It took everything she had not to choke on her own saliva. "Court me?" she asked weakly.

"Yes," he said, "your mother said you are searching for a husband, correct?"

"Yes," she replied.

"All I need is your consent," he said as he leered at her. "I believe I would make a fine husband."

"Excuse me," she gasped. "I need some air."

She fled from him and found refuge in a secluded corner of the ballroom, right by the exit to the gardens. The area was dimly lit and she hid in the shadows, vainly hoping she would be able to stay there for the rest of the night without anyone noticing. Fortunately, he hadn't decided to pursue her and she was eternally grateful for that.

"Hello, Your Highness." A voiced suddenly sounded from behind her. She started in surprise. "I didn't expect to find the Princess here all alone on her birthday."

She turned around to see a young man only a few years older than herself. He was tall and dark-haired with a dark tanned complexion. She was surprised. He couldn't be an Elithrielian nobleman; the nobles were all fair skinned as they tended to stay indoors. He had deep green eyes that seemed playful yet somber at the same time.

"May I inquire what your name is?" she asked.

"Andrew," he replied, "Andrew Duval."

"You look familiar, but I don't recall ever meeting anyone named Andrew Duval," she remarked.

"I'm sure you haven't met me before. I'm on a visit from Agarinth," he replied.

"Really?" she asked. "What's it like? I've always wanted to go to Agarinth."

"I don't think my opinion would be of value to you," he said. "Seeing as I live there, I would say my views of the place are quite dull."

"I see your point," she mused. "I do find Elithriel quite dull even though many say it's a beautiful place to travel to."

"I guess we just haven't seen the right places then," he replied.

"Can I be as bold as to say that I find you quite charming?" she said. "It's a welcome relief from all of the other people I've met tonight."

"Do you really spend your time around them?" he asked. "No offense, but they are quite..."

"Tedious?" she finished. She laughed. "That's what I've been thinking my whole life."

"Call me impressed," he said, "I never thought you would find royal life so tedious, Princess."

"It's the same everyday," she shrugged, "of course it gets tedious."

"Would you accompany me for a walk in the gardens?" he asked. "It's quite stuffy in here and I've heard that the gardens are very beautiful."

"Yes please," she said quickly, "I've been wanting to get out of here for ages."

He glanced around to check if anyone was watching before motioning to her to follow him outside. The night air was cool on their faces and the moon gave off a soft white glow to light their way. They found a bench near the main courtyard and sat down.

"So, tell me more about yourself, Mr. Duval," Gwen said. "I find your character to be quite intriguing."

"You compliment me too much, Princess," he said. "On the contrary, I find myself to be quite boring."

"Oh?" she arched an eyebrow. "Don't we all."

"How could being a Princess be boring?" he asked. "You have everything you could ever want."

"Except for freedom," she said quietly.

She glanced at him and he looked taken aback. He quickly smoothed his features back into a jovial expression.

"I often find myself yearning for freedom as well," he remarked thoughtfully, "though from different circumstances."

"And which circumstances would those be?" she asked.

"Poverty," he said, "I come from a poor background. I'm lucky that I'm even here."

"Here as in Elithriel or here as in being alive?" she asked.

"Both," he replied. "I suppose you could call our situations the exact opposite of each other."

"I suppose you could," she said. After a moment of silence, she added, "I've never met anyone like you before. It's quite a refreshing change. In fact, I think you're the most decent person that I've ever met."

"Then I'm really sorry for what I'm about to do," he said slowly. His mirthful demeanor slowly disappeared and was replaced by something darker. "It's nothing personal, I promise."

"What are you doing?" she asked suspiciously as she watched him remove a white cloth from his coat pocket.

He looked at her sadly. "Goodnight, Princess," he said and placed the cloth over her face.

That was the last thing she heard before everything went black.

The Princess and the Thief (ON HIATUS)Where stories live. Discover now