𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 | 𝐝. 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐲

chapter seventeen

It had been a few weeks since Homecoming and Aurelia couldn't shake the feeling that not all the loose ends had been tied. She ignored the feeling and instead helped Shawn and his fiancee with planning the wedding. Camila and Shawn would be getting married in only three weeks.

Shawn and Aurelia were lying in the princess's private garden and watching the beautiful array of stars that filled the midnight sky.

"Remember when we used to sneak out together and look for shooting stars?" Aurelia smiled at the memory.

"Yeah, and whoever saw the first one would get ice cream from the other," Shawn laughed. "How long ago was that? Ten years?"

"Had to be a long time ago," Aurelia sighed. "I wish we could be that innocent and happy now."

"But if everything stayed the way it was, you wouldn't be as happy as you are now with Daniel," Shawn whispered and Aurelia's smile grew.

"I guess you're right," She yawned.

***

"Don't move!" He smiles evilly. "Don't move or your boyfriend will die!"

"Please, don't hurt him!" I cry. I would do anything to get Daniel far away from this monster of a man. "Please, I'll do anything."

The man's grip on Daniel grows visibly tighter and my love winces in pain. Our eyes meet for a second and he mouths "I love you" before the man pulls the trigger.

"No!" Aurelia woke up breathlessly exclaiming. She looked beside her and sighed with relief at the sight of Daniel safe and sleeping. She moved in closer to him and softly cried into his bare chest.

"Aurelia?" Daniel whispered, slowly becoming more and more awake. "Aurelia, what's wrong?"

He sat up and supported her with an arm around her and one being held in her hands. She repeatedly kissed his hand as hot tears streamed down her puffy cheeks.

"Daniel, I don't wanna lose you," She whispered and looked up at him. His brows furrowed with confusion.

"I'll never leave you, princess," He said and kissed her forehead.

"I know," She tried to smile. "But what if someone takes you from me?"

"What?" He exclaimed. "Why would you think like that, love? We're safe."

"How do we know that?" She asked. "What if they come back?"

"Aurelia," He looked at her with such loving eyes. He couldn't stand seeing her breaking and wanted to stop everything. He hugged her tightly and they laid back down. He held her until they both fell back to sleep.

***

Two nights later, as Aurelia and Daniel were sleeping happily in each other's arms again, a masked man climbed into the room through the window. He took out a needle and stuck it in Daniel's back, which caused him to whimper and wake up Aurelia. Her eyes filled with tears when she realized what was happening.

"Daniel!" She exclaimed. His eyes were wide open and he looked at her.

"Listen to me," He began, "it's just a tranquilizer, I'm fine. I need you to run right now, okay? Get to Shawn and wake up the other guys on the way."

"She's not going anywhere," The man stated, taking out his gun. Daniel swore under his breath as Aurelia sat up.

"What do you want?" She asked, shaking with fear and tightly holding Daniel's hand.

"You need to walk to that window, and keep looking at me," He replied. "Or your boyfriend here is dead."

"Please don't hurt him," She whispered, getting out of bed.

"Don't do this, Aurelia," Daniel cried.

"I love you," She whispered and kissed his soft lips. She wiped away his tears and smiled sadly. "I love you so much, Daniel."

She walked toward the window, making eye contact with the masked man and continuing to cry. She made it to the open window and stood there.

"N-Now what?" She asked.

"Strip," The man smirked.

"W-What?" She exclaimed, he pressed the gun into Daniel's head and she took off her shirt; leaving just her lingerie. She had been wearing Daniel's shirt and she didn't want to let it go; if she was gonna be taken by this creep she wanted to be able to smell Daniel.

"Drop it," The man growled and Aurelia did so. "Good girl."

"What do you want? Sex?" She asked, trying not to sob loudly. "I'll give it to you, just let him go! Please!"

"Later, but now I want you to stand perfectly still," He replied simply. Another man came up to the window and took her.

"No! No, no, no, no!" Daniel cried. "FUCK!"

Aurelia closed her eyes and tried not to let the tears flood out. The second man brought her down the side of the castle and walked with her for a while until they reached a white van. He bonded her hands with duct tape and put a piece over her mouth. He shoved her in and tied her to the seat.

"She's in," He said into his radio, "kill him."

Aurelia screamed through the tape and cried. The man smiled and brought the radio to where they could both hear. The sound of a gunshot ran through her ears and she felt she lost her whole world. She sobbed loudly, which only made the criminal smile more. She didn't care what these men did to her now, nothing mattered; Daniel was gone.