The Prince and the Slave: Book Two

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

"I just don't understand how he could have just disappeared!" The Queen exclaimed as she walked with her husband through the gardens. "It's been almost a week and the last we heard was that he was Kerryton, wherever that is, and now no-one knows where he's gone - again!"

"My dear, we know exactly where he is" The King said calmly.

"Do we? Where? Send people and bring him back immediately!" The Queen cried.

"I don't think we'll be able to do that, my love. I don't know his exact whereabouts"

"We need to know where he is, we need him back here, you know we do." The Queen looked sternly at her husband's tired face.

"Yes, I know we do," he sighed, "but we both know what he's doing, and even if we did manage to track him down I doubt he would return until he has finished his task"

"What task? His only tasks are here, at the palace and in the Royal Court." The Queen frowned. It was true they gave their son many duties, and that often that involved travelling throughout the kingdom, but she couldn't think of any business he would have at present that wasn't at home.

"Not an official task, my love. A personal one. You know he's gone in search of Abey" the King explained.

"Abey?" The Queen's brow creased. Although her views towards slaves were not as extreme or harsh as those of Georgiana, she didn't feel the need to memorise names, most didn't even have them anyway.

"Abey, his girl, his slave, the one that went missing" The King prompted her, and watched the recognition flow across her face, which then returned to it's previous confused crease.

"My dear, why is our son roaming all over the Kingdom in search of a slave girl? The Royal Tour is coming up shortly and he needs to be here, not running over half the Kingdom on a wild goose chase after something so replaceable." The Queen sighed in exasperation, William had always been too sentimental, holding on to things when they were broken or used, when he could just have easily had something new.

"Do you really not see why, my love? I thought it was quite obvious" the King said, a hint of sadness in his voice. The Queen said nothing but continued to look inquisitively at him, so he continued. "Our son is in love." He sighed.

The Queen's face broke into a joyous smile and brought her hands to her chest. "But my dear love, why so melancholy? Our son is in love, we may soon have our heir - this is wonderful news!"

A passing servant looked up in surprise as he heard the Queen squeal in delight and almost skip down the path.

"But you have not understood, my dear. Yes, our son is in love but he is in love with Abey, he is in love with his slave" The King had to almost shout to be heard over his wife's enthusiasm.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, and turned to face her husband. "Well that's preposterous!" She scoffed. "Our son, the Crown Prince of Angrokor, and a...a slave girl? Why, it's laughable!"

"It's true. I've seen them together and how they are, it's hard to deny the fact." The King put a hand on his wife's shoulder as she stared in disbelief.

"What can be done?"

"For the time being, nothing." The Queen opened her mouth to protest, but the King held up his hand to silence her, before placing it on her other shoulder. "We must hope this is simply a faze. If not, he has a year to find someone suitable before turns 20, then it is up to us."

The Queen nodded, her shock and panic starting to fade. Her husband was right, William had just over a year before his parents would have to arrange a marriage for him. A marriage they could accept, and not one between a common slave and a Prince.