the duchess

together at last

-26-

I sprint down the castle corridors and meet Riley down one of the more hidden branches of a hallway, only a storage closet down. "What's going on?"

"Julie-" He heaves a deep breath, "Julie- execution- chamber- now" Riley barely manages to make out a single word but I already know what's going on.

Oh that sneaky son of a bitch- Mitch you fucking suck.

I unclip the dumb cape, discard it on the floor and book it towards the cellars staircase, down where the chambers are.

When I get down to the basement, I look every which way. A long dark hallway with many rooms. Some filled with storage while others hold inmates serving life sentences. With a pit of nerves I quickly walk down the cold stonewalled corridor.

I find a room full of people, a wooden door. The only room containing more than one person. Unless there's a party going on in a storage closet...

I open the door and there she is. My Julie. Her eyes rolling back as she's injected with some kind of drug into her arm. I look around and eyes land on me, people whispering behind cupped hands and stares from every which direction.

"Stop this. Somebody stop this now" I order, looking over at one of the guards. The man, tall and broad, runs around into the chamber, yelling at the executioner though the glass is soundproof.

Everybody steps back as I make my way into the room. Julie now out cold due to the drugs she's on. Everyone watches as I kneel to the ground and brush some hair out of her face. It's greatly frowned upon for the King to kneel before anyone but fuck this. Julie's not just some person, she has more control over me than the laws of the constitution.

"Oh, doll" I whisper, looking at her relaxed face. "Let's get you out of here eh?"

julie

My eyes flutter open as I feel a sense of warmth from the sun. A cool breeze being sent through the room, the sound of curtains rattling, the softness of the clothing I'm in. My body feels like it's in heaven.

"Oh, you're awake"

I flinch beside me to see Luke stepping out of his bathroom with a little smile. A plain black tshirt and pair of grey sweatpants cover his body as he walks over to the bed, "I'm sorry, did I startle you?"

I nod softly with a little pout. Luke puts on his iconic smile as he crawls into bed beside me. He sits against his extravagant and expensive headboard right before I latch to his arm immediately. "Hey baby" He kisses my forehead and giggles.

"This isn't real. This is a fucking dream but I don't want to let go" I sob, digging my head into his chest. "I can't let go"

Luke's hand goes over my hair, his fingers scratching my scalp softly. "I'm real baby. This is all real"

I just start sobbing. My grasp on Luke just tightening. "You're safe with me. It's all over baby. It's all over. You're safe" I look up, our eyes meet and I feel safe. I'm alive, Luke's here, we're ok.

I extend my neck slightly, Luke chuckles before he leans down and our lips softly connect. His hand rests under my ear as I shift into his lap. Luke cradles me when we pull apart. "I missed you" I mumble.

"I missed you too. How's your chest? Your breathing seems a lot better than the wheezing sound you were making last time" He runs a finger over the little gap between my breast. He quickly pulls his finger away and clears his throat, "Sorry"

I shake my head, "Funny thing is, the incision isn't like that. It's right under my boobs. It's horizontal" I laugh as I see how much he's blushing, "Cat got your tongue?" I kiss his cheek.

I notice his eyes are now following my face, his thumb traces my cheek bone and he sighs, "You don't look ok. You look tired- you haven't been sleeping have you?" He says with a moment of realization.

I shake my head "It's not easy when your bed is a slab of concrete. I get an hour or two most"

Luke rests his forehead against mine, holding me tighter and tighter, "You'll get rested. Doctors visit asap to help with any dehydration and malnourishment as well as a check up on your lungs. Oh and a visit to a councillor, you've been through a lot and you might feel more comfortable with a professional. Not to mention I'm putting you on payed suspension from work till a doctor clears you-"

I laugh as I kiss his lips softly to cut him off, "There's no talking you out of those conditions, is there?"

"I just want you to be ok. Physically and mentally" He kisses the top of my nose, "I don't want you to go through anything like that ever again... speaking of, I kinda have to tell you something"

I raise an eyebrow and sit up, my legs straddled around Lukes hips and my arms hook around his neck, "What's up?"

Luke sighs and purses his lips, "Carrie and I got married this afternoon. Afterwards I was crowned king"

I fall back on my heels and my shoulder drop the depth of the pit of my stomach. "You're the king of Amaranth?" Luke nods. "I'm dating the King?"

"You are"

I bite my lip and tilt my head, "Is that bad it's kinda a turn on?" I chuckle, scrunching my nose.

"My kingship makes you horny?" Luke's eyes widen and I just laugh. "You're a puzzle Molina"

"You mispronounced Patterson" I bite my lip and place my hands on his chest.

I cuddle into his chest and we just hold each other. The pain is over. The stress, over. I'm with my home, my boy. Things are perfect, they're just fi-

"King Lucas!" Riley bursts into the bedroom with his chest rising and falling quickly. "YourfatherislookingforyouanditdosentlookgoodandCarrieismissingand-"

Luke pushes me to the side which makes me sigh, "Take a deep breath kid and give it to me straight and in simple terms. You also ruined my moment with my girlfriend so like- rude"

"Carrie's missing and you're in deep shit"

Luke pouts his lip and nods "Well fuck"

Who said things were going perfectly? Not me...