Enchantingly Different

Chapter 18

I stand staring at Borys’ body, shocked at how fast he was disposed of. He could do that to me, easily. Even more frightening than that is the fact that he could do that to Shae. He wasn’t afraid to show his dislike for her.

“I’m sorry that you had to witness that,” the skeleton man mutters. “He’s good at his job, but he’s never been completely trust worthy. It doesn’t surprise me that he took it upon himself to imprison the Princess.”

“Can we have her back now?”

He turns his face slowly toward me, his glass still in hand, which he takes a slow drink from. He lowers the glass and smiles at me, his teeth a deeper shade of red than before. The dark liquid, it must be blood, I think to myself. I briefly wonder what kind of blood and stop when he starts to laugh.

“You don’t want to know, Robert. I will give you Juliette, but at a price.”

“What do you want? Gold?”

“I have no need for gold,” he says with a dismissive wave.

“Then what?”

“I want her, or at least, a part of her.” He points at Shae and grins salaciously. My heart stops in my chest and I feel dizzy all of a sudden.

“No, you can’t have her,” I whisper, the world closing around me and making the room grow quiet. All I can hear is my blood roaring in my ears and I see a dozen twinkling stars dancing at the edge of my vision.

“I will give her back, mostly unharmed,” he grins.

I look at Shae and she has a pale face, her eyes wide and looking lost for a moment. She seems to pull herself together though and her fists clench, her resolve strengthening by the second.

“I’ll do it,” she announces, taking a step forward.

“Shae,” I cry out. “No, we don’t even know what he’s going to do with you. I can’t let you do this!”

“Robert, this is your sister we’re talking about. I knew I probably wasn’t going to come back from this journey in one piece. I didn’t think we would come back from it at all to be honest,” she adds quietly. Shae walks up to me and grips my hands in hers. “Look, I love you, and I want you to have your sister back. You have such a bright future ahead of you. You’re going to be a king and I’m always going to be an outcast witch. You deserve so much better. Maybe I will come back, maybe I won’t, but no matter what happens to me, I know that you will have your family and that makes me happy.”

“But, Shae…”

My voice catches in my throat and I can feel a lump forming there. I can’t picture my life without her. I turn to the man and clear my throat.

“What do you want with her? What’s going to happen to her?”

He lifts a bony finger to his lips as if to say it’s a secret. I close my eyes in pain, knowing it can’t be good whatever it is.

“Shae, I….I need you,” I stutter, looking deep into her blue eyes. She reaches a hand out to my cheek, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I know, but you need your sister more. I will come back to you, I promise.”

I close my eyes and lean my face against her hand and she spreads warmth throughout me once more before disappearing, taking the warmth with her and leaving behind a cold hole in my heart. When I open my eyes, she’s gone and a dirty girl lays on the floor in front of me.

I wouldn’t have known it was Jules, but as I drew nearer I saw the shape of her jawline and the same chestnut brown hair hidden under the straw and dirt. I bend down silently and brush the hair from her face. Her eyes open and it seems to take a moment for her to realize it’s me.

“Robert?”

“Jules, it’s me,” I respond, tears falling down my face from both sadness and happiness. I scoop her up into my arms like a child and she sobs into my chest. Her arms and legs are covered in bruises and her face is cut up and caked in grime.

I look to the man with disgust on my face, outraged that a beautiful and kind soul like Jules could be treated this way.

“Prince Robert, take this as an official warning. You have been granted clemency. You won’t be treated thus next time. That goes for all members of the royal family. If any of you venture into this neck of the woods again, you’re mine, forever.”

I open my mouth to retort and comment that stealing Shae isn’t clemency in my eyes, but he raises his hand to silence me.

“She agreed to the terms at her own free will. Remember what I said, don’t come back here, or you’re mine and I won’t go so easy on you.”

He snaps his fingers and my eyes are momentarily blinded with light and I find myself outside the castle surrounded by Hector and the men. A few men rush forward and help as I feel my knees start to weaken.

Hector is asking me questions, but I’m not listening to him. All I can think about is the unbearable pain growing in my chest from the knowledge that I’m leaving the one woman who I’ve loved behind for some kind of unspeakable suffering. If she endures even a fraction of what I’m imagining then it will be too much. I stroke Juliette’s hair and let more tears flow for the both of them.

“Thank you Robert, for coming to get me,” she whispers to me.

I give her a weak smile.

“Well I can’t let you go gallivanting around the land without me can I?”

“Robert, why are you crying?” She lifts her hand and wipes one of my tears away. “I’m alright. No need to be a cry baby about it.”

I smile again, not wanting to respond. I don’t want to talk about Shae. Not yet. I let one of the men wrap a cloak around her shoulders to cover up her modesty a little and they lift her onto one of the horses. I glance around and notice that Shae’s horse is nowhere to be seen, but my throat closes up and stops me from asking where her mare has gone.

Hector helps me onto Taric’s back and leans in close to inspect me.

“Shae?”

All I can muster is a shake of my head, which he accepts and moves away to mount his own stallion.

We move away from the castle, going back the way we came. I look back to the castle with a heavy heart, not wanting to go, but knowing I have to. I say a silent prayer for Shae, wishing to see her very soon.

I look off into the distance and something catches my eye, poking through the clouds. The sun, it has turned red.