The Prince and the Slave: Book Three

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

"Quick William, over here!" Abey cried, dragging William as hard as she darted into the cover of the trees as the sounds of the horses grew nearer.

He ignored the slicing pain running through his side as he dived next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close to him, trying to hide them as well as he could in the undergrowth.

They had left the Bandit's company that morning, though they seemed to have given Abey a fond farewell, they had all kept their distance from William, only the girl Elise giving him a slight nod as they melted into the forest, the camp packed up and the clearing left as if they had never been there.

William and Abey had set off in the opposite direction, hoping that they would be able to avoid any more Bandits before they found some kind of town or village, as well as the 'Royal Soldiers' that were rumoured to be roaming the Forest.

They had heard the far off sounds of horses and trumpets as they fought through the dense trees, always trying to keep as far away as possible, they hadn't wanted to risk being caught by the Tracorian Army - they would be harder to persuade than a group of Bandits, and would only result in either their imprisonment, or death.

It was these very soldiers they were hiding from now. They had somehow stumbled upon a Forest Road, and before they had time to conceal themselves had heard the shouts of the men, seeing them and setting after them in pursuit.

William held his breath as heavy footsteps pounded the earth, coming closer and closer to their hiding place.

He had only managed to catch a glimpse of the men before struggling back into the Forest, and had at first been relieved they were not from the Tracorian Army. His relief had soon faded and turned to dread as he recognised the scarlet and gold uniforms - they were the Royal Guard, sent from his own Kingdom to find him. They had somehow managed to track them there and as the footsteps grew louder, the shouting voices becoming more distinct, William realised their capture would be within a matter of minutes, unless they acted now.

Abey tried to pull him back down as he slowly got to his feet, crouching low to peer around them, making sure the coast was clear. He reached down and pulled Abey silently to her feet, putting a finger over his lips as they slowly edged through the trees, the voices and footsteps now mere metres away.

They edged around the trunk of a large tree, only to find themselves facing the back of three Armed Guards, all searching through the undergrowth, but none turning around to see them stood behind.

William felt his whole body tense, the pain in his side screaming, as they carefully backed away, not daring to take their eyes off the Guards in front of them.

Abey held back a wince as she stepped on a stick, causing it to break with a loud 'SNAP'.

They froze, holding their breath as they waited for the reaction of the men in front of them, sighing silently in relief when none came. The relief was short lived, as the snort of a horse sounded excruciatingly close behind them.

They whirled around, only to find themselves stood at the edge of a small break in the trees, stood facing four men, each holding the reins of a horse, staring grimly back at the pair.

William quickly pulled Abey slightly behind, keeping his arm protectively around her waist as he took a tiny step back, never breaking eye contact with Guard Captain as he jumped off his horse and took a step towards them.

"Sire-" He began.

"We're not coming with you." William cut across, his arm tightening around Abey as she clutched his other hand, looking frantically around for anywhere they could run. More of the Armed Guard were now appearing on all sides. They were surrounded.

"Sire." The Captain repeated, his voice resigned.

"I won't let you take her away. We're not leaving." William's voice was now rising, and Abey could see his muscles tensed as he stared out the men in front of him.

"Sire, you must. You don't understand-" The Captain tried to explain calmly, taking another step forward.

"No!" William cried, holding up his hand, the Captain stopping in his tracks. "Don't come any closer. I know what will happen if we go back. We'll be ripped apart, never allowed to see each other again." Tears were now beginning to run down his cheeks. "Mother will force a marriage on me, Georgiana will gloat, Father will try and explain how thankful I'll be for it when I'm one day King-"

"That's just it, Your Highness!" The Guard spoke commandingly over him, a forlorn edge to his voice. "That's just it." He repeated, quieter this time, taking another step forward before William could react. "Sire, it's your Father. They say he has only a few days left, a week at the most."

Time seemed to freeze as William absorbed the news.

"He's...dying?" He whispered, Abey squeezing his hand as he stared blankly ahead.

Slowly, every muscle in William's body seemed to give up and gave way, and he sagged to his knees, his head hanging in despair. Abey could barely stand to see him this way, she could almost see the exhaustion of the past few weeks seeping out of his every pore, his eyes now glassy, though no tears came from them now.

William couldn't comprehend the idea. His Father. Dying. He had always been so strong - he was the most emotionally and physically strong man William knew, despite his age. To think of him weak and void of life didn't seem possible. He had always thought his Father would live forever.

He almost didn't register as Abey fell to her knees beside him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and stroking his hair, pressing her lips to the side of his head. He clutched helplessly at her, tearless sobs beginning to rock his body.

He knew had to go back.

But he knew he wouldn't go without her.

He was never going to let her go again.

He was still lost in his own world as he was gently lifted to his feet and led to a horse. He acted without thinking, climbing onto it's back, making sure Abey was firmly behind him, wrapping her arms around his middle and resting her head comfortingly on his back.

He smiled weakly as he felt her there, her presence alone enough to keep him going as they began to make their way out of the Forest, back across the border, back to the Palace, back to his Father.