Royalty? It's Not What You Think. (ON HOLD)

Chapter 23: Reasons Explained

Hey guys got a new chapter for you! Pretty good eh, new chapter in just a couple of days? Haha, just kidding, but seriously though. I had writer's block for like a whole day. I felt so useless X( But, I finished it! Oooh, and it's really long too, my longest chapter yet!! Haha.

Here it is! :)

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It was midnight. The sky was black and the air was damp. It was going to rain.

Just then, a flash of lightning lit my face and danced off my silver ring. My hand hovered in front of my face as I stared at the symbol of my betrothal.

Images of the incident before lunch flashed across my vision. Lord Percy’s devious smile, the ring slipping onto my finger, the chill in his voice, the meaning behind his words, and the way he looked so smug. 

How did this fall into the hands of Lord Percy? And why had he not returned it sooner? There must be some reason…Unless he simply forgot…

NO! It cannot be as simple as that! He put the ring on my finger himself. Why cannot I help but feel that it was so wrong? I am sure that it meant nothing at all, but I have this troubling feeling that it may have meant something more; if not, then maybe I am just thinking too much….

I sighed unable to fall asleep. I turned onto my side and pulled the covers up to my chin. I stared straight ahead of me into the perfect darkness.

I have to talk to Lord Percy.

I have to find out what he knows or what he is planning.

Why do I feel that this has nothing to do with me, but it is part of something bigger? I cannot shake this feeling of foreboding.

I groaned in frustration and threw the covers off of my body. I sat up in bed with my legs dangling off of the side.

I need to clear my head.

I walked across the cold stone floor and retrieved my cloak. I tossed the garment over my shoulders and waited for it to settle. Going back to my bedside, I slipped my feet into slippers and made a move to leave. My eyes settled on the blankets on my bed.

I suppose I might need them.

I scooped up one of the heavier blankets and held it within the folds of my cloak. Once out into the hall, I pulled the chamber doors to a close behind me as quietly as possible, and glanced at the Prince’s chamber doors. They were still closed.

I moved down the hall with the stealth of a feline. Or so I would like to think. I kept to the darker parts of the halls and dived behind corners at the sign of sentries or guards. I did not want anyone to bother me right now. The soft pitter-patter of rain filled my ears. As I got closer to the outside, the sound turned stronger.

I came to my destination. The garden. But the rain had ruined my plans of sitting in the grass. I pouted. There has to be a gazebo or something of the sort in the middle of the garden.

I strained my eyes to find any sort of shelter that I might be able to run to. I glimpsed a darker structure in the distance and figured it was what I was looking for.

With a deep breath, I took off on the direction of the figure through the rain. As the cold droplets fell through my cloak, I had the thought to head back. The rain was cold, and as I ran, that coldness increased as the wind whipped my cloak around me. What if I caught a cold? That would not be very dignified.

But, I need to think.

I shook of my doubts and ran with full speed towards shelter. I stepped inside the gazebo and exhaled heavily. I stood there, panting, and surveyed the sparse furnishings of the area. There were only a couple of benches back-to-back in the center. They were directly under a glass dome ceiling which made up the roof of the shelter.