(Kaylor) Forbidden Love And Wishful Thinking

Chapter Seven

Our conversation was quiet after that. We walk our horses for a while and Karlie keeps looking over at me with a sad smile.
"Anyway." I begin, "I cannot change the past."
"I am so sorry that you had to see that," Karlie says, and I finally look up at her.
I shrug. There's not much to say.
"My... fiancé... Prince Miles of Alaska..." Karlie says softly, "we are getting married in four weeks."
"Does he treat you nice?"
Karlie looks up at me, tears in her eyes. She is biting her lip, trying to stop it from quivering.
Slowly she begins to shake her head.
"Is he the one that gave you those bruises?" I ask cautiously.
"It was my fault."
"How?"
"He-"
She is interrupted by the sound of four bells.
"Damn it!" I say, quickly getting back up onto Phoebe. "They know I'm gone."
Karlie gets back onto her horse and I lead the way to the lake.
My father is the only one who knows where it is, but he will be too busy being king.

Once we have reached the sanctuary of the lake, I tie the horses to a tree and take her hand.
"Follow me."
There is a waterfall on the far side of the lake. Behind the waterfall is a cavern.
No one can see us from the outside, and it is a place that is private.
"He promised me he'd stop."
"When?"
"A while ago. These are old though."
"Have you tried telling-"
"My mother would never listen. It doesn't matter how he treats me, so long as our alliance can continue."
"But if-"
"It's okay. It doesn't hurt that bad."
"You don't have to be brave here," I tell her, but she just smiles. She must be used to this. Looking someone in the eyes and smiling.
"I know. But if I let myself fall apart, I fear that I may never be able to put myself together again."
"They'll be looking for us," I tell her once it's obvious she wants to change the subject.
"I wish that we could leave," Karlie says, biting her lip. "Run away together, disguise ourselves as commoners."
"I just wish we could love who we want to," I say softly, looking over at Karlie, then back out to the water cascading down in front of me.
"Me too."
"It feels like I've known you my entire life," I say quietly and she smiles.
"It does."
"I wish that I had known you my entire life."
"Me too." Karlie smiles and grabs my hand.
"At least we are not alone anymore."
"I am very glad that I have you."

My heart rate begins to increase as I can hear voices. They are yelling for me, and I know that I am going to be in massive trouble when I return home.
They've spotted the horses. I know this as the voices get louder and Karlie's body tenses beside me.
"Taylor." She says, her voice shaking.
We are standing now, and she leans towards me, her hands shaking. "There's something I have to do... before..."
I am surprised when she leans into me, the moment playing out in slow motion.
Her lips against mine, soft and smooth.
"Sorry..." She says. "I just... had to know."
In a moment of happiness, I throw my arms around her neck and kiss her again.
"You kissed me back?"
I pull away, dropping my hands from her shoulders and blushing.
"I... I'm sorry." I say, taking a few steps backwards.
"No! No! Don't be sorry." Karlie says, smiling. "Did you... like it?" She asks softly and I smile.
"I did."
"I did too." Karlie whispers, and I hear the voices get louder.
"Taylor? Honey, are you in there?"
There is a look of disgust as I realise that Alexander is the one calling out.
"We need to go." Karlie says.
"I don't want to. I want to stay here, with you. Forever."
"I would like that too. But we have to go back to reality."
I sigh.
Karlie walks towards me and we kiss, one last time.
"I guess we have to say goodbye to the us that is in this cave." I say softly, and Karlie gives me a sad smile.
"I guess we do... you know... if we don't want to be executed." She says this with such a... happy, joking tone that I am confused.
Taking one last deep breath, I prepare myself to exit the cave.
"Darling!" Prince Alexander says, wrapping me in his arms, and squeezing me a little too tightly. "I thought that something had happened to you." He says this through his teeth, and finally lets me go.
"Nope." I mutter.
"Karlie." A voice says, and I turn immediately to see another Prince, and when he kisses her on the lips intensely I know that this is her fiancé. The person who has left the bruises on her.
I feel angry, and I want to tear him away from her. He doesn't deserve to be kissing her.
I must make a move of towards them, because Alexander's grip tightens, holding me in my place.
"Your parents are not happy with you, Princess." One of the guards says and I groan.
"You will be riding with me," Alexander says, leading me to his horse.
"No, I can ride by myself."
He keeps the fake smile on his face, but I make no attempt to hide the anger I feel.
"Taylor, you need to ride with me."
"But I can ride by myself!" I snap loudly, and he pulls me closer to him, as if we are embracing each other.
"You are not doing a very good job at pretending." His voice is harsh, and his breath is cold. "You have to make this believable because if you don't, we'll both be dead by tonight."
"I can ride by myself."I persist. He sighs, turning back towards the guards.
"I think that being outside the palace walls has made her sick." He says, and I grab his arms, pulling him back, trying to get him to be quiet.
He turns around quickly. "If I am going to be the only one holding this up, then I am going to do it my way." He turns back around and I look over to see Karlie, smiling.
She is trying to hide it, but isn't doing a very good job.
Just seeing her smile makes me begin to smile.
"Will you please help her on to my horse?" He asks, and several guards step forward. However, I ignore them and walk over to my own horse and get up by myself. Then I urge her forward, my eyebrow raised in Prince Alexander's direction.
"I can ride by myself." I say again, and Alexander's eyes widen. "I think that all of you forget that once upon a time, I was allowed to leave the castle. I know how to ride. I don't need a man to do that." I mutter, and I see that Karlie steps towards her horse, but her fiancé stops her and whispers in her ear.
"Right then." Alexander sounds furious. "Let us head back to the castle."

The whole way Alexander rode beside me, even when I tried to speed up or slow down to get away from him.
My mother is waiting at the gates, alongside my father.
She is angry. My father just looks worried, but the look on her face is enough to make me cold.
Guards go to help me off my horse, but I ignore them.
"Taylor Alison Swift!" My mother says, her voice sharp and bitter.
She walks over to me, and I sigh.
"You are not allowed out of the castle gates. You know that!"
I take a deep breath, and look through the gates and down towards the rest of the town.
I would give it all up for one single uninterrupted day with Karlie.