I'd like to dedicate this chapter to @estereeglite for her very helpful Greek to English translations (in the comments!) and for nearly always being the first to read and comment on this story. 

It might suck having to wait for the next chapter but it's the readers along the way as I write that make this experience a joy to go through. Thank you so much for believing in me & my stories. 

PRINCE JASPER

The scholar 

I'M AWOKEN BY guards. They're polite about which under any circumstance I'd laugh. But when it's goodness knows what in the morning anyone can easily understand why I'm reluctant to. 

Instead of laughing, I groan, following their polite orders to dress myself. I don't think I moved convincingly enough because I feel a strong arm push me almost out of my bed and on the cold wooden floor. 

I'd spent the whole evening till late reading Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes and it's the one night I'm roused back up only moments after I've slept off. C'est naze. 

"Your Highness, all of you are requested to go to the bunkers."

Bunkers.

The word sends an uncomfortable jolt through me. I blink back the sleep, the unnecessary ramblings my mind has undertaken. I open my eyes to look at the guard who'd awoken me. His eyes don't betray what I'd heard. C'est naze. 

 I'm wide awake, I roll off the bed. Quickly pull on a shirt, not bothering with pants but I did grab them, I'll wear them later.

We're taught to focus on getting there, not about bringing items or changing. 

Though it would be very inappropriate for me to move around in just my boxers. 

"I'm ready."

The guards nod.

They step out, all but one who stays in my bed. Pretending to be me. If this was a kidnapping, it's the best way to catch the kidnapper. All of this is standard code orange lock down.

The guard pretends to be asleep. With a last glance at my bedroom, I move quietly to my twenty five bookshelves.

Every room in the palace, or nearly every room, I can't be too sure about the newer wings; had a secret passage. Some led to other rooms, but the rooms in the bedroom would lead directly to the bunker. 

It's a secret only the Royals knew.

I don't turn on a light, I glance at the bookshelves, all tall and imposing on their own. Each shelf is stacked side by side to each other with next to no space in between.

Except for one. 

I reach for that space, the lever is a little lower near the bottom shelf, a place no one would touch by accident. The dust is soft under my fingers. I press the button. 

When these passageways were first being built, my mother had insisted that no one besides our family to know this. The man who built the passageways died a childless widow in the Palace, living a life of luxury till his secret died with him. 

Her reasoning was simple for it. Something I had grown to appreciate. 

When it came to choosing to save the Queen or save your wife, a soldier would choose their wife. 

Some might choose the Queen.

Regardless of the choice, it would be a hard and unfair choice for any man or woman.

No one can tell who would betray a secret when the lives of the person they love were at stake. 

Nor could we hold them to it, when we would do the same in their shoes. 

The hidden pathway is fast to react. It's soundless as the large bookshelf moved upwards. Warily, I watch the books, I didn't put many heavy or large volumes in this shelf just in case but it's hard to say whether any of them would fall off given the chance.

The shelf stops midway, nearly to my waist. 

None of the books fall. 

It doesn't move any higher up. Curse my luck, it's a pretty small opening to get through, I didn't remember it being so small. The bookshelf only almost reaches my waist. Trying not to curse because it's a filthy habit I won't admit to having, I bent down on all fours. 

And crawl through. 

The passage is dark, with a soft florescent yellow light on the path to guide me through. I stood up, looking at the wall for a soft indent. I press against the smooth stone wall, my fingers gliding on it, I roughly remembered where it was. I find the button it's so small, no one could easily find it. I press it. 

The bookshelf moves downwards, not a sound it made. I wonder if the guard feigning sleep on my bed would hear it. I'd look like I just vanished into thin air. 

After this, no one could use this passage. Not without overriding the system. At least not in a code orange or red.

Pure darkness envelops me for one second, then slowly, so my eyes can adjust, a glow of artificial light comes on.

The passages don't all connect to each other. It's too much of a risk. The last thing my mother would want is allow some lucky criminal inside one of them with private entry ways into the King and Queens bedchamber. 

Some passages connect to more than one. Mine connects to a guest room on the far side of the Palace. In case I needed to rescue or save a guest. But most of the time those rooms were empty. 

I try not to think about what could start a code orange. I focus on moving through the passage way. There's no chance of getting lost, the florescent lines on the floor are a clear indicator to the bunker. 

Breathe in. I walk downwards, mostly in a spiral. Breathe out. 

Breathe in. 

Breathe out. 

We were taught to focus on breathing when we're under threat. It's supposed to be helpful. Supposed to. I wonder if they considered walking through a dark hallway to a bunker as the ideal place for a soothing breathing exercise. 

The dark never bothered me anyway, my mind sings trying to find light in an otherwise dark situation. 

Almost, because I grin relieved when I see that there's a glow of light at the end of the tunnel. I'd reached. I almost jog there but I control myself just incase I find Adaliz or Daegan at the end of it. I don't need to look like I'd been panicking on my way there.

Those fifteen steps felt like ages before I entered the entrance. 

My entrance opens out to a room, almost the same size as mine. There's one living room, three bathrooms and six bedrooms. Each Bedroom would be connected to a shared bathroom. Somewhere in the living room was a stash of emergency rations in case we would have to stay here for a longer period of time.

In the living room, three pairs of eyes land on me. Arianna's eyes gaze go downwards.

My cheeks flush.

I'd forgotten Lady Arianna would be here. 

In my haste, I'd forgotten we did have visitors. I curse.

Her brown eyes met mine, they were a little red, the light kohl smudging her eyes in a slightly less flattering way, but she meets my gaze, not shy at all and smirks. 

I should have worn my pants. 

"Excuse me for a minute," I say quickly darting to the bathroom, away from their eyes. 

When I come back, I'm wearing pants. I look at them. "Does anyone know what happened?"

"We'll tell you once my mother gets here," Lady Arianna says.

"And how will she...?" I ask.

Laurie who's sitting across the sofa Lady Arianna's lounging on replies, "Daegan will lead her here."

"Great."

There's only three long sofas inside our bunker. Laurie occupies one, and Lady Arianna the other. The only space was in the sofa in-between them. I move towards it smiling at Fabianne. She looks like she hadn't been practicing her breathing.

All of them are dressed in robes. 

I sit with Fabianne, who reaches straight for my hands. Hers are cold in mind. I meet her gaze and hers is uncomfortable and tinged with worry. Few could worry her. 

"Are Adaliz and Daegan coming here?" I ask.

Fabianne shakes her head. Our parents have a separate bunker, so do Adaliz and Daegan. But sometimes, if they had been out of their room. They could end up in a different bunker. 

It's a precaution. One of the many we had.

Hopefully Daegan could make his way safely to his own after escorting Lady Arianna's mother to ours. If the stairs were like mine, narrow and far apart, I worry he'd fall down to his bunker and end up with more bruises. 

We sit in silence.

Laurie and Lady Arianna laid down on their own respective sofas. As minutes pulled on, both of them ended up closing their eyes. I know they're not asleep. Laurie would open an eye to glance at Lady Arianna. 

As for her, her breathing was too quick. I watch her chest rise and fall with a too quick rhythm. I don't think anyone taught her breathing exercises either. 

Were they even effective?

I hadn't thought about that. 

In a submarine they could be. 

But if the castle is in a code orange - we have plenty of air, it's not like we're gasping for some.  

I smile, but it fades quickly, when I look at Lady Arianna, what had happened? Why was her breathing too fast? Why is the kohl around her eyes smudged? Was the red in her eyes from tears or a lack of sleep?

I shouldn't worry.

It's not necessary.

At times like this. I want to pull the plug on my mind. Because it's hard to focus on not thinking, and hard to distract when my thoughts inevitably ran to what's going on outside.

I can see that Fabianne is worrying. She's picking at her delicate long fingers. I remember when we were younger and how she had been a chronic biter. She'd gotten over it with the help of several specialists. 

But it didn't stop completely.

So now, when she's nervous, she picks the tips of her fingers. I can feel them moving in my hands. I press against her hands tightly in a quiet effort to soothe her. Touch is like a calming drug for her. Whenever, she experiences a high strain of emotion, Fabianne looks for the reassurances that touch can provide her. 

The sound of footsteps come through and from there we see a very frazzled woman. Her black hair sticks up, a quarter up and three quarters down, and she's shaking. "What's going on?" She demands looking at us. Then, she realises exactly who she's with and she curtsies "Pardon me, Princes and Princesses, but may I inquire to what is happening?"

Even in tragedy, we're forced to observe and handle social decorum. 

Laurie doesn't move, not really, but his hands twitch. "There's been an intruder in the palace."

Lady Arianna's mother, who's name I can't recall freezes. "An intruder?" She asks voice raised in shock. 

"Not just that, mother," Arianna's voice switches to Greek. "Ο εισβολέας προσπάθησε να με σκοτώσει."

So, Laurie and Lady Arianna knew what happened. 

Hm, shocking. But I'm not. My mind is already detangling the latest bit of information. 

Laurie must have discovered the intruder. As though confirming my suspicions, Laurie says, "My dog recognised the intruder." His tone is clipped and straight-forward, almost devoid of feelings. "He managed to escape the guards. They're trying to find out who else is involved right now. Don't worry Lady Adalane, our guards are the best and we'll be protected." 

The tense line on Laurie's lips say otherwise.

Lady Adalane, Arianna's mother is shaking. I'm not sure if it's in anger or shock. 

I glance between the two of them. There's more to this than they're saying. Perhaps for all our sake's they're trying to play it off. We're stuck here for an uncertain period of time. There's no need to worry us.

Lady Adalane goes straight to Lady Arianna's chair, moving her aside and she says "μου λες ψέματα."

I glance at Laurie and Fabianne. Fabianne's faces is strained, as though she was trying to understand what Lady Adalane was saying. 

"γιατί θα ψέμα γι 'αυτό," Lady Arianna moves up. She walks away from them and heads to one of the six bedrooms available in case of emergencies. Wise choice. If only we could have understood what they were saying. 

But that was probably the point. 

They spoke in Greek so we wouldn't understand. How many times had Fabianne and I switched languages to what we hope they wouldn't understand to avoid prying ears. 

Whatever they said, it isn't enough to reassure the frazzled woman. She turns, eyes almost accusingly to Laurie. Somehow, her tone still manages to sound entirely polite, "Are you telling me the full story, Prince Laurent?" 

"My Lady, I told you what you need to know." Laurie turns to look at me. "Might I suggest we all go to sleep."

"That's a wise suggestion," Fabianne agrees. She bounces to her feet, almost in an overly exagerated way of excitement, "May I show you where you may sleep Lady Adalane?"

Lady Adalane doesn't look reassured. 

"Our guards are the best in the kingdom, Lady Adalane." I reassure, following suit. My voice is calmer, more honest. "We're just following the protocol while they re-secure the Palace."

At this, she looks a little bit more at ease. I can see her wrapping it tightly against her chest. Her cheeks lose the redness and her shaking ceases. Fabianne grabs Lady Adalane's plump arm almost reassuringly sweet. The two walk towards one of the unoccupied rooms.  

Laurie turns to look at me, "Jasper, can you accompany me to Lady Arianna's room?"

I frown. "If you tell me the whole story."

"I think I should, I thought Arianna would tell you both," Laurie is pinching the skin of his bruised lip. 

I raise an eyebrow, he didn't call her Lady Arianna. 

Laurie doesn't notice, instead he stands up. He sends a glance at the retreating figure of Lady Adalane. Then, He pulls me along with him to where we saw Lady Arianna retire. "You do realise if she tells Adaliz about this, we'll both have our head on a platter," I warn before we step in. 

"I don't care," his voice is so offhand that I would have missed our slip into her room if he didn't pull me after in. And then, we're both in Lady Arianna's room. 

She's sitting on the bed, quietly waiting for us. 

She smiles, it's not a full one just the barest raise of her soft pink lips when she see's Laurie. "I knew you'd come in."

Laurie returns her smile with a warm one of his own. It doesn't hold on his ever smiling face, instead it slips away and he goes straight for the bed. Smart. Have me as a witness, someone who wouldn't object like Fabianne.

"What's going on?" I ask crossing my arms. 

Laurie and Lady Arianna share a look. 

Odd. We all met each other on the same date, and somehow, Laurie and Lady Arianna were doing something I've also seen Adaliz and Daegan do with each other. Converse almost telepathically. Great. Of course, both of them have unlocked something. How often had they spent time with each other? 

I feel myself scowling, because I don't know what they're saying. How do you pick up this? 

I can sense I'm almost irrational about this. Probably because I just woke up. I doubt I'll be able to sleep again. My mind is almost being fed an over-influx of information I'm not prepared for. 

Laurie turns to look at me, "It's a bit shocking."

I nod. "I can handle it."

Just like that, I hear a click. Like a switch has turned on in my mind. I find it easier to breathe and focus. This was something I could do, absorb more information.

"Ok," He takes in a breath, "Daegan was roaming around the palace and woke me up. After that, I couldn't sleep so I went to check on the dog." Laurie waits eyes defiant, gauging my reaction. I know he's telling the truth. Laurie hardly lies to me. "I ran into Lady Arianna on my way there."

"She followed me and met the dog. We thought of taking Duke out for a walk, but he started growling and chasing one of the guards." Laurie continues. "Arianna realised something was wrong. That guard..." He hesitates, "he knocked another guard out. From there, it wasn't hard to deduce it was someone who broke into the palace. The man who broke in knew Daegan. They were friends or something."

Laurie pauses. It's like he was trying to think of how to say it. 

"He said he warning Prince Daegan," Arianna continues for him. She's shaking. Something uncomfortable swells in my chest. Almost protective of her, which is absurd because we've barely spoken to each other. "Then he pointed a gun at me. Daegan saved me." Her voice cracks.

Thump.

She bends down and both her and Laurie are shaking. Not from the cold but like tremors. As though they've both sunk into the earth. Wordlessly, it's hard to see who reaches for who. 

Thump.

He pulls her from her place close and they're hugging and shaking together, slowly their shaking subsides and they're holding each other. 

Thump.

My mind is blank. 

Thump.

This was probably the man with the red pocket knife.

"He escaped, he broke through the guards or something." Laurie mumbles, "They're trying to find out who else is involved. Daegan's up there helping them. I think Adaliz and our parents are in a bunker."

"Adaliz won't go to a bunker if Daegan's not there," I speculate. 

Thump.

What's going on, why is my heart hammering so fast? Why do I feel like I'm being torn. I'm trying to focus on the information, and that meant tearing my eyes away from Lady Arianna, who has begun to look so small, and helpless. 

Thump.

Not like the girl at the bottom of the palace steps, promising mischief in the way she walks. 

Thump.

I need to pull my eyes away from her, resist this urge to push Laurie aside and hold her. 

Thump. 

Focus. 

Thump.

My fingers reach for her without concious thought. I shouldn't touch her. She's already proving to affect me, affect my rational thought process. Is she crying?

I turn away. It almost breaks me how confused I feel. The rapid beating of my heart. 

Without her in my gaze, I feel foolish. Of course I'd care. I'm only human. Flesh and bone like my siblings. Just because I enjoyed a rational process to things didn't mean I was no longer any less human than they are. 

She nearly lost her life tonight, in a palace I've lived in. I want to crumple just as they have and shake. I'm just avoiding it. The temptation that she represents is letting fear take over. 

So let's start with the process.

Daegan knew him. The stranger broke through the guards. The stranger pointed a gun at Lady Arianna. The thought brings an urge to look at her but I don't. Without that black dress I met her in, the dark kohl liner, she looks my age. She looks vulnerable. 

She nearly died tonight. 

The thought makes my heart pound.

Then I see Fabianne. Who's standing by the bathroom. She'd heard everything, I knew. Like me, she was trying to process it. 

Adaliz is the head. 

Daegan it's arms, strong and capable. 

Fabianne is it's heart. The heart of all of us. She'd be processing it more emotionally than I would. 

No one has ever managed to break through our guards before. We were always safe here. How long had the soldier been here? Was it long enough to infiltrate the palace? Was that who the pocket knife belonged to? 

"Someone clearly doesn't want you to be Queen," Fabianne's cold voice finally comes. She's not quiet ready. Nor is her voice steady as it should normally me. Arianna jumps out of Laurie's lap, looking less fragile while Laurie falls off the bed trying to put some distance between them. 

Fabianne steps out from the bathroom door, her auburn hair in a messy pony tail. Her brown eyes stormy.

Arianna turns to look at her. She moves further away from Laurie. 

"I know you want to leave," Fabianne continues, "I would to. I just thought you should know that who ever it was, might be out for your head."

Then she comes on the bed and reaches for Arianna. In a quick gesture, she's holding Lady Arianna's hand. Pressing on it in comfort. The thought of her doing it doesn't send as many pin pricks through my mind as much as the sight of Laurie holding her does. 

Maybe it's because she looks more like herself. 

"How did you know we're in here?" Laurie asks. His hands shake a little. But not as bad as when they were talking about the incident.

Fabianne turns to look at him, "You didn't think I knew what you're playing at when you said Lady Adalane should go to sleep?"

Laurie lets out a little laugh and he reaches for her as well. Her hands reach out for me. For half a moment, I want to shun him but I remember almost as swiftly was that he was there when she nearly died. So I hold his hands and he pulls me in for a group hug. It's short. Fabianne and I, while affectionate had other thoughts turning in our heads and little time to process it.

"This is really crazy," Fabianne whispers. "Jasper, what do you think is going on?"

"I can't say for certain, but it looks like one of the guards isn't loyal to the Crown. This stranger comes in looking to murder Lady Arianna. The only way this person would be able to know she was hear and plan far enough in advance to infiltrate would be to have insider information," I voice out.

"Then why was he guarding me?" Laurie whispers.

Fabianne and I turn to look at Laurie.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"He was outside my door, he followed me to go see my dog."

I frown. "And he left a pocket knife in Fabianne's room next to yours during recon."

"A pocket knife?" Fabianne asks her skin turning pale. 

"In your room, you remember? It's the one Daegan passed to you," I reach for her hands, pressing them reassuringly, "Captain Nathaniél told me about it. I thought you knew that it wasn't registered."

She nods. 

Her eyes are uncomfortable. I probably shouldn't have said that so blatantly the last thing that Fabianne would want to hear is that a murderer might have been in her room watching her sleep. 

"So this guy has been in the castle for a while," Lady Arianna's voice is very uncomfortable, "He was acting as a guard when we caught him."

Laurie asks Arianna, "Why were you up?"

She glances at the ground, "I was thinking of Greece. I missed home."

"No one woke you up?" Laurie asks.

She shakes her head. 

I grit my teeth because for some reason, I can't figure things out when I look at her. But I desperately want to. I look away. My mind is buzzing and my thoughts are fluttering by. Had the rogue guard looked for her? Had he seen she was gone? Was that why he began to look for her in our rooms? 

Was that why he had shifted the station to our floor?

"He would have killed me if I'd been in my room, wouldn't he?" Lady Arianna asks, looking at all three of us. 

"Perhaps," I reply warily. 

She looks at me, "Should I go back to Greece?"

"As long as your engaged to Adaliz, you will be a target," Fabianne says softly.

She smiles, it's a sad smile. "If I break the engagement?"

The three of us look at each other, then Laurie and Fabianne turn to look at me. I knew they wanted me to speak up. "It depends," I say slowly, "Did you anger anyone back in Greece."

She laughs, and laughs.

All of us wait. She's shaking as she laughs. It's not the laugh of a sane woman. "I might have angered one of the palace bodyguards."

"Could he have infiltrated this place?" Laurie asks me, disbelieving.

"She," Arianna corrects.

"Unlikely if Daegan knew him," I answer.

We sit in silence again. "Then, is it safer for me to go back to Greece and terminate the engagement to Prince Adaliz?"

Laurie and Fabianne look at me. I look at her. The brown expressive eyes, the dark hair. I'd suffer Adaliz, Daegan, or anyones wrath as long as she's kept safe. 

I answer truthfully, "Yes."

Because she would be safer there. So why is it when after I said it, when I looked at her expressive light brown eyes, did I feel a pinch of regret?

AN

I had to post this because I am DYING to hear what you think. Can you believe this chapter is four thousand and nearly two hundred words??? I can't but I'm so happy to be able to write so much for you guys. 

Don't forget to vote, comment & follow me for more. I do also post the occasional teaser on twitter. 

Cheers, 

Pain.