"Sage is back!"
"Oh, they brought the kidnapper and the victim back."
"I'll be surprised if the King allows that boy within a hundred yards of Princess Sage after all of this."
I tried to ignore the swirling sets of comments and conversations going on from the employees dotting the dark castle hallways. Guards flanked every side of Liam and I, not allowing anyone to approach us. That didn't block out the noise around us, though. Squeezing my eyes shut, I leaned farther into Liam's side, my grip on our intertwined fingers tightening.
"Don't worry about it," He murmured in my ear, squeezing my hand, "all of it will die down pretty soon. Your parents will be understand. We'll get through to them. I promise we'll find a way."
His words didn't convince me. I knew my parents. They weren't as forgiving as he tried to make them out to be. Sure, they were usually leniant with my behavior, no matter what I did. The harshest punishment I had ever recieved was not being able to ride for a day because I snuck out of the castle in the middle of the night to try and sleep in the barn. But this feeling in the pit of my stomach had me to believe that there would be a much harsher punishment for breaking out of the castle completely.
The guards shifted, herding Liam and I like we were wild animals into the main hall. At first I thought they were taking us to our rooms that I presumed were the same as we left them. But they made another sharp left, one of the guards bumping my shoulder harshly as they moved us toward the dining hall.
A few of the guards moved ahead to push open the extravagent wooden doors, the light from within the room flooding the area. I squinted against it, shrinking back against Liam's side. His hand left mine, winding around my waist as the guards slowly began to dissipate, leaving us fully exposed in the room.
Mother and father were seated at the front table, Charles and Lawerence flanking each of their sides. All of their heads were turned toward Liam and I, eyes burning holes into our skin. Father stood up, his chair scooting back against the tile flooring with a loud skidding noise.
"I'm not even going to go into this whole long speech because you both know what you did," He started, his tone harsh. "I don't know what possessed Liam to leave in the first place, and I certainely don't know what made him come back and somehow coax Sage away. I thought both of you knew better than that. Well apparently, I thought wrong."
"Do you even want to hear our side of the story?" I spat back, not even caring now. I had nothing to loose, only things to gain. And that was exactly what I was going to do. "Because you make it sound like we are criminals running away from prison. Actually, that could be true, we were trying to get away from the prison that is this castle and this entire kingdom!"
"Sage," Liam warned softly, but I shook my head to his protest, stepping away from Liam's grasp to face my father alone.
His eyebrows shot up as he braced his hands against the side of the long wooden table. "I'm sure I can spare a few moments to hear your side of the story, Sage. Although, it won't change your punishment, and it certainely won't change any of the rules laid down here in the kingdom by our ancestors. But go on."
It took all my strength, plus Liam's gentle hand laying on my shoulder, not to jump forward and strangle my own father. Despite being a loved family member, he still managed to be a cocky, inconsiderate asshole who I really didn't want to associate myself with, yet was forced too. Letting my eyes flutter shut, I took a large in take of breath, calming my hammering heart so I could speak properly without the words coming out lathered in sarcasm and hatred.
"I can't speak for Liam. But from what I think, and what I have observed, Liam left himself because he missed his old life. I wouldn't blame him. You basically forced him to come here, keeping him inside the dark old castle like he is a caged animal being prepared to be shipped overseas. Being able to get out into the open after being locked up for months was good for him," I tossed my gaze over my shoulder to look at Liam for approval. He nodded, shuffling forward again to wrap his arm around my waist, his touch calming me.
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Unwillingly Arranged(Liam Payne/One Direction Fanfic)
Fanfiction"Tonight was the night. That night I had been dreading my entire life.~" Sage Craft, a princess in the long lived Craft Kingdom. A long line of royal family that has a tradition of arranged marriage. Which is something Sage has always hated. She has...
