-Jade-

Jade turned her face towards William and met a pair of lustful eyes. Before she could answer him a servant appeared and served them a glass of wine each.

They broke eye contact and she let go of his hand and took the glass of wine. His touch was too distracting and his words had her shook. She tried her best to ignore the storm of confusion and feelings that his words had stirred up inside her.

He wants to kiss me? Again?

The room was still silent. William and Jade turned their eyes away from each other. The king suddenly cleared his throat. Jade did not think that it was possible, but the room became even quieter. He raised his glass, turned to Jade and his son with eyes filled with joy.

"Welcome, dear guests!" His voice echoed dark and proud through the room.

Jade watched the quests as he spoke. Their eyes glistened and it was clear that William's father was a king that had earned his people's love and respect. There was nothing but admiration and joy in their faces.

"My son has, as you can see, chosen his bride." His words seemed to hit the guests as a surprise. Some looked at each other in surprise and some started whispering while looking at Jade. A woman even scoffed.

"Did they not know this on beforehand?" Jade whispered to William without looking at him.

"They did." He answered her.

"Then why do they look so surprised?" she asked and saw how many of the female guests seemed very upset.

"If they can't figure out that my future wife was standing next to me when they were greeted, I fear for their kingdoms." William answered and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"It's not funny." Jade hissed. "What the hell did they think I was doing next to you, or even standing here in the first place, if it wasn't clear why?"

"I-"

The king finished his speech and the applause from the guests drowned William's answer out.

Jade sighed and searched the room for an escape. It was so humiliating how the guests had looked at her when the king had announced their so called engagement.

Once again Jade got a taste of what her future would look like; Jade being disrespected because of her origin.

"Where are you?" William woke her from her depressing thoughts. Jade gave him a wondering, innocent look. "I am not as stupid as these people." He continued and gestured discretely towards the guests. "I noticed that you didn't pay much attention to... well anyone or anything." He chuckled and Jade felt the same warmth from before shoot through her as his smile reached his eyes.

Jade didn't answer him. Instead she sipped on her wine and begged for this night to be over.

A moment later the guests started mingling and the king and queen disappeared. Small groups of female guests either gathered together and started throwing looks at Jade, or like two groups actually did; they went up to the king and seemed to question his announcement.

Jade felt her whole body relax as she wasn't the center of attention anymore, at least not directly. She was still the word on everybody's tongue but she felt like now she could breathe now.

"Come." William said softly in a low voice and grabbed her hand.

"Where are we going?" She questioned him but didn't receive an answer.

William led Jade out of the ballroom by her hand. He walked just as gracefully as the others around them. Jade however did not possess this grace and it must have looked awkward; the way she almost stumbled after him.

Jade studied the other guests curiously. Everytime she met someone's gaze they quickly diverted it elsewhere or their gaze turned into a sneer. Some girls shot jealous looks at her when they passed them.

They walked through a couple of rooms until they reached two doors that stood open and let them outside. The loud noise from the guests was almost gone now and Jade enjoyed the peace and quiet.

"What are we doing here?" she asked as William led her out on a balcony. This one was not facing the gardens nor the city. But there was a view of the river and a part of the woods. It was still very beautiful.

"I thought you could use a moment without all those people looking at you..." he answered and Jade couldn't help but to smile a little.

Surprisingly enough, William reciprocated it and pulled her closer to himself.

"I know it can be a bit much if you're not used to it..." he added when Jade was so close she could smell him again. He took her glass of wine and put it down on the stone railing next to them.

"That was... kind of you." She answered and watched her glass, feeling a little insecure. "I don't know why you-"

Jade turned silent as William suddenly pressed her body against his, gently but eager. She raised her gaze to meet his even though it made her shiver nervously.

The dark blue eyes were looking at her lips and then met her gaze. William's left hand cupped her cheek and Jade could sense what was going to happen, and she wanted it to happen. She could feel her whole body long for the kiss she anticipated. William lowered his lips onto Jade's and grazed them.

What is he waiting for? Jade wondered and her body was set afire by how his thumb was stroking her cheekbone tenderly. Her fingers itched for him but she was so scared of making the wrong move right now.

Another part in her screamed in panic. Scared that she was sealing this arrangement for good and demolishing all of her chances to go home.

But for the first time, she did not feel like she wanted to go home... Her longing for William right now, silenced the other part in her.

-William-

Jade didn't move. She didn't push him away and it had stunned him for a couple of seconds.

He had almost been completely sure that she was going to reject his advances. But she just stood there, letting his lips graze hers as he inhaled her and breathed the same air as her. Her closeness drove him almost insane and he wanted her so badly to be his already.

Jade's eyes studied William's every move. She was so cautious and seemed to keep him under close watch.

She still doesn't trust me, but she hasn't pushed me away yet. Maybe she is starting to trust me, or is she too afraid to move? He thought and felt a bit saddened by the fact that he still hadn't been able to fully gain her trust.

All he wanted was for her to feel the same way he did. It was just so hard to show her just how much he wanted her without scaring her. Considering how she felt about the fact that he had brought her here without her consent, it wasn't strange that she distanced herself from him in order to protect herself. But it was so hard for him to just let her in, even though he wanted nothing else.

William had been throwing looks at her all night while she had tried her best to impress all of the guests. While he knew just how much she didn't want to be there... He had wanted to scream at every person that looked at her sideways or didn't give her the amount of respect she so deserved. It pained him every time he caught a glimpse of her hurt reaction when she had been rejected.

He shook the images from his mind and focused on her right now. She was so beautiful. The icy blue eyes were looking into his and they were searching for something. The light coming from the lit candles inside reflected playfully in her eyes, making it appear as if they were on fire.

-Jade-

William leaned his face closer to Jade's. Slowly his lips met hers. His movements were so cautious. The kiss was slow and so thoughtful as he tasted her carefully.

Jade pressed her lips against his in response to signal that she wanted more. William placed his other hand on her waist and pulled her even closer.

The kiss reached its end too quickly. Jade softly graced her lips against his again. Begging for more.

William didn't hesitate before pressing his lips over hers for a second time. The kiss was surprisingly arousing and she put her hands at the base of his neck.

"You taste so good..." William moaned quietly and Jade exhaled lightly from his words. Both of his hands held her at the side of her bodice, just below her ribs, eliminating the remaining distance between them.

What are you doing? You fool! The other part of Jade screamed as she eagerly initiated their third kiss. She ignored the little voice inside her when she could feel his determined lips on hers. William was all she could think about right now.

How could it feel so right to kiss him when he had made so many mistakes? Even though she didn't know him yet? She did not want to cave but it seemed impossible not to right now. Jade felt obsessed with this side of him and wanted more of it.

If only William could have shown her this side before he and her father had struck their agreement. If he had done that, and given Jade a chance to get to know him and not forced her to go with him, then maybe this wouldn't have been so difficult?

Jade hadn't noticed how she unconsciously had ended their kiss and William was grazing her lips all over again in attempt to wake her from her thoughts. He grew noticeably impatient and Jade could feel that he struggled with keeping control of himself.

"Jade, I need to te-"His words were but a whisper until a shriek interrupted him.

"WILLIAM!"

They both flinched. Jade felt his arms clench protectively around her.

From inside the open doors the queen was rushing towards them. Jade flinched again and William seemed to notice. He slowly placed himself as a shield between Jade and his mother.

"What, mother?" he asked calmly. The queen looked furious by how demeaning his tone was. She stopped five steps away from her son.

"What is the meaning of this?" she hissed and nodded at Jade in a belittling manner.

Jade stood safely behind William's right shoulder and was relieved that he took care of his mother's rage filled attack.

"Answer me right now, William!" She screamed demandingly. Jade flinched in surprise and took a step back even though she couldn't see the woman. William looked discreetly over his shoulder and signaled to Jade that there was nothing to fear. He then turned his gaze back to his mother.

"This doesn't concern you, mother." William answered coldly. "Go back inside."

"I will not!" She spat out the words ferociously.

There is the rage... Jade thought. She just kept it buried at the greeting. I knew that she wasn't happy about this. She is just playing along when there are people watching...

"What if someone had seen you?" The queen continued her berating. "This is outrageous! I cannot believe-"

"Well, since I have nothing to say to you and I wouldn't leave Jade alone with you for anything in this world, I guess we will go back inside." William hissed back at her and motioned Jade inside.

The queen was dumbfounded by his ice cold response and stood in a rage spitting silence.

. . .

When they walked into the ballroom all eyes turned to them. William didn't seem to even notice how every man and woman stared at them while he led Jade through the room with calm and composed steps. Jade had her hand on his arm while walking with him.

"There you are, young man!" A man appeared in front of them. He held his arms out in a welcoming way. The expression on his face revealed that he had been looking for William. To the man's sides stoos two younger men, maybe a few years younger than Jade.

They looked almost completely identical. Twins. Jade thought. Their hair was dark and ,unlike many other men she had seen and met, their eyebrows were neatly kept and exactly the same shape. The locks of their hair were also identical. However, only one of them had been able to grow enough facial hair it seemed.

"King Eskell." William greeted the guest whom bowed to him. The younger men followed his lead. William reciprocated the gesture and Jade instantly curtsied but received nothing in return. The men simply looked at her for a fraction of a second.

King Eskell and his sons invited themselves to a conversation with William. They formed a little cluster in front of Jade and William .However, none of them spoke to Jade. The twins joked about their last hunt with William and he chuckled. They discussed weapons and hunting while Jade stood silent. She wasn't included in the conversation by any of them, not even William.

I feel like a piece of decoration... She muttered in her mind. They are not talking to me, but I haven't been excused so... What is the meaning of my presence?

While time passed, more men joined the group and it became a bit crowded. Everyone wanted to talk to William. One of them even tried to push himself in between William and Jade. The man had gotten a very cold look from William and immediately backed away.
That was the last time William seemed to notice her. Afterwards, Jade was slowly herded away from him, further out to the outer part of the group's formation. Jade didn't mind, the conversation bored her to death. She did feel a bit disappointed that William didn't take the time to introduce her. Wasn't that the whole point of this stupid ball? That he presented her to the guests?

The guests, and William, treated her like air and soon she couldn't even spot him in the crowd.

"So much for introducing me..." she mumbled and walked towards the entrance hall. While she passed the guests, none of them stopped her for a word. No one wanted to talk to her.

All these people and I have never felt more alone... she thought. Her heart sunk. Jade stopped for a second and turned around with sadness washing over her. Without success she searched with her eyes after William. It was impossible to spot him from where she stood. The group of men had grown tighter and it looked impenetrable.

"Have you even noticed that I am not by your side anymore?" she whispered and sighed.

-William-

Jade was keeping a low profile and stood quietly by his side while he was forced to converse with the guests. He barely listened to them. His mind was reliving the moment on the balcony from earlier. The urge to touch Jade again went straight to his mind and fingers. He turned to where she was to take her hand. To his surprise, and discontent, she wasn't there. Instead a confused guest looked at him and his hand that was reaching for his. William quickly withdrew his hand and searched after Jade in his vicinity.

Where is she? He thought when he couldn't see her. She was here a second ago!

"Is something wrong, your grace?" One of Eskell's sons asked him. The other guests stopped talking when they too noticed that William was looking for someone.

"It appears that I have been abandoned by my betrothed." William chuckled quietly. Only the guests closest to him would have heard him. "If you will excuse me, I think I will go and find her. Can we continue this conversation later?" William asked.

King Eskell laughed and shook his head. He seemed amused but not very compliant.

"No, your grace. Let the little bird be. She is probably around here somewhere conversing with the other ladies." He answered William and blinked at him. William smiled a falsely.

Jade is not talking to one of these empty-headed inbreeds. Far from it. If I know her even a little by now, she is somewhere in the castle all alone. Trying to get away from this spectacle. He thought to himself.

"I agree." Ser Lukas, who was standing opposite to William, said. "The girl is fine. Let her be with her own." He chuckled. William hid is irritation when they didn't let him leave.

"If I did, with the risk of her actually being on her own, I wouldn't be much of a future husband." He said firmly and forced his lips to form a smile. "I will see you later, gentlemen." He said and left the group.

-Jade-

During her temporary taste of freedom, Jade roamed the castle. She didn't stray very far from the rooms she were familiar with, just to be sure that she didn't get lost.

Jade walked for a while and found herself in the library where she had told William off. After the King had left them alone.

When Jade closed the door there was no sound. There was only silence. Until she heard the crackling sound from the fireplace. It soothed her in a strange way. Jade walked up to a bookshelf and studied its selection. To her discontent it was just records of royal families and their bloodlines. Jade frowned and took a step back to see if she could spot something more interesting.

Her body slammed into someone. Jade turned around, frightened. She hadn't heard even the slightest sound of someone else in the room. Had someone followed her?

Please... Let it be William or Elizabeth . She begged with closed eyes and then opened them. Three men were standing in front of her. The one she had bumped into was the man who had slobbered on her hands earlier. Jade concealed her instant reaction to frown in disgust. The other two men just stood there with motionless faces while the purple-nosed man grinned at her.

"It seems like the Prince's new toy escaped the festivities." The man to the left said. He gave his friend a playful nudge with his elbow. Jade took a step back and immediately felt the bookshelf behind her.

Damn it!

"It certainly does, doesn't it?" The man in front of Jade chuckle and took a step closer to Jade. His hand reached out towards her. Jade avoided it by taking a step to her left. All three of them closed in on her now.

"Come on, sweet little thing." The man laughed and eyed Jade from head to toe. "We were just about to take a walk in the gardens. Care to join us?"

Jade shook her head and took another step away from them. The man didn't seem able to take no for an answer. He quickly caught Jade by her right wrist.

"Let go of me." She protested as he drew her closer. When she was close enough to smell his breath her heart started racing. What were they going to do? Did they really think that they could do whatever they pleased with her?

"Quiet, peasant." He hissed. Directly after his words died out he smiled at her. A smile that told Jade that she wasn't going to like whatever he had in mind. "If the prince can have his fun with you... then why can't we?" he chuckled.

"We shouldn't." The third one finally spoke. "What if she tells him? Or the King?"

"She won't." The other one said and grinned as well. Jade looked at him and a shiver shot through her. She felt trapped, like a prey to these men. Caged. "Peasants never tell on nobles... unless they don't know what is best for them..." he said and leaned in to touch Jade's cheek. The first man yanked her aside.

"Hey! Wait your turn!" he hissed. "I will have my way with her-"

Before Jade could scream or put up a fight to what was going to happen she was free.

A sound of something breaking erupted, followed by a scream and then... something that sounded like a punch was followed by another scream. The man holding her wrist was on the floor.

William was standing between Jade and the men. He had his back to her and she saw him breathe heavily. His shoulders rose and sunk with every breath. Jade exhaled in relief. He had gotten there just in time.

"Your grace!" The man on the floor coughed. Jade couldn't see him but from what she could hear, William had broken something. Probably his nose.

"What on earth is the-"

"I heard enough to know that the three of you will never set foot in this castle again." William growled. "Don't deny it or I will tell my father."

The other two men looked at each other in despair and begged William not to. Jade smiled discretely and walked up to William. She stood directly behind him. Carefully she put her hands against his back and leaned her forehead between his shoulders.

I can't believe he hit him... I can't believe he protected me like this... I can't believe I could feel this safe just by being so close to him. She thought and inhaled his scent. It drove her feelings to a more intense level and she didn't want it to go away.

"We didn't-" the second man began.

"Spare me your lies!" William bellowed.

For the first time Jade didn't shudder from the volume of his voice. It just made her feel safer. Protected.

"The last person that laid hands on my future wife was sent to the gallows by my father." William breathed the words out in a dark voice. "I don't think he will have the patience for nooses to be tied for the three of you." He added. "Leave my sight! If I ever catch you touching or as much as looking at her, I will kill you all with my own bare hands." His voice turned so dark at the end that it left Jade with goosebumps.

The two men that were still standing spurted for the door. The man with the purple nose struggled to get up from the floor. Jade saw him now. William's fist had broken his nose and the second blow had made his left brow with a large wound. He was bleeding immensely from both his nose and brow.

Just when Jade thought that everything was over, William kicked the man's feet, urging him to move faster. He snarled something at the man that Jade didn't quite catch. But it seemed to work. The man moaned and finally got to his feet and limped out of William's sight with his hands covering his nose.

-------------------------------------------

Well, well, well.. Would you look at that... What will happen next?

I really hoped you liked this. I love the fact that William is so protective of her, and I think I will try to rewrite some of the following chapters to capture it better...

Love Jenny