His parents were upset, not only because it seemed unlikely he'd be making an heir any time soon, but because he was disappearing before their eyes. The biggest chunk had gone the day of the fire. But little bits had been dissolving since, each time he thought about that last night, each time he listened to the men in the dungeon tell their tale... The only thing that helped was remembering the times he had made her happy. Or pretending that she was still alive... somewhere far from here.
A messenger ran into the room, bearing a small message with the royal seal. His father reached for it but the messenger bowed and held it to the Prince instead. He broke it open, his heart thudding in his chest.
His mother's handwriting. Three words.
I've found her.
Her? Did she mean-
He stood, his hands grabbing the messenger.
"Where?"
"The Hardcastle Nunnery. By the sea."
The Prince closed his eyes, afraid to believe. Then he ran from the room. It took a full day of hard travel, with the Prince sleeping in his saddle. But by the next morning, he had arrived at the Nunnery.
The beautiful girl was sitting in a fenced courtyard, playing with a lamb. The Prince was leaning against the perforated grate, staring at her as his mother tried to calm him.
"They found her in the woods. She was badly injured. She had fallen and struck her head on something."
He nodded, afraid to look away. It was her. Jillian.
She was alive.
"Max, she's not the same girl she was. She..."
"What?"
"She hasn't spoken since they found her. They've been calling her May. That's when they found her. She thinks that's her name. They think she might be... well, simple."
"It doesn't matter."
The Queen sighed and glanced at the girl through the fence. She was worried, he knew. Worried he'd just be hurt again. He didn't care though.
Jillian was alive.
"I'm going in now."
"Alright, son. Try not to be too disappointed if she doesn't remember you."
He kissed his mother and walked around the fence to the door in the gate. The Mother Superior stood there, wringing her hands.
"We had no idea who she was I swear to you, your Highness."
"I know."
"You mustn't frighten her. She's terribly afraid of men. She's such a sweet child..."
He closed his eyes. That was his fault. He hadn't protected her. No one would hurt her again, not even him. He vowed it. He reached for the gate and stepped inside.
He took one step, two, three. The girl before him was laying in the grass on her side, her shoulder length hair gleaming in the sun. She had gotten a tan and filled out a bit. The nuns were apparently known for their cooking.
She looked beautiful.
As he got closer he noticed that she had scars now. A few around her shoulders where her hair curled against her jaw. Another on the swell of her breast where it pressed against the simple cotton dress she wore. They were scratches from when they'd tried to hurt her... but they hadn't. He reminded himself again: she was safe. She was alive.
She looked up suddenly, staring at him wide eyed. He smiled at her, trying to be reassuring, trying not to frighten her with the intensity of his gaze. He longed to sweep her up into his arms. He wanted to touch her, to make sure she was real.
She was watching him warily, sitting up and clutching the lamb. The lamb started to bleat, trying to get away. In her fear she was squeezing it too tight.
He knelt down and sat in the grass a few feet away. He held his hand out to the lamb who escaped her grasp and trotted over to him. It sniffed his fingers and he scratched it's head, smiling shyly at the wide eyed girl.
She didn't recognize him. But she wasn't running away either. She watched him curiously as he played with the lamb. He looked up and her eyes were on his face. She was staring at his mouth. He smiled sensually and she looked away, blushing. At least he knew the attraction was still there. On both of their sides.
He sat there in the grass with her until the bell tolled for the evening meal. He followed her slowly through the nunnery to the dining hall and took a seat across the room from her. He ate in silence, making an effort not to stare at her. He watched her surreptitiously as she ate, knowing immediately when she became aware of him.
She'd been reaching for more bread when she froze, staring at him. He acted as if it were normal for him to be there. Slowly, she would get used to him. The nuns were probably confused by the presence of a man in the room but they said nothing. He was the Prince after all.
They wouldn't allow him to sleep with or even near her, however. He was forced to sleep in the guest house reserved for men and married couples, located just outside the walls. His mother had returned to the castle and was sending back reinforcements. Guards. Lots of them. He wanted to make sure his love was well protected this time.
In the morning he wandered around, making sure he was always in her periphery. She did her chores, sweeping the walkways and taking care of the animals. He helped a few times. She looked happy. At peace. He knew he would soon shatter that peace by taking her back to the castle. But she belonged to him. There was no other option.
He was doing his best to be patient, once again sitting with her in the grass during prayer time. She was starting to be less nervous around him, even smiling at him when he fluttered his eyelashes at her flirtatiously. Her eyes were so soft now, with the innocence of a child. He wondered if she would ever regain her memories... he would love and protect her even if that day never came. His sweet girl was changed. He loved her anyway.
The lamb was joined with a bunny today, the animals seeming to follow her around. She was the one who saw to their feeding and they'd become attached to her. He was petting one of the silly lop eared rabbits when he heard her gasp. He looked up and her eyes were wide with fear, staring over his shoulder. In the gateway, you could see his guards. They must have just arrived.
Damn.
She was whimpering now, sliding backwards toward the stone wall. Her hand was cupping her temple where she'd injured her head. He'd noticed that she did that when she was afraid or unsure. He hated seeing her do that, wishing he could take her pain away.
If he hadn't noticed her holding her head, or known her before the accident, he would just thinks she was a beautiful simpleton. Sensual and sweet and naive. Perhaps he would even have selected her to be his Sofriquette...
He cursed and stood.
"Hush now, it's all right."
He strode to the gate and gestured his guards away. When he turned she was curled into a ball, weeping piteously. He scooped her up into his arms and walked through the nunnery. He found a nun who looked scandalized to see his Sofriquette cradled in his arms.
"Where is her room?"
She pointed down the hallway. He took off without a backward glance. Once inside her small spartan chamber he laid her down on her bed, then followed her down to the hard pallet, cradling her in his arms. She stiffened up and then relaxed after a moment, his hands sliding up and down her back comfortingly.
"I won't hurt you, my love. Shhhh... it's alright... everything will be alright..."
He looked down at her beautiful face to see her staring up at him. Her big eyes were full of wonder. She didn't remember him, not exactly, but she wasn't afraid of him. He had the strange feeling that she had taken a liking to him, on his own merits. She definitely liked looking at his face and his eyes. He felt warmth flood his insides at the thought.
"Jillian, I know you don't remember me, but I am here to take care of you. Alright?"
She nodded. He closed his eyes and pulled her closer.
"I promise, love. Do you remember the castle at all?"
She looked up at him, frowning. Her hand cupped her temple.
"Hush, it's alright. That's where you live. With me. We'll go back there soon and then you'll see."
She just stared at him.
Eventually she fell asleep in his arms. The Nuns kept peeking in the room and trying to make him leave but he waved them off. He wasn't going anywhere.
In the morning he was there when she woke up. She watched him curiously as he washed up and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"We are going home today, Jillian."
She just stared at him. He left to give the guards his instructions. They were to remain out of sight at all times. Several were sent ahead to arrange for every guard at the palace to swap their uniforms for casual clothes. They would still be there, but nothing would trigger her memory of the attack.
Once again he joined the nuns for breakfast, this time sitting beside her. After the meal the nuns gathered to say goodbye. Many of them were tearing up. She would be missed.
"Take care of her, your Highness."
Jillian's eyes snapped to his face momentarily. Her hand lifted to her throat, as if she felt her collar again. He thought he saw a glimmer of recognition... then the dreamy blank look came over her face again. He lifted her to his horse and mounted behind her, pulling her back into his arms.
They rode slowly, barely above a walk. He wanted to enjoy the time alone and having her pressed into his arms. The ride would give them time to get reacquainted. And since his guards had rode ahead and cleared the roads and the woods, he could conceivably make love to her at any time. He was in a near constant state of arousal since they'd been reunited. Holding her exquisite body between his legs was driving him slowly insane.
The Prince forced himself to relax, hoping she would sense it and lean into his shoulder. It seemed to work. Her head was soon cradled in the crook of his shoulder. He let his hands move up and over her back. She wiggled a bit, clearly enjoying his touch. He held his breath and let his hands slide to her front, caressing the side of her breast.
She sighed deeply. He almost tasted his relief. She wasn't fearful of his touch. Slowly he moved his hand so that it circled over her nipple. She sighed again and arched her back, pressing her breast into his hand.
He chuckled, his fingers busying themselves with her nipples, playing with her breasts through her shirt. He was getting hard but she didn't seem to mind his arousal pressing against her bottom.
He held his breath and let his hand slip between her legs. He did nothing for a while, just let it sit there, pressing gently into her juncture. Her hips started to rock against his hand and he moaned, losing control. He lowered his head to hers, kissing her deeply. She responded to him warmly. She opened her mouth under the gentle pressure but did not press her tongue into his as she used to. Perhaps she had forgotten how to kiss...
His fingers swept down and pulled her dress up to the top of her thighs. Gently, he pulled one of her knees up toward the horses neck, spreading her thighs open. One hand held her thigh while his other snaked up to her cleft. He moaned into her neck, feeling her tight slit, now covered in soft curls.
He stroked her gently for a while, finally slipping a finger in between her plump little lips. Her head fell back as he worked his finger into her sweetness again and again. He played with her endlessly, finally bringing his other hand from around her narrow waist to her tender jewel. He alternated between circling her sweet little clit and toying with her breasts, keeping her aroused for an hour or more, always on the brink of climax.
He rejoiced in the soft sweet sounds of pleasure she was making. His engorged manhood felt like it would burst but he would not take her like a peasant by the road. This was about her, about prolonging her pleasure. In fact, he planned to spend the next week seeing that she was thoroughly satisfied as frequently as possible. No, the next year.
Finally he took pity on her frantic arousal. He pressed his face to her ear, whispering nonsense love words to her softly. All of his fingers were on her cleft now, one finger plunging in and out of her sweet well while another strummed her jewel rapidly. He felt her walls convulsing on his finger as her body arched in his arms. He murmured his encouragement as she shuddered, not stopping until he was sure she could not sustain her peak a moment longer.
He pulled her tighter against him as she trembled, tiny aftershocks of pleasure rolling through her body. She stared at him shyly, then rubbed her cheek into his shoulder. He chuckled and closed his eyes, willing his erection to dissipate. Slowly it settled down to half mast. It would have to do. He'd been chaste for so long. Too long.
They rode for another hour before the castle came into view. As ordered, the area was clear of guards. Of anyone really. The whole valley appeared to be deserted. It couldn't have been easy to do but as long as his precious girl wasn't frightened, he didn't care.
They rode into the bailey and he slid off his horse, pulling Jillian down into his arms. Then they walked through the castle. She barely looked around her. Perhaps it was familiar on some level after all. He escorted her to her chamber and took his leave as her maids cooed over her affectionately. They'd missed her as well.
She looked back at him and he closed the door. He was sorely tempted to stay and make love to her. But he was hoping the maids would help her remember. Not to mention that he needed a bath himself.
An hour later he was back to collect his Sofriquette for dinner. It was the first time they'd completed the ritual in almost seven months. He found himself nervous. He couldn't stop worrying about other people in the castle frightening her, or how she would react to him later in bed.
He knocked and opened the for to her chamber. Her maids kneeled immediately but she wasn't waiting with them. Jillian was staring into the mirror, tilting her head, her hand on the new collar they'd made for her. It wasn't jewel encrusted like the other ones she used to wear. There hadn't been time to make an ornate collar evidently. But they would remedy that tomorrow.
Her body looked beautiful in the soft silk amber colored gown she wore. But when she turned, he had trouble catching his breath. Somehow the changes in her over their separation had made her even more lovely. Her shorter hair curled around her face, making her kohl rimmed eyes seem even larger. The innocence in her gaze made her wide set eyes sparkle brilliantly. Her heart shaped face was sweeter than he remembered, set off by the subtle makeup and topaz jewels she wore.
He held his hand out and she walk forward, looking down shyly. He pulled out the gold chain and hesitated briefly before slipping the clasp onto the small circle in her collar. She was his. No one would doubt it after seeing them this way, least of all themselves.
She looked up at him, her mouth parting slightly. He stroked her cheek.
"Was there any trouble?"
"No, your highness. In fact, she went through the motions without any prompting."
He looked questioningly at her maid, Claire.
"Her body remembers."
He felt his groin tightening as he looked down into his pet's eyes. Her body remembered... they would see if that was true later tonight.
He sat eating with his parents, watching as Jillian was reunited with Sephina. He wondered briefly if anyone had thought to warn her about the changes in the younger Sofriquette. Sephina was nothing if not perceptive. He hoped she would help her... help her to heal.
Sephina looked at him briefly, a sad look in her eyes. It was hard to see Jillian this way, he knew. She was so bright and opinionated, even as his servant. He eyed the wine they were pressing on her. He decided to tell the powers that be that he wanted them to remove the contraceptive from it. The thought of his Sofriquette's belly swelling with his child suddenly made him feel very warm.
"How is she, son?"
His mother had taken a strong interest in the girl, particularly now that he'd refused to marry.
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