ROYALTY

Chapter 22

He helped me to my feet his hands still around me, once he let go I curtsied. "Your highness I —"  "Zachery or Trenton, they were both my grandfather's names, you do not need to use the formalities with me Naomi, so pick a name and call me by, you can even make up a pet name, I do not mind."  I was breathless for some unknown reason, and this sensation kept on going down my stomach, probably following the law of gravity or something. "But your.. I can not your highness, it is not proper it is-."  "I give you the permission." He was right before me now, my eye caught sight of Georgie and my heart broke, I turned towards her and stroked her hair, I avoided answering him because of that feeling that kept on running down my tummy.

"She is in pain, I think you are going to have to press her down but,"  I looked at him. "be gentle please."  He nodded and he pressed down on her but he first tied Ruthless to a far way tree where he would not kick any ones head off. She cried, she screamed, she struggled. And it was a sight that brought tears to my eyes, the person that did this must have done it on purpose, because of the struggling and moving I had cut myself twice using the knife Zachery had given me and whenever I did, he would try to stop holding Georgie down so he could attend to me, but I would beg him to still hold her.

I had finally cut the rope and squeezed out the bad blood that surrounded the infected area and used some water and a piece of cloth to wipe the wound and keep it clean. Ruthless on the other hand did not seem to be taking it all to well, more than once he had tried to struggle out of the strong hold that held him tied to the tree.

"I never want to do anything like that again." I said as I breathed in. Hard tears were still in my eyes, he took my injured hand in his and ripped a piece of cloth from his under shirt and treated my wound. "Do not try such ever again." The way he said it touched my heart.

***

It took us longer to reach the opening where all the others were gathered, once we had emerged from the forest all eyes were turned on us, me solely because I was riding the prince's very own horse and he helped support a limping Georgie.

The stable hands took hold of Georgie immediately, leading her into a warm shade for treatment, of course everyone showed their admiration towards the prince. He had saved a dammed horse, no offence Georgie but did none look at me? Oh no they were all on him, the so-called royalty had even forgotten that I existed and went to tell the tale of the fallen horse and lady, more than once I got remarkable comments of "I hope your leg is alright?"  "Do you need this your grace?"  "Are you well your grace?" "How bad was the fall?" One had even gone so far as to mention my behind. I wonder where that story came from.

"I wish it was her head that came off, so that I would not have to see her ugly face." I ignored her and continued walking, the prince and his fellow court where on the other side and the ladies apparently had ganged up with the two devils themselves. "Is it not dreadfully awful how she keeps on stealing the prince?" One had said. "I bet she would do anything for him." Spoke another, "Anything such as hurt the miserable horse and try to seduce the prince. I always knew that the trait of whoring was in your family, but I never really knew you would be stupid to carry it out."  Head held high I walked proudly towards the entrance of the house, "I heard rumour of how her great grandmother had stuck to whoring and acquired the Kathleen inheritance, trust me, they were not meant to have such amount of wealth, they were simply peasants before they were given such opportunity." Amelia had spoken.

The group of girls around her gave shocked gasps and sent me stares even as I washed my hands clean, "It is said," Penelope begun. "That her peasant of a grandmother snack into the lords Kathleen's castle and seduced him and when she got pregnant, because he did not want to create a scandal he took her in and made her his wife, but then the whore kil—"  I did not know what came over me but then I grabbed her by the roots of her hair and threw her down, she looked shocked. "Oh really Penelope like you are so innocent. How about that little time while we were still in grammar school? Or that little time we attended Harrys birthday ball? Or that time that time when you-?"

I bent down and whispered something into her ear, she paled. "When she what?" Amelia asked looking so confused, apparently she felt so proud knowing that two of the ladies were making a nuisance of themselves and right in front of the prince and his court. "Oh do not play stupid Amelia , you are not as innocent as you seem, actually, your little secret can be revealed by just a simple pull of your gown just a little lower, and the world will see the whore you are." She tightened her gown, holding it close to her chest. She knew what I was talking about.

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