-Jade-

Jade was brought back to the castle. The leader of the riders had helped her up in his saddle. He rode fast and rough on the outlines of the gardens. Jade had to hold on to his waist in order to not fall off the horse when they made sharp turns around the hedges.

A slight feeling of nervousness came crawling inside of her as they got closer to the castle. What would William be like? The rider had said that he was furious... If what she had experienced up until now hadn't been a taste of his fury, then what was she going to face now? What should she be expecting?

How angry can he be? I only went outside... It wasn't like I tried to escape... She thought, even though the thought of running away had crossed her mind.

Instead of just taking Jade to where she had exited the castle, the riders brought her to the courtyard. She didn't understand why. There was no need to bring her all the way around...

As they rode around the last corner of the castle Jade saw him. On the steps to the entrance William stood, waiting. His hands were behind his back and he had a very strict look on his face. He was wearing a dark coat with a high collar that concealed his jaws from the side. Jade also noticed that he had cut his hair. It wasn't tied in the back of his neck anymore. It was shorter and she hated the fact that she liked it. She thought he looked good in it, handsome even, and it irritated her that her eyes and mind thought of him in that way.

William turned his head towards them. He caught Jade looking at him and the look she got back left her with a cold sensation flooding down her spine.

Stroem was not joking. He looks like he is going to kill someone...

Jade inhaled slowly as she felt her upcoming doom approach her. The leader rode up to where William was waiting. He rode as close as he could and a guard quickly helped Jade off the horse. As soon as Jade's feet hit the ground the leader spoke:

"Your grace." The rider said as if he presented Jade as a prize from their hunt. "She was sitting by the Old Oak... close by."

Jade felt that he added the last two words for her benefit. She threw a glance at him. He didn't look at her, his eyes were on William.

"Thank you, Stroem." William muttered but didn't look at him. Jade turned to face him and his eyes were fixed on her as she feared. He was indeed furious. She didn't need someone to tell her that, it was as clear as day. William's face said it all. The jaws were clenched and the eyes were dark.

"Leave us." He said and everyone left, except the guards. Jade watched Stroem as William gave the order. "Did I stutter, Stroem?" he added when the rider didn't leave them alone. Stroem looked just as confused as Jade felt. No yelling? Really?

"No, your grace." Stroem said quickly and rode off.

"Come on, Jade." William said and went inside.

When the doors closed behind them William exhaled and then turned to face her. Jade took a step back to keep him at a distance. He still looked furious and it made her very uneasy. Was he going to slap her? Was this the beginning of it all? The beating she had feared from the day he had picked her up?

William opened his mouth and Jade braced herself. She closed her eyes and her whole body tensed up.
But nothing came. No slap. No beating.

No harsh words.

Nothing.

Jade opened her eyes in confusion and to her surprise William was not there anymore. She relaxed a bit and searched the room with her eyes. He was walking away from her and up the large staircase.

"Are you not going to say anything?" she called out and walked to the base of the staircase. William stopped but didn't turn around.

"What do you want me to say?" He asked with a dark voice.

"I don't know." Jade mumbled and shrugged her shoulders. "Something?"

"I am not in the mood." William replied coldly and Jade could feel his anger.

It felt like it flowed from him and onto her. Maybe it was for her benefit that he walked away? Perhaps she should be thankful that he hadn't stayed to yell at her?

"Not in the mood?" Jade repeated. "For what?"

"You." He answered and it hit her like the slap in the face she had expected but not received.

"Then why bother to have your men fetch me?" she called up to him.

William's head turned so that she could see the right side of his face. He looked like he used all his willpower just to stay where he was.

"Do not leave again, Jade. I am warning you." The words were as cold as ice and Jade shuddered as they left his lips. She lowered her eyes to his hands and saw that he was clenching one of them so hard that his knuckles were white.
William then left her.

Jade went to her chambers with a few wrong turns. Eventually she got there after a while. As she closed the door she went straight to her bed. It felt like she had no tears left so she just watched the ceiling for a moment. Then a rage came bubbling up inside her and she wanted to destroy everything she could get her hands on. She hated William for being so cold and talking to her like a child! She despised him for not treating her like a person!

"Who does he think he is?!" She screamed and stared the painted patterns in the ceiling. She put her hands in her hair and screamed her lungs out. He would be the end of her. She would lose her mind to this man's way of treating her.

"I hate you!" She screamed out.

Afterwards she felt exhausted and turned to her side. Her heart was beating fast and she covered her face with her hands.

From nowhere she heard the sound of glass breaking. It seemed to come from the room above hers. A loud crash followed and made her flinch. It almost sounded like someone had knocked over a table or something. Was it William? Was he taking his anger out on things in his chambers?

Did he hear me? She felt afraid. Another crash erupted and Jade took it as a sign.

"He heard me..." Jade whispered and stared with widened eyes at the ceiling as the commotion continued for a couple of minutes. Afterwards there was an eerie silence.

Suddenly a girl entered. Jade sat up and the girl shrieked in fright. She was not expecting anyone to be here. She was carrying a basket and she almost dropped it.

"Miss!" she exclaimed when she saw Jade. "My apologies! I thought you were... out."

"I was." Jade answered. "I didn't mean to scare you. I will leave so you can do your chores." Jade said and got up. The girl's eyes filled up with panic.

"No! No, miss stay!" she urged Jade." No, I mean... I don't decide what you should do..."

Jade tilted her head.

"Are you scared of me?" she asked. The girl shook her head in a way that told Jade otherwise. "You are." Jade stated and walked up to the girl.

"No, of course I'm not." The girl laughed nervously.

"I will not yell at you..." Jade said quietly. The girl believed her and she appeared to relax a little. "Can I ask you a question?" Jade asked.

"Of course, miss." The girl answered while she took a new grip around her basket.

"Why is he so angry?" Jade decided to ask as direct as she could. "Is he always like this?" She asked when a new crash erupted above them. The girl looked to the left and then at Jade again.

"It is not my place... miss." The girl answered, almost begging Jade not to ask her again.

"I will not tell anyone, you have my word..." Jade said quietly and grabbed the girl's right hand carefully. "I am not married to him yet, please tell me if there is something I need to know before it is too late... I beg of you..." She whispered.

The girl hesitated.

"The prince is... It's complicated." The girl whispered and looked over her shoulder to make sure that the door was closed. "I think you should talk to the governess." She said. Jade could tell that she was terrified.

"Why are you so afraid?" Jade asked and looked into her eyes. "Does he hit you?"

The girl's eyes widened in panic.

"No! No, miss! The prince doesn't touch the staff." She answered. "I am so sorry, I can't help you. It is not my place." She repeated herself and then quickly left Jade's chambers.

"I will not stay here." Jade promised herself. There had to be a reason to why the girl was so afraid of William... and she didn't intend to stay long enough to find out.

She just had to find a way to get out of the castle...

The next day Jade was alone with her teacher in the library. William wasn't there and didn't show up. It was a relief to her and she felt like she could focus on Mrs. Coen's instructions. Did William stay away because of what she had screamed in her chambers yesterday? Had he actually heard her?

What she learned later the same day was that William had left the castle with his father. No one would tell her way they had left.

"Why did they leave?" Jade asked her governess curiously when they were walking through the castle in the afternoon. Jade's lessons were done for today. She had endured Mrs. Coen's tedious books about etiquette for the first hour. They had gone through the importance that Jade addressed her superiors with their titles and that she was to curtsy as well.

You simply cannot call the prince by his first name! Jade heard the shrill voice echo in her head.

Mrs. Coen had also forced Jade to stand still while she adjusted her posture here and there, then making Jade keep this posture while walking back and forth. It had taken Jade hours to even take ten steps without making Mrs. Coen rip her hair out in frustration. It was unbelievable that people expected her to walk perfectly for the rest of her life... Jade wondered how noble and royal women did it.

"They were needed in another kingdom... I think." The governess answered in a low voice as they passed a guard. "They don't tell us much but from what I heard the king and the prince left last night with two dozens of soldiers."

"Soldiers?" Jade asked. "Why do they need soldiers, and so many of them?"
The governess didn't answer and Jade figured it was because she actually didn't know.

. . .

William had been gone for a week and a half now and Jade found some form of everyday life in the castle.

Every morning she had her breakfast alone in her chambers. This was her favorite part of the day. She sat by one of the large windows and studied the gardens while eating. During this time Jade tried to figure out a way to sneak out of the castle. Every day she spent her mornings doing this. She had thought about escaping to the woods again but had quickly rejected that idea when she realized that she wouldn't last two days in it. So she needed to find a way out of the castle and out of its walls, but she also needed a plan to get over the moat...

After Jade had had her breakfast, her governess came to help her with her clothes. Then Jade spent almost the whole day with Mrs. Coen. She seemed to have taken a slight liking to Jade because she almost smiled this morning when Jade came through the door.

"Good morning, Miss." She greeted Jade and held her hands in front of her.

"Good morning, Mrs. Coen." Jade answered and curtsied. Her teacher smiled for a second and then her lips turned into their usual strict line.

"You still have to work on your posture, miss." Mrs. Coen stated but nodded at Jade to sit down. "But I can see progress."

"Thank you..." Jade answered quietly.

Two days later Jade had done everything Mrs. Coen could ask of her. She had, to the woman's surprise, learned to keep an acceptably good posture, curtsy and so on. This had earned her the afternoon off. It was not like her teacher to give her a whole day off, but it was an opportunity for Jade to get out of here. She had thought of asking Stroem to escort her outside the walls... She would just need to convince him that she wanted to go for a stroll or something. Then she could, with a bit of luck, disappear into the crowd.

"Mrs. Coen." Jade said softly.

"Yes, miss?" The woman asked while putting away the books they had used.

Mrs. Coen was very pleased with Jade's progress and was looking for new books for tomorrows lessons.

You won't be needing those tomorrow... Jade thought. She wasn't going to be here in the morning...

"Do you think I could go outside the castle's walls?" Jade began. "I could maybe ask one of the guards to accompany me?"

Mrs. Coen turned around and gave Jade no idea of what she was thinking. Her face was neutral. It was a gift of hers. Jade could never tell what the woman was thinking of.

"That is not for me to answer, miss. If I were you I would ask the prince himself."

"Well, he is not here." Jade stated and got up from her chair. "And neither is his father."

Mrs. Coen did not answer Jade. She didn't like to talk about them. For some reason it made her very uncomfortable when Jade asked about them.

"I don't know." Mrs. Coen said in a short tone. "Ask your governess. She'll know what to do."

An hour later Jade was walking down the street with Stroem escorting her. She was wearing a cloak with her hood down and a grey dress underneath.

Her governess had thought it to be a good idea that she went outside the castle walls. She had even gone through the trouble of asking the queen on Jade's behalf. The queen had not cared one bit of what Jade did with her day. This did not come as a surprise to Jade. If she knew something about the queen by now it was that if Jade was to go missing, the queen would so much as shed a tear.

Stroem wasn't much for company since he didn't say much. However, Jade didn't mind. It almost felt like she was alone when she walked with him. He paid her no more attention than he needed. Which meant that he had to make sure no one pushed her or that she didn't leave his sight.

Jade caught him looking at several girls and women passing them. This was perfect. While he was looking at whom of the girls that was going to warm his bed later, Jade kept an eye out for any chance of escaping him. There were plenty of people in the street to hide among. Jade just had to find her moment.

"I should get you back to the castle soon." Stroem suddenly said when they passed an establishment.

"Why?" Jade asked and studied him while he kept his eye on the place they were passing. Jade assumed that it was a brothel.

In the windows girls sat with lingering eyes and in the door some more stood and called out to bypassing men. Their clothes were quite nice, but a little too revealing for Jade's taste. She did not mind looking at them though. Some of the girls were very beautiful and their bodies were very... attractive.

"I don't think this was such a good idea..." He replied, his eyes were lingering on one of the girls in the door. Jade raised her eyebrows and smirked.

He really wants to go back to those girls...

"Who's with Stroem?" One of the girls' asked the others. Jade glanced their way but didn't let them know she was listening. "Why is she dressed so nice? He hasn't found himself a proper lady has he?"

"Doesn't he work for the..."

"He was hired by the prince a month ago." A woman interrupted them.

"Didn't you hear? The prince has found his future wife. I bet that the little thing with Stroem is her." The woman continued and the others started to mumble.

"If she truly is with the prince, then what the hell is she doing in the streets with Stroem?" The first girl asked in suspicion.

"I heard she is not even noble. She is just like us. Simple." Another one said.
"Look at her..." One of them said with a bitter tone. "... she's not prettier than any of us..."

Stroem suddenly whistled sharply at them and they became quiet.

Does everyone in this whole kingdom know about me? Jade wondered.

How could a group of prostitutes know about her? Who told everyone about her or did word just travel that fast here?

"Your friends?" Jade asked him in a low voice. Stroem threw a glance at the girls and one of the whistled after him. It was the one that had asked about Jade.

"Not exactly." Stroem answered. He scratched his thinly bearded chin quickly.

"Then what are they?" Jade asked in a chuckle and smirked. "I'm not stupid, Stroem. They said your name..."

Stroem was visibly troubled by the fact that Jade had figured out that he was a customer at the brothel. He cleared his throat.

"I don't think that your future husband would appreciate it if I explained that to you." He answered and chuckled as well. "And I know that you're not stupid, miss." He continued. Jade laughed.

They walked for another half an hour.

"Do you have any water?" Jade asked Stroem. "I didn't think of bringing any." She added when he seemed a bit annoyed. It was very noticeable that all he wanted to do was to get back to the castle. Perhaps because he wanted to visit his friends?

"No. I'll have to go and get some." He answered and looked around.

This is it. This is your chance, Jade! She thought and put on a pair of helpless eyes for him.

"I am sorry." She said quietly. "I'll ask him to repay you." She added and saw the color drain from Stroem's face when she referred to William.

"No. It is alright." He said quickly. "I will get you some water, miss. Just..." he stopped talking and took a step closer to her. He leaned in to her to whisper in her ear. "... could you not tell him? I don't want to upset him in any way." He said. Jade frowned when Stroem didn't see it. Was he also afraid of William?

What kind of person has everybody quivering in fear by the mentioning of their name?

"I promise." Jade answered. "He'll never know." She answered and smiled at Stroem.

The rider smiled briefly.

"I will get it here..." he said and turned to an inn. Jade studied it.

Outside there was people throwing up and some men and women were practically in bed with each other on the streets... Thankfully their clothes were still on.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Jade asked to mask her intentions of escaping him.

"God, no! Miss, you stay here and I will be back shortly!" he answered and held his hands out towards her. "Please don't follow me. The prince will have my head if he would ever find out that I brought you inside of this place..." he said in a lower voice. Jade smiled at him and motioned that she would stay out while he was gone.

Stroem went inside and Jade saw her chance. The street was full of people and no one was watching her.

"Finally..." Jade whispered and pulled her hood over her head. It masked her face perfectly and she could move down the street without anyone throwing looks at her.

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Hope you liked it!