the lord and the alleycat [COMPLETED]

Chapter Thirteen

The Guardians dragged me away as Hailey wailed behind me. She was restrained by one Guardian.

"Don't you hurt her!" I screamed as the door was slammed shut behind us, leaving Hailey in the room. Martha was smirking as she walked in front of us, the train of her gown ending right in front of me.

"You are a pathetic excuse for space," Martha says over her shoulder. "I can't believe my brother used his favor to help you, you kidnapping abuser!"

"I didn't do any of that," I whispered, knowing I had to confess to it, if Hailey was to be protected.

"Don't mumble, it's unbecoming," Martha spat and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I was drug all the way to the throne room.

"Kneel before the King and Queen," one of the Guardians pushed me to my knees. I then looked up to the thrones, where an older version of Bennet sat with a woman by his side.

"It's her," my blood ran cold at the sound of his voice. The Duke made his way into my vision, a barely concealed smile on his face. The Duchess followed behind him, her eyes cast downward, but a furious look on her face. "She abused Olivia while working for us, and when she was reprimanded, decided to kidnap her."

The Duke approached me, clutching my chin to force me to look him in the eye, "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"I will confess to the crimes you believe I have committed," I whisper, glaring at him. "On one condition." He raised an eyebrow at me, and I took that as a sign to continue, "You will send Olivia, under the name Hailey, to Janice Hayward of the Newark Orphanage. You will not contact her, see her, or lay another hand on her."

His smile grew wide on his face, "Is that all? Done deal."

"How will I know you have gone through with it?" I asked.

He let out a low chuckle, "Guess you'll just have to trust me."

"What is going on down there?" The Kind demanded, and the Duke straightened, gesturing at me to continue.

"I confess," I stated loudly, my voice echoing in the expanse of the throne room. "I abused and kidnapped Olivia."

"She has confessed!" The Duke exclaimed. "She as committed egregious crimes against my family! I believed the punishment for this heinousness is for her to be hung until death!"

Martha stood behind her father, a large grin gracing her face. The King looked down upon me with distain, "She will be hung at dawn."

"No!" The Duchess screamed. "You will do no such thing." The Duke turned to her and gave her a loud slap, causing her to collapse on the floor. She stood, the fire in her eyes able to burn down the entire palace, "She is not the one who should be punished, it is him!"

"How dare you!" The Duke yelled at her, but this time she didn't cower in fear. She stood her ground, turning her attention to the royal family.

"This man abused me and my daughter so much that I told Amara to take her away!" Although her voice was unwavering, I could see tears began to stream down her face. "I will not tolerate him placing the total blame on someone who saved my daughter."

The King looked sternly at the Duke, who was beginning to sweat, "Is this true, Abraham?"

"No-o, sir," the Duke stuttered and the King's gaze hardened on him.

"Do you have any proof, Duchess Valencia?"

"I believe I can provide some, Your Majesty," I stood from my kneeling position. "If Olivia is brought to the throne room, I can show you recent scars from whippings the Duke inflicted upon her. I have been incarcerated since yesterday and before that, working as a servant at Prince Bennet's home."

"Very well," the King said and within a few minutes, Olivia was brought in. She ran to me as soon as the Guardian let her go, hugging me tight and sobbing.

"Please don't leave me, Amara. I didn't mean to say such mean things to you," she sniffed.

"Hai—Olivia," I began, "I know this will be uncomfortable, but will you show the King and Queen your back?" She then looked to her right, and saw a fuming Duke. She cowered away in fear, hiding behind me.

"He'll hurt me," she said, loud enough for all to hear, her voice quivering.

"I will protect you," the King said, and he and Queen stood from their thrones and descended the steps to come to our level. "As long as I am here, no harm will befall you."

"I'm right here too," I whispered and she tentatively turned around, allowing me to unbutton the same buttons I had undone earlier. "As you can see, these marks are too recent for me to have done them." After I knew the King and Queen had a good look, I buttoned Hailey back up and hugged her fiercely.

"Would she act the way she does if Amara was the one abusing her?" the Duchess asked, walking towards us, her gaze sorrowful. "My husband did this to her."

"The evidence is substantial," the King stated and I felt hope grow in my chest. "Duke Abraham Goethe of Wellsville, you are hereby sentenced to hang until dead."

"I will do no such thing!" The Duke screeched, stealing a sword from a Guardian and charged toward us. I stepped in front of Hailey and the highnesses, trying to protect them. "You have been a menace ever since she was born!" He swiped at me, the sword scraping my arm, before the Guardians disarmed him. Blood flowed freely from the gash and I clutched my arm in pain, as I watched him get dragged from the throne room. The Duke screamed profanities at us the whole way, until the doors were heaved shut behind him.

"My baby!" The Duchess cried and ran towards Hailey. Hailey took a slight step in her direction as the Duchess scooped her up into her arms. "You're safe now, mothers' here." Hailey—or then again known as Olivia—wept in her mothers' arms. I smiled, even though the blood loss was beginning to get to me.

"Get a nurse in here, quick!" The King ordered and another Guardian ran off. I sat down on the ground, my head spinning.

Olivia ran over to me after her mother released her, her little hands placed on my cheeks. Her face was serious, "I am right here. Stay with me, Amara."

I wanted to reach up and touch her face, but I was worried about reducing the pressure on my arm. The doors flew open, but instead of a nurse, Bennet's disheveled appearance was revealed, "Amara?"

I glared at him, which was impolite, especially in the presence of His and Her Majesty, "What do you want?"

"I...I..." he stuttered before he was lightly brushed out of the way by the nurse and her assistants.

"Excuse us," she said. Her two assistants placed me on a wooden board with sticks for them to grasp on either end. The nurse took over applying pressure to my wound and I thanked her profusely.

"You will be treated well, Miss Amara," the King said, his face grave. "I apologize for the harm that transpired."

"It was worth it, Your Highness," I said, trying to bow my head, even though I was lying down. The assistants then began to walk me toward what I assumed to be a place where they could treat me. Olivia trailed along behind them, and the Duchess behind her. We passed Bennet who was still in the doorway, looking at me in shock.

"Amara, what happened?" he was able to ask, but I turned my head away from him.

"Nothing you should be concerned about, Your Highness," I said derisively. My heart broke a little more after I treated him harshly, but he deserved it. Olivia was the most important thing in the world to me and he nearly destroyed it.