My Princess

Chapter 19

*FLASHBACK*
Grace's POV
"It's okay. You will be alright" Lance assures me.
I can feel the tears stream down my face. I pace my hand against my stomach. What was once flat, is now filled with a new life.
"You have to run. Go to my parents home. I already sent them a letter. They care for you and the child." He tells me, but it's too much pain to bear.
"The king ... he is going to kill you." I drop to the ground, uncontrollably sobbing.
I feel Lance kneel beside me. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me close to him.
I look up into his beautiful, green eyes. The thought of never seeing them again, I can't stand it. We are the woods where we first met. Now, this is our last goodbye.
He gently touches my stomach. Then a small tear slides down his face. He would be the most perfect father.
"Please, go. Save yourself and our baby."
"What are you going to do?" I ask.
"I am going to fight. Fight for the life of my child."
He is the bravest, most compassionate man I have ever known. But he always fights alone. Never wants to rely on others that want to help him.
He presses his lips to mine. And then pulls me up from the ground and holds me close to him. I am trembling in his strong arms.
"It's a girl, I know it," I say with a smile. "I want to name her Myra."
"It's perfect." He says. "She will be as beautiful as you."
"And as brave and strong headed as you, I hope she will have your eyes," I say, imagining our daughter.
Loud shouting can be heard, calling out Lance's name. The knights are coming for him. My eyes widen in horror as this will be the last time I will ever see the love of my life. And he will never meet our child.
"Run!" He screams, and I listen.
I ran and I never looked back. I can hear swords hitting each other making a sharp, ear piercing sound. He is fighting alone like he always had to do.
Once I can no longer hear them, I stop. Because of the extra weight, I'm carrying I found it hard to keep going.
I can hardly breathe now. I gasp for air, but I can never get enough. Tears rushing down my face.
I fall to my knees, and then I let out a scream of anger. I can't lose him. I won't let the king kill him.
My mind starts racing, planning ways to save him. But then a sharp pain starts in my stomach.
I clutch my swollen belly and cry out. I hear people approaching me. I look through my tears and see Lance's parents racing towards me.
"I'm sorry," I scream through the pain.
"It's not your fault. It's the kings. I just don't understand why he had just now passed the law that nobles cannot have children with peasants. I just don't understand it." Lance's mom complains.
"I know why he did," I growl through my teeth.
"What are you saying, child?" Lance's father asks.
"The king..." I am cut short by another agonizing pain.
"We'll talk later, she is about to have the baby."
They help me to my feet and lead me through the woods to their home. I am laid down on a bed.
All the pain that would come was worth it. So I could bring Lance's and my beautiful child into this world. And that's all I felt for hours. Was never-ending pain.
But I small cry broke through the air. And all the pain was gone. I can now see a tiny baby being held in her grandmother's arms. She is then placed I mine.
I look at her and immediately burst into tears. She is the most beautiful child, she has barely cried and just looks calmly at me. Her beautiful green eyes.
I don't know if I have ever felt so happy in my entire life. I hold her close to me and rock her gently on my arms, I hum to her and on cue, she goes to sleep.
I have stared at her for hours. Memorizing every part of her face. She is so precious. She opens her eyes and looks at me.
"Hi, Myra. You are so pretty. And so loved, by me and your... father. He wishes he could be here. He will always love you." Tears pour down my face.
"I wish he could meet you. Oh, how he would hold you, kiss you, and protect you. In a perfect world, he would watch you grow up and become a strong young woman. He would be sad when you fall in love and leave home. Oh, but he would walk with you on your wedding day and let you go, but you would never go far because you will love us just as much as we love you."
She starts to cry, not loud. Just soft sobs, as if she knows she will miss someone whom she has never met.
"I know. It's okay. You're okay. We're okay." I say trying to convince myself more than her. "I'm gonna fix this, okay? You are going to meet your father. If it's the last thing I do, I will let you see him."
I have decided. I'm going to find Lance, I am going to save him.
I sit up and wrap a blanket around Myra. I check and see that Lance's parents are still asleep.
I creep out the door and then start running. And I keep running, hold my child close to me.
*******
I finally make it to the inner circle of the kingdom. I pull my hood up so that no one can see me. I pull Myra close to me and continue walking through the crowds.
"What a beautiful child you have there." I chilling voice says from behind me.
I try to take off running but then a hand harshly pulls me back. I turned and look right into the cold eyes of the king.
"I bet you are here to see Lance. Let me take you to him." He says with a sickly sweet grin. I follow him.
He takes me to the dungeon and leads me to a cell. One of the guards opens it and then I am thrust into the cell, but right before the cell door is shut Myra is torn from my arms.
"No!!!" I scream. I try to reach through the bars but I can't reach her.
I feel breathing right behind and me. I turn to see Lance looking at me with no expression on his face. His pupils are so large that none of the green colors is left.
"Lance. Look at me. Myra, she right there. Your daughter. Look at her for god sakes." I scream, but he does not respond.
"He can't hear you, Grace. He no longer there. He has been brainwashed, tortured to the point where he has turned everything off. Look at the man you once loved for being strong-willed, he broke easier than a twig." Laughs the king.
"Why... why are you doing this to me?" I ask.
"Oh. It's revenge, pure and simple. You refuse to give me your love so I will take away yours. Understand? But now you have brought me the child of your own free will which makes things a lot easier." He tells me simply. "I have always loved you Grace, but if I can't have you no one will. And besides a have the next best thing." He smiles looking down at Myra.
"You sick bastard," I scream and pound on the cell door.
"Lance, do me a favor and end it." And then the king walks out with me crying after him.
Suddenly I am grabbed and thrown against the wall. I'm almost knocked out, but I managed to keep my eyes open. Then I see him coming towards me with a knife in his hand.
"No. Lance." I scoot away from him, horrified. "This isn't you. Stop. Please. Don't hurt me. I love you." I cry out.
Throws me on my back and climbs on top of me. He starts to bring the knife closer to him and grab his hands pushing as hard as I can trying to keep the knife away from me.
But he is too strong, and he keeps getting closer.
I feel the tip break through my skin and I scream in pain. He slowly pushes the deeper and deeper into my chest. Then I suddenly sit up, forcing the knife to go all the way through me. I gasp, but then I press my lips to his. Then I fall back to the ground. I see him come back to me. His green eyes once again visible. He looks down at me, shock covering his face. He rips the knife from me and I scream. He presses on the wound trying to stop the bleeding.
"What have I done? Oh god, I'm sorry." He cries. "HELP! We need help."
"Shh.. it's okay. I wasn't you. I know that." I smile, but small tears escape me.
"No, no, no. This can't be happening. I can't let you die." He sobs.
"My fight is over. But Myra's has just begun. Please do everything in your power to save her." I say. He nods.
"It's okay. You can close your eyes now. All the pain will be over soon."
"I can't... you were right, what you said a long time ago. I am afraid of the dark. If I close my eyes, there will be nothing but darkness... and I'm scared. I want you to be the last thing I see because you were my light in the darkness."
I start coughing. My lungs are filling with my own blood. Cold spreads through my body, but no pain.
"I love you," I say. I faintly hear him mumble it back and then everything stops.