A Royal Elopement

by Emma Lea

  I was completely out of my depth.

  What had ever made me think I could be the king of a country? I knew nothing about these people and I had spent the last ten years hiding from them. Now they expected me to come charging in and save them all. I didn’t know where to even start.

  “The latest intel we have is that Anastas is preparing to run,” Danika said.

  “Run?” I asked. “Why would he run?”

  “Greece has officially cut ties with him and they are calling in their loans. He is up to his eyeballs in debt and he has no way to repay them - or anyone else he has borrowed from.” She stopped and took a slow breath. “There’s something else,” she said, looking straight at me. “We believe…”

  I clenched my fists as she paused and looked at one of her team members before continuing.

  “We believe your father is dead.”

  It shouldn’t come as such a blow. Hadn’t I thought that he must have been dead all this time? It still knocked me a little off kilter as I came to the reality that my father was not going to somehow stride in and rescue me. In the back of my mind I suppose I had always thought that he would somehow be the victor in all of this. Now it all came down to me. The last of the Kostopolous line. The last of the royal family. The fate of my nation now rested squarely on my shoulders. I shifted, rolling my shoulders and straightening my spine as if I could feel the new weight of the mantle that had just landed on me.

  “How sure are you?” I asked, my voice tight.

  Danika shared a look with her colleague again. “Almost one hundred percent certain. We have…an associate inside the castle. By all reports, after your father’s trial, he was incarcerated in the castle dungeons. From what our associate is telling us, he died from his injuries not long after.”

  “He has been dead all this time?”

  “Yes. It would seem so.”

  “So why didn’t Anastas come out and say so? He told the world I was dead, quite gleefully I might add, so why keep it hidden that my father was dead?”

  “To keep the population in line,” she said. “Your father’s sentence was not a lifetime sentence, it was twenty years. General Anastas used it to quell the people. If they thought that one day the king would be released, then they wouldn’t rise against the new regime.”

  “And yet here you are.”

  She smiled briefly. “Here we are.”

  “So what makes you different?”

  “We didn’t grow up under the rule of a benevolent king. We have only ever really known the tyranny of a despot. But we have heard the stories of the old men as they sit around and talk about the ‘good ole days.’ Many of them never believed that you were dead. You became a bit of a legend to me and others my age. While the old men believed that the king would be released from prison and would resurrect the monarchy, those of us younger ones believed that you would be our saviour.”

  I could definitely feel the weight of their expectations now.

  “How did you find me?”

  “A lot of trial and error,” she said with another quick smile. “There were reports of a fishing boat leaving the harbour that night. There was no official record of it, just people who had seen it and drew conclusions from it. I think for a lot of people it was wishful thinking. They wanted you to be alive. They wanted you to have escaped.”

  “How did you keep all this from Benjamin and Von Bartham?”

  “To be honest, I don’t think I did.”

  My eyebrows popped up at that. Had Benjamin and Von Bartham known all along who Danika really was?

  “It seemed too easy,” she went on, “but I went with it. I didn’t think I would get so close to you so quickly. I thought they would play a few mind games with me first and test my backstory. We were prepared for the long game.”

  “If Benjamin let you close and knew what you were going to do then he must have more intel than you do,” I said, convinced I was right. “He must know something you don’t.”

  “It’s entirely possible,” she replied with a nod.

  And if Benjamin thought it was time to make a move, then it must be. I had come to trust the man and his spooky intuition. I remember the day that we got the news about Alyssa’s father and brother. He had been twitchy all that morning as if he knew something was going to happen. Now he was pushing me to do this, to step up. He wouldn’t have pushed me out of the nest unless he knew I was ready.

  “Okay,” I said with a long exhale. “What’s the plan?”

  Meredith

  I was sulking. I knew it and I didn’t care. Jamie had left without even saying goodbye…not that I would have seen him anyway, but he could have at least tried to see me. He owed me an explanation. Not that I wanted one or would listen to one. He had lied to me - to all of us. I knew there were extenuating circumstances, but I was his wife! He should have told me the night we got married.

  Something niggled in my brain and I flopped back on the bed. I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t care that I would look like a swamp monster tomorrow. My days of impersonating the queen were done. I was angry and sad and I wanted to hit something. I sat up in bed and swung my legs over the side. That’s what I needed to do. Hit something.

  I dressed quickly and quietly before sneaking out of the suite. I couldn’t sneak past the guard who stood watch outside the door so I didn’t even try.

  “I’m going down to the gym,” I said and he gave me a short, sharp nod.

  The gym was dark when I opened the door but as soon as I stepped inside, the lights came on. I was thankful for the solitude as I made my way across the floor to the heavy bag hanging in the corner. I should probably warm up first, but I was too keyed up to sweat it out on the treadmill first. I needed to hit something hard and I didn’t think this uncomfortable feeling inside me would leave until I did.

  I wrapped my hands and pulled my gloves on. I started with a few light jabs until I could feel my muscles loosen and then I started hitting harder. The thwack of leather on leather was strangely cathartic. I got lost in the rhythm and let my mind wander. It was almost self-hypnosis - the repetitive action of the punching bag and just letting go of all conscious thought.

  “I grew up on a small island nation called Kalopsia. I know you’ve probably never heard of it. Most people think we are part of the Greek Isles. Our island is not big, but it is beautiful. My father was the king. I lived in the castle with my parents and my two younger sisters. My childhood was idyllic. I knew that one day I would rule my small country and I was eager to learn all I could from my father in order to be the kind of ruler he was. The people loved my father and my mother. Or that’s what I thought.”

  “Is this the part where I rescue you?”

  I paused mid swing. I remembered Jamie telling me this story the night we got married. I was tired and snuggled up against him in the back of the limousine. There was something special and dream-like about that moment. I thought he had been just telling me a story. He had called me princess earlier and I thought this was just him being romantic and making up a fairy story where I rescued him. But it wasn’t a fairytale.

  Jamie was telling me the truth.

  I didn’t remember what he told me after that. I had dozed off in his arms with my head full of an exiled prince and a small, beautiful island that mourned his loss. I leaned back against the wall and let my legs buckle, sliding down the wall until I sat on the floor. Jamie had tried to tell me the truth that night, but I fell asleep. It didn’t explain why he didn’t tell me the next day or any of the days since that night. I know I freaked out when I woke up that morning but surely he could have…

  Who was I kidding? I pretty much made it clear to him that I didn’t want to be married to him. I even used the excuse that my mother wouldn’t think he was good enough for me. He was probably laughing at me the whole time. He was a prince and here I was telling him the great Lady Caroline Bingham, Duchess of Monterey, would find it unacceptable that her daughter married him. If my mother only knew.
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br />   God. If my mother knew then I would never hear the end of it. She would make such a production out of it all. Her daughter married to a prince.

  I dropped my head to my knees. There was no way the two of us could be together now. I had seen the internet and all the news sites that were breaking the story of the lost prince who everyone assumed was dead. It was a fairytale all of its own. Jamie - Prince Christophe - hadn’t done any news interviews yet, but there was lots of speculation. The spotlight had been shone on Kalopsia and I knew that he would have the support of his people if he chose to go back and take control from the guy who was currently leading the country.

  He didn’t need me. He didn’t even ask me to go with him. He was going to be the king and I had no doubt that he would do whatever he could to dissolve our marriage. I was a fine wife when we were two royal guards living a very non-extraordinary life, but now that he was exposed and famous, he had no further use for me. I wouldn’t fit into his world.

  I snorted out a harsh laugh. It was ironic really. Or pathetic. I had been the one who was convinced he wouldn’t fit into my world. I had been worried what people would think if the prime minister’s daughter married a royal guard. But all this time he had been a prince and not just a prince, but the heir apparent. Crown Prince Christophe of Kalopsia married to me, a royal guard who wasn’t even going to be that much longer. But even a countess wouldn’t be good enough for him, no matter that I wanted to be. A countess marrying a prince was not out of the realm of possibility, but when that prince was the ruler of a country in flux? There were all sorts of political ramifications for tying Merveille to such an unstable country. Alyssa would never sign off on it. That’s even assuming Jamie still wanted me.

  Which he didn’t.

  I climbed back to my feet and swung half-heartedly at the bag, but the need to hit something was gone. Now I just wanted to crawl into bed, curl up in a ball, and sob. I’d had my chance at happiness and I’d blown it. Jamie wouldn’t want me now that he was reinstated as the prince. Not when he thought I had rejected him because I thought he was below my station.

  I was an idiot.

  “Meredith,” Benjamin said coming up beside me.

  I pulled the earbuds from my ears and looked up at him from my seat. We had boarded the private plane that would take us back to Merveille. I hadn’t slept more than a few minutes and I was cranky and annoyed.

  “Alyssa wants to see you.”

  The temptation to put my earbuds back in, close my eyes and ignore him was strong. I probably would have done it too if the whole team hadn’t been within hearing distance and were looking at me expectantly. Yes, Alyssa was the queen and my boss, but she was also my friend and right now I wasn’t feeling very friendly toward her.

  With more attitude than was entirely appropriate, I got up and tossed my earbuds on the empty seat. I would like to say that I didn’t swagger like a teenager getting called into the principal’s office, but I would be lying. I may have even had a scowl on my face and felt the need to chew gum sardonically.

  I knocked on the door to the private office that was at the back of the plane and waited for her to give me permission to enter. I couldn’t hide my anger. Maybe it was the redhead thing, but as soon as she looked up at me I knew that she knew everything I felt…maybe not everything. I hoped that she didn’t know how I felt about Jamie, but with all my emotions so close to the surface, anything was possible.

  We stared at each other for a moment and then she lifted her hand and indicated the chair in front of her desk. “Take a seat.”

  I sat, with as much contempt as someone can. I couldn’t help it. Alyssa was my best friend and she had kept this from me. I was still reeling from being kept in the dark for ten years about Jamie’s real identity, but the fact that even Alyssa hadn’t told me really stung. We didn’t have secrets. That’s what it meant to be best friends.

  “Look,” she said, “I understand—”

  “No,” I said, “I don’t think you do.”

  “I didn’t have a choice. It wasn’t my secret to tell.”

  I crossed my arms and looked away. Her rational explanation did nothing to cool my ire. I still felt betrayed and not just by her. Von Bartham, Benjamin, and my father all knew and didn’t tell. How could I trust anything anyone said when something like this had been kept from me? What else were they hiding?

  “You didn’t think that the team that lived and worked with him should be told? You didn’t think that something like that could endanger a mission because we were unaware?”

  “The danger would have been if you had known,” she said. “Your loyalties would have been split at worst, and at best you would have been distracted by it.”

  “I don’t agree. If we had known right from the start, we would have…”

  “What? Gotten used to it? Even you’re not that naïve, Meredith. It would have always been there in the back of your mind. You would have treated him differently and then how long would his secret have been kept? It was for his safety. When he came to us, he was running for his life.”

  “How long have you known?”

  “Since we got back from the States,” she said, looking down at her desk. “It was part of my security briefing as the new head of state.”

  “And how did you feel when you found out that it had been kept from you?” I asked. “Did you maybe feel a little betrayed like maybe it was something you should have known about? He was part of your team. We were like family. It was us against the world. Surely when you found out that one of your security detail was holding a secret as big as that, you felt a little of what I feel now.”

  Alyssa locked eyes with me and I felt like she could see more than I was willing to show her. I looked away first.

  “I was shocked,” she said carefully, “but I understood.” She paused for a few heart beats and then, “What’s really going on, Mer? Your reaction is out of proportion—”

  “Out of proportion?” I jumped to my feet. “I’ve just found out that I’ve been lied to for the last ten years. Fair enough that it was kept from the rest of the team, but you kept it from me too. You, who tells me everything. Alyssa, we don’t have secrets. That was our pact, remember?”

  Alyssa stood as well. “You don’t have secrets from me?” she asked and I froze. “Are you telling me that you don’t keep anything from me, Meredith?”

  “I—”

  “Because I have noticed that you and Jamie have been really close lately, and I’m not the only one. Even Savannah mentioned the way the two of you seemed…friendly.”

  I swallowed and tried to keep my face from betraying the turmoil inside me. She was right. I had been keeping my relationship with Jamie a secret. And now we had an even bigger one. One that may even cause an international incident.

  “Are we done here?” I asked. I couldn’t do this. I was tired, cranky, and too emotionally unstable to match wits with her right now.

  Alyssa walked around the desk and stood close to me. She reached out and laid a hand on my arm. I just barely managed not to flinch but she must have seen me tense.

  “Meredith,” she said, and it wasn’t the queen speaking, but my friend. “You know you can tell me anything. It’s obvious that Jamie’s revelation has been hard on you. For what it’s worth you can come to me and I promise just to listen, be a sounding board or just let you vent. I love you and I know you’re hurt, but you’re also better than this. You know why I couldn’t tell you and you know why he couldn’t either. Cut him some slack, okay?”

  “If you’re finished?” I said, stepping away from her.

  She gave me one last, long look and then nodded.

  I turned and walked out the door. I didn’t make eye contact with anyone as I moved down the aisle to my seat. I sat, put my earbuds back in and closed my eyes, shutting the world out. I just wanted to go home. Maybe I could escape to the country estate of my new title and just forget about the pain of my heart as it shattered in my chest.

&nb
sp; Chapter 17

  Jamie

  It wasn’t exactly a triumphant return. We slunk into Kalopsia in the dead of night. I was hustled through the dark street, a heavy cloak over me obscuring not only me, but my first view of a country I hadn’t seen in ten years. Not exactly how I imagined I would return to the country of my birth.

  A door opened and I was ushered inside. It was all very cloak and dagger and I wondered if maybe it was a little over the top. I shucked the cloak that had been covering me and squinted in the dim light. The room was crowded with people and they were all looking at me with a mixture of awe and disbelief. There may have even been a scowl or two.

  I know I didn’t look like a prince. I was wearing black cargo pants and a black t-shirt - my standard uniform as a royal guard. I had never been one to dress up or worry too much about the clothes I wore. It was a running joke amongst the rest of the guard about my lack of fashion. It wasn’t what you wore that determined who you were, that was something I was very aware of. But these people looked at me like they expected something more.

  “Prince Christophe,” a man said, stepping forward. He extended his hand in greeting and I took it and shook it. I recognised him. He was the current prime minister, or what would have been a prime minister if General Anastas hadn’t installed himself as Próedros. He still had the title of prime minister even if his authority was impotent. He had been elected by the people and his presence here among the resistance spoke volumes. I just wasn’t sure whether to trust him or not. These people obviously did, but he and the rest of Parliament had let General Anastas have free reign over the country since he had wrested control from my father.

  “Prime Minister Theodorou,” I replied.

  “I cannot express how good it is to see you, here, back in Kalopsia. For many years we believed you to be dead.”