The Bride

Chapter 22//: Hopes and dreams

♕✿~♕✿~Chapter 22//: Hopes and dreams♕✿~♕✿~

Nick's POV

I sigh and tiredly run a hand through my hair as I trudge up to Rose's room. It had been two days since Ahren's shocking Report, and everyone has surprisingly been supportive of his choice. If I'm being honest, I thought the nation would have been completely against him. But magazines all over Norta were now changing their previous arguments and saying "His Majesty is doing the best for our safety. He truly cares for the people's wellbeing, and we must trust him to protect us." Their words, not mine.

Reaching the third floor where the royals', and Rose's, rooms were located, I huff a breath at the ache present in my legs. The last two days have been hectic, with me having to organize more search parties and scouring the area around the last town Ahren and I had visited. We still hadn't found anything, but I'm trying to remain hopeful. Madison's disappearance hadn't only affected Ahren, but Rose as well.

My feet stop moving as I see a figure round the corner. The figure notices me and stops walking as well, staring at me with surprised red-gold eyes.

I stare at Juliet for a moment, unsure if I should talk to her or not, considering our history. Would she be hostile towards me? Did she despise me for what happened in the past?

But Juliet only gives me a small, sad smile reminding me of all the nights we had spent together in the past before our social standings had forced us to go our separate ways. After a moment, I smile back at her, forcing myself to continue to walk towards Rose' room.

When I stop in front of the door, I make sure to comb my hair a bit with my fingers. I hope I didn't look too sweaty or tired because Rose tended to worry about how hard I was pushing myself. I'd always have to tell her to stop worrying so much about me. But her worry for me was actually endearing. There was something sweet about having a person care about your well-being.

I knock on the door a couple of times. I hear light footsteps approaching the door and a couple of seconds later, the door is opening and I see the familiar red hair of Rose. I grin widely as her face breaks into a relieved smile and she hugs me tightly. She was always convinced that I was going to get hurt or killed on one of these search parties.

After greeting her with a quick kiss to the nose, I let her pull me into her bedroom. The room is almost as large as the royal bedrooms, with a huge wardrobe, a balcony with a beautiful view of the gardens, and the lavish bed in the middle of the room. Rose turns to me as she closes the door, her eyes scanning my face carefully and looking for any injuries. When she finds none, she sighs.

"Have you found anything yet?" She asks me with a hopeful voice. My smile falls from my face as I realize I'll have to tell her yet again that I had found nothing of Madison yet.

She must have noticed my worried face because her expression becomes crestfallen. I hurry to make the situation better. "But don't worry, Rose, I think we're really close to finding her," I tell her with a smile. She gives me a wavering smile in response as she shakes her head slightly to get rid of the tears in her eyes.

"I'm worried, Nick. I really hope she's found and that she's alright," Rose admits, her voice thick.

Gently, I pull her in for a hug, resting my chin on her head. I soothingly rub my hands on her back as she starts to cry. I press a kiss to her head.

"I really hope so too."

Madison's POV

I watch carefully as Lucas bends down by the bar to corrode it further, acting as if he's giving me my dinner.

He's been doing this three times each day for the past two days. He weakened the metal bar in my cell and Damon's cell. After every time he did so, I always tested the strength of the bar by kicking it. It went further each time I did so.

Lucas pulls away from the metal bar, and I expect him to leave like he always does. But he hovers by my cell, eyeing me. I understand and creep up to where he is, acting as if I'm grabbing my food. I listen attentively as Lucas whispers so quietly only I can hear. When he's done, I straighten up and nod at him. He finally takes his leave, walking away with the rest of the Rogue Dawn members back up to ground level.

I set aside my food, too eager to tell Damon what Lucas told me to bother eating right now. Beckoning to Damon, we both walk up to the bars separating our cells. He eyes me carefully.

"What?" He questions. I look around, making sure no Rogue Dawn members are lingering, before whispering to Damon: "Lucas said the bars should be weakened enough by tomorrow night. We can escape then."

Damon's eyes mirror my own excitement and anticipation. He nods in understanding at my words, and I return back to my food, eating the bread carefully. My situation these past days has been severely depressing, but I couldn't contain the smile that was growing on my face.

It was going to happen. I would be able to get out of here. I had lost track of the days spent here, but I knew I had spent a good amount of time here. The idea of being able to escape the terrible conditions of this place and get back with my family and friends was so desirable that tears started pricking the corners of my eyes. But unlike the tears I had shed the first time I had woken up in here, these were tears of hope. That maybe I would get a happy ending after all of this.

I knew there were still risks that I needed to overcome. Just because Damon and I planned to escape tomorrow didn't mean we would succeed. But I had to be strong enough to overcome the obstacles. I would be damned if I failed to escape and was thrown back into this cell tomorrow night.

After finishing my bread and water, I settle into my cot to go to sleep. I had to make sure to rest enough for the events of tomorrow night. Who knew what I would have to go through to escape this place?

For once, I drift off to sleep easily. My dreams are filled with hopeful images of me getting to hug my family again, smile with my friends, and see Ahren again.

I could only hope that those images would become reality soon enough.

♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~

Do you guys think Madison and Damon can successfully escape Nathan?

So I put the little hint in this chapter about why Nick and Ahren never really liked each other. To put it simply, Nick and Juliet had had an affair with each other. Later on, the royal family found out and Nick was forced to leave Juliet, which left her heartbroken. So that's just a very, very brief summary of the background Nick, Ahren, and Juliet all have with each other, and also why Ahren doesn't really like Nick.

Have a great rest of your week!

Glass_Sword