THE HANDMAID

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

It was late in the evening, I left Oliver in her bedroom after I had finished preparing her for bed, she had forced me to have dinner with her which I did. My stomach was filled. The halls were quiet as usual, I didn't see anyone walking across the halls so I guessed they had retired to bed.

Suddenly a hand pulled me into a room, I was shocked and scared at the same time, the hands wrapped around my body pulling me close to himself as he shut the door, his back against the wall holding me tightly, I looked up to see prince Samuel. What the.....

"Prince Samuel" I called surprised as I looked at him. He was still holding me really close to himself. I tried to wiggle free from his arms.

"Shhhh....." He shushed me in whispers. Just then I heard footsteps walking by the room we occupied.

After few minutes, he peeped out the door before releasing me and holding my hand, pulling me slowly carefully out from the room "c'mon" he whispered.

"Where are we going?" I asked him in whispers as tip toe towards the castle exit door.

He didn't answer me. Sneakily, he pulled me towards the horse stable. I wondered why we were going to the stable. I hope he wasn't planning on sneaking out from the castle.

We got to the stable, two guards were standing with a black horse. My heart raced in my ribcage. They caught us. I became extremely nervous. I was going to get into trouble.

"Don't worry they are my man" Samuel said, he sensed my nervousness, he collected the horse from the guard. I recognized him as the guard that pulled me to my room on the first day I arrived here. The fat man.

"Your horse is ready prince Samuel, no guards are on sight at the back gate, you can use that way" the fat man said.

"Thank you Jack. We will be back soon" Samuel said as he turned to me and smiled "let's go" he said as he climbed the back of the horse.

"Go? Go where?" I fidgeted.

"C'mon" he said still smiling, with the help of the guards, I got on the back of the horse behind Samuel "hold on tight" he said.

"Why?" I ask scared and I knew why as soon as he hit beside the horse with his leg "Ahh" I screamed, I didn't know when my hands slipped around his waist, holding him tightly.

Breeze blew my hair backwards, I felt my eyes turn from the speed, I felt the urge to puke. I was literally screaming in my head from fear. I have never been on a fast horse before. I thought I would die. I held Samuel tighter, if I didn't I would have fallen off the horse as it leaped into the woods. I shut my eyes really tight, I felt our motion slow down until the horse finally stopped leaping.

"You can stop holding me now" I heard Samuel say, I slowly let go of him and opened my eyes. I felt my body falling, I didn't hold him, I just closed my eyes and allowed my body to fall. I fell off the horse and landed on my side. I felt pain afterwards "shit. Seriously" I heard Samuel say as he jumped down from the horse and held my head up from the ground. He chuckled at first and then started laughing, I opened my eyes slowly and annoyed.

"Is that funny?" I ask, he kept laughing, I finally regained my strength and sanity. I sat up and looked around "where are we?" I ask.

"A place I used to visit when I was young" he replied as he stood and held out his hand to me. I took and he helped me up.

"So why are we here?" I ask still looking around.

"I felt suffocated inside the castle. I am bored so I thought we should go out" he said as he walked deeper into the woods.

"This late?" I followed behind him avoiding thorns from the trees on the floor.

"You know we can't leave the palace during day time right?" He asked as he walked towards a stream.

"What if someone notices that we are not in the palace?" I ask following behind me.

"Everyone is asleep. No one will know we left" he said.

"What if......" I was about to say when he cut me short.

"Amelia you worry too much. Can you just quit worrying and just enjoy the moment?" He asked as he sat in front of the flowing water.

"Well I can't help it. We snuck out from the castle" I say and sat next to him. I took in the sight of my environment, it was a beautiful place. It was a good place to think "you came here when you were young?" I ask.

"I did" he said nodding.

"Why?" I ask.

"It is a good place to think" he reply. I nod agreeing with him.

"How did you locate this place?" I ask.

"I was just walking by" he said.

"How did you leave the castle to locate this place?" I ask.

"I snuck out" he say.

"Everyday?" I ask.

Our gazes were fixed on the water.

"Not everyday. Just times when I needed to clear my head" he say.

"At that young age?" I ask turning to face him.

He smiled "yes. You know father has always been strict. He would always say 'samuel don't eat that, you are a prince' or 'samuel don't go there' or 'samuel do this, you are a prince'. I was only a little boy who was curious and he was already commanding me, claiming to mould me up into a prince and a good king. He never really allow me enjoy my childhood" he said sadly.

I stared at him "but he sent you to the queen's land" I said.

"He sent me there for training. I didn't go to the queen's land because I wanted to. I went there because he wanted me to" he turned to me "you need to see how I was treated there, there was no difference between me and a slave, all to mould me into a good king" he narrated.

I sighed. Though everyone had a smile on their faces, they all had their pain. Audrey, Oliver and Samuel, they were all going through a hard time and here I was, thinking that being a royal was fun and they had nothing to worry about. You can never really judge a book by its cover.

"I never really had a friend, I never had time for one. I learnt how to grow up quickly. I never really got to enjoy my childhood" Samuel said. That explains why he behaved childish sometimes.

"I never knew all this. I thought that being in the royal family, you get to do what you like" I said.

He smiled "maybe that is what everyone thinks too" he turned back to the water.

I remained silent. I turned to the water. There was silence between us, I finally decided to ask "why did you choose me to be your friend?" I wanted to know. I asked Oliver the same thing and she said because I was cool and she just felt good vibes around me, she said she felt I was someone she could talk and will understand her. It was just her instinct that led her to been friends with me.

He looked at the water for sometime, I was beginning to think he wouldn't answer but then he turned to me and said "because I like you" he said seriously.

I looked shocked at his words. He what?