The Prince's Mate

Chapter 18

As it turns out I did trust my mate, at least a little bit, because I climbed onto the back of that massive animal and Indigo followed my mate's horse obediently. We rode into a dense forest, neither of us speaking a word. I didn't know if Bennett was waiting for me to speak up, but I didn't particularly care. I was happy being back in the saddle, even if Indigo was larger than any horse I had taken lessons on, and I couldn't be bothered to force a conversation.

We rode for close to an hour and when we got back to the barns my legs were sore. Riding worked out muscles I didn't even know I had and even at a gentle walk those muscles were engaged. Still, I tried to act like I was fine, I didn't want Bennett to hover more intensely over me than he already was, so I slid off Indigo- which was a massive drop- and led him back into the barn to untack him. He stood patiently while I took off his bridle and saddle, he would occasionally swish his tail and shake his head, but was otherwise still.

"You know a little bit about horse care." Bennett commented as I began brushing Indigo's multi coloured coat.

"I took riding lessons for years. I loved horses, but I could never afford one and I didn't think it was right to have a horse just so I could board it at some stables and ride it once a month."

"I never knew that." Bennett murmured.

I almost rolled my eyes, "Yes, it's amazing what you can find out about people when you actually talk to them."

Bennett shut up after that. He groomed his horse in silence, then waited quietly for me to put Indigo back into his stall and feed him a treat. As terrified as I had been of the horse he actually turned out to be tremendously sweet and I knew I would come back to visit him often.

The next few days passed slowly, with Bennett still hanging around me a ridiculous amount. I wanted to shout at him to go away, to give me space to breathe, but I didn't feel like I had the right to push him away, and I knew an outburst now would only cause him to monitor me more closely. But it's not the fact that he was concerned for me that bothered me, it was the fact that he really didn't do anything about it other than watch, like he expected me to reach for any kind of blade at any time. It made me feel like I had gone crazy and couldn't be trusted. I just wished he would talk to me like a human being, ask me how I was feeling, or take me to the city, anything. But he never did.

After what felt like forever Bennett decided that I was stable enough to be left alone and he returned to his duties as prince, leaving me alone in that massive palace again. But he didn't leave before reminding me that I was still under house arrest.

"Are you serious?" I demanded, gawking at him.

Bennett ran his hand through his hair, looking bothered. "Look, I know you hate being in this house, but please, I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I need to know you're here and safe, okay?"

"I'm not five." I protested.

"Brook, please, just do as I ask, alright?" Bennett said, quickly cutting off my argument. He pulled open the front door and let himself out, not even allowing me to protest.

I threw myself on the couch, frustrated beyond words and desperately bored on top of that. I wanted to scream my lungs out, just to get all the anger out, but I feared it would just make Bennett come back and question my stability again. So I laid flat on my back and stared at the ceiling, wondering what the hell I was supposed to do now.

I spent a few hours in the basement which I had recently discovered. It was like an entertainment plaza, with a dozen different game consoles, three large televisions, a fully equipped gym, and enough movies to melt my brain. But even video games and cheesy romances get boring after doing nothing else for what felt like years.

Luckily for me, not everyone had forgotten about me.

"Donovan." I squealed, leaping off the couch at the sight of him. It took all my restraint to not throw my arms around him and pull him into a tight hug.

"Princess Brooklyn." He said, bowing his head. But even with his head bowed I could see the glowing smile.

"God, I'm so happy to see you." I admitted, rushing over to be closer to him.

"Good, I like being missed." He teased, his eyes glimmering with humour, but the twinkle left quickly when he scanned me over, "You look ill, are you feeling alright, princess?"

"No, no I don't feel well." I confessed, "I think Bennett is trying to help me, well, at least that's what he claims, but I can't be in this house for another second. I need to go out, Donovan, I'm going crazy with boredom. I need to see people, and not just my mate. If I stay inside this house much longer I'll forget that there's even a world beyond those doors."

I knew I was being dramatic, but I honestly couldn't stand being in the house any longer, even with Donovan's company.

"Here, I'll call the prince and let him know that I'm taking you into town, alright?"

"Really?"

"Yes, of course." Donovan pulled out his cell phone and quickly punched in Bennett's number. He spoke to my mate softly for a little while, it seemed as if though Bennett was putting up a little bit of a fight, but Donovan ended up beaming with victory by the end of the conversation. "Alright princess, looks like it's you and me going into town." He announced.

In a matter of minutes we were loaded up into one of the many fancy vehicles, this time it was a sleek sports car. Donovan offered to let me drive but I politely declined and slid into the passenger seat. Donovan turned on the car radio within the first five minutes of the drive which eased the silence between us. I didn't want to be awkward with him, but it was hard to forget that he had seen me at my lowest point with blood gushing out of my wrists and tears pouring down my face.

"Donovan, about what happened-" I began.

"Don't." Donovan said, raising his hand to spot me, "Don't explain yourself, okay? You don't have to. I just want you to know that I don't think of you any differently than before. I don't consider you weak or unstable, okay? I just want you to know that, even though you're the princess- soon to be queen- you don't have to be afraid to ask for help. I'll always be here for you."

I sat silently for a while, unsure of how to process his kind words. This was the first time anyone had really talked about my mental illness and this wasn't the reaction I was expecting. There was no one telling me to get over it, or that I should be tougher. Hell, I didn't even feel any judgement, which astonished me.

"Thank you." I whispered finally, "You don't understand how much I needed to hear that."