Bloody Chains that Bind

Victoria (7)

I saw him shoot through the back door and run towards the forest. Idiot. He has no idea where he's going. I have to follow his stupid ass to make sure he doesn't get himself killed.

"Victoria not now," he was gruff with me. Then he tried to walk away. But before he could, I stopped him.

"Yes, now. I know you are stressed right now but you need to calm down because you can't change it now. Just come back inside with me and we can talk in the library."

"Absolutely not. You neglected to tell me that I have a fiancé! I promise you I'm not going to calm down any time soon."

"James, with everything that's happened, I figured it was best to tell you later rather than sooner. Mostly because I knew you would react like this."

"No shit Sherlock. I'm nineteen years old I can't marry some chick I don't know. You drag me to France right before the end of senior year. Fine. You tell me I have to take over as king for the dying father I never knew I even had. Fine. But now you tell me I have to get married! No, I'm done with your bullshit Victoria!" He starts walking away from me, but I grab his wrist.

"Stop screaming." I pick him up bridal style and sprint back to his room. I throw him down onto his bed, ignoring his very loud protests. Then, I leave the room and lock the door before he can say or do anything else. He needs time to calm down. And while he's in there, I'm going to keep planning his coronation ball. I've already done the work for the ceremony and everything is in its place, but some work still has to be done for the ball. The centerpieces haven't been decided on, the dessert needs to be finalized, and I need to find a goddamn dress to wear.

I'm walking down the stairs of the east corridor when I feel someone roughly push me against the wall. I tense up for a split second before I realize who it is.

"Where are you off to?" he whispered into my ear, sending goosebumps down my arms.

"As much as I want to, I can't right now Dane."

"No need to be so formal. I'm not your commanding officer when we're in private." I put my hands on his chest, in hopes of making him understand.

"Anyone could see us right now, this is a public area. And I have to finalize the details of the ball as soon as possible." I tried gently pushing him off of me, but he wouldn't budge. He kissed my neck lightly, moving up towards my lips.

"Are you sure you don't have fifteen minutes?" He lingered, inches away from kissing me.

I contemplated, wondering if I really did have fifteen minutes to spare before deciding that I could use some time to unwind. And with that, I let him lead me down toward the guards' quarters, hand in hand.

---Time Skip brought to you by Benny Cumberbatch's fluffy hair---

I looked at the gold splattered ceiling and sighed. Dane was gorgeous, funny, good in bed, and just kind of perfect really. He always said we were on the same page, about not wanting a relationship. But I think he's changing his mind. Although he's never said anything to me about it, every time I leave him, he seems a bit sad.

And truth be told, I'd love to be with him. Whenever we're together, I forget that I'm an honored guard and valued protector. I feel like he cares about me, the me outside of the leather and guns and threats. Being with him makes me genuinely smile and get all those disgustingly unpleasant feelings in my stomach.

But not right now. He's my Lieutenant commander. I'm his inferior. He has a war to fight and I have a future king to guard. I don't mind. I signed up for this. But I cannot hide the fact that I care deeply about him, as annoying as it is.

Dane was lying next to me, asleep as per usual. I don't honestly don't even know when this whole thing started. All I know for sure is that we both enjoy letting off a little steam from time to time.

Now, that James is here, I have so much more work to do. His coronation, the ball, his training, which hasn't even started yet, and his wedding. I haven't even started planning his wedding. Uther really doesn't pay me enough.

I wrapped the thin white sheet around my body and quietly picked up my clothes. I stepped into the bathroom and changed back, making sure to smooth my hair and clothes. Wouldn't want the prince's guard to look like she enjoyed a healthy sex life, right?

The jog back up the stairs was tedious, and I tried avoiding being seen by everyone. The servants always set up for dinner around this time, so the halls were filled with bustling people going about their business. I decided not to take the risk and found the iron candle holder mounted to the wall. With one big pull, the candle holder moved to a forty-five-degree angle and a panel of the wall swung inwards.

Very few people knew about the secret passages of the castle. They were constructed to get the nobility out safely in case of an emergency. Only me, Uther, Dane, and a handful of higher-ranking guards know about it. Hopefully James will never have to use them. I shouldn't be using them either, but I prefer to avoid a scandal whenever possible. There's been enough of those in the beauty community anyway.

I made it to my adjoined room with James and as I was about to enter, I paused. I should visit him. He should have calmed down by now, so I unlocked his door and stepped in.

"Look who's back," his face was neutral, but his tone showed that he was pissed off.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Anne. And the whole locking you in here. I shouldn't have done that."

"Damn. Never thought I'd hear you apologizing to me. Kind of nice. Mind if I record it and save it forever?" he was smiling now.

"Shut the fuck up James. Friends?"

"Yep!" Laughing, he got up and hugged me. I froze. That's new. I don't remember the last person who hugged me. I hugged him back. Other than the fact that there are trillions of microscopic germs being exchanged between us right now, this is mildly pleasant.

"Sorry," he let go and smiled sheepishly, "I missed your annoying face."

"Ew dude, gross," we were both laughing now.

"Really though, where were you?" he cocked his head.

"Working with Lieutenant Dane, planning your ball."

"You and Lieutenant Dane? Planning my ball? That long, huh?" I could tell what he was implying, and I felt my face getting a little red because of it. I walked away from him and sat in the comfy lounge chair next to his bed.

"It's an important ball James," I said remaining cool and neutral.

"Yeah, right," he was smirking.

"Yes, right. I don't have time for such dalliances."

"You're lying Victoria!" he seemed so pleased with himself.

"No, I am not." now he was pushing my buttons.

"Whenever you lie, the way you speak shifts to be more formal. You didn't contract I am to I'm, so yes Victoria, you are lying. See? I've been paying attention."

"A little too much attention. It's late. I'm going to bed. Goodnight James." I got up and began walking to my room.

"Good night Victoria. Or should I say Mrs. Dane?" I could tell that he was grinning from ear to ear, so I turned around, chucking the candle on the dresser at him. To my surprise, he caught it.

I turned back around and took another few steps towards my room before I heard, "See you in the morning hot stuff."

I paused at the nickname he used for me but decided to just keep walking. I really need to sleep well tonight. It's hard to imagine that in two days, I'll be the King's personal guard.