My Highlander, My Love, Part Three:Forbidden Love, The Greatest Love Story Ever Told.

The Royal Symbol

Silver, blue grey eyes that were hazed with want pierced Valerie's back as she threw more wood to the fire and stoked the logs. Who is this woman who has captured my heart, the Prince thought, as he took another bite of the chicken. She has to be from around here, she couldn't have wondered far from her holdings.

William ruled out the fact that she could be a slave, slaves don't leave their Masters for too long because they get whipped. She must be a servant, her clothing looked old and raggedly, and her hands seemed rough and calloused, but she spoke like an aristocrat, and her voice was full of compassion, the Prince was confused.

She knew how to heal the sick, start a fire, and steal food to feed him, yet she walked and talked beyond her station in life as a servant. Had her Master taken a liking to her and treated her different from the others? Does she visit his chambers at night and please him in bed and in return he pays her with private lessons in the ways of his world?

Jealousy claimed him at the thought of her in the arms of someone else, yet he knew he had no right to feel so. "Would you have some extra bread laying around, I'm afraid I'm still left hungry." He told her, and as if he needed to prove it, his stomach growled loudly, and they both burst out laughing.

Valerie walked up to the bed and looked down at her patient, her eyes sparkled with laughter and the Prince felt the urge to kiss her plump lips. "Nay, I gave you all that I had, but in the morning I promise, I will bring you a huge breakfast." She told him, and removed the tray from the bed.

Williams could not take his gaze away from her, he watched hungrily as she cleaned the tray and placed it back to where it belonged. After tidying up the place, she returned to the bed.

"I must leave now, please stay in bed so your wounds can heal better, and come morning I will be back." She told him and turned to leave.

The Prince grabbed her hand and stopped her from walking away, "Please don't go!" He said desperately, "stay a little, I'm extremely lonely amd feel bored out of my mind. The night is still young and I will not be able to fall asleep from now!"

Valerie sighed and pulled her hand out of his grip, "Very well, but only for a short time, I must return before someone takes notice of my absence!" She said, and dropped herself in the chair next to the bed.

"Tell me about yourself, you nursed my wounds yet I don't know anything about you! How can I thank you properly if I don't even know your name and to which clan you belong too."

"Why is it so important for you to know my name or clan, isn't it enough that I helped you? Names are just a label they placed on us so the Kings men can find us when the King and his son gets bored and wants to stir trouble!" She proclaimed.

The Prince was blown away with her words. "Why would you think the King and his son would want to stir trouble?"

"Because he is not a noble King, nor is the Prince!"

Stunned that she would think this way about him and his father, he was curious to find out what else she thought, "Why is the King and his son not Noble?" Willam asked, as he held his breath for her answer.

"Because he and his family live in riches while many in Scotland live like peasants! Is it fair to serve a King that only sees to his needs and not the needs of his people?" She asked.

"And what would you have him do, feed the world and be left with nothing? You people are doing well, I see no suffering among you. The King can not help it If one is born a servant or a slave! He can not save the world, that would be impossible!" William reasoned.

"No he can not save the world, but he can free the salves and treat them as if their life mattered. Imagine being born to a life of slavery, only to get beaten and starved just because you were unfortunate to be born in a life of misery and hardship from no fault of your own, while the King amd his family live a life of luxury!"

"But most in Scotland live in luxury."

"Most yes, but the other's who were not fortunate enough to be born with privledges, suffer a life of poverty and hardship! Their only wish is to be given back their dignity and be treated with equality!"

"But they are not our equal, does your Master treat you and the rest of the servants with equality?" The Prince asked, disturbed by her way of talk.

"Michael Macalister is one of the finest men that I know, he treats all his servants with the respect that they deserve. He pays them well and does not allow anyone in his castle to look down on them. They are hard working people and without them Sterlinshire would not have been the same." She said, not realizing that she just told him where she lived.

The Prince was speechless. She had made a few good points, he had never looked at it with that point of view. "Do not the servants take advantage of Michael's easy ways and fall behind on their tasks?"

"No, they work even harder to please him!"

"Are they not raped or abused?"

"Their have been a few incidents, but Michael is on top of it and doesn't allow it, he punished the Warriors that fall out of line!"

"Are you saying that no one touches the servants without their consent?"

"That's exactly what I am saying!"

"Isn't part of a servant responsibilities to serve their Master in any way, shape, or form?"

Valerie's face flushed and she looked away, "only if a servant goes willingly, no one is taken against their will!"

William wondered if she too had given herself of her own free will to her Master. "Is there anything else that you think the servants and peasant deserve?"

"Aye, they should be given extra coin for their hard work and dedication to the crown! If it wasn't for them, the King would not be sitting in his thrown, there would be no one to rule! He should at least treat the servants and peasants in a civilized manner, and give them back their self respect!" She said, and for the first time she noticed the mark on his right shoulder. Jumping to her feet she asked, "the mark on your shoulder is the royal symbol, only the one that wears the crown or will one day inherit it can wear that symbol!"

William took a deep breath of inhalation, "Aye, tis true." He said, and Valerie's eyes widened.

"Are....you...Prince William?"

"Aye I am." He answered simply.

Valerie was flabbergasted, it came as a complete surprise to her that she was in the presence of the Crown Prince of Scotland. "You deceived me! You fished words from my mouth and put me in a dangerous position!"

"Nay, you are not in any danger, I will tell no one of what you spoke of, but in the future hold your tongue and do not spill your guts to stranger's, if anyone were to hear you talk you may have been tried for treason!" Prince William told her.

"What happened why were you traveling alone when I found you, where were your guards?"

"I wanted to be alone, I had many things on my mind, but enough talk about me, please finish what you were saying, I am intrigued by your way of talk." He told her truthfully.

Sitting back down on the chair, Valerie chose her words carefully now that she knew who he was. "Your highness I didn't mean any disrespect by my words, please forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive, you were merely stating what you believe, please continue." He told her, very curious to know what else was on her mind.

"You are a Prince and one day will rule Scotland, you were born with privledges and have lived a life of luxury, but the peasants, the servants and the slaves suffer of no fault of their own, a life of pain and suffering. A man can be beaten and thrown in the dungeon for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his children, and women are used and abused simply because they look pretty. They are stripped of their human rights and live without dignity."

The Prince was thoughtful for a few seconds, who was this beautiful woman who had the heart of gold, he thought, knowing very well that he was falling in love with her. "Tell me your name, I implore you!" He begged.

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