by K. Lyn Hill
Distracted by her thoughts she didn’t notice all the villagers staring as she walked through the town. Peeling herself from the morbid imaginings of grime coated dungeon walls and being burned alive, she glanced over at Siel who examined her like he was trying to piece something together. Join the club. She was just as confused. The more she tried to figure out where she was and how she got there, the more questions arose. What would happen if she ended up stuck here? She hadn’t gotten one glimpse of a cell phone or any modern convenience. It seemed an entirely different world, yet the same year. How did that make sense? There was no way this was some dream.
Hoping for more information, she turned to face him. “When is the wedding scheduled for?”
Happy that they were back to neutral territory, Siel clasped his hands behind his back. “A new date wasn’t assigned yet. My father is away resigning negotiations. It will most likely be when he gets back in a few weeks.” His voice hardened as he spoke about his father.
“Ah. So no father son bonding time, then?” She asked as she kicked the sand at her feet.Only his slight twitch gave away his feelings on the matter as a cocky chased it away. “Oh, you know, we used to stay up late and have pillow fights in our under garments.” Siel thought himself a master at hiding himself but she could see right through him. Years of neglect burned in his eyes betraying his easy going demeanor. The king was simply a man who helped to make him. Any kind of father figure either never existed or faded with time.
Aerity didn’t understand that since her parents had been her whole world, but she respected Siel’s need to pretend. “In the morning did you make waffles?”
“I don’t know what waffles are.” Of course not.
She tried again, this time without the movie reference. “Pancakes?”
He grinned but all she saw was sadness. “My my Princess. It’s like you were spying on us! How ever did you know?”
She shot him a coy look. “Maybe I was. What are you going to do about it?”
He lifted his finger to his mouth in thought. Tapping ever so slightly against his bottom lip, he replied, “Well we could throw you in the stocks for the evening.”
She threw him a flirty smirk. “Maybe I like being chained up.”
His eyes slid unconsciously toward her chest and darkened, then lightened as he wearily took a step back.
Aerity laughed. “Afraid I’m going to knee you again?”
He huffed at the memory. “It took most of the night for the swelling to go down. I’m not going to lie and say I’m not.”
Her hands drifted to the fabric of her skirt, giving her legs better agility. Siel watched with narrow eyes but then got distracted, cocking his head to the side. “By the way, what are you wearing?”
∞∞∞
Siel
It was the first time he had noticed her dress and it was absolutely hideous. Even his brother had better taste than this. Was this how she was dressing now? The last time she was here, her clothing was all in line with the latest fashions. Now, not so much.
Aerity glanced down at herself and crinkled her nose. “I was hoping you could tell me that. The dress I had on yesterday was gone from my room and only this... thing remained.”
He had to agree with her grimace. The colors were ugly and mismatched, the shape was boxy and unflattering. She still looked beautiful in it, but the dress wasn’t even something they wore here. “So, it’s not one of yours?” The last thing he wanted to do was offend her, but curiosity got the best of him.
“Nope. The princess brought clothes?”
He furrowed his brow. "Why are you speaking of yourself in third person?"
Shaking her head, she let out a long sigh. “Didn’t I come with other clothes? When I came for the wedding the first time?”
Wouldn’t she know if she had clothes with her or not? Surely, she saw that was a silly question. “I believe so. You don’t remember?”
She stared, lost in thought. Then whispered, “I’m going crazy. I have to be. He legit believes I’m a princess.” Gripping her hair with both hands, she turned her back to him and let out a frustrated grunt.
“What did you say?” Perhaps she really was going mad. Shame.
Sheepishly she turned around, the skirt of her dress bustling. “Okay I know this sounds insane, but I beg you to keep an open mind. The story I told while playing cards last night is true. I don’t know how, or why, but I am not the princess. I’m from a world with cars and phones and working toilets.”
Cars? What was a car? What story had she told last night? He tried to remember but it was all hazy from the drinks. “Refresh my memory.”
She proceeded to spew the same fantastical story from last night of arriving in this world with Elias who wasn’t really Elias. None of which made sense.“Are you trying to find a way out of the wedding?” He could think of no other explanation for it.
Her face fell. She truly believed her story and looked positively devastated that he didn’t believe it too. “Never mind. Thanks for the walk but I’m going to head back to my room.” She spun around and left him behind.
Chapter Eleven
Damien
“She said she was from another world?” Damien focused on his brother who was casually leaning over on the couch in his office, making sure he heard him correctly.
“Yes.”
“And that she’s not the real princess?” Damien didn’t know whether to be furious or worried. Was his future wife mental? Was this the future he had to look forward to? Maybe she ran because she was touched in the head? Or just manipulating to evade marriage?
“Uhuh.”
His hands clenched into fists. “Do you think she’s mad? Or manipulating?” Siel could read people better than anyone he ever met.
“She seemed genuinely upset at my disbelief. I don’t know. I need more time with her.” Siel replied, standing up to fill a cup with water.
Damien didn’t particularly like Siel spending extra time with his bride, but he didn’t have any other choice. He was desperate to know the real reasons for her stories and if she was truly mental. He trusted his brother even though he didn’t trust her. Damien was too busy with war council meetings and being in charge while his father was away, he didn’t have time to babysit a woman. “Find out what you can. I have to go to the council room.”
Siel’s eyes hardened as he sat back down on the couch. “Has there been more unrest along the border?”
Rubbing his temples, Damien nodded. “Yes, and more fires in the villages. We have to discuss how to proceed.”
Siel wobbled his head nonchalantly, taking a sip of his drink as if their Kingdom wasn’t falling apart. He couldn’t blame his younger brother though. Siel was shielded from most of this throughout his life.
As he headed towards the door, Siel added an afterthought. “How do you explain Aerity’s dress today?”
Damien had given Elias the command to clothe her, but he hadn’t been monitoring the garments. “I told Elias to supply her with some until her clothing arrived.”
Siel lifted his eyes, now sparkling with mirth. “I wondered whose horrible sense of style it was.”
“That bad huh?”
Siel laughed. “Oh, it was horrendous.”
‘Good’ Damien thought to himself. Serves her right for running away. Maybe that will help keep other guys away from her. With that in his mind, he left the office with a smile on his face.
Chapter Twelve
Aerity
Aerity was beginning to wonder if she was ever going to find a way home. Guards constantly surrounded her. Continuously monitored, she could barely expel bodily fluids without an audience. She wasn’t even tackling the whole island situation, yet.
Siel’s disbelieve stung. It seemed insane for anyone to believe what she was experiencing, and she had no right to hold him accountable for it but there was just something about Siel that gave her hope. Hope that someone was on her side. Now she wasn’t so sure.
Per
haps the library would help her find some useful information and distract her anxiety ridden thoughts. Pressing her hands against the looming library door, she paused as footsteps thumped down the hallway, headed in her direction. Curiosity caused her to wait until the person rounded the corner. Her heart sped up when she saw him. Damien.
She sucked in a large breath that caught his attention. She hadn’t seen him since the night outside of her room and now his presence seemed to suck all the air from her lungs. His footsteps slowed as he neared her, his presence commanding attention.
Piercing eyes crashed into hers like a tsunami, then proceeded to trail down her body, shooting back up glinting with amusement. His lips pinched. The terd was holding back laughter. At her dress.
Her eyes narrowed. “Do you like my dress?” She glared, not caring that she was putting him on the spot. If he was laughing then he obviously knew something about it. Her guess was that he purposefully dressed her like this. His calm composure proved her point. “But then again you must, didn’t you pick it out?” She had been annoyed when she had woken yet again to a butt ugly dress but calmed herself down, grateful for fresh clothes in general. Now, seeing it was just one big joke, incensed her.
At her tone, the smirk vanished from his face as he straightened his stance. In response, she crossed her arms over her chest, standing her ground. There was no way she would show intimidation to this jerk.
“I would say you look lovely in it...” His eyes gleamed, “But we both know that would be a lie.” The corner of his mouth tipped up into a sly smirk. She wanted nothing more than to cut it off.
He would never win any victory over her. “Well,” She began as she pressed on the library door, “then maybe I’ll just have to remove it and walk around without it on. I’m sure then I would look lovely...” The moment the hinge creaked, she knew he took the bait. Something in her thrived on their bickering. Even to go as far as craving his wall antics again. Then, the sensible side of her brain scolded such thoughts.
As quick as a whip, her arms were restrained, held back by tight fingers wrapped around her wrist. She shivered as he stepped closer, pressing his chest to her back. The heat from his body soaked through her clothes, caressing her skin.
“Don’t you dare.” His presence awakened every inch of her as he gripped her hands in his. Her heart took off in a gallop as warm breathing fanned against her neck. Slowly, she spun in his arms to face him. It was different than that first night with him. This time wasn’t proving to him she could fight back. Now, it was showing him that she didn’t want to. Thrilled by this cat and mouse game they were playing, she stepped closer, her chest rising and falling in rhythm with his. “And if I do dare...what are you going to do about it?” The energy between them was fire. Electric. A fix that she couldn’t help but take a hit from. The lack of his presence had been sorely missed the past few days and she was all but begging for it back. If she was stuck in this castle, she might as well have some fun while she was at it.
A growl escaped him as he leaned closer, brushing his lips across her cheek. The sensation of his mouth at her ear made her body quake. “If you want to be naked so badly, you can happily do so in my room.” A chill skidded down her spine as goosebumps trailed her arms. She ached to pull him even more flush against her, needing to feel his body fastened against hers.
Then he opened his stupid mouth and ruined it all. “And if you insist on showing your body off to all my men, then perhaps I need to lock you in there until my return.”
He took a step back. The heat disappeared instantly as she stared at him incredulously.
“Guards, please take the Princess to my rooms. I have plans for her after my meeting.” Leeringly, he scanned her body with a twinkle of victory as his eyes met her stunned face. She jerked as a guard grabbed hold of her arm.
Damien touched her cheek with his finger. She resisted biting it off. “Someone needs to tame you, my love. I look forward to the task.”
Aerity growled and then called out as he began walking away. “Damien, tell them to let me go. I swear to God, you will regret this.” His response was a spout of laughter right before a door down the hallway slammed shut. A second guard gripped the elbow of her other arm.
She hissed. “This is your only warning. Take your hands off me...noooooow.”
“I’m sorry Princess but we have orders.”
Aerity clenched her teeth. She was being manhandled. And She had fed right into it. Drug through the hallway, she tried to shake her embarrassment. There was no use for that. Only retaliation. She would devise her own plan of attack. Damien had no idea who he was messing with. Her humiliation only fueled her anger. He was going down.
The guards opened the door to Damien’s room while she took stock of her surroundings. A rope. She needed a rope. She didn’t know what she expected to see in Damien’s room, but it was quite boring to say the least. Nothing personal decorated the walls. No family pictures or sentimental mementos sat out on the desk in the center of the room. It was quite anticlimactic. Part of her assumed handcuffs and chains would be hanging from the ceilings considering the way he liked to be rough with her but there was nothing of the sort. Just a room like any other. Desk. Bed. Curtains. She paused. Curtains that just so happened to be drawn back with a thick cord. A wicked smile creeped on her face. Perfect.
The guards dropped their hold on her, no look of regret anywhere to be seem. Flexing her fingers, she smiled sweetly at them, stepping closer. They eyed her wearily. As well they should. “Thank you for accompanying me. No hard feelings.” Their shoulders relaxed and she used that moment to strike. Reaching up as if she were fixing her hair, she grabbed the backs of both of their heads and slammed them together. Despite her size, they both grunted and collapsed. Mya not only forced her to weight train for strength, she always taught where to hit to cause the most damage.
Dodging to the window, Aerity ripped the cord from the curtain. Turning back to face the two knocked out guards, she couldn’t help her thrum of giddiness and she felt along the rough edges of the cord. Oh yes. This would most certainly do.
∞∞∞
Damien
There was victory in knowing Aerity was locked inside his room. The look of murder in her eyes when he finally had the upper hand would fuel his glee for years to come. And at the moment, he needed any kind of happiness to hold on to that he could get.
The council meeting didn’t get very far. Everyone had many opinions to stop the attacks, the wedding still number one priority. The first step to stability. It was the only thing they had agreed on. Too bad his future wife was anything but stable. She was a volcanic eruption. Excitement trilled in his blood as he imagined her face when he finally walked into his bedroom. Too bad the scene in front of him wasn’t anything close to what he was expecting.
Instead of his fuming sexy fiancé, he now got two guards tied together to his bed, in their undergarments. Socks were stuffed inside their mouths. Their eyes widened as they took in their prince.
Had Aerity done all this? Who in blazes was he marrying? Knife stealing, guard tying hellion.
Grabbing the sock from one of the men’s mouths Damien grunted, still unwilling to untie them. “What happened?”
The guard winced. Were they really knocked out by a woman? “Everything was fine and then something smashed into our heads. We don’t know how it happened.” The guard glanced down at the floor in shame. Damien shook his head. Aerity had held a knife to his own throat. Had she knocked out two of his guards too? He examined the knots that were tied around them. Tight and strong. One would need training to tie them that well. Or someone helped her. But it was so last minute, who would have come to her rescue? His mind shot to Siel, telling him her grand story about being from another world. Could it be true?
No. He was losing his mind. There was no way it was true, just another game she was playing.
“Do you have any clue where she went?” He asked trying to reign in his anger. If she had d
isappeared again…
They both shook their heads no. Of course not.
Grunting, he headed to the door, signaling to the nearest soldiers in the hallway. “There are two half naked guards in my room. Please untie and feed them.” Humiliation was well deserved. Elias would hear about this. Maybe he could set them straight. How weak was their army when the soldiers could be bested by a woman?
Damien searched her rooms and all the communal areas. She was nowhere to be found. No one had seen her. Did she run away again? Panic seized his chest. No. She couldn’t have escaped. Not again. He would be the laughingstock of the kingdom. After it was all burned to the ground under his care.
Not being able to hold it back, he roared, slamming his fist against the wall. “Where is she?!” He shouted. Servants in the hallways stopped to stare with fearful eyes.
Someone tsked behind him. “My my, someone has their panties in a bunch.”
The familiar arrogant voice made him want to sigh in both relieve and aggravation. The tension in his shoulders lessened only to tighten again when he turned and came face to face with Aerity’s smug smile. “I take it you found your way back to your room.” Straining to hold a pile of books, she smiled victoriously at him over her stack. He wanted to shove the books out of her hand and show her what true victory looked like. He refrained. That probably wouldn’t go over too well.