The Price You Pay

The Aftermath

 ©2012 Price You Pay

Chapter 6

Patrisha ran out of the castle doors. Only the rough crunches of gravel beneath her feet disturb the silence.

This can not happen she had far too much planned. She thought as she doubled over hugging her knees to her chest. Prince Henry was meant to be hers, not for a few fleeting dances, but for life.

Patrisha let out an audible gasp as she surveyed her dress. The once smooth cream fabric now contained a several jagged tears along with a brown tint from the dust that flew up from her run.

Patrisha recalled the several falls she also experienced in her traumatized state as she ran away from the castle.

 She couldn’t imagine what work went into the dress and it was practically in ruins. Tears began to leak down her face. 

As if the emotional turmoil wasn’t enough, she now had to deal with roughened mental state showing on her externally also.

Never had she felt so unhinged nor so devastated. Patrisha began to reflect on the past few moments, as of which her life was forever changed.

Her mind wouldn’t let her forget how King Charles announced so boldly that she was to be his bride, and then she panicked. Everyone began to look at her and the rumors began to form before her very eyes.

Some began to whisper of her orphaned state and other began to rant of how poorly mannered she was. All at once they decided that she was not someone they were going to neither accept nor follow. 

But what hurt her most, what caused the tears to flow from her eyes even now, was Prince Henry’s face.

It looked as he had been slapped with the very hand of betrayal by the two closest people in his life. And he very well may have been. Patrisha shook her head in denial. 

He couldn’t believe that she planned this. There is no reason for her to want that dreadful man their kingdom called king.

He was so arrogant and selfish that spending even one day with him would be one day far too much.

The prince couldn’t possibly believe she was so power hungry. At one point that was all she yearned for but soon the prince’s company meant everything to her. He meant everything to her.

Now she was subjected to a life locked among the many servants and guest in the palace. She was to be a prisoner in the most magnificently decorated of all cells.

How kind of the king, to give her a big enough cell so that she could at least imagine being free. How much of this would she be able to take?     

But she could’ve braved it all if it was for the Prince. She would do absolutely anything to marry the man that held her heart. He would’ve been worth even the most brutal torture, because she was sure he would do the same for.

How could he not? He must love her too. Patrisha sniffled and fell to the ground and a puff of dust rose from her skirts.

“Ma Lady!” “Ma Lady!” a voice screamed from a few yards behind her. 

“Melissa, I’m over here. And cease your yelling. Do you want the entire kingdom to know where I am?” Patrisha fussed as she dried her tears. 

“Ma Lady!” Melissa spoke in shock as she took in disastrous state Patrisha was in. She fell beside Patrisha and instantly enveloped her in a hug.

Patrisha let out a gasp of shock. “What are you doing Melissa? Remove yourself this instant!”

Melissa sighed. “Do you not know how much you worried me? As soon as you found the prince this eve, you were lost to me. I searched and searched, but you were nowhere to be found.”