The Princess's Stolen Body

Chapter 2: An Unexpected Kindness

-Jonah-

I sighed, resting my head against the cold wall and closing my eyes, trying to be grateful for my hands while I still had them. But my reflection was interrupted by the sound of heels clicking against the cold floor. Before I knew it, the door to my cell creaked open.

I hadn’t given much thought to her looks when she caught me in her room, but now, as she stood before me—moonlight filtering through a high window, casting a glow on her light blue dress and her enigmatic gray eyes—I had to admit the rumors about the princess’s beauty were true.

She was the embodiment of every man’s dream. But despite her outward beauty, she was still a princess, born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She took a step closer, but the knight who had apprehended me quickly intervened, gently pulling her back.

“Not so close, Your Highness,” he warned, his tone respectful toward her, unlike how he had addressed me.

“He has my necklace,” she said, turning to me. “Don’t you?”

“What necklace?” I asked.

The hood had been removed from my head, and I knew she could see me clearly now. I probably looked very different from what she was accustomed to.

“I want it back,” she said firmly.

“What do you want back?”

She placed her hands on her hips and sighed.

“Why did you steal from me?” she suddenly inquired.

I was taken aback by the question. I had already committed the theft. She didn’t need to know more to ensure my punishment.

“Because I could,” I answered.

She shook her head. “I don’t believe that.”

“No?”

“People don’t just steal for no reason. They do it because often there are no other options,” she said, her voice both gentle and resolute.

“I think you’ve got me mixed up with someone else,” I said.

“Princess, he is a wanted man. Don’t expect him to be a saint,” the guard interjected.

She glanced at the knight for a moment before turning back to me. “Are you a wanted man?”

I gave her a small, wicked smile, but she didn’t seem intimidated. Instead, she knelt down to my level.

“What is your name?” she inquired.

My name? Why did she want to know that? She could simply check one of the wanted posters in any tavern in town to find it.

“Jonah,” I replied.

“Just Jonah?”

“Just Jonah. You’re not sitting in front of a lord, you know,” I taunted.

“I’m well aware of that. I just wanted to know what family you’re from. I know many people in this town. Do you live here?”

Another question about me—why did she want to know so much? When I didn’t respond, she sighed and looked down at her hands in her lap.

“Listen, Jonah, I need that necklace. I’ll even trade it for one of mine,” she offered.

I stared at her in shock. She wanted to… trade? Had I heard her correctly? I was at a loss for words as I looked at her. Her gray, metallic eyes met mine, almost… pleading.

“Please,” she said softly.

I was so taken aback that I instinctively moved closer to the wall behind me. The princess had just said… please? And she looked so… vulnerable. Why was this necklace so important to her? It was just a plain stone on a metal chain. I had taken it intending to give it to my sister, thinking she would like it.

I sighed, unsure why, but I reached into my jacket and pulled out the necklace, holding it so it dangled between my fingers. She looked at it with wide, hopeful eyes. She reached out to take it, but I didn’t let go immediately. We locked eyes, and for some reason, I found myself frozen. She wasn’t what I had expected.

Finally, I spoke, “I steal for the ones I love… they need it.”

Her mouth opened slightly in surprise, forming a small “o”, but no sound emerged. After a moment, she closed it, gave me a soft smile, and I relinquished the necklace, which she gently took from my fingers. Her touch was fleeting, but her hand felt strangely warm against mine. She held the necklace tightly, then rose from the ground and turned to her guard.

“Release him,” she commanded.

I looked up at her, feeling astonished, and the guard appeared equally surprised.

“Your Highness, he stole—”

“He is not a bad person,” she interjected, glancing at me. “He is simply taking care of the ones he loves.”

“Your Highness, I really don’t—”

“Sir Gawain, it wasn’t a request. It was an order. Release him,” she said, her voice firm with authority.

Sir Gawain was clearly displeased, but he complied. He retrieved a pair of keys from the wall outside the cell and returned to me, gripping my wrists tightly before unlocking the chains. Throughout this, I continued to stare at the princess in shock, but she only smiled at me gently.

“You do not deserve the kindness of the princess, but here we are,” the knight muttered as he helped me to my feet, holding onto me firmly.

He still didn’t trust me, which I couldn’t blame him for.

“What shall I do with him?” Sir Gawain asked, clearly hoping she would order me to be chained elsewhere and whipped for my crimes.

“Just escort him to the gate and make sure he leaves. I’m sure he has someone waiting for him,” she replied.

The knight gripped me firmly and pulled me toward the door. As we reached it, I grabbed onto the cold stones and looked back at her, but I couldn’t find the words. I was so stunned by her actions that I needed to see her one last time to be sure she was truly sincere.

Once I was convinced, I let go of the stone and allowed her guard to lead me outside the castle and toward the large gate separating the city from the castle. He roughly pushed me out, and I stumbled, almost landing headfirst in the mud.

I managed to catch myself with my hands, which cushioned the fall. I turned around to see him watching me intently, waiting for me to get up and leave. I slowly rose to my feet, brushed the mud off, and walked away, still in disbelief that the princess had let me go so easily.