Chapter Four
William couldn't help but grin stupidly to himself as walked back through the Palace, a definite spring in his step as he felt the points where Abey's lips had met his still glowing warm. He was reunited with the girl he loved, and she was well on her way to making a full recovery, and on top of that so far no-one had questioned their unusual relationship, and even more it was his birthday in just over a week, the perfect opportunity to make a big announcement...
He felt on top of the world and nothing could bring him down now, not the odd glances people gave him as he danced by, not when Georgiana called an insult to him as he passed, not even when he was approached by one of the Palace slaves with a message from his Mother.
"Sire, the Queen requests your presence in her reception room at once" The slave bowed before the Prince.
"Of course, right away. Thank you, Miss" He beamed back, turning around and making his way to see his Mother. The slave looked after him with a confused look. She thought he would want to avoid the Queen, she was definitely not in a good mood.
"Good Evening, Mother" William swung around the doorframe as he entered the reception room, before leaping into a chair and sighing happily. "I'm sorry I left so suddenly before, there was just something I had to do and it couldn't wait. It's all sorted now, though" He smiled as he suppressed a chuckle.
The Queen was stood in front of the large window, looking out over the gardens with her back to William, her arms folded.
"Someone is certainly in a good mood" She said, William not hearing the cold tone in her voice.
"Everything is going right today, Mother. Everything is wonderful and everything is perfect..." he replied wistfully, leaning his head back and closing his eyes contentedly.
The Queen felt the blood in her veins start to heat up as she listened to her son's lovelorn voice.
"So it's true then" She said curtly, not turning to face the Prince.
"Lot's of things are true, Mother. You'll have to be a bit more specific." William laughed lazily, his head still back and his eyes closed, a lopsided smile on his face as he thought of Abey.
"Abey"
William's head shot up and he stared at his Mother, who had now turned to face him with a stony glare. He held her gaze, his elation slowly starting to drain from him.
"I don't know what you mean" he replied uncertainly after a long pause. His Mother continued to stare at him.
"I saw you. Together. Just now." She said, William feeling like her stare could turn him to ice. "But I want to hear it from you. Is it true?" She repeated, her eyes piercing.
William sighed and sat up in the chair, avoiding his Mother's gaze as he stared at his hands, fiddling with them as he rested his elbows on his knees.
"Yes. It's true" He said resignedly. This wasn't how we had wanted to tell his parents, especially not his Mother. He looked up and met her gaze once more. "I love her" he said quietly, and watched as the icy stare turned first to disappointment, then anger.
"How could you do this to us? Have you taken any thought to how this will look?" The Queen seemed to burst, her voice rising steadily as she started to pace around the room. "And what about the girl? Leading her on-"
"Mother, I just said I love her!" William shot to his feet, his voice also rising.
"Don't be ridiculous, William. She's a slave." The Queen spat.
"And I don't care about that!" William retaliated, standing his ground. "I love her, and she loves me-"
His Mother span around at his words, letting out a callous laugh. "Oh yes, of course she does" She said sarcastically, "And I think we can all guess why. The slave pursuing a relationship with the Prince. Really, William, are you so blind?"
William started to ball his hands into fists, trying to calm himself down. She was beginning to sound more like Georgiana with every word that came out of her mouth, and he had always found it hard to control his anger around his sister's taunts.
"Will you please send for my husband? It's an emergency. And send someone to fetch the Prince's personal slave...That's right, she's the one. Thank you" William hadn't noticed his Mother going over to the door and beckoning over a passing servant. He stood where he was as his Mother walked over to a chaise-lounge and sank slowly into it, one hand rubbing her temples tiredly.
They stood and sat in silence, after a few minutes William also sinking back into the chair behind him, only stand back up straight away when his Father burst through the doors of the reception room. The King cast a curious glance over his Son, before turning his attentions to his wife.
"My love, are you alright? They said it was an emergency" he said, sitting next to her and rubbing a comforting hand on her back. He had never seen the Queen so quiet, especially in the middle of a crisis. Usually she would be waving her arms around and wailing.
"I didn't want to believe it. I still don't want to" she said in a sad, tired voice. The King looked up his son, who was now looking slightly uneasy himself as he saw the effect on his Mother.
"It's true, Henry. You were right" She said, looking up at her husband with watery eyes. "What can be done?"
The King said nothing but looked back at his son, repeating the stony expression the Queen had worn just a few minutes before.
"I don't know. Not yet" he replied, still looking at William, who looked back with pleading eyes. The room fell silent once more, only the Queen's occasional sigh filling the space between them all. After a few minutes there was a light tap on the door, which opened when the Queen bid them enter.
Two members of the armed guard entered the room, each holding onto the top of Abey's arms as they led her further into the room. William jolted forward as he saw Abey's terrified face, her eyes flickering between himself, the King and Queen, and the two guards still holding her on either side.
"The Prince's Personal Slave, as you requested, Your Majesty" The bigger guard announced.
"Let her go" William demanded before either of his parents could speak. The guards looked over to the Queen, who nodded her head gave a wave of her hand, letting them know they were excused. They both let go of Abey, who fell forward and was caught by William, pulling her close to him and burying his face in the top of her head. They then bowed to each of the Royals, looking curiously at the Prince, before exiting the room and closing the doors behind them.
Abey wasn't sure what she should do. She had been on her way down to the kitchens for her dinner when the guards had approached her, telling her the Queen had requested her presence. They had not told her any more as they each took hold of her and steered her through the Palace. Now she was here she was still no clearer to knowing what was happening, all she saw were the King and Queen, both sat down and looking slightly ill as William hugged her tightly.
"Wh...What's going on?" She managed to say as she gently prised herself away from the Prince.
"They know" He said plainly, realisation flooding her eyes as she turned to look at the King and Queen.
They were now both stood, and had taken several steps towards them. Abey had always thought of the King and Queen as benevolent and kindly rulers, but now as she took in their stony expressions, she found herself never feeling so intimidated, even the comforting feeling of William's arm around her waist wasn't enough to dispel the feeling that this meeting was not going to end well.
"Abey, we have a few questions to ask you. Questions about you and Prince William. We want you to answer us honestly." The King said as friendly as he could. He may not approve of what was going on between his son and the girl, but he saw no need to scare or threaten her.
He smiled grimly as the girl nodded her head, her huge eyes made even larger with fear. He turned to his wife, intimating that she should carry on, he felt he already knew the answers to any questions he could ask just by looking at the couple, William stood behind Abey, his arm wrapped around waist. They were a pair. A unit.
"How long have you been having this...affair, with the Prince?" The Queen asked curtly.
"Mother, it's not an 'affair'. We're-"
"William, I have heard enough from you. When I wish for you to answer a question I shall ask you yourself. This question is for your slave, now let her answer" The Queen turned expectantly back to Abey, who swallowed nervously before struggling out her answer.
"About, about...since November, Your Majesty" she said nervously. The Queen simply closed her eyes.
"November?" She repeated, obviously trying to keep herself calm. "So you have been carrying on this...this..." The Queen struggled to find the right word.
"Love" William interjected coolly.
"This 'fling'" the Queen retorted, "for almost four months. Is that what you are saying?"
"Yes" William said defiantly as Abey nodded once before staring at the floor. "And it isn't a 'fling'."
"Don't be ridiculous, William. She's a slave, it's not as if you can actually be with her." his Mother scoffed.
"Well what if she wasn't a slave?" William said, his eyes flashing. Before his parents could answer he quickly turned Abey around and pulled the gold bands off her arms, throwing them across the room. "There," he said, a triumphant look on his face. "She isn't a slave anymore"
"What are you do-"
"I set her free" William interrupted his Mother's shocked face as he held Abey close to him again.
"You can't-"
"Yes I can" He said, almost delirious. "She was my Personal slave and so mine to do with as I wish. And I set her free. Now she isn't a
slave, she's just a normal citizen and there's nothing to stop us being together" He finished, his eyes gleeful as he kissed the top of Abey's head, who was looking at her bare arms with wide eyes.
"Son, it isn't that simple. Releasing a slave isn't just a case of taking a pair of bands off their arms and saying 'you're free'" the King began to explain calmly.
"Once a slave, always a slave" the Queen added, turning her head towards Abey. "So tell me, was it always your plan to seduce the Prince or was it just something that occurred to you one day four months ago?" The Queen spat.
"Dear" The King said in a warning tone as William exclaimed "Mother!". Abey simply looked worriedly around at the three Royals, opening her mouth as if to speak, but deciding against it and staring back at the floor.
"Are you really both so blind?" The Queen laughed without humour, her voice now rising, "You say this girl loves you?" She turned her stare to William, who stood even more defiantly, holding Abey tighter in front of him so he could wrap both arms protectively around her. "The only reason this girl is pursuing this relationship with you is for the things she will gain from it!" She cried, now turning her anger back towards Abey, who flinched at the force of her words. "Is it power you're after? Or gold? Jewels and pretty clothes? Or maybe the perfect way to get freedom? Make the Prince fall in love with you so he'll release you, and you get a comfortable, easy life in the bargain! What are you? Nothing but a filthy, common slave!"
"Mother, stop!" William shouted as Abey started to cry, large heavy drops falling down her face. "Just stop it now!"
"Not until I find out what she wants!" The Queen screeched, her husband trying to calm her down as William carried on begging her to stop.
"NOTHING!"
The Royals fell silent and stared at Abey as she stood sobbing in the Prince's arms.
"NOTHING I WANT NOTHING" She cried, the King and Queen frozen to the spot, never having seen a slave have an outburst such as this. "I love him" She choked out. "That's all. I just...love him. I don't want...anything else" she gasped for air as she sank to the floor, William falling to his knees beside her, kissing her once and hugging her to his chest, rocking her gently and murmuring softly into her hair.
"It's alright. It's fine now. Don't worry. You're alright"
The Queen fell back onto the chaise-lounge, exhausted, while the King sighed and approached the couple on the floor.
"William" he began softly, his son looking up at his him, still stroking Abey's hair and muttering comforting things to her. "I cannot pretend I did not guess that this was going on, and I will not pretend that we can accept this. It is my own fault it has gotten this far. I should have acted sooner. Put a stop to it when I first had my suspicions." He sighed sadly.
"I won't love anyone else" William told his Father bluntly.
"Son-"
"And I won't marry for anything other than love." He continued defiantly.
"Son, do you realise what you are saying?" His Father asked softly.
"Do you?" William replied, just as softly.
"You know we cannot allow this." The King sighed. William didn't answer, but rested his chin on the top of Abey's head, staring at the legs of the chair ahead of him. "We will have someone sent to your Chambers to remove the furniture, and Abey must prepare her things to be moved to the designated staff quarters. In the morning she will report to the head slave coordinator to receive her new duties." William didn't react, except to pull Abey closer to him. The King walked over to the door and called to one of the guards stood outside, who came in and pulled Abey out of William's resisting arms, and leading her out of the room, escorting her back up to the Prince's room.
"We will leave you a few minutes in your Chambers to say your goodbyes, but then after that you understand that you will most likely never see her again." The King told his son, who still knelt on the floor, staring straight ahead.
William finally lifted his head to look at his Father, his eyes shimmering with unspilled tears. "And you understand that if you make me do this then you will most likely never see me again."
They stared at each other for a moment.
"I know." The King said sadly, walking over to his wife and sitting down next her, William leaping to his feet and running out of the door.
There wasn't a second to lose.