The Prince Ch. 07

Love can be difficult to identify at first. It is not as simple or as obvious as it is described. Only once identified is love easy to see and to know. The process necessary to learn that you are in love can be a struggle and even painful at times, but it is well worth the temporary suffering that may be experienced. This is the beginning of that process. Enjoy...

Marissa did not sleep. She had been waiting for Amber's return. No one in the palace, with the exception of her, knew that the Prince had returned. She did not want to think of what he had done to her this past night, but she imagined that Amber was facing a horror that was far greater than one she had ever known.

The idea of a man taking and despoiling her body was an abominable one. Only a cruel, sadistic, and fundamentally evil person could be capable of it. The thought that such a person could exist was nearly beyond the scope of her imagination. She knew that was the only type of person that she would ever believe deserved to die an agonizing death.

She hated him. She hated the Prince and wished that such a death would meet him and soon. She did not believe that he deserved any better. However, she knew that such an event was not likely to occur and that she would never perform the deed herself. She knew she needed a plan.

The plan she needed would have to pay him back for what he had done, what he was doing, and what he likely was going to do. Marissa needed to find a way to make sure that retribution was given to the Prince. She had nearly run off to tell her superiors what she knew was happening, when Amber did not come back for dinner that night and the hours had stretched out far longer than usual. The only thing that stopped her was the promise that she had made to Amber.

She knew that there was only one person that had more power than the Prince and that he would be the only one that could protect her and Amber from his wrath once unleashed. Marissa needed to speak to King Henry and she needed to convince him that saving Amber and punishing the Prince was in his favor. Nothing else could work.

The king had not been known to be particularly kind and it was known that he looked down upon all of those not of noble birth. He would not save someone he looked down upon simply out of the small amount of good nature within him. The king would only save someone so inconsequential if there was something in it for him.

Marissa knew that King Henry and the Prince had disagreed on many things and had fought each other on a number of issues. It was this knowledge that gave her hope that she may find a wedge that she could use to drive between them. She would have to use the knowledge of Amber and his son's actions toward her as leverage. There would have to be negotiation in which she would have to both satisfy the king's want of power and save Amber.

Before she did that though, she would have to secure an audience with the king. She did not know how she would do that while retaining her power as a negotiator. Knowledge was to be her only bargaining chip and at the moment she did not have enough. She needed enough knowledge to both entice the king into meeting with her and to negotiate with him after the meeting was arranged.

She would have to wait and to let Amber go through more before she could find a way to release her. Marissa initially considered telling Amber her plan and to ask her for help in having it unfold, but she quickly scratched the idea. Amber was under enough stress already and Marissa knew that she would learn everything that Amber did whenever they spoke. Also, if Amber did not agree with the plan, it was possible that she would refuse to tell her any new information and foil the plan herself. Marissa was not willing to take that chance.

She was going to have to be careful and not let anyone catch wind of what she was doing until it was too late. No one could know what was going to happen or what she wanted to happen for fear of it being reveal and the plan failing. This was going to be a long and difficult process ahead of her and she did not know if she would succeed, but she had to try.

Marissa was going to do everything in her power to rescue Amber from the dire straits that she was now in. Amber was her friend and she would not stand idly by as she suffered. The world could be a cruel place, but that did not mean she had to accept it as such. Marissa would not let the evil in the world claim another victim without a fight

***

Amber awoke curled up next to the Prince with one of her hands across his chest. The Prince lay on his back and looked more peaceful than she had ever before seen him. His body radiated heat and kept her from fully waking up. She was so comfortable here and she did not want to move from the spot she was now in.

The feel of his body next to hers kept her in a blissful state, but as her mind began to function she started to think about where she was. This was his room and she had been allowed to stay in it with him as though she belonged here. The fact that she had been allowed to stay here made her feel happy, but it also left her thoroughly confused and somewhat suspicious.

At this point it was becoming hard to deny that she desired him to at least some extent. She knew that when she had told him that his good looks were undeniable that she had not been exaggerating or veering from the truth in any way. He was beautiful and she desired his body because of it. What was disturbing, was the fact that no other man had brought her level of desire anywhere near the heights that she now felt. Compounding this with the fact that he had done cruel things to her only served to further muddy the issue.

The fact that she was next to him comforted her and left her happy because of the fact that she wanted to be here. This was confusing, but not nearly as confusing as why he wanted her to be here. Her waking up next to him did not feel like an accident. Every other time she had been here he had woken up first. He had been the first to clothe himself and ready himself. In this way, it had always felt as though everything that happened was by his plan and design and that he never lost control.

Was he still in control now? It was a question that crossed her mind that she could find no answer to. The situation made it appear as if he were not, but that did not give her any level of certainty. He could be awake waiting to see what she would do or he could honestly be completely asleep and unaware of the world around him.

She wondered if he actually wanted her or if he desired her. The last night had been a spectacular one, but it had been so out of character from everything that she had seen from him previously. It was hard for her to trust such a sudden change even if it felt so very right being there next to him right now.

If he had always acted toward her the way that he had the previous night she knew that it would have been difficult for her to do anything but fall in love with him. He had been charming and understanding and, most importantly of all, wonderfully easy to speak to. It was not often that she found someone that was easy to converse with and it seemed so simple when talking to him.

Unfortunately, the fact of the matter was that he had not acted like this before. Or, at least, so it had appeared. Thinking back on it she began to realize that some of his previous actions may not have been quite as cold or cruel as she thought they had been. He had caught her when she fainted and he had allowed her to rest in his room. Was it possible that he had done those things because of the fact that he cared for her? Could it be that she had misinterpreted what had happened before?

She could not yet make herself hope that those thoughts were true. In spite of that, those questions remained in her mind.

Amber lifted her head up and looked at his face in consternation. She wished that she could just know what it was that she was supposed to be and that he would just treat her as such. Her life was now more complicated than it had ever been before and this left her head spinning. She thought that she wanted everything to return to normal and for her life to become what it had been before she had met him.

Even as this crossed her mind she knew it to be false. Despite all that had happened, she was glad that she had met the Prince and that she had been able to spend time with him. She wished that she could be more than a sex slave to him, but did not believe that it was possible. Her family name had no ties to the nobility and she had been left with nothing when her father had died. Being anything more to him than she already was, was only a dream.

Amber could not help but to feel a deep sadness as this thought came to fruition. As she looked at him, her eyes began to well with tears. She felt that she was ridiculous for feeling so awful over discovering this. It had been obvious and always would be obvious.

She needed to leave. She needed to be away from him because she needed to clear her head and come to terms with her thoughts. Talking to Marissa seemed to be the route that she would have to take as none others were left open to her.

Amber moved herself away from him very slowly and carefully doing her best not to disturb him. Somehow, she managed to get out of the bed without rousing him. Looking out the window she saw that the sun was about to rise. If she hurried, she could get back and change before anyone woke up.

She left the room to gather the dress that she had been wearing the night before and to change back into it. It was lying in the dining room. The room in the same disarray as it had been left the previous night. She had not taken the time to survey the damage then, but she saw chairs knocked over and shoved out of the way as well as objects lying fallen to the ground off nearby tables. It looked like a disaster, but that did not matter now.

She was working against the clock and she knew it. At any point he could come down and stop her and at any point her fellow maids could begin to rouse. She dressed with a greater haste than she had ever been capable of before.

Upon finishing she bolted from his home and raced back toward the palace. Not slowing her pace until the servant's entrance came in to clear view. She slipped inside making as little sound as possible. There was no one in sight upon entering.

Her movements became swift and controlled as she made her way back toward the dormitory. She passed only a select few people that did not take the time to notice her on the way. Upon arriving, she went to a mirror and surveyed herself.

Her hair was a mess and she needed to wash her face, but she did not look terribly different from after an ordinary nights rest. Amber moved to grab a hair brush and saw, as she turned, a face staring at her hardly any distance away. The surprise nearly made her scream aloud.

Instead, she gasped and then whispered, "Marissa, what are you doing here?"

"I know he's back."

The sentence was a simple one and Amber wondered how she was to respond to it. A silence spread between them as reality of what she had said and what it meant became clear to each of them.

"Yes, he is."

"Are you all right?"

Amber hesitated before answering, "No, but we cannot discuss it here."

With that said, Marissa wrapped her arms around Amber. During the hug, Amber realized that Marissa must have been terribly worried about her when she did not come back the previous evening. It made her feel guilty that she had enjoyed it so much. Her best friend had been suffering and worrying horribly when she had wonderfully happy withhim.

When the hug ended, Marissa told her, "Grab your uniform, we will go to the bath and get you cleaned up."

Amber at first thought about protesting, but quickly realized that the warm water would do her good and that they would likely be able to talk there. She gathered her uniform and grabbed her brush and then announced, "Let's go."

The two of them then began on their journey. Both were lost in thought and were moving without paying attention to where they were going. Marissa wanted desperately to speak and to ask her what had happened, but waiting was a necessity.

They arrived without incident and quickly dove into the water, after shedding their clothing. Amber was the first to speak after they had each swam to the far end of the pool. "I'm not sure where to start. So much has happened and I don't understand half of it."

"What do you mean?" Marissa asked with concern.

"Well, he, he's acted so strangely and so characteristically and I'm not sure if he's acting the way he always has or if he's now actually acting differently. Does that make sense?"

Marissa looked at Amber as if she had sprouted an extra head, "No, no that does not make sense."

It was Amber's turn to look confused now.

"Perhaps you should try starting at the beginning."

"Okay, I can do that," she said with a much greater certainty than before. "As you have figured out, he came back yesterday and found me working in his home. He realized that I had...been breaking one of his rules and so he decided to punish me for it. Then,"

"Wait, what do you mean you broke one of his rules and what do you mean he punished you?"

Amber looked away somewhat guiltily and with a feeling of shame in her voice she said, "I don't want to say. It's embarrassing."

"Okay, then can you at least tell me why you broke his rule?"

"The answer to that is it would be embarrassing to follow it."

"Amber," Marissa said with an obvious tone of frustration in her voice, "can you please just tell me what happened so that I can try and figure out how to help you?"

Amber's face turned a deep shade of red and she looked down as she finally whispered, "I was wearing underwear and I'm not allowed to when I am in his home."

"What!" Marissa shouted in a hushed tone so as not to draw extra attention, but unable to hide her surprise. "You mean to say that he will punish you for keeping yourself decent?"

The only sign of affirmation Amber could perform was to nod and continue facing away from her.

"What a bastard. I don't understand how anyone could do that," Marissa muttered angrily, "How exactly does he punish you for such a transgression?"

"I will not tell you that."

"Did he hit you?" Marissa asked this with obvious anxiety in her voice

"No, nothing like that," Amber said, her eyes once again meeting Marissa's.

Marissa wanted to find out what exactly he had done, but she knew that when Amber did not want to tell someone something that nothing in the world could make her say it. "Was it that awful?" was all she could ask.

"Yes," Amber said solemnly, "but not in the way that you're thinking. He did not hurt me physically in any way."

This explanation only made Marissa want to ask her more about it, but she could see that this was the end of the line and that issue was now closed. Exasperated, she sighed and then asked, "What happened next?"

"After my punishment was over, he took me to his room and let me sleep in his bed."

"Where did he go?"

"Well, that's part of what's bothering me and that I don't fully understand," Amber said slowly and with her brow furrowed, "He stayed with me."

Perturbed by this Marissa could not help asking, "What exactly do you mean he stayed with you?"

"I mean just what I said, he laid down next to me and I fell asleep on him. It was only today that I realized how odd that was even though he had let me fall asleep next to him before."

"I didn't even realize that he had let you have a moments rest let alone stay with you for it."

"It didn't seem that important until I thought about it more or, even unusual. It is not like I have ever been through anything like this before."

"I know, it's okay. I'm just surprised and confused by his actions," Marissa said comfortingly.

"As am I. However, that is not the strangest thing. Did you notice what I was wearing this morning?"

"Why yes," and at this point Marissa's eyes shot wide, "you were wearing your favorite dress."

"And how do you think that I got it?"

Marissa hesitated to say what she knew that the answer must be. "He got it for you."

"Yes, he did, while I was still asleep. He wanted me to have dinner with him in it."

"Why would he want that? I mean why he would want you to have dinner with him and why would he want you to where that dress?"

Amber shrugged in response. "Your guess is as good as mine. During dinner, he seemed interested in knowing more about me. At first I thought that there was some dark motive behind it, but he never revealed one. It was quite peculiar. We spoke for quite some time as we ate."

"Well, what did he want to know?"

She started by saying, "He wanted to know what had happened when I was gone." Amber realized that the answer to this question was one that might scare Marissa and she was not sure if she should tell her and cause her worry unnecessarily or if she should say something else entirely. She decided that the truth would have to be spoken sooner or later. "He also asked me about you."

"Me!" Marissa exclaimed.

"Shh, we're in a public place remember!" Amber scolded her and then went on to say, "Yes he asked about you. Well, not you directly, more about how close of friends we are. It's kind of hard for me to remember the exact details."

"What do youmeanit's hard for you to remember? This is important," Marissa said with obvious discomfort and concern.

"Well we had wine with dinner, it tasted so good, and it was so easy for me to talk to him and I didn't think that I had very much, but he had been refilling my glass when I wasn't paying attention, and next thing I know I felt especially relaxed and was willing to tell him anything."

Marissa took a moment processing the rapid verbal assault that had just transpired. "So what you're trying to say is that you had too much to drink and don't remember all of what happened?"

"Um, not quite, I remember everything, just not all of it very clearly."

"Okay, so you had dinner, drank too much, and told him about me. Am I missing anything?"

"I suppose not, but I would say that I had dinner, drank too much, and told him about my life at the palace."

"All right, I can live with that, but what happened next?"

Amber's face went red again as she thought about what had happened next. It had felt so wonderfully good when he had kissed and licked her in that most private of regions. Her body began to respond as she thought of the experience and that only furthered her embarrassment. "The two of us went to bed after that," was all Amber could say.

Marissa believed that she understood why it was that Amber did not elaborate and did not want to force painful memories upon her. They both stood in silence, but the reasons for both of them were quite different.

Amber did not look up to see the expression of profound sorrow on Marissa's face, she simply said, "He let me stay with him and when I woke up at first I was happy to be there next to him. But the more I thought about it, the more upset I became so I hurried away from him and got back here before he woke up himself."

Their eyes finally met as she finished speaking. "I can't blame you for leaving, but will you get in trouble for it?"

Amber's expression became a distant one. "I had not thought of it. I only knew that I had to get away in that moment."

"Yes, you did. You shouldn't even have to spend one moment with that rapist."

"No, I left because I realized that I didn't belong there next tohim."

This last word was spoken in such a way that a listener would know that the name of that person was not to be used. However, the reason that the person's name was not to be used was far less clear.