder... except it's not a creaking sound, it's a scraping sound. Like metal against metal.

My eyes open in alarm now and I sit up in bed, my heart racing.

There's someone in here...

There's someone in my room...

"Hello?" I call out, my voice coming out in a squeak. The words have barely left my mouth when a tall figure completely clothed in black appears from the side of my bed, shoving a pillow to my face and forcing me down before I can even scream.

Everything goes black and I suddenly can't breathe. I'm struggling, reaching out and fighting against the huge, strong person above me as I claw and scratch, but it's no match for the force of the pillow against my face and I know I’m losing the battle.

I can't die like this...

Please, I can't die like this...

"Why won't you just stop fighting?" The gruff, unfamiliar voice growls as he presses the pillow harder against my face and I can feel my body weaken with each struggle..

I can't breathe...

"Die already, you little runt." He growls and those words are enough to strengthen the fight in me. So I kick and struggle as hard as I can, causing my knee to jam him between his legs.

"Urgh!" he groans out in pain, toppling out of the bed and to the floor while I struggle to get out from the other side, coughing and gasping for air as I fall to the ground and crawl towards the door, my vision blurry.

"Guards!" I yell but my voice hasn't fully recovered and it comes out like a croak.

"Get back here!" He yells, grabbing me by the hair and dragging me back.

"NO!" I scream.

"Guards!"

"Shut up!"

He slams me against the edge of the bed, then grabs me from behind by the neck, and pulls me to a standing position.

"Guards!" I scream as hard as I can.

"I can see you want a more painful death." He murmurs against my ear and I hear the scraping sound again, just as he unsheathes a dagger and drives it towards my neck.

"NO!" my hands reach out by instinct and connect with the blade of the dagger, inches away from my neck. The sharp metal slices through the skin on my fingers but I can barely register the pain.

I can't die today.

I can't!

"Your Majesty!" I scream in tears, struggling with the man as he brings the dagger closer and closer to my neck, piercing it deeper into my fingers, causing blood to drip down my hands.

"PRINCE ALEXANDER!!" I scream even harder, the dagger now dangerously close.

"Your Prince can't save you. He doesn't care." The man mutters in his gruff voice and even though I know he's wrong, he's right about one thing... the Prince can't save me. His chambers are on the other wing of the castle.

Come on, Melissa! Fight!

I can feel the dagger against my neck now and I let out a scream as I force it away as hard as I can, slamming the back of my head into the man's face and forcing him to let me go.

"Argh!" he yells as he throws me to the floor and I scamper for the door.

"ALEXANDER!" I scream and I feel the man's gloved hand grab my ankle.

"No! No, let me go!" I yell, turning to him and kicking with my other free leg.

"STEFAN!" I scream, still kicking and my leg knocks over the table, causing the candelabra to fall and the candles roll towards the man, instantly setting his clothes ablaze.

"MELISSA!" The doors burst open then and Prince Alexander rushes towards me with numerous guards while the man screams in pain and agony as the fire climbs up his body.

"He tried to kill me." I cry and Prince Alexander looks up at the screaming man, holding up his hand to stop the guards already rushing to the man's aid. For a few seconds, he lets the man scream in agony as he glares at the burning man in anger.

Then he drops his fist and the guards rush to put out the fire as the man drops to the floor now, groaning in pain.

"Tie him up and lock him in the cellar until I decide what to do with him. Until then, no one gives him any medical aid." Prince Alexander says and the guards nod in unison.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"You're bleeding." He says to me and before I can respond, he puts his arms under me and gently carries me up and out of the room.

"Halley..." I manage to say, despite the overwhelming feeling of pain and exhaustion.

"She's okay, don't worry."

It's the last thing I hear before I slip out of consciousness.