A few nights later I needed someone to speak to. Just to vent about this crazy situation that Everly is in, how every time I look at the King, I see that deceiving and manipulative smile. Considering my non-disclosure agreement, there isn't a lot I can do regarding speaking out. But I trust Kai, I trust him with my life.
We're brothers. We've been through some serious shit together. Seen some serious shit together. We have a special bond that I didn't think I could experience in this life-time. A friendship so solid that I know I could tell him anything and it will be safe with him forever.
He's dropped me a few texts since I've been here. It's almost been five weeks since I started and we've barely had a chance to talk. But tonight I know that I need to express something before I explode.
I know that I can't address this shit to Everly because it's not my life, it's hers. But every day that I spend with her, I realise that this is severely unfair. Like keeping an animal in a tiny glass box at the zoo and not allowing it to experience anything else but the same four walls. It's sad, devastating. Knowing that she can't leave. She can't pursue her dreams.
You watch them struggle, you see them deteriorate and you feel useless. Wishing there was something I could do to get her out of here.
As the phone rings on my mobile, I huff out a sigh and try to relax into the soft pillows. Egyptian cotton might be nice but it felt uncomfortable, nothing could shake the guilt that clouds my mind.
"Grayson," Kai's voice echoes through the receiver. "Long time no speak, man."
"Hey, Kai," I say quietly. "Sorry it's taken me so long to ring you back. It's been fucking wild over here."
Kai hums. "Really? The job is that bad, huh?"
"Yeah but not in the way that you think," I find myself admitting.
I tilt my head and look at the clock beside my bed, approaching midnight. My eyes felt tired but I know I wouldn't be able to sleep any time soon, speaking to Kai eases my mind and I feel like I'm at home.
I miss home but in a different way than I did when I was in the army.
"What do you mean?" His curious tone sparks something in me.
"Things are completely not as they seem with the royal family," I say in a hushed voice, hoping that no one was walking outside as I speak.
"Fuck!" Kai shouts. "Is it the King? I fucking knew it was the King!"
I wince at the loudness and attempt to turn down the volume. "I really shouldn't be talking about this over the phone but I feel like I'm about to implode if I don't."
Kai pauses for a moment and I wait for him to speak. "Are you safe?"
"I'm safe but someone else isn't."
"What do you mean? Stop speaking in fucking riddles. This is killing me, Grayson."
"I don't want to say too much," I grumble out. "I know calls can be traced and if this gets back to me, I can be in deep shit. I've signed stuff and I shouldn't be talking about anything."
"Well Gray, I know fuck all currently. You've barely said anything of worth, I think you'll be safe from MI5."
I run a hand over my face and exhale sharply. "I'm being serious, Kai."
"I am too. Is it the Princess?"
My mouth opens but I stop myself saying something I shouldn't. "She's very misunderstood," I explain. "She's so intelligent, super smart, witty. She doesn't need a guard, she needs a life."
Kai inhales. "Needs a life. Hmmmm."
"I feel so bad for her." I bury my head into my hand and close my eyes.
"You got it hard for her, huh?"
My eyes snap open. "What?"
"You like the Princess."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't not say that."
I groan and roll over in bed, phone still glued to my ear. "You're such a pain in the ass," I mumble.
Kai chuckles. "I know, I'm just messing. So she's nice. The Princess?"
"Yes." I say shortly.
"Are you okay?"
I purse my lips and look up at the ceiling. "For now," I gulp. "But shit is going to go down in a few months time and I feel like it's going to be all my fault."
"Gray," Kai starts. "It's just a job, you're just doing what you've been asked to do. You need the money, you need this job to get back into the army. I promise you nothing is your fault."
If only you knew. I think in my head. If only you knew.
My heart feels heavy, close to running out of power to beat. The guilt is weighing me down again.
"Gray?"
"I'm here."
"You know you can call me any time, whatever is going on."
"I just wish you knew the half of it," I whisper and then close my eyes, rubbing my fingers into them tightly.
"Get some sleep man." Kai tells me seriously. "You sound exhausted. Maybe ask if you could have a trip home for a few days, clear your mind. Then we can talk in person. Away from technology."
I couldn't leave Everly here alone, I had no idea what they'd do to her. If they'd let me come back. Bring the wedding forward, punish her for God knows what. If I'm here, I can keep an eye on her. Look out for her.
I can't do anything if I'm outside of the castle, the best way I can help her is if I'm here with her. Trying to build some evidence as I go, grow closer with the King, gain his full trust. Things might slip out when he feels comfortable and that isn't going to happen over night, I need to be patient with it.
"Okay man," I agree. "Thanks for talking to me."
"No worries," he sounds hopeful.
"Have you been well?"
"Sure have, not a lot going on back home." He sighs.
"Okay, well I'll talk to you later."
"Good night."
I cut off the call and place my phone onto my bedside table and climb underneath the covers. Attempting to get some form of sleep instead of laying awake, thinking of ideas to get Everly out of here. Anything at all.
It might just kill me or drive me to insanity because I cannot shut it off for two seconds.
I can leave this castle and carry on with my life but Everly can't.
So I will fight for her life. For her freedom because no one else will.
♛ ♛ ♛
The next day I follow Everly down to the pottery room, she instantly starts to make a small pot. Somehow making it bigger, the clay sliding through her fingers with ease. I'm mesmerised by her talent, especially as she's never been taught by anyone or watched YouTube tutorials to master it.
"Have you ever tried pottery before?" She questions, eyeing me watching her.
"No," I shake my head. "Never have."
"Do you want to try?"
I glance over my shoulder like anyone could come barging in at any moment but usually they don't. Unless it's Lois to tell us that breakfast or dinner has been mate.
"Maybe another time," I defer her offer gently.
"Okay," she shrugs and carries on.
"What are you going to make?"
Her lips vibrate against each other as she thinks. "Unsure, just going to experiment. I like not having a set idea and just seeing where it takes me. Makes the experience a lot more fun."
"I like that analogy."
She turns to me and smiles. Her dark hair is pulled up into a messy ponytail with pieces of hair falling around her face. Then her blue eyes hold mine and she keeps smiling, I never wanted her to stop. It was far too precious.
"Thanks," she says after a few moments. "Guess it's a little chaotic and no professional would probably do that but I like the way it makes me feel."
Her words are soft, like she's speaking from deep inside her heart. "Do what makes you feel happy."
Then her smile is snatched from her face in a second and I open my lips to speak but I'm unsure what to say. The word happy clearly is a trigger, maybe she's never experienced true happiness and I shouldn't have said that.
I've fucked this. Completely fucked this by not thinking through what I'm going to say.
My hands become clammy and I push one through my dark hair. Everly's eyes now avoid mine and I clear my throat to stop myself from choking. Say something. Say something. I chant in my head. Fucking anything.
"D-Did you sleep okay?"
Her brows furrow down to the spinning clay between her fingers. "Okay, I guess."
I purse my lips and nod, leaning my elbows over my knees and clasping my hands together in front of me. Then she peeks up at me through her long lashes and bites down on her bottom lip.
"Did you?"
"Not really."
Her face scrunches up and then she looks at me completely again. "Why?"
I shrug and lean back in the chair. "I have things on my mind."
"Troubles at home?"
My lungs hold for a second, I couldn't tell her that my worries are her. She'd feel even worse than when I brought up the word happy. "Something like that," I lie. "I just spoke to my friend Kai, it's been a while since we last talked."
Everly stops the machine from spinning and she wipes her wet hands onto a towel. "Your friend?"
"Yeah a friend from the army," I say.
She draws her shoulders up to her ears. "On the phone?"
"Yeah."
"Must be nice, having friends." The tone of her voice made me shudder. I hate how it makes me feel. No hope, no nothing.
"Naaa," I say loudly, catching her attention. "He's a bit of an asshole."
Everly studies my face and then realises I'm just messing. She smiles back at me. "You tell him that?"
"Oh all the time," my voice is playful and Everly continues to smile. "But I'm sure I piss him off too."
"Probably," there's a sparkle in her eye and I feel it all the way down, through my soul.
"Hey," I wave a hand jokingly in her direction. "Only I get to say that."
Her lips part and she releases a small chuckle. The sound is like music to my ears. A complete masterpiece.
The door behind us is opened and I turn over my shoulder instantly, standing to my feet at the noise. I look directly at Lois as she looks between Everly and I, her laughter instantly dying down.
She says nothing for a few moments, sizing us up like she interrupted an intimate moment but all Everly was doing was laughing. Nothing wrong with laughing.
"Is something wrong?" I ask, forcing her to speak.
"No," she releases the door handle. "But the King would like to speak with you, Princess."
A small groan comes from her chest and I look over at her. "Does he need me right this second?"
"Yes," she almost hisses. "You know that the King doesn't like to wait."
Everly rolls her eyes and finally drags herself up from the chair. Lois makes herself scarce and I follow Everly through the house and towards her father's office, she knocks once before entering.
I shuffle in behind her as Richard nods at us both. "Grayson," he says formally. "You don't need to be here for this. May you please step outside and wait until we are finished."
My eyes instantly dart to Everly and I see a wave of fear reach her eyes but she pushes it away before her father can see. "Of course," I draw out and watch as she looks down. "I'll be right outside, your majesty."
I shut the door behind me and stand on the opposite wall, listening to the radio silence. I could bet that the room is soundproof, he needs to make sure that all his conversations are private.
Time ticks by, it makes me agitated. I find myself tapping my foot against the wooden floors, staring back at his office door. Wishing I could be a fly on the wall.
It's twenty minutes, then thirty.
My heart races, fuck knows what he's doing but I can't go barging in. How would that make me look then?
I begin to pace, slowly. Behind the doors, anything to keep my mind in control. Maybe they're just discussing the wedding, she's being resilient and giving him a hard time. As she should, which is why it's taking so much longer than needed.
He's probab–
The door opens loudly, swinging and crashing into the wall inside the office. I barely get to look at Everly as she storms past me, a hand pressing to her cheek. I'm sure I saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes as she races away.
My feet keep up with her and once we're upstairs and on the landing, I look over my shoulder. Knowing that we're alone. But she doesn't slow down, she carries on down the hall like nothing is going to stop her from getting away.
"Everly," I call for her but she doesn't stop. "Everly."
I lunge forward and grip onto her wrist desperately before she can tuck herself away in her room for the night. Leaving me to fret over what happened.
She pulls aggressively at her hand, removing it from my grip. Her dark hair is now falling over her face and in front of her eyes. The action felt like my touch burned her, sizzled at her skin and hurt her. Nausea rises in my throat.
"I'm sorry," I pant. I didn't mean to grab her. I know I shouldn't touch her like that.
Her eyes avoid mine and I dip my head to try and see her expression but she doesn't let me.
"I'm sorry that I grabbed you," I mumble out but she walks backwards towards her room again. "I'm–" I almost stop myself but I carry on. "—I'm worried about you."
Everly sniffles, confirming my suspicions that she's upset. But she doesn't give me another look, she runs into her room and slams it. Shaking the walls of the castle.
I speed walk up to the door but stop short. There is no way I'd force my way in. Her bedroom is probably her safe space, the only place she can be truly alone.
A part of me doesn't even want to know what went down with her and her father. Things are getting ugly, fast. And way out of my control.
My back presses against the opposite wall and my head falls back harshly, feeling the thump through my skull. I grit my teeth and try to lower my breathing.
Things need to change around here, for the King. Things need to change for him.
He can't get his happily ever whilst taking someone else's away. That person being his daughter. The person he is meant to love, to cherish, to understand. But he does none of those things and he needs to be brought to justice.
♛ ♛ ♛
Author's Note
Read up to chapter 29 on Patreon. Link in bio!
Hello my loves! What did you think of this chapter??
The King has fucked upppppppp, poor Everly my heart hurts so much for her😭😭
I love that Grayson is really trying to get to know Everly on a personal level💕
I hope you guys have been enjoying so far!
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