No Love

I don’t know how it happened but I think I was just threatened. Or this man is a psycho and he loves me, despite his show of hatred. Either way, I need to be cautious just in case he comes back.

~~~

“We need to get out of here,” Daniel whispers to me.

I nod in agreement.

He takes my hand, and we quietly step outside of the castle.

I place a hand on his chest to stop him when I notice a guard at the corner of the garden.

I press a finger to my lips, signaling him to be quiet.

He gives me a nod, and we press our backs against the wall, slowly moving to the left, away from the guard.

He doesn’t seem to notice us, and he walks back around the corner.

Daniel lets out a sigh of relief and looks at me. “That was close.”

“Too close,” I say, pushing off of the wall and walking further into the garden, Daniel following me.

We walk for a bit until we reach the center of the garden maze.

There are roses in the middle. Red roses. My favorite. They always have been.

I’d say it’s because they’re the color of blood. I may be a princess, but everyone has a bit of darkness.

“Those are pretty flowers.” Daniel gives that charming smile that makes my heart melt.

I hum in agreement and stare at the flowers for a moment before walking to the opposite side of them and stepping towards the exit.

Daniel stays still, watching me. He seems a bit nervous.

“Something wrong?” I ask curiously.

“It’s just…we don’t know what’s out there. Where will we go? What will we do? What if we get caught? There’s no way that the guards won’t search for you, and certainly, they will blame me. I'll have a target on my head,” he says quietly as he looks at the ground.

“Would you rather be stuck here? Where rules are the strictest? No love is allowed, my father clearly told us that. Would you rather not be together or him have your head instead of being with me, where no one can come between us?” I step back towards him and take his hands in mine.

He looks at me a moment, and I try to give him the most reassuring look that I can.

He calms down slightly and takes a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do this, Izzy.”

He squeezes my hand and pulls me along back to the exit of the garden. Just as we are about to step out, we hear a voice.

“Hey! Stop!”

We freeze. It’s a guard. I know it is. I know that voice. Nathaniel, the one in charge.

“Run,” I whisper before breaking into a sprint. I can hear Daniel at my heels.

We run through the other side of the maze. I can hear more than one set of footsteps now, and they seem to be gaining ground.

I stop suddenly, Daniel almost crashing into me, when I see someone blocking the way. Another guard. Dang it. How many of these idiots are there?

I glance behind us and see that the others have caught up, successfully surrounding us.

Nathaniel steps forward with a half smirk, half frown on his face. He’s wearing a typical black bodyguard suit, his cape flowing to the side because of the wind. “Well, well, well, Princess Isabella. Going somewhere?”

I stay silent, not giving in to his witty remark.

“Oh, so now you’re silent? After all these years? Now that the ‘love of your life’ is threatened?” He scoffs lightly and glares slightly at Daniel.

I narrow my eyes at him. “How dare you talk to royal blood like that.”

“And what are you going to do, princess? Tell your father? He’s not going to be on your side anymore once he finds out about this,” he says with a soft chuckle.

He motions for the men to grab Daniel.

“Don’t touch him,” I manage to say. It makes them hesitate, but they don’t listen to me, and there’s nothing I can do to stop them.

Two of them grab Daniel by his arms as he starts to struggle.

“You’d give up if you know what’s good for you,” Nathaniel says in a low voice, his hand moving to grab the hilt of his sword.

It’s a small movement, but it makes Daniel freeze anyway.

“Please don’t hurt him,” I say quietly, looking at Nathaniel with pleading eyes.

He looks back at me a moment before smirking again slightly and dropping his hand. “As long as you listen. Either way, it’s not up to me. You know that.”

I sigh but keep my mouth shut. I do know that. It's my father’s decision. But I’d rather spare Daniel the pain now.

“Lead the way, princess.” Nathaniel bows his head and beckons towards the castle.

I lead the men back to the castle, the walk long and silent.

I finally push open the doors to the throne room and see my father sitting on his throne and talking to his adviser.

He pauses as he hears the doors open. His eyes widen as he sees me walk in followed by a ton of guards and the baker’s son.

“Isabella, what is the meaning of this?” he asks softly but sternly.

I stay silent, looking at the ground.

“I’d gladly explain, Your Majesty,” Nathaniel says as he steps forward and gives a bow.

My father raises an eyebrow but gestures for him to continue.

“My King, your daughter has just been caught sneaking off with this peasant. I overheard them planning to run away,” he says confidently but I can hear the arrogance in his voice.

My father narrows his eyes and looks at me. “Is this true?”

“Yes,” I say quietly.

“You know love is prohibited. Why would you do such a thing?” he asks cautiously.

“Why ban love when everyone feels it? I guarantee there is not one person you can name who doesn’t love someone. You love me. You have to, you’re my father,” I explain persuasively, meeting his eyes.

He tilts his head and his brow furrows. “That…that is a good point. But you still broke the law.”

“Only to prove a point. I bet, if they had the courage, everyone would have broken the law by now, even you,” I walk closer to him and take his hands, ignoring Nathaniel’s protests.

My father sighs, looking conflicted.

We all stand there for a long moment, awaiting his decision.

“Fine. I...I will make love legal,” he finally says quietly. I hear Nathaniel let out a quiet huff of frustration.

I smile, trying to hold myself back from jumping with joy. “Thank you, father.”

“Of course, my dear. Now, will you introduce me?” He looks at Daniel and beckons for the guards to release him.

“This is Daniel, my…you know. He’s the baker’s son,” I walk to Daniel and grab his hand, pulling him closer to me and my father.

Daniel smiles nervously and bows his head slightly.

My father studies Daniel for a moment, contemplating what to think of him.

“What do you like about him?” my father asks, which surprised me.

I look at Daniel and pause as I think.

“Well, he’s kind, compassionate, and very helpful with many things. He’s a hard worker and shows great determination. But mostly, I love his love.” I hold one of Daniel’s hands and place the other on his cheek.

“Those are strong feelings. And good traits to have. I’d say…he can stay,” my father leans back on his throne and looks at me, tapping his fingers on the armrest.

“Oh, thank you, father.” I smile and let go of Daniel.

He also smiles slightly and gives a proper bow. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“No problem. Now, I will have my servants update the kingdom to the lifting of the law.” He nods to his adviser who nods back and walks out.

I am so happy that I can’t even explain it. I didn’t want to run away but I had wanted to be with Daniel. This is like a dream come true.

Maybe it will be a happy ending after all.

At least, that’s what I thought until I saw Nathaniel stepping for the door.

“You’re making a mistake, Your Majesty. This will create chaos,” he says as he stands at the door and looks at the King.

“Oh really?” my father raises an eyebrow, his expression darkening.

“Yes, really. I must say, I’ve enjoyed serving you, really. But I think it’s my time to take my leave,” he gives a slight bow but seems annoyed.

“What? Why?” The King looks puzzled.

“Because this wasn’t supposed to happen. You weren’t supposed to agree and lift that law about love. I cannot be here to witness the reaction of the villagers but I promise you, I will be back, and when I do, you will regret that action,” he says, his voice a low growl.

The guards try to stop him but he pulls out his sword and points it at them. They immediately back off, knowing that they are no match for him, the highly trained bodyguard.

He sheathes his sword and opens the door, his black cape billowing behind him.

“Oh and princess?” he says as he looks over his shoulder at me.

I tilt my head but don’t say anything.

“I won’t forget you.” And with that, he leaves, the door shutting with a deafening slam.