(jaylor au) clandestine meetings in beautiful rooms

I'm Ready For Combat

I refuse to let myself fall asleep at his side. I don't trust Alexander, and I certainly don't trust my mother.
"Taylor," Joe murmurs softly as he squeezes my hand. "Are you hungry? Would you like me to get you something to eat?"
"Some water would be nice," I tell him gratefully. "You can go to bed," I whisper. "I'm not tired. I'll be alright here."
"I'm not tired-"
"You are. We both need to have energy if we're going to leave," I lean over and kiss his cheek. "Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."
"I'll get the nurse to bring you some water," he takes both of my hands in his. "And then I'll get some rest. Just for a little bit. Okay?"
I nod. "I'll be right here. I love you."
"I love you too, Taylor. I can't wait until it doesn't have to be in secret anymore." He kisses me. "And we're together, and we never have to worry about these things again."
"I can't wait." I tell him as I cup his cheeks. "Make sure you actually let yourself fall asleep, okay? I'll be fine here, I promise. You don't need to worry about me."
He kisses my forehead. "I know. I know that I don't need to worry about you. You're the most capable person I know. When I wake up, we can swap. You can get some rest then, okay? And then we'll start to plan our... disappearance." He leaves me with a kiss on this lips, as soft as the flutter of a butterfly wing, but lingers on my lips for the rest of the night.

I sit beside Austin, my hand holding his.
He doesn't sleep easily, he's always waking up to a nightmare, one that leaves him sitting upright, panicking for his safety.
He seems to relax when he sees me.
"Taylor?"
"I'm still here, it's okay." I squeeze his hand.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry-" If I hadn't cut him off, he'd continue to say it over and over again, I'm sure.
"Austin, it's okay. I've already forgiven you, it's already behind us."
"What I did... it was unacceptable." I turn on the light beside us, and I see that he's sobbing again. "I'll never forgive myself. I just didn't know how to-"
"You're allowed to forgive yourself," I smile gently. "Because you're never going to move on from it unless you're choosing to look forward."
"Since when did you become so... grown up?" He asks, half asleep.
I laugh softly. "We both went through things that changed us."
"I'm sorry."
"Austin, please. You don't need to hold onto it, okay? It's over now. You have to let it go, and focus on the future."

I smooth out my dress as I pace backwards and forwards across the room. I will need to pack a lot of my jewellery when we leave. I will need to try and take as much as I can. It will be hard to worry about planning our disappearance while looking after Austin.
"Your father is waiting for you in the throne room."
My mother's voice snakes it's way over to me through the darkness. Although dawn is breaking, I don't feel like seeing the sun.
"I'm not leaving this room." I don't bother looking at her.
She walks towards me, but I can sense her hesitation when she's so near to Austin.
"It's alright, I'll stay." Joe appears from behind me. He's changed his clothes, and is looking a lot more rested than he was when I saw him last night. "Don't worry."

The throne room is crowded with people, with cameras and judgement. My father is sitting on the throne, Alexander's father behind him. My mother goes to sit on her throne, and Alexander and I stand in between them. He doesn't let go of my hand, not even for a second. Even when I try to pull it away, even when I try to get him to move away, he refuses. I don't paint him as the villain. His words echo through my mind. He's made it perfectly clear to me.

"Members of the court," My father's voice booms. "And the people watching us live on their televisions, welcome. As you know, our castle has experienced tragedy over the last few weeks. Our daughter, the Princess, Taylor, was kidnapped and taken away by a barbaric, inhuman person, who held her captive for those long weeks." The words send flames through my body. They make me mad. Austin squeezes my hand tightly when I turn to look at my father. "But she has returned to us, in one piece, and there will be huge consequences for the radical that is responsible for these actions." There is no reference to the fact that it was their son, my brother. Will they keep this a secret? Will they refuse to tell anyone? "We hope that you take this as a reminder that bad things happen to those who threaten the safety of my family and my court. People who do not follow the rules that keep us safe will be punished. People that disobey will be punished. The laws of this country are the laws that keep us safe and at peace." Peace? Safety? The village is starving and the heirs to this throne won't be around long enough to become King or Queen. This isn't safety.
I cannot get his words of punishment out of my head. He is going to punish him? His own son? My brother? I go to move forward, but Alexander moves his hand so that his arm is linked through mine, and I look up at him. He doesn't look back at me, just holds me tight enough so that I can't move forward.
"Thank you," my father says and goes to get up and leave, along with my mother, when two guards come in and speak to him.
"What do you mean he won't talk?" He hisses, and Alexander tries to pull me towards the door, but my feet are glued to the floor.
"Make him talk!"
"We've tried, but Joseph won't let-"
"What's going on?" I ask and both my parents turn to look at me. My mother puts on a sickly smile, and I know that she's lying.
"Nothing."