The Princess and The Pauper (Lunar Chronicles Fanfiction)

Chapter 11

Jacin was really impressed at what cinder did, he never thought that she would be so cooperative and he was not going to let her down. Now that the wedding is in two days he had to find winter quickly and get cinder out of this.

As he was walking in the hallway he heard his name being called he turned towards that direction and saw none other than Aimery park. The person he loathed so much. Aimery always had this look when winter was around and that annoyed Jacin.

Jacin noticed that Aimery had a surprised look when he brought cinder in the glamour of winter into the court. There was something connected to winter's disappearance and Aimery, if not he wouldn't have been so silent in the court.

"Where are going Sir Clay ?" Aimery asked, Jacin saluted him and said, "I don't have any duty today sir so I decided to go into the city."

Aimery tapped his chin with his fingers, "That is strange, you never leave Princess winter's side and how come she is back and you are not here to protect her ?"

Aimery is right, Jacin would never leave winter's side ever and that is exactly what he is going to do. "Sir, a group of well trained guards are protecting her and I am completely sure that she will safe, so she doesn't need me right now."

Aimery eyed him curiously and left without a word, Jacin sighed, there was something on the ground where Aimery was standing, Jacin went and took it. It looked like wild grass and these grow only in the woods. The place where no one goes.

Jacin crushed it with his fists and looked in the direction Aimery went, he took a deep breath and started to run towards the exit. He didn't care what the others thought of him. He got an important clue and he knew that this connects to winter's disappearance.

If anyone didn't like winter marrying Kai then it was Aimery. He was scrunching and scowling when their wedding was announced and Jacin guessed that this led him to kidnap winter. He wanted the crown and winter was his only chance. Jacin suspected him to be the kidnapper and Aimery's visit to the northern woods proved it right.

Jacin quickly went to the stable and hoped onto his horse and galloped in the direction of the woods. All he had to find was where Aimery hid winter in the woods.

The northern woods was an abandoned place because of the wild and tall trees which had grown there a long time ago. The time when people started to settle in Luna.

It was behind the lunar Royal palace and leads to the far side of the moon, far from the cities and outer sectors. The only use of the woods is the wild berries found in the front part of it which were used for making wines. What lies beyond the berry harvest grounds was unknown to the people.

Some people even make up stories that the souls of dead warriors and people who have unfulfilled wishes roam there just to scare the kids in the outer sectors. It was really a mysterious place and a perfect place to hide the princess.

It didn't take too long for Jacin to reach the woods. He slowed down his horse on reaching the place. He crossed the berry harvest grounds and stopped near a small cliff. He got down from his horse, tied it to a nearby tree and climbed the cliff.

On reaching the top of the cliff, he looked down and found what he was looking for, a smoke coming from a small cottage, that's the clue he wanted.

He quickly got down and climbed onto his horse and galloped in the direction of the cottage.

It must surely be Aimery's hideout because no one would build a cottage in the woods. No one would come here for vacationing, only the people who want to hide from the public will come here and Winter was brought here kidnapped and there was no doubt about it.

He slowed down his horse on nearing the cottage not to give signals that he had found them. He got down and tied his horse to the tree and slowly walked to the cottage.

He could sense some movements inside the cottage which confirmed that some one was inside.

Suddenly a horse with a man galloped to the house. It was none other than Aimery. Jacin clenched his fists. He knew something was up with Aimery from the time winter was kidnapped and this proved his theory to be right.

That bastard stormed into the house, Jacin quickly walked to the back of the house and walked to the nearby window evidently Aimery was standing in the same room fuming.

"How dare you be so careless with her. She is smarter than I thought and that Jacin even brought her to the court today. I knew she escaped right when she walked into the court but I am puzzled as to why she didn't tell anyone that she really was kidnapped?"

Jacin eyes widened, so winter had escaped and now Aimery thought that cinder was the real winter who escaped. Winter is not in the clutches of Aimery and that made him worry more.

"My plan is now totally ruined and now I have to formulate a new one, I am not going to give up, soon the crown will be mine."

Jacin clenched his fist and moved back a little which led to a grave mistake. He pushed the nearby wooden board down which fell with a loud thunck.

Aimery inside the cottage looked right through the window and found Jacin standing there. He clenched his teeth and ran out.

Jacin rounded the cottage to escape but Aimery and his servants came right in front of him and blocked his way.

"Well, well Jacin clay looks like you found our little secret. I knew you were up to something when you said you were leaving the palace without protecting winter. I always wanted to remove you from luna and from her heart by killing you, what better opportunity than this could I get."

Aimery taunting smile turned to venom like sneer in just a second, "Kill him."

That was the last Jacin heard before the world blacked out.

A/N- Thank you so much for 1K reads, I hope you will like the new chapter of 'The Princess and The Pauper'