My Highlander, My Love, Part Three:Forbidden Love, The Greatest Love Story Ever Told.

Not Just a Prince, But a Man in Love

William raced into his chambers and placed Valerie on his bed. His heart tore in two when his eyes fell on her marked back, there was blood everywhere, and he swallowed a lump in his throat. His father was a ruthless King who didn't deserve his crown, how could anyone take the whip on Valerie? Her innocence outshines her beauty, did his father not see that she could never be at fault for anything?

Pressing his lips on her wounds, William cried his heart out, he loved this woman with all his heart, and if his father does not bless their union he will step down from the crown and release himself from bondage to the throne! He does not want to be a prince if it means he has to live a life of lies, he wants to live his life married to Valerie, be it rich or be it poor, at least he will be free!

The King watched from the doorway and hate filled his eyes for the woman. He will have to find a way to get rid of her without alerting his son that he is behind her disappearance, he thought, as he marched into his sons chambers angrily. "You dare to interfere in my dealings with the slave in front of the other slaves?" The King barked, "What kind of King will you make one day if your heart softens every time wrong is done by the them!"

"They are not slaves!" William said through gritted teeth as he lifted himself to his feet, and turned to face his father. "They're servants!"

"You're wrong son, they are worse then commoner's, they are slaves! They are the scum of the earth and are lucky enough to be brought here to the palace where they get free food in their bellies, and a warm place to sleep at night, if it wasn't for us they would be starving to death! They should be grateful and kiss our feet!"

For the first time in his life, William realized that his father was rotten to the core. "Father you have misjudged these people. Just because they had the misfortune of being born into poverty, doesn't mean that you can take away their dignity! They have been taken against their will and thrown into slavery, but I tell you this, they are not slaves, they are good, hard working servants and should be treated with respect!"

The King threw his head back and bellowed with laughter, "Son, I can see that you need a few valuable lessons before you take over the crown! If the servants, as you call them, are treated with respect, they would be more demanding and produce less! How can a kingdom flourish without slaves, the kingdom would crumble if they did not fear us, is that what you want?" Somber now, the King looked into the eyes of his sons, and waited for William to answer his question.

"What I want father is for humans to be treated as such, they are not animals, they are the same as you and me! The only difference between them and us father is that we were fortunate enough to be born into royalty!"

"Lower your tone of voice son, lest someone hears you, what you speak of is treason! Even I can't save you if you break the laws!" The King warned, and glanced at Valerie's unconscious form on the bed.

William could see the hatred in his father's beady eyes when he glanced at his soulmate and knew that he could not reason with a stubborn mule. He would have to find a safe haven for his soulmate quickly, because he knew that his father would one day destroy Valerie.

"Father I love Valerie and I am going to take her as my bride, with or without your blessings, I will marry her!"

"Over my dead body you will! The Queen of Spain is coming tonight with her caravan, and she will be a guest in our home until the Christmas Ball, where I will announce your engagement!" The King said in a firm and unwavering voice, "and if you do anything to jeopardize this, I will make Valerie pay for your mistakes!"

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As soon as Brucee, Silas and Camran reached shore, they took their soulmate's and the Indian girl Pracheeta, and headed straight to Sterlingshire, they were already a day late and knew that they would hear an earful from Michael.