Kidnapped by a Prince

Chapter 13

--Melody's POV--

Xander has never treated me like that. He wasn't rough exactly; he was very careful not to hurt me. He was just so... forceful. Truth be told, it was kinda hot when he pushed me up against the wall like that and I had a hard time focusing on what he was saying. Once my heartbeat stopped pounding in my ears, I was able to get the gist of his little monologue which was what he's been telling me this whole time: Xander didn't kidnap me.

I don't know what to believe. I can't imagine that I was kidnapped without the knowledge of the prince who wanted me in the first place, but his eyes seemed so genuine. I feel my cheeks burn slightly and a small knot forms in my stomach as guilt takes hold of me. What if I've been wrong about him this entire time? What if he really wasn't responsible? Xander seemed to be the only person in the castle who was actually worried about me and was concerned with my happiness. He was nothing like I imagined him to be. He was not stuffy or boring like he appeared to be on TV. He was actually pretty funny. If I hadn't been so furious about being ripped from my home, I think Xander and I could have been good friends.

Still, it's too early to let my guard down. He could just be trying to gain my trust to make me stay in the castle. Although I don't acknowledge it, I feel a small part of my heart swell with hope, hope that Xander really is innocent.

-Xander's POV--

I walk out wearing a casual button-down and slacks to meet the beautiful, young woman stepping out of the carriage. I look over at the olive-skinned, Mediterranean princess with a smile. The girl, Thea, had come over seas from Greece with her father for a diplomatic meeting with my father. I knew her when we were children and remembered having a small crush on her even back then. Even though I knew what to expect, I found myself taken aback by her good looks and stunning smile. Her soft accent was incredibly attractive and perfectly complemented her whole exotic beauty vibe. I took a shaky breath and extended my hand as a greeting, but she engulfed me in a hug instead with a laugh. "What, you don't remember me Xander? What's with the handshake?" she asks in a joking tone. I blush a light pink when she moves to hold my face. She turns my head side to side and looks me up and down. She bites her lip subconsciously before saying "Wow, Xander. You look amazing." I return the compliment hastily, but earnestly. She really does look great.

I hear someone clear his throat and quickly realize that I completely forgot Thea's father. "Mr. Anastas, hello" I say with a bright smile extending my hand once again. The older man looks at it laughs and pulls me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh my boy, it is good to see you again! I see you remember my daughter Thea," he says with a slight smirk. I look down to avoid exposing myself by reacting to his teasing expressions.

"Yes sir, how could I forget my good friend" I reply with a grin. The man hums knowingly before turning his attention to my father. The good-natured man shows my father the same affection before following him towards the main meeting hall of the castle. With the two kings gone, Thea and I are left standing alone by the door. A few seconds of awkward silence pass as we continue to eye each other almost unsure if what we are seeing is real. I finally break the silence by offering to show her to her room. I grab the bag she carried in herself and wave the servants inside before showing Thea up the stairs. Thea follows me closely, almost bumping into me when I stop in front of one of the guest rooms in the West Wing. I throw the door open and place the deceivingly heavy bag down inside. Thea thanks me before throwing herself onto the massive bed. I call a maid to help her unpack and bow out of the room so that Thea can get comfortable.

I start wandering the halls and before I even realize where I'm going, I find myself outside of Melody's room. The door is ajar, and I see Melody reading on her bed. She's wearing a very pale pink dress and has her hair styled in a simple side braid. Hearing me approach, Melody looks up and smiles softly at me. My eyes widen in disbelief and I return the smile. "May I come in?" I ask.

I expect Melody to say no since I'm probably asking too much of her in one day, but to my surprise, the brunette waves me in and even moves over to make space for me on the foot of her bed. I consider sitting next to her, but decide not to push my luck and sit by her feet instead. We exchange some pleasantries and while Melody appears to relax slightly as we talk, the wariness in her eyes never fades. Finally, I ask her about the book she's reading. I watch as Melody's eyes light up and any reservations she had disappear. She speaks excitedly about all of the characters and carefully explains the plot in great detail. I love how passionate she is as she insists on the existence of 'Johnlock' and can't help but notice how cute she looks as her excitement grows into wild gesturing.

Melody realizes how much she's been talking and calms herself down. She looks down sheepishly before apologizing. "Sorry, I just really love this series. My best friend and I always read it together, before... you know, and I haven't really been able to talk to anyone about it so I went a little crazy there."

It's only then that I consider how lonely she must be in this castle. Any happiness I got from finally talking to Melody fades and is replaced by guilt. I try to hide any sadness from my voice before taking her small hands into mine and saying "Melody, you don't have to apologize for telling me about something you love. I'm actually really glad you told me about Sherlock Holmes, and I would love to hear more if you have the time" I say meaning every word of it.

Melody looks at me a bit surprised and flashes me an easy smile. "Will do" she says softly. I get up from her bed to go get ready for lunch.

"Lunch will start at 1 if you'd like to join me," I say trying to keep the hope from slipping into my voice.

"Sure."

I leave the room and close the door before silently fist pumping. Melody doesn't seem to hate me anymore which is such a relief. Maybe today I can show her how I am trying to move on. Surely she will trust me more once she sees that I am not obsessed with her like she thinks I am. And with Thea visiting, convincing my father to let Melody go may not be as difficult as I expected.

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Ok just please pretend that BBC's Sherlock is a book okay? Thank you.

Honestly don't judge, the Sherlock thing was a bit of me slipping into the story by accident. Also, I seriously only ate cookies today and now I feel really sick. I'm pretty sure I'm like 1% cookie now.

You guys know the drill. Please like and comment and share. This story is almost at 1K reads! OMG! I did not realize and low key freaked. Thank you guys so much for your support :) I really love this story and I hope you guys love it too.

edit: we hit 1k reads. holy shit balls. thanks u so much to everyone who has stayed with this sporadically updated story. i honestly dont know what to do with myself. i never thought this would actually happen. thank you thank you thank you. i actually cannot thank you guys enough.