I am truly having the shittiest day in a very long time so I am uploading this before I was meaning to. It usually cheers me up lol. I really hope you like it ♡

-Jade-

They returned to the castle and a group of five soldiers met them at the gates leading into the courtyard. The castle was not accessible to the people from the city from this gate. You could only enter and exit from the castle if you came from the woods or the fields. Still the soldiers met them head on as if they were a threat - that was until they recognized the horse and its owner.

Jade figured that the men were soldiers since their apparel differed from the guards'. These men wore more metalwork that looked worn, like they had been to battle more than once. The guards also wore armor but not like these men's. Guards had more leather and also cloaks. These men did not wear cloaks and there were little leather on their bodies, instead they wore metal... Iron from the look of it.

As soon as they rode through the gates, the wind couldn't reach them anymore due to the protection given by the thick castle walls. Jade shuddered and felt how her whole body was tense from trying to fight the cold wind off. It almost felt like it was warmer inside the castle walls, even if that probably wasn't.

"Your grace!" The soldier in the lead called out to William and bowed before him. The others followed their commander's lead.

"Thomas." William answered stiffly and urged Dimma to calmly keep walking, even though the soldier obviously hadn't said what he wanted to say. He huffed in surprise as they rode past him.

"The king is looking for you my lord." The soldier stated and tried to keep up with Dimma's pace.

Jade noticed how William discretely urged Dimma to walk faster to get rid of the soldier. She pulled her hood up to hide the smirk playing on her lips. The horse's pace quickened slightly and so did the sound of the soldier's footsteps and the clinking sound of his armor.

"My lord?" The soldier asked with a sharp tone. The words were polite but underneath it Jade heard that he was offended by William's way of treating him. She discretely looked at the soldier and he was clenching his jaws. He was very annoyed at William's arrogant behavior.

"What, Thomas?" William snapped. Jade flinched at his sharp tone. It amazed her how quickly he could change solely depending on whom he spoke to, or what the person said.

"I just want to make sure you heard me, my prince." The soldier said.

"You know that I heard you, Thomas." William muttered and the tension used at the soldier's name concluded that their conversation was over. William urged Dimma to a trot and left the soldiers at the gate.

. . .

"Did you have to be so rude?" Jade asked William as he helped her off of Dimma outside the stables. He had his hands around her waist but quickly withdrew them to grab hold of the reins again.

"I didn't have to." He answered and a stable worker came up to him and took care of Dimma for him.

The stallion trudged along with the stable worker in a content manner. William had allowed him to gallop freely on their way back to let the steed get rid of some of his energy before he was going back to his stall.

"Then why-"

"The soldier is my mother's personal guard and I despise him." William interrupted her, a bit too harshly for her taste.

She sighed heavily. William realized his mistake from the annoyed look in Jade's eyes.

"I'm sorry." He said and exhaled in order to calm himself down. Jade gave him a cautioning look and started walking towards the castle. William walked up alongside her and she could feel his nervous gaze scrutinizing her.

They said nothing and walked together.

When they had entered the great hall they were greeted by Elizabeth and Loren. Jade suddenly realized what they had told her this morning and she was a bit stunned by the fact that William had completely made her forget about it until now. Elizabeth had a worried look on her face and she threw an anxious look on William and then on Jade.

She thinks I told him...

"What is wrong?" William asked Elizabeth and she immediately understood that Jade hadn't told him about the potential threat on her life.

"Nothing, your grace." Elizabeth answered and the worry quickly drained from her face. She smiled softly at Jade and clasped her hands in front of herself. "May I ask where the two of you have been?" Elizabeth motioned her head up and down and especially at their cloaks. They were stained with small spots of mud from the ride from and to the castle.

"We... I brought Jade on a ride." William answered and Jade noticed how his chest grew a little larger, as if he was making himself look bigger.

Elizabeth's nostrils flared quickly and it took her about two seconds to catch the smell of Dimma. Her eyes then disappeared to Jade's clothes.

"The girl is not dressed for this freezing weather!" she exclaimed and walked up to Jade. Her hands pressed Jade's cheek and she sucked her teeth. "Ice cold."she snapped and huffed at William.

"I am fine, Liz..." Jade said quietly.

William and Elizabeth picked up on the usage of her nickname. It brought a discreet smile to his lips but Elizabeth did not seem too impressed.

Maybe it is only William that can call her Liz? Jade thought nervously.

"You will get sick. Mark my words." Elizabeth muttered and threw a very agitated look towards William. Again. "Next time you come to me and let me find you some appropriate and warm clothes to wear. For God's sake your toes must be falling off at this point!" She gasped and covered her mouth in despair. "Your shoes!"

William's brows knitted and he gave Jade a wondering look. Jade lifted her skirts and stuck her left shoe out. His eyes widened when he noticed the poor excuse of a shoe on her foot.

"Why did you not tell me?" he mouthed to her while Elizabeth sucked her teeth again and helped Jade out of her cloak with an almost tugging motion.

"I got distracted." Jade mouthed back and his eyes glowed at her words.

"Come on, I will have to get you into a hot and nice bath to prevent you from becoming sick!" Elizabeth sighed irritably.

Jade raised her eyebrows at William and then followed Elizabeth towards the stairs. A teasing smirk appeared on his lips as she passed him.

"Your father has been looking for you, your grace." Loren said. William sighed and answered that he was already aware of this. It did not sound like he had any intention to seek his father out though...

. . .

An hour later Jade stepped into her tub with one foot first. The water felt scalding hot and she hissed as it wrapped her toes in its burning warmth.

"It is a bit warm, Elizabeth." Jade complained as she dipped her toes over and over again. She did not want to get in.

"It is perfectly fine. Get in." Elizabeth said and from the sound of her voice Jade heard that she wasn't comprising.

Jade frowned when Elizabeth could not see her do it. This side of Elizabeth was a lot different from the woman that had greeted Jade on her first day in the castle.

"Did I do something to make you so cross?" Jade asked cautiously but did as she was told.

The water burned her skin and her toes screamed in pain from the hot water. The knuckles on her toes felt like they were scorched as did the skin in between her toes. Jade inhaled quickly and blowed her cheeks. She slowly exhaled through her o-shaped mouth as she lowered herself further into the water. The searing sensation radiated up through her feet and she hissed at the torture.

"No..." Elizabeth sighed and walked up behind Jade. She started to comb her hair carefully. "I am sorry my child... I am just very worried..."

"About what we talked about this morning?" Jade asked. Elizabeth mumbled something in confirmation. "I did not say anything to him..." Jade said but let her governess hear that she had much rather talked to him about it. "Did you learn anything new then?"

"Only that there is a girl in the staff that has her eyes set on the prince..." Elizabeth muttered and the tone in her voice seethed with distaste. It actually sounded like she did not like the girl, and Elizabeth had enough patience for fifty people... So the girl had to have worked her way through Elizabeth's patience for a while.

"Do you know who she is?" Jade asked and leaned back at the edge of the tub and let her cold limbs soften from the warmth of the water.

"Yes." Elizabeth stated coldly.

"How do you now that she-"

"The girl have been pining for him for years." Elizabeth muttered.

Then why did Elizabeth act like she wasn't sure about who it was earlier? Jade thought and frowned. She pulled her legs close to her body and wrapped her arms around them.

"Before me?" She asked quietly.

"Years, before" Elizabeth answered.

"And...? Why would she want to get rid of me?" Jade asked impatiently and hugged her legs tightly to control the increasing anxiousness in her body.

"Because you stand in her way... even though there is no chance on this green earth that he would even look at her." Elizabeth said and finished with Jade's hair.

"Has he told her that he is not interested?" Jade asked and felt a sting of jealousy in her chest.

"He doesn't even know about her." Elizabeth answered coldly.

"Why not?" Jade asked confused and turned her slightly to the right.

"Because she is part of the staff." Her governess explained. "The prince cannot be seen with a girl from the staff."

"But he can marry a farmer's daughter?" Jade replied and raised her left eyebrow. "I don't think class is something he considers vital..."

"He does." Elizabeth answered in a low voice and Jade's heart sunk. "But not when it comes to you." Jade could not fight off the smile that sneaked its way onto her lips. It shouldn't matter to her what he thought of her birth and class... but somehow it did. And it still confused her that he had picked her from all of the girls he could choose from.

Elizabeth told Jade that the girl had been pining after William for years, lurking in the shadows and watched his every move at every given chance. Elizabeth had apparently caught the girl staring out one of the windows, witnessing their moment in the gardens that very same day. She had apparently looked like she wanted to kill someone according to Elizabeth. That was when Elizabeth had realized that the girl and her obsession with William wasn't just a mere infatuation but that she was actually possibly dangerous. Jade felt a nervous and worried presence take form in her stomach and she was actually starting to understand that the girl could actually be posing a threat.

Jade wasn't going to be comfortable around anyone except three people now... William, Elizabeth and Loren.

. . .

At dinner Jade and William barely said a word but there was something in the air. A tension they both felt but they did nothing to address it. It was a mixture of anticipation, impatience and... lust. Instead of taking some sort of action they just sat in it. Soaked in a wordless lust for one another.

William was sitting so close to Jade that their arms occasionally grazed each other. It felt nice to have him so close now that she felt unsafe as soon as she was alone.

Jade threw nervous glances at every passing servant girl and even flinched when one of them spoke to her on her way to the dining hall. Jade's heart was pounding in her chest and she had a hard time eating the soup that had just been served - for two reasons: William and the storm of feelings he caused and the upsetting presence growing in her stomach.

Suddenly Jade felt how someone was staring at her - intently. She turned slightly to her left and saw that William's eyes were on her. His lips were moving. He was talking to her but she couldn't hear him. Everything seemed like a blur and the voices of the king and queen that were in the middle of an argument sounded like they were under water.

"What?" She asked as she regained her focus. William studied her for a while.

"Are you alright?" William asked quietly and placed his right hand over her arm which was resting on the table.

"I told you and Elizabeth before. I am fine." She answered. "Why-"

"You're obviously not fine." He stated. "You haven't been listening or heard a word of what I just said." He continued. "Will you please tell me what is wrong? You were acting strange in the gardens this morning as well." Jade swallowed nervously and met his eyes hesitatingly. "Jade?"

"I am just tired." Jade answered shortly. It wasn't the answer he was waiting for but it wasn't a lie either.

The warm bath had taken the last of her remaining energy and she would probably need to go to bed after dinner. Jade's body ached from the ride that had taken its toll on her.

"What was it that you said?" she asked. William pressed her hand while he studied her face to see if she was lying.

Don't. She thought and tried to look as honest and relaxed as possible.

"I asked if you wanted to continue where we left off today, tomorrow?" He said and let go of her hand and kept eating.

"You expect me to be able to ride tomorrow?" Jade asked and snickered. She took a sip of her wine.

"Are you that sore?" he chuckled. Jade nodded and put her glass down. "I don't know. I just thought it would be... nice. Elizabeth has prepared a pair of boots for you and some warmer clothes."

It would be nice... Jade thought. Really nice actually. Yesterday had been one of her favorite days since she came here. I actually think it was my favorite day to be honest...

William had seemed so calm and relaxed with her. Maybe it was because Dimma was with them... Whatever the reason, she didn't care. She was just happy that she was finally getting to know the real William.

"It would." Jade answered him and met his affectionate and surprised gaze.

"I'll have Dimma ready after breakfast tomorrow then." He answered and there was tenderness playing in his voice and his eyes. It filled Jade with a pleasant and warm feeling and she had to turn her gaze away to keep herself from blushing.

. . .

"I think you are ready." William stated and stopped in his steps. Jade looked down on him and squeezed the reins in her hands. They had only been on the field for less than an hour when he stopped Dimma. The wind tore at their clothes and Jade was very grateful for her new wardrobe.

Elizabeth had dressed her in a simpler dress with many layers underneath it. What made her very pleased was that Jade did not have her corset laced as tightly today. Other than that she had been given a pair of warm socks that reached her knees and a pair of boots. Even though the wind was brutal she felt warm and not at all as cold as yesterday.

"What do you mean?" She asked nervously.

"That I don't have to hold Dimma." William chuckled. "You're doing perfectly fine and he doesn't jerk around anymore, which means that you are comfortable."

I am only comfortable because you are keeping the creature calm. Jade thought to herself. William noticed how she disappeared into her thoughts.

"Do you remember how to slow him down?" He asked encouragingly. Jade nodded and looked at the reins.

"I pull the reins back?" She said and suddenly became very aware of Dimma's enormous size. Was he expecting her to wield this somewhat grumpy stallion between her legs?

"Not too fast." William reminded her with a cautionary tone in his voice. Jade nodded understanding. William took a step back and let go of the bit. Jade inhaled slowly and licked her upper lip nervously. Don't be nervous. He can feel it and he will run off with you... She reminded herself.

A moment later Jade was in control of Dimma all by herself. Well alright, William was two steps away and still within the horse's eyesight and that was probably why he still hadn't thrown Jade off, but still. She rode this massive horse all by herself!

-William-

At first Jade seemed very cautious but after half a minute, and nothing had happened, she looked relaxed and she sat back a bit in the saddle.

William studied her with anticipation. He knew that this wouldn't be a real challenge for her. She just needed to realize that herself and calm down. Dimma had been quite impatient with her yesterday. He had sensed the horse's disappointment and annoyance today when he had gotten off and Jade was still in the saddle. Dimma truly was a strong willed creature - just like Jade... The two of them would probably be a very good pair, as soon as they had gotten to know each other a bit.

To William's surprise Jade suddenly sent Dimma into a quicker pace and Dimma seemed quite pleased by the change in speed. He did as she ordered and William stood there, in the middle of the field as they rode farther away from him. If something would to happen now, he wouldn't be able to catch Jade or prevent it from happening. He swallowed nervously but didn't let it reach his face.

Out of nowhere he heard Jade call out to Dimma and suddenly they quickened their pace again. Now the speed of his horse was at such a speed that Jade's hood fell off and her hair was carried by the wind.

Jade turned Dimma around in a large semi-circle and rode towards William again - but still in this newly discovered pace. The icy blue eyes glistened from excitement. William laughed in wonder and... something that reminded him of pride and happiness. He was proud of her for so quickly learning how to ride. And most of all he was overjoyed that she seemed to be happy.

Another call to Dimma left William stunned and his eyes widened as Jade and Dimma sprinted past him. He turned rapidly to follow them with his gaze.

-Jade-

Jade flew through the air with Dimma beneath her and her stomach felt like it was filled with a hundred butterflies. She was still nervous but now it was more of an exciting nervousness. She wanted to go faster. The hard but muffled sound if Dimma's hooves hitting the ground urged her. This was the only sound around them and Jade loved it.

An encouraging cheer suddenly echoed over the silent field. Jade turned her head around and smiled as she saw the satisfied look on William's face. His lips were in a wide smile and his teeth were showing. He was ecstatic.

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I hope you liked this chapter!