To Kiss a King

Chapter 27

Rafael dug his heals into the horse beneath him urging the young stallion to go faster and faster. The past few days had been a torment, it was now almost a whole week since Fiora had been kidnapped. 

Rafael thought back to when he first opened her door and glanced at the destruction around him. He instantly felt anger surge through ever fiber of his being, he screamed, he pounded his fist against the wall and tore at his hair. He snapped in that instant, the feeling of loss was overwhelming and he slipped into insanity. His Fiora, someone had taken his Fiora...his...she was his. 

Every guard in the castle was searching for her, Rafael even set up a reward for anyone who had information on her whereabouts. On the third day he even went to the village to question the people himself but they were too afraid of him to speak. He didn’t blame them, he was a ticking time bomb. 

Instead it was Erickson who went and calmly brought information back to Rafael. One farmer said a dark rider on horseback scared his sheep as he galloped past in the night.  Another woman complained of a trampled flower bed, it was the sweet stable boy that held the final piece of information. 

“I saw the doctors horse outside last night, I went to offer his stallion a treat but a man pushed me to the ground and rode east.” Young Matthew stated wide eyed. 

Rafael had let out a growl of frustration as past events came back to him. The doctor had been killed and left with a note “she’s next” and in place of the doctor had been his father. 

Of course it must have been his father, the one man who had ruined his entire life. Now he had taken the one person he cared about most. He realized it now, she meant something to him. He wanted to wake up with her wrapped in his arms, see her smiling up at him and feel her soft lips against his. 

He galloped swiftly up a hill and came upon a huge dark castle...his fathers castle. “Hang in there Fiora.” Rafael whispered fiercely.

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“You are Rafael’s father?” Fiora blanched looking up at the man. “What do you want from me?” 

The man wore a lazy smile “Well it’s not fair for Rafael to keep such a pretty thing to himself.” His thumb ran down the side of her cheek.

“Besides imagine how angry he will be when he finds out I’ve had you.” His words were laced with malice as ran a finger down her throat. 

“Why do hate Rafael?” Fiora attempted to keep him talking. 

“Ha!” The man scoffed and his lustful eyes turned deadly. “Rafael has told you nothing?...He stole the crown from me, banished my army, ended my fruitful war and wont heed my experienced advice!” The man breathed hard. “He made a mockery of me in front of my people, now he will pay by loosing the one thing he cares about most.” 

He drew a short dagger from his belt and held it at Fiora’s throat. She swallowed hard feeling the sharp metal burn against her skin. “Please, don’t do this. I am nothing to Rafael. This will not make him angry!” She begged and begged but the man seemed not to hear her. 

He grabbed at the neck of her dress and sawed through the silken fabric slowly.  Fiora tried to squirm but she was still restrained painfully by rope and metal shackles. 

“Help! Help!” Fiora began to scream frantically and tried to pull her arms to her sides. As she struggled the tip of Clarence’s blade sliced a thin line between her breast. 

“Scream all you want. No one is here but me.” He chuckled amused. 

Her dress was split right down the middle leaving her in a thin undergarment. 

“Release her.” Clarence looked to the cloaked man at his side. 

The man made quick work of her bindings and once the final shackles around her ankles were removed she fell to the ground. Every limb felt weak and she hardly had strength to move them after being detained for so long. 

“Now I will have you.” Clarence roughly grabbed her chin with his hand, forcing her to look up at him.