you were a princess who would rather be anything but a royal; he was the knight her father forced her to marry-a true match made in hell if there ever was one. but, as the wedding inches closer and closer, it seems that, perhaps, your father had fin...
pairing: knight!steven grant x fem!princess!reader x knight!marc spector x knight!jake lockley
series summary: you were a princess who would rather be anything but a royal; he was the knight her father forced her to marry—a true match made in hell if there ever was one. but, as the wedding inches closer and closer, it seems that, perhaps, your father had finally done something right by you.
chapter summary: things get bloodier.
word count: 2,919
warnings?: a shorter chapter, major character death, mention of sex trafficking, pet name (dove), not proofread
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"—life in prison without parole."
Jake held your hand as Sam read out Benjamin's sentence. You let out a breath. Jake knew this wasn't the time to be offering you comforting word. He knew the media would have a field day if they saw the two of you talking during such a serious time. So instead, he offered you the same comfort Marc often did—he squeezed your hand once, twice, three times.
If Jake was honest, he thought the sentencing hearing was more of a formality than anything that was particularly necessary. Everyone knew that Benjamin deserved to be thrown in prison and have the key thrown away. But Parliament did have procedures to follow, and so the hearing was held anyways. As the victim of Benjamin's crimes, your presence was encouraged. You had considered not going, but...Well, even if the hearing was a formality, you had to see this through to the end. You had to make sure that Benjamin never got to see the light of day again.
Sam banged the gavel on the podium. Benjamin was taken away. The crowd of reporters and spectators rose, talking amongst themselves. You remained where you sat. So did Jake.
Finally, he asked, "Is everything alright, my dove?"
"I just can't believe it's over."
Harrow had entered a guilty plea just as his trial was set to the begin. Jake figured that the man could see how the tide was turning, that there was hardly a juror in the kingdom who could view his actions in a sympathetic light. Everyone, after all, had seen Benjamin's trial. They had heard about what Harrow had done to you. They had heard how he tortured you, made you wish you were dead. Even if Harrow could come up with a defense...Anyone with a couple of braincells knew it wouldn't be enough for a jury to return a verdict of not guilty.
You looked at Jake. Your eyes were glassy. They seemed to be glassy most days. They were only ever full of peace when the two of you (or Marc or Steven) were in the privacy of your shared bedroom. "I don't know what to do with myself now. What am I without this torture? Without this pain?"
"Well—" Jake hated to bring it up, but...Well, he didn't want you to have a false sense of security. Not now. "—there are still the threats that haven't been dealt with yet."
