Princess Charming Ch. 03

"You're Grace," Axel called out to gain his attention, "What vexes thee this morn?"

Castor halted in his tracks, "Jelena is taken by that warlock Baldassare!"

"Can you be sure?" The Knight asked. "Is she not with your sister, they are quite inseparable."

"I would believe that if I had not been told by the castle staff that my father has declared that her property is up for the taking," he punched the palm of his hand in anger. "I will get her back regardless of the cost."

Axel watched his friend throw open the throne room doors and slam them behind him.

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Talus sat on his throne still seething from his daughter's outburst about a lowly Lady-in-waiting whose social status barely stands above commoner. Trying to take his mind off his anger he focused in on the naturally polished wood of his throne from generations of Kings' hands rubbing over the arms in frustration, anxiety or whatever reason they had to do so. He suspected his wayward daughter to have gone straight to her brother to inform him of Jelena's disappearance and he too would demand an army to retrieve the power seeking whore. Any second now his eldest son will come in with a face red with rage and yelling for an explanation. King Talus had been going over a way to explain to his son that the young woman went willingly and clearly was not suited to the position of crown Princess when he heard the thunderous crash of the large doors indicating Castor's arrival. "I know why you are here my son," the King sighed. "Before you start I explained the same thing to your sister that Jelena went willingly with King Baldassare and anything else is just a fabrication."

"I care not for your feeble excuses," Castor sneered at his father. "Either you give the order to retrieve my bride, or I will."

Talus struggled to hold back his grin. "I forbid it," his answer was final.

"You would deny me my bride?" Castor asked, containing his anger so as not to launch himself at the King and strangle him.

"I would protect Balany from a woman who so easily gave herself to a King from another country," he watched his son glare at him but Castor said nothing. "I would want someone worthy of you to be your bride."

Castor nodded and turned on his heals, leaving in the same manner he arrived with doors slamming loudly so they could be heard throughout the castle.

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Sir Axel jumped at the second echo of the large oak doors colliding with the frame in which they sat. The Prince looked angrier than he had been when he entered the throne room. Not waiting to be addressed the Knight spoke, "Your father ignored your plea," there was no askance in his voice, he had heard most of the conversation as he waited.

"He forbids me to order her rescue," Castor felt defeated, his heart breaking more with each passing second. "She is lost to me and I cannot fight it." He could not stand in such a public place for much longer as his despair grew. He left the main hall, refusing to make eye contact with anyone as his eyes threatened to spill the tears that formed rapidly.

Axel followed, he wanted to comfort his friend, but he also wanted to find his Princess. Triage stated that he help the Prince as he was already there, he silently asked forgiveness to his absent fiancée and picked up his pace. They silently returned to the Prince's room where the door was bolted shut once they were safely inside.

"He never intended to let me have Jelena as my wife," Castor finally spoke, leaning against the side of the hearth. "What devious plan had he concocted to get Baldassare to take her out of my reach I will never know," he wiped the tears from his face. "I will never marry if I cannot have her. I will die with a broken heart, bitter and alone."

Axel waited for his friend to ask the question that he was waiting for upon learning of Jelena's disappearance. When the question did not come after several awkward minutes of silence the Knight took it upon himself to offer. "I will bring her to you," Axel declared. "Please beg my forgiveness from the beautiful Athanasia, but I cannot stand by and watch you fall into despair when I will be joyous with the hand of your sister."

"I was told to order no one to rescue her," Castor spoke brokenly, "I will not risk your new position in our Kingdom for my happiness."

"I recall no order from you my Prince," Axel said matter-of-factly, "The King has not ordered me to stay."

"Indeed," Castor confirmed with a small glimmer of hope taking shape in his pain filled heart. "You will need to move quickly before my father decides to socialise with his newly appointed Duke."

"I leave immediately," the Knight changed into his armour and slipped from the castle.

As a Knight, Axel knew how to travel light, he entered the stables to collect his horse and travel pack. He also had his bow and quiver of arrows with him, which he used for hunting to save on carrying food supplies. He saddled his horse in the stall and began to walk it out when he noticed one of the horses was missing, he made a mental note and moved on.

In the courtyard, the snow was coming down heavily with the wind gaining in intensity. He had travelled in conditions like this before, sometimes worse conditions, but he had made a commitment to Prince Castor and he would not return until Jelena is safely out of Galnoa.

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Castor felt guilty for a couple of reasons, first and foremost was the fact he could not rescue Jelena himself, the second was how was he to tell his sister that her betrothed had gone to rescue Jelena, postponing any celebration to formally announce her engagement.

He did not want to leave the room until he had composed himself, it would not be good if the heir to the Balany throne was caught crying, and the show of weakness would open him to others challenging him for the crown, particularly his brothers and cousins. If he was told a day ago he would be so fragile he would have laughed at the person but now he feared the ridicule.

The thought of hiding for the rest of the day was still very appealing, however he owed it to Sir Axel and his sister to emerge and smooth things over for them. Athanasia was a temperamental young woman and if she discovered her fiancé was missing before he had a chance to talk to her it could set all the progress from the night before back to where she usually sat; a royal spinster refusing to marry.

Checking his eyes in the mirror to see if they were clear he moved to the door and opened it. The hall was empty so he slowly walked to the library, where his sister spent the days during unfavourable weather. He hoped that he would not run into his mother, the woman never smiled and it was that kind of person he needed to avoid at present, her continuous depression dragged down all those around her.

In the library he found the exact person he was hoping to avoid, his mother. The Queen was a thin, morose woman; she would always sigh dejectedly when in conversation with someone. She was a Princess from the Kingdom of Volgard, a country to the south where the climate was warm for most of the year. From what he had heard from his entourage of carers and guards, his mother had been displeased with the match her father had devised and lost all joy from her life. "Mother," he greeted her politely, "Sleep well?"

"I have not slept well for nearly thirty years," she replied dryly. "I have heard of Jelena's departure, I am sorry to hear it. I liked the girl."

Castor took several deep breaths to stave off the melancholy he struggled with, "I would like to talk about someone else, have you seen Athanasia?"

"Not since last night," the Queen sighed. "She is usually up by now, perhaps she is upset by Jelena's absence."

The Prince rolled his eyes, clearly his mother wanted to talk about Jelena. The topic was not something Castor wanted to broach, especially with his mother. "I must find my sister urgently," he ignored his mother's displeasure at being denied her choice subject, "It is imperative that I find her." He left his mother alone with her Ladies-in-waiting in the library and headed for his sister's room.

There he found the same thing that Axel had seen, the mess, and no Princess. He did not let that stop him; he assumed she had gone off to her hiding place again. Deciding that patience would be the best action he sat down at the dining table in the dining hall.

It did not take long for the kitchen staff to start placing a variety of cooked food and warm mulled wine in front of him. He thanked them politely and ate what his anxiety allowed him to. He had not been there long when one of the King's guards approached; the urgency of the guard's gate told him immediately that something was wrong. "You're Grace," the guard bowed briefly and continued, "Your father the King requires your presence regarding your sister."

"I will go," he stood and offered his chair to the Knight. "Please eat, I would hate to see it go to waste." The guard thanked him and sat down. Castor headed straight to the throne room, he expected to be placed in charge of his sister, keeping her from doing something stupid in light of Jelena's disappearance.

Stepping into the throne room for the second time that day, Castor noted the change in his father's demeanour since earlier. "My son," Talus greeted through clenched teeth. "I have news as to where your sister has been disappearing to." The King gestured to a stoic man in shackles standing with two guards to the side. "This is Elric Smith, one of the city's blacksmiths and he has something rather interesting to say," the King grinned deviously at the smith who fidgeted from side to side.

"You're Grace," the man spoke more formally than one would expect from a simple blacksmith. "I bring news of the Princess; she has taken it upon herself to rescue the Lady Jelena from the sorcerer King."

"Why are you in shackles if you are to only deliver a message?" Castor's question was relevant; he was not surprised by his sister's actions, though the fact that the blacksmith would know such a thing was puzzling.

"His Majesty believes me to have broken the law and I will be punished justly for it," Elric sounded worried, a fact not missed by the Prince.

"Since when has it been illegal to inform the King of a wayward daughter?" Castor asked his father directly.

"I believe him to be aiding your sister in her little adventure," Talus folded his arms. "He will be executed in the morning for this."

"A harsh punishment for an assumption on your part," Castor did not like his father's attitude, "Sir," he now addressed Elric, who now looked pale and scared, "You befriended my sister and her Lady-in-waiting?"

"I did You're Grace," Elric answered truthfully.

"What has she done?" Elric appeared to hesitate, "I will secure your freedom and complete pardon for your cooperation."

King Talus went to yell at his son for going against his orders, but the blacksmith began to talk. "She took a set of armour with a few weapons and left a few hours ago," the smith sighed heavily. "I care for your sister's safety, which is why I risked my neck to let the King know and bring her back."

Castor took the keys from the guards and unlocked the iron bands around Elric's wrists, "I give you my word that you will not be harmed." The Prince gave his father a hardened stare. "He has done nothing wrong, Father; I am letting him go back to his family."

"You defy me?" Talus glared at his son, "My word is final."

"When you start to kill our citizens for your unfounded suspicions, you incite revolution," Castor waited for his father to concede. The two glared at each other until finally the King nodded. "You are wise your Majesty."

"Let the blacksmith go," the King ordered. "And you, my son, will leave immediately to retrieve your sister from this foolishness."

"As you wish," Castor gave his father a respectful bow and left.

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The road north was only distinguishable from the lack of trees; the snow storm had covered the usually muddy path. The light had been fading steadily over the last hour or so and now the twilight gave up the last of its light, giving way to the darkness of the night.

Axel had ridden his horse hard for most of the day, his buttocks were sore, his back was sore and he had the beginnings of a headache. His main task now was to find a clearing suitable for the night's camp. He was fortunate that the moon was bright in the sky, giving the Knight just enough light to navigate his way along the road.

In the distance there was a silvery flash, the infrequent pulse of light had his curiosity interested. He quickly decided to investigate the unusual light source. Kicking his horse into a canter he watched the scene come into view, to his surprise the light source was his fiancée, Princess Athanasia. She had not seen him as she cursed loudly, trying to use the flint to light a fire without any straw or hair to catch the spark. The view was humorous from his position; she looked like a fish out of water as she tried ordering the fire pit she built to ignite when she failed to light it herself.

"YOU STUPID SON OF A WHORE!!!!" She screamed at it, kicking the ring of stones surrounding the wood pile in frustration.

"I never expected a Princess to have the mouth of a fishmonger's wife," Axel responded to her rant, announcing his presence, "It's quite erotic."

Athanasia stood dumbfounded at her discovery; Sir Axel had removed his helmet and grinned at her. "How did you find me?" She demanded; her tone fearful of pending retribution from her family.

"Quite by accident," he dismounted his steed, and approached her, "I am here because I offered to rescue your Lady-in-waiting."

"The King is happy she was kidnapped," Athanasia spat bitterly, "How is my brother?"

"He feels her absence keenly," Axel moved closer. "You should return to the castle, I will secure Jelena's freedom and return her to Castor's arms where she belongs." The Princess' flinch was not missed by the Knight but he chose to ignore it. "I searched for you all day," he reached for her hand and pulled her closer. "I was beginning to think you were avoiding me."

"I will not go back to the castle until Jelena is safe," declared the Princess. "I will not turn my back on her." She stopped breathing as Axel caught her lips in a kiss that caught her off guard. He was very happy to find her apparently.

"We are alone out here," he coyly said, pulling away briefly. "I know not how long this quest will take, nor if I will ever return." Athanasia knew the dangers but could not respond as her mouth was occupied. The Knight poured every bit of his affection into his kiss, feeling the Princess melt in his arms spurred him to continue.

"I am a maiden, Sir Knight," Athanasia shrieked as the heat began to fill her belly. "I must remain pure for our wedding night."

His passion filled eyes spoke that one way or the other he was taking what he wanted. "There are other ways to sate our desires without injuring your virtue," he chuckled warmly against her neck. "I gave you a taste of that last night."

Memories of the incredible feelings he gave her desire more power, "Should we not light the fire? Before the cold gets too much to bare."

Axel laughed in earnest now. "Yes, your technique is in need of improvement." He stepped back and pulled out a small bundle of straw and placed it amongst the kindling, striking the flint the spark caught the straw and began to smoulder. He blew on the hot spot until a flame sprung out then pushed it further into the pile of wood and twigs. After a short time the fire was burning nicely. "Would you like me to get us food?" He asked the Princess who just stood there with her mouth agape.

"I believe I have much to learn about travelling light," she finally said. "Yes, please get up some food as I only have enough bread and dried meat and fruit to last me a week."

Axel gave her a parting kiss and took off with his bow in hand.

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Castor chose not to take anyone with him as he probably would only travel a day or two at most before he finds his sister. She would probably be thankful to go back home where the fires could keep her warm. He had left within an hour of Axel's departure so he decided to keep going until he caught up with his friend so they could camp together for safety. He was angry at his sister's foolishness and ingenuity, she should have done what she did, and then he could have avoided the stress his father had given him.

He too had ridden his horse hard, but the poor creature struggled in the cold, he chose to slow down to save the horse's hooves and health. He rarely went riding for long distances which was probably the reason why the horse struggled so much, he now wished he had done.

The wind changed direction and began to blow directly from the north, dropping the temperature rapidly. The Prince shivered and wished this all happened during the summer months. The moonlight, though bright, was not sufficient enough to see clearly; in the summer months he would still have a couple of hours of sunlight left. He was thankful that the snowing had stopped.

He pushed on, pulling his cloak around him tightly in a futile attempt to keep warm. He looked up at the clearing sky to gaze upon the stars when a large black shape blocked the moon for a moment then disappeared again, puzzled by the occurrence he dismissed it, choosing to focus on his task. A loud piercing screech broke the night's silence and a blinding flash of flame lit up the surroundings.

"It can't be," he uttered in disbelief, when another flash ignited the forest he kicked his horse into a gallop to where the chaos raged.

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Axel returned quickly with two plump rabbits in his hand, he was feeling smug with being able to provide for his fiancé. "The hunt was successful," he boasted, holding his kills for Athanasia to see.

"They have fur still," she informed him, eyeing the dead animals suspiciously.

"You said you needed to learn more," he gave her a kiss on her cheek as he sat next to her by the fire. "I will also show you how to cook them after we skin them."

The Princess' stomach churned unpleasantly, "Can you just do it this time, and you can teach me the ... practical side of hunting tomorrow?" She looked up at him hopefully.

He could not make her do something she was not ready for. "As you wish," he stood up to move out of her line of sight when he heard an ear splitting screech. Both he and the Princess clamped their hands over their ears. Both felt the ground under their feet shake, Axel fell from the force of the quake, landing on his back, knocking the wind out of him.

"I don't believe it," Athanasia gasped at the sight before her; two great big orbs of gold set into a shiny black reptilian face, "A dragon!"

"Dragon?" Axel stood again, sword in hand, "I thought they were a myth."

The beast inhaled deeply and opened its mouth.

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I am working on chapter 4 as you read this (unless my local time in in the middle of the night then I won't be working on it). I do hope everyone enjoyed it :Þ