-____________- 2.0

Chapter Five

-Tharren-

Tharren listened as she walked out the room, careful not to turn around and look at her. He wished he hated her, at least it would make it easier for him to ruin her life that way. Knowing she was more than just a beautiful face, that she had a life almost as complicated as his, was hard. She was engaged now, and obviously had no feelings for Lewis. When she had hid her face from him, he had wanted to pull her hands away to see that she was okay...

But that was ridiculous. Of course Siri was okay. She was the war advisor for his family's enemies. And if she wasn't...that was good for his family, it would make it easier to take over. This was all for his father, to prove himself, remember? Not to worry about some red head bitch.

Tharren turned back to the table and reached over to pick up his book. Behind it though, was something big, glittery, and silver. Siri had forgotten her ring.

Was she just trying to make excuses to come see him? Tharren told himself that was stupid, but he still hoped. At least it meant for sure she didn't like it. He picked it up, and spun it like a top by the jewel on the table. After it clattered to a stop, he left it there, climbing into his bed. He absentmindedly reached up to scratch his chin, but was met with a scratchy beginnings of a beard. He pulled it gently, trying to remember the last time he shaved. It took him a moment to realize it was before he had left on the scouting mission. Tharren got out of bed and entered the bathroom, practically ransacking the place for a razor. He doubted they would have left him with one, in case he would use it to end his own life, or injure someone else. But, then again, the Empress had said that he would be treated like a guest, and they gave guests the right to shave.

Finally, Tharren found a razor blade in a drawer of the bathroom. He held it up to the light and jumped around excitedly -it was the first thing he'd actually gotten done in days - then walked over to the sink and started shaving. When he was done, he ran the water and sloshed all the hair down the drain, hoping it wouldn't clog anything. After storing the razor back in the drawer and putting everything else he had moved away, he walked back into the main room to wait for Siri to realize her ring was gone.

After sitting around for about fifteen minutes, Tharren got sick of waiting. Being confined to two rooms for two days alone with dogs was starting to drive him crazy. Finding a razor was the most exciting thing that could happen when Siri wasn't in the room. He scrutinized the door that was the only exit. Since he was a prisoner, Tharren had always assumed it was locked, but he had never actually tried to open it.

"Why not?" he shrugged at the dogs. "They did say I'm a guest here, right? Guests aren't trapped in their rooms."

Duncan and Ruby stared at Tharren like he was crazy, then went back to their nap. Tharren took a deep breath and stood up slowly. He took a few slow steps toward the door before realizing he was acting stupid, and sped up. Doorknobs had never seemed so important or life-changing as they did in that one, small moment, as his hand hovered over the handle. After a second or two, he gripped the door handle and turned it slowly, listening for the click of the latch being released. To his amazement, the knob turned all the way, and a gentle click sounded. Tharren let out a soft sigh of relief, noticing that he had been holding his breath. With just a little push, the door swung open, and the Prince smiled wide at his new found freedom. Without a backward glance, he strutted down the hall in the direction he remembered coming.

Tharren had been wandering aimlessly for a while, just to stretch his legs, when he noticed the distinct smell of baking sugar. His stomach growled encouragingly, and he decided to follow his nose to what he hoped was a kitchen, and not an important meeting with dessert.

Sure enough, after turning a few corners and getting lost a few times, he wound up in front of double doors that constantly swung open and slammed shut with the frantic comings and goings of the servants. He put on a calm and confident smile, and strode through the doors. With all the hustle and bustle, no one noticed the handsome Hadalian that had wandered into the kitchen. He tapped one of the girls lightly on the shoulder as the passed to get her attention, making her jump. Tharren smiled apologetically.