crown me 👑 ts + jb

twentysix

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The next few weeks went by in stolen glances and secret runaways to Troye and Jacob's favorite spots. Hunter had been away from the castle for days at a time and when that happened Troye and Jacob spent as much time as they could together. 

They still hid their relationship for the most part which took a toll on the both of them but, they knew that until things change this was going to have to be their new normal. 

"Do you remember the first time you took me through town Troye," Alexandria said as the three of them were walking through the shops. 

"I do," Troye said. "I was a very different person back then." 

"You said that there wasn't anything that made you happy anymore."

"That is true."

Alexandria hooked her arm through Troye's. "I remeber when you told me that," She says. "At first I had thought it was because you wanted to seem tough."

Troye looks over at her. 

"And then that night... when I saw your hands covered in your own blood and the mirror shattered it was when I realized there is truly pain in your heart..."

She tucked some hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. "Can I confess something to you."

"Of course."

"When I first found out about you and Jacob I wanted to have him executed. I was still so hurt about what Hunter did that when I found out about you and Jacob I was jealous." 

Alexandria looks over to Jacob who was talking with a young mother and her daughter. The little girl giggled like crazy as Jacob simply smiled back at her. 

"For a brief moment I wanted to get Jacob executed,"  She says. "I had lost the love of my life so I wanted yo to lose yours too. Then I saw the way you looked at me when I said that Jacob risked being killed for what he's done."

The young princess looks back over at Troye to realize that he was already looking at her. "You have lost a lot of love in your life and for a second I wanted to get rid of the only thing you hold dear. And for that I am truly sorry."

Troye looked off in the distance. Not at Jacob, or Alexandria, it was almost as if he was looking for something. He was looking for something, he's always looking for something. Looking for the next danger or the next betrayal. 

The next love. 

Troye looked down and smiled. "But with that pain comes strength, a strength that no one could ever truly feel unless they've felt pain. I'm happy that no one has had to go through what I have... I don't think anyone else could stomach it. I couldn't even stomach it for a dark part of my life. It wasn't until I was forced to face it head on that I finally have found peace with it."

"Your highness'," Jacob said walking up to them. "The baker made some fresh baked bread, he even has  your favorite Tr- I mean you highness."

Alexandria laughed. "I don't care if you call him Troye," She says. "As long as you call me by my name as well."

Jacob laughed before bowing his head. "Troye, Alexandria... would you two like to go to the baker, she made some fresh baked bread?"

The two of them laughed. "Of course."

The three of them make their way through the town, people bowing their heads towards them as they went. Sometimes Jacob forgot he had royal status, even if it wasn't as high as Troye and Alexandria. People no longer referred to him as the "Jewelry merchant's son" they called him 'sir jacob'.

"Sir Jacob," The baker said throwing a cloth over her shoulder. "Looking handsome as ever and you even brought his royal highness'." 

"That I did," Jacob said. "We smelled the freshly baked bread and figured we'd pay a visit."

"When I hear royalty is in town I always gotta have freshly baked bread," She says  before leaning over the front of the booth. "Especially when one of them is you." 

Troye shifted uncomfortably and Jacob just coughed. "Erm," Jacob said. "That's always nice to hear Melinda now-."

A series of screams cut Jacob off mid-sentence. A little ways down the rows of shops a hooded figure had a bow and arrow in their hand. Jacob drew his sword and pulled Alexandria and Troye behind him. 

Everyone else hid behind their shops, it looked practically barren. The hooded figure drew back another bow. 

"That's quite a show you put on for the people," Jacob said. "Mind telling me who has the courage to shoot an arrow in broad daylight."

The archer pulled the bow back by their ear. 

"Alright fine," Jacob said. "Just remember that I asked."

Jacob started to run towards the archer causing them to let go of the bow. It sliced through the air before pricing Jacob just below his shoulder but right above his heart.

Troye gasp and attempts to run for Jacob. Alexandria quickly grabs him and shakes her head. Troye looked over and nodded his head. 

Jacob screamed falling to his knees. He looked over at the arrow, he wasn't a blacksmith but he knew what kind of arrow this was. The entry hole is a lot smaller than the exit, if he were to pull it out now he could bleed out. 

"An arrow cannot do that much damage," Troye said. "Can it?"

"That's no normal arrow," Alexandria said. "That a ripper... when it goes in its small but if its pulled out without the normal medical care he could bleed out."

The archer pulled back another arrow... this time aimed for Jacob's heart. Jacob stood up and looked the archer in the face. On unsteady legs he drew his sword once more.

He acted fast, as fast as someone who just got shot in the chest with an arrow. he ran the archer through causing their hood to fall. it was a girl... she looked she could be fifteen or sixteen. 

She smiled. "I-I'm only... the beginning. More-more will come."

Jacob pulled the sword out of her and as she fell to the ground she grabbed a hold of the arrow in Jacob, pulling it out of him.

"Jacob!" Alexandria said running to him. 

Jacob had a hand covering his bloody chest as he stumbled towards her. He collapsed in her arms, blood staining her country's native dress. Alexandria had never seen so much blood, it made her sick to her stomach. 

"Alexandria... you gotta get me to-to Evan."

"Evan, who is that? No, we need to get you to a court physician."

Jacob shook his head. "No, we-we don't have time."

The young royal started to panic. "But I don't even know who that is-."

"It's me." 

Alexandria looked up and a woman in a cloak stood in front of her. With the wave of her hand the four of them disappeared from their spot. Alexandria gripped hard onto Jacob and Troye seemed as if he was trying his best to keep everything together.

"I was waiting for this time to come." Evan said.

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