Chained Princess

Chapter 7 - Library Games Pt. 2

After a few more hallways, they finally made it to a set of double doors. "That's the ex-master's bedroom, Master," the young guard explained.

There was a distinct sound of grunting and moans coming from inside the room. Rowan let out an angry growl as he kicked open the door.

A startled shriek echoed through the room as a young woman quickly covered herself and crawled off the fat nobleman.

"What is the meaning of this?" the nobleman yelled as he struggled to sit up from the bed, his significant girth greatly hindering his efforts.

Rowan stood silently in the doorway, covered in dirt and blood, with murder emanating from every fiber of his being. The nobleman's face turned bright red with anger upon seeing him. "You! I'll kill you! Guards!"

Rowan let out a haunting roar of laughter that silenced the room. He could feel his magic react to the intense fury and rage surging through his body. It twisted around him as he took long strides toward the fat man struggling to get out of his bed.

Rowan unsheathed a dagger as he approached. The nobleman had begun to sob and plead as he realized there was no escape. "Please, I will give you anything. Take my money, take the woman, take the mansion, just please! Don't kill me!"

The man's cries for help didn't even reach Rowan's ears. He was blind and deaf to anything except the cowering man's lingering mortality. Raising the dagger over the fat man, his sapphire eyes blazing under the candlelight and a cruel smile on his face, Rowan brought the blade down with one powerful stroke, "I hope you can get a good price in hell."

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Anastasia made her way through the dark hallways of the castle, avoiding detection from patrolling guards by casting herself in a shadow with her magic. The necklace burned with each use and only continued to get hotter as she got closer to the caravan. For a supply caravan, there sure was a lot of security.

Anastasia hid behind a crate as she waited for an opening. She just needed a moment to cast herself in a shadow and make a dash for the back of the caravan. There! Moving as silently and swiftly as her legs would take her, she hauled herself into the caravan, her weak arms failing to make her landing in the back very graceful.

"Did you hear that?" she heard a guard suddenly say. Her breath caught in her throat and she forced herself to stop breathing, even though her chest was now hurting from running.

"Nah, you're hearing things, mate," she heard another guard say. They both laughed and the first guard agreed with his friend as they walked away.

Anastasia let out her breath and felt relief wash over her. She still had to be careful though. She couldn't get caught just as she made it out like last time. Looking around the cramped space in the back of the caravan, she covered herself with a tarp and made herself as small as possible. Exhaustion from all the magic she had used hit her as she closed her eyes. In a few hours, she would finally be free and could go back to Rowan.

Anastasia didn't know when she fell asleep, but she awoke to the sounds of hushed voices. She couldn't tell if it was daylight from under the tarp, but she assumed it must be just before daybreak for the caravan to be leaving.

"Is everything ready?" she heard a hushed voice whisper. It sounded male, but the tarp muffled the noise, so she couldn't be sure.

Anastasia waited quietly as more voices whispered back and forth. She could hear people entering the caravan. She couldn't tell how many there were, but as someone moved a crate near her hiding spot, she had to keep herself from jumping.

"Where is he?" an irritated voice whispered close to her. She could hear the person clearly now that they were inside the caravan. It was most definitely a woman. A commotion from outside had Anastasia holding her breath before heavy boots on the caravan floor reverberated through her body.

"Sorry, had to take care of something really quickly," she heard a male voice say apologetically. There was something familiar about the voice, but Anastasia shook off the feeling. Her nerves were playing tricks on her. Getting caught last time had really shaken her.

Excitement brimmed in her chest when she finally felt the caravan begin to move, the sound of horses' hoof beats ringing through the silent air. The caravan party travelled in silence and Anastasia cursed under her breath. It would be easier to hide her own breathing under the hot tarp if there was at least some outside noise.

After a while, she heard a female voice speak, "What are you staring at?"

A male voice replied to her, "Uh, nothing. Just thinking."

After that, there was just more silence. Anastasia found herself dozing off again. Her entire body was sore from the tension of her escape. She was just about to fall asleep when the caravan suddenly stopped. Anastasia's eyes flew open as she heard the passengers disembark to stretch their legs. Their voices became louder and quieter as they unloaded a few things from the caravan to set up camp a little distance away. She waited until there was no chance anyone was left on the caravan before slowly and quietly uncovering herself.

She had to be quick if she wanted to get away without anyone noticing. Anastasia realized now that it was still dark out. They had been traveling for a while, the sun should have been up by now. Instead, the bright moonlight cast its dim glow through the back entrance. In any case, the night was only her friend in this situation.

Casting a shadow over herself, Anastasia crawled to the back of the caravan and poked her head out. The members had made a small camp to the left and seemed to be passing some food around. Anastasia felt her own hunger protest. Shaking her head, she focused on her mission.

As carefully as she could, she pulled back the canvas flap and gingerly placed a foot on the old wooden frame. It creaked under her weight and she saw one of the passengers stiffen. Anastasia held her breath until the person seemed to relax and continue eating. Shifting her weight, she slowly began to climb out.

Just as freedom was within her reach and she was about to pull her other foot through the canvas, Anastasia felt a tug at her ankle and the leverage under her other foot gave way. Anastasia landed hard on the ground with a mouth full of dirt and a groan loud enough to have everyone in the camp standing and yelling.

She quickly pulled her face from the ground and her grey eyes came face to face with a familiar pair of mischievous brown ones. "I was wondering how long you were going to take coming out!" Cesare said to her with a wide smile.

Anastasia stared in utter disbelief, sprawled on the ground on all fours while Cesare squatted in front of her. His head was cocked to the side and a grin was plastered on his face. By the time Anastasia composed herself, the rest of the party was standing around her.

She looked up to see Tacra, a young man and woman she did not recognize, and lastly, but certainly not the least, the icy blue eyes of the very man she was trying to escape.

Anastasia's jaw hung slack as she sat back on her bottom. "Wh-wha-what are you doing here?" she stuttered out. This was not how her plan was supposed to go.

"I think we should be asking you that," the king growled out as he glared down at her.

Anastasia snapped out of her shock at the sound of his voice. She quickly stood to face them as angry tears began to spill down her face. She took a step forward, her blurry vision filled with visage of his torso. Jabbing an accusing finger into the arrogant king's chest, she craned her neck to glare into his icy blue eyes.

"Me?! Me!I was escaping you!"

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I hope you are enjoying it so far! The next few chapters should get a little more exciting, so stay tuned! :D