The Heir and her Guard

Chapter 28

Jane left Max's childhood home, searching the streets for anywhere Max might've gone. The roads were pretty empty, and yet there was no sight of her. Not a trace, not a clue, nothing.

The princess was about to give up, she thought she had made a wrong turn and now everything after that was also wrong, but just as she was about to turn around and head back the way she came, she heard a shuffle in an alley.

It could've been a stray cat, but Jane was too close to hopelessness to not check. She crossed the road and headed towards the alley, shadows almost immediately covering her.

It took a second for her eyes to adjust, but once they did she let out a relieved sigh as she saw Max looking at her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, holding Max's hands to check the wounds on her knuckles.
Max took her hands back, shaking her head. "I don't know... we shouldn't have gone there, not yet anyway."
"Why?"
"I wasn't ready to face him, and I should've known but I was too caught up with everything and..." She sighed, "And my hands hurt like hell."

Jane noticed her cut lip and it seemed like something else was also causing her pain, probably a bruise or something similar.

"Alright, well let's go back home and I'll clean you up. Okay?"
Max gave her a small smile, and nodded as she put her arm around the princess' shoulder. "Yeah. Thank you." Together the pair began the short journey back to the palace.

———

Once they arrived, they headed to Jane's room as it was closer. Jane got all she needed to properly clean wounds and to also dress it, just in case.

"Why are you always standing?" Jane asked, half amused as she entered the bedroom again.
"It's a habit I suppose." Max chuckled, "You should sit."
"How am I supposed to reach you if I do that? You're too tall for your own good." She said playfully.
"Ah, just say you're jealous princess. Plus, I can just crouch down to your height."
"...show off."

Max smiled and decided to sit down on Jane's desk chair.

"I swear I'll love this chair until the day I die." She said, spinning around on it.
"Are you sure you're not concussed?" The princess joked.

Max rolled her eyes despite feeling a little dizzy, but she was never going to admit that to Jane.

"Just come here and sit."
"Sit where?" Jane asked as there was only one chair.
"On the desk."
"You want me to sit on the table?" The princess asked, confused.
"Of course."

Jane sighed but walked towards the desk, taking small steps.

Max looked at her, "Are you afraid?"
"Oh don't be ridiculous. I just don't normally sit on tables is all."

The guard pulled her closer and held her waist as Jane got lifted from the floor onto the desk.

"See? You're fine." Max said.
"Whatever." Jane replied, rolling her eyes despite the small smile creeping onto her lips. "Anyway, come here and let me clean all the blood off you."

Max rolled her chair closer and Jane held a clean sort of towel in her hand, dampening it with the warm water she had brought with her in a bowl before bringing it to Max's hand.

She winced as the grazes made contact with the rag, but it immediately felt soothed as the cool air touched it.

Once all the blood was gone, Jane examined the small cuts on her knuckles. Luckily blood wasn't present anymore around them, but it still looked pretty painful.

"Oh god." The guard groaned as if she had just realised something.
"What's wrong?" Jane asked, tearing the bandage off it's roll.
"When everyone sees us later they're all going to notice the wounds."
"Just say you got in an accident while training. I'm sure they're not going to dig too deep into it." The princess mumbled, focused on making sure it was secure around Max's hand.

"I shouldn't have hurt him like that anyway. I just proved his point."
"What point?"
"He told me I was just like him. Apparently I want to get revenge on those who hurt me, and hurt those who are close to me. And then I hurt him just like he hurt me, so maybe he was right... and I'm just like my stepfather."

"You're nothing like him." Jane replied, tightening the bandage on her other hand.
Max winced, "And how would you know that?" She asked, not in a mean way, sort of like she wanted to know how to find it out as well.

"Well I wouldn't want to be near someone like Neil, and I want to be near you." The princess replied simply.
Max scoffed lightly, "Well that's because we're getting married."
"And I definitely wouldn't want to marry someone like him. And yet I want to marry you. So there's no way you're like him."

"He seemed pretty certain."
"He was half unconscious, what did he have to lose?" Jane chuckled, "You told me how Neil is Max. He was just trying to manipulate you one last time."

Max stayed silent for a moment, "Yeah, you're right." Jane dampened the cloth once more and brought it up to the guard's bottom lip. In one stroke the blood was off, and fortunately the cut was small. It'd definitely heal within a day or two.

"There you go." The princess smiled, "Come on, we have..." She glanced over at the clock, "2 hours before we have to leave."
Max looked at her, uncertain after what Neil had told her.

"Are you sure you want to marry me?" She asked.
Jane gave her a small smile and moved her hands onto her shoulders, "Max, I've never been more certain of anything in my life."
Max's eyes relaxed and she smiled too.

The crowd of townspeople were already gathering outside, in view of the balcony. The announcement was on it's way, but little do they know, someone in that crowd will plan something devastating to them and their country.