Whaaaaaat?!
Another chapter only 24 hours after the last one?
I totally got in the 'zone' and went on a huge writing spree.
Enjoy!
Xx Divine Romance
~~~
"Tristan!" Tristan ignored the call and kept marching away. "Tristan, slow down!" He kept walking. A hand on his shoulder pulled him to a sudden halt. It was Samuel, breathing heavily and staring at him with wide eyes. "Where are you going?"
"I do not know. Away," he murmured.
"You cannot just leave her here!"
"I am confused, leave me be," Tristan ordered. His emotions were a tangled jumble that made no sense to him.
"There is nothing to be confused about! Rose was clearly hurting to say those words. I cannot believe you would even think for a second that perhaps she was telling the truth!"
"She said it all so calmly, Samuel. As if it was nothing to reject my heart and send me away," Tristan finally said. "How could she do that if it was a lie?"
"Would you not do the same to protect someone you love?"
"Break their heart?" Tristan asked dubiously.
"No! All I know is that Eliad is a cunning master of deceit. You do not know what he has threatened Rose with. Do you truly believe that everything that has happened between you was a lie? Did you not see her expression when you started to leave? Look back, remember, and tell me that she feels nothing for you."
"If everything she said was a lie, then Eliad had to have known that we were coming. How could he have known such a thing?" Tristan rebutted.
"We do not know much about these woods. Perhaps he has spies or ways to see through the trees," Samuel suggested.
Tristan frowned. He wanted to believe, so badly, that Rose had lied. But his heart ached as he recalled her rejection and his stomach seemed to burn as he remembered the cold light in her eyes. His thoughts drifted to her expression as he left. Her eyes were full of unshed tears. He remembered her whispering 'run' as he had tried to embrace her.
His hand went to his chest as he thought. Something hard brushed against his palm and he immediately realised it was the necklace Rose had given him. The necklace. Rose had not been lying when she had given him the gift - she had been vulnerable and hopeful. He recalled the beautiful expression on her face as she handed it to him. Then the way she had told him she loved him at the library during the ball. How they had danced together so many times with eyes only for one another. Their love was true, and in that moment Tristan realised it for himself.
"What a fool I am," Tristan muttered quietly. "To so easily doubt her love yet so readily believe her rejection."
Samuel smiled.
"I have to go back for her," Tristan declared, turning on his heel. "I have to beg her forgiveness for even considering her words - for leaving her there."
"No, Tristan, wait," Samuel said, his hand pressed against Tristan's chest to stop him walking. "It is far too dangerous. Eliad clearly has a way to know when we are coming, and he evidently has a way to control Rose. We do not know what we may be walking into. We have to think about this carefully and prepare a plan, else you could lose your life."
"She will think I left her there - she will think I do not care for her anymore," Tristan moaned.
"I will go back to her," a new voice declared simply. Tristan turned around to see the knight William standing sombrely to the side. "One has less chance of being discovered than many. If I can find a way to rescue her without being seen, then I shall, Your Highness."
"If only one person should go for her then it should be me," Tristan stated.
William shook his head. "No, you are the Prince - your life is worth far more than my own. If anything happens to you the kingdom will be thrown into chaos. I am the one who knows this forest and the surroundings paths; I ought to be the one who goes back for her."
"I will not just sit around hoping that Rose is returned to me," Tristan said gruffly with a deep frown.
"No. You need to leave and return to the castle." Tristan opened his mouth to protest, but William cut him off. "Listen! Your Majesty, if Eliad does indeed have spies, then they will be watching to make sure we leave and do not try to ambush the campsite. You need to lead the men back to the castle and make Eliad think he has succeeded in ridding himself of you."
"And leave Rose behind in the forest? I cannot."
"I will do everything in my power to contact and free her so she understands what is happening. If I do not return a week or so after you set foot back in the castle, then you must assume something has happened or I have been unable to help her."
"And what then?" Samuel asked.
"Then we fight," Tristan said with a grave expression.
"We are agreed, then?" William questioned. Tristan tightened his lips and breathed in slowly.
"Very well."
"I will not let you down, Your Highness," William promised, taking one step back.
"William," Tristan called quietly, stopping his retreat. "Be careful."
The knight smiled and bowed. "I will."
~
Rose woke up with a start. She blinked through her bleary eyes. It was dark, and only a few guards seemed to be standing outside. She tried to move and found herself firmly tied to a tree on the edge of the clearing. Both her arms and legs were bound, her mouth was gagged tightly. Rose fought against a sudden surge of panic at being unable to move or speak. Her head throbbed and her mouth felt dry.
One guard looked up to observe her, but he made no move towards her. The other men appeared to be getting sleepy. She slumped back against the tree and closed her eyes, tears threatening to appear. There is no use crying, Rose, she told herself.
The clearing was almost completely silent, the only noises coming from those of animals. Rose glanced up at the huge trees bordering the camp, wondering if there were still archers or scouts up there. The darkness made it impossible to see more than a few meters up the trunks of the trees.
Her heart broke a little as she thought of Tristan, hours away from her by now. He had truly left her behind, and she had not been able to help it. If I ever get out of this alive, I will find him and beg for his forgiveness, she resolved. She could not bear the thought that perhaps Tristan would take a wife in the time that she was held captive.
Wide awake now, Rose realised sleep would not come to her for quite some time. She rested her head against the trunk of the tree and stared at the sky miserably, resolved to sit calmly until dawn.
It felt like only an hour, but perhaps it had been longer, when all the guards fell asleep. Rose could not help but roll her eyes - every night the men Eliad positioned to take the watch fell asleep. Rose stared in boredom at the ground, briefly wondering what critters were hidden in the terrain.
A quiet snap sounded from behind her. Rose jumped and turned her head, peering through the night. Was it a predator? A wolf? She was easy bait, tied against the tree, unable to scream and unable to move. She looked to the guards anxiously, but not one of them had moved or awoken.
A face suddenly appeared beside her. Before Rose could scream - or attempt to scream - a voice spoke. "Sssh. I am a friend, do not be afraid."
Rose stared at the person with round eyes. He was squatting beside her, pressed against the tree to attempt to stay hidden. He looked well built, with a handsome face and strong jaw. His hair was blonde and his eyes a kind blue. The man smiled at her and Rose began to relax. The man moved his hands to begin working at the knot holding the gag against her mouth. Rose sat quietly. When the gag was finally pulled off, Rose turned to stare at him once more.
"Who are you?" She whispered, casting one nervous glance at the guards.
"I am a knight under the command of Prince Tristan - my name is William," he whispered back. Rose's heart thumped heavily once at the mention of Tristan.
"Did... did Tristan send you?" She asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Aye, he did. He is most worried about you. I had intended first to find out whether you were sincere earlier when you sent him away, but seeing you tied up and gagged has confirmed my suspicions that you are not in the service of Eliad. If I am wrong, you had best tell me now," William murmured.
"N-no, you are not wrong, kind sir," Rose whispered, fighting back tears of relief and amazement. "I had to p-protect him," she stammered. "He would have been killed - I had to save him. But how it hurt to send him away, he must feel terrible," Rose whimpered. "Does he hate me for what I have done?"
"On the contrary, I wondered if I would have to fight him to convince him to leave."
"Leave?" Rose repeated, dismayed.
"He did not want to, I assure you. But Eliad must believe that the threat of danger has left - Prince Tristan is on his way to return to the castle with his men."
"So he..." Rose trailed off, biting her lip. William watched her and smiled, as if understanding her thoughts.
"I cannot speak on behalf of the Prince, but I am certain his feelings toward you are no weaker - he is anxious to have you returned to him."
"How can that be?"
"He appeared hurt at first, but it was scarcely an hour before he determined you had not been deceiving him all along, as you would have had him believe. He loves you very much," William whispered with admiration in his eyes.
He still loved her! He had realised she was lying and had sent help for her! Rose could hardly contain the joy that seemed to overwhelm her. She could not be returned to him soon enough. Rose looked back at the guards, who were still sleeping soundly. This was their chance!
"Let us go, then! They are sleeping deeply, they will not realize we are leaving," Rose whispered.
William shook his head regretfully. "I cannot just take you, no matter how greatly I desire to free you. Eliad seems to have a way to know who is approaching and leaving the clearing. He will find us both if I do not plan our escape carefully. I had hoped that perhaps you have the knowledge relating to how Eliad knew we were coming?" He asked hopefully.
"Scouts - he has scouts! I do not know where exactly they are, but it sounded like they are spread throughout the forest. They saw that Tristan was in the forest."
"We never saw any men," William said with a frown.
"Perhaps they were hidden up high - in the trees."
"Trees?" The knight repeated, dumbfounded.
"There were archers hidden in the trees today," Rose whispered frantically. "The branches are thick and the men were well concealed. That was why I had to lie so terribly - Tristan would have been shot if I did not remove him quickly."
William's mouth dropped.
"Archers hidden in trees - I have never heard such an amazing thing!"
Rose briefly thought back to the day she had first wandered through the castle gardens and Tristan had surprised her from a tree.
"People seldom seem to look up," Rose said with a soft smile.
"Indeed," William murmured in astonishment.
"It is possible the scouts saw you coming here tonight," Rose murmured anxiously. William nodded slowly.
"I know. My hope was that the knights and the Prince were a big enough group to distract the spies. They should not have noticed one man slipping away. It is a possibility they saw me, but surely they would have warned Eliad by now."
Rose shrugged - she had no way to know if Eliad suspected William's presence. "Sir Knight, you could be in terrible danger. If Eliad finds you here he will kill you," Rose whispered seriously.
"I am aware of the danger, but I am a Knight of the King and it is my duty to rescue damsels in distress. And you, my dear, are a damsel in distress," William told her, almost smiling. Rose held back a giggle - his attitude relaxed her and made her feel as though it was certain everything would be alright.
"What now?" Rose asked. William frowned and rubbed his hand along his chin. He was quiet for a moment, thinking deeply.
"If we-" William was cut off by the sound of a guard groaning. He froze and Rose immediately felt panic.
"Go, go, go," she whispered urgently. "You must go, quickly."
William looked between Rose and the guard, as if torn between leaving her here or finding safety.
"Go," Rose said again. "I will be okay."
"I will come back for you," William promised, his eyes alight with sincerity.
"Wait!" She hissed, as he was turning around. "My gag, you have to put it back on."
William widened his eyes and searched the ground for the scrap of material. He found it and quickly tied it around her mouth, his eyes apologetic, less tightly than it was before.
"Hold on, Rose," William whispered. "I will return. Be safe." Rose nodded and watched as he retreated into the darkness of the night.
The guard was wide awake not a few seconds later. He cleared his throat and stood up straight, clearly pretending he had never been asleep. He spared her a brief glance and walked over to another guard, nudging him with his foot.
"Get up, Eliad will be furious if he finds like this," the guard hissed to the other man. The men quickly scurried around to wake up the few other guards and stand in an orderly manner.
Rose paid them little attention and closed her eyes to daydream.
It did not take long until her daydreams turned into true dreams, and she found herself embraced by the whispers of sleep.
When Rose opened her eyes again, it was dawn. The clearing was covered in a grey-blue light and the sky was clouded. There were a few people about who had woken up, yet many of the tents were still closed. Some of the new recruits still stared at Rose with wide or curious eyes. Rose did not hesitate to send them pleading expressions, hoping that some would have compassion on her and a change of heart. The people merely looked away, shamefaced, and made sure to deliberately avoid Rose's gaze from that moment.
Rose still did not understand why Eliad had gagged her, but she assumed it was so she could not talk to people. Perhaps he feared that she would be able to sway his recruits with her words.
Eliad eventually emerged from his tent, dressed and equipped with his weapons. He walked over to where one man was preparing a fire and began exchanging conversation with the few people around him. Rose was left tied to the tree, unnoticed.
"How long are we to remain here?" She heard one woman ask Eliad.
"We leave for the larger camp tomorrow, at dawn. All my recruits are there, and you will join them and learn how to fight and defend yourself," Eliad replied. Rose raised her eyebrows. So there was a place where all of the rebels were gathered?
"How long is the journey?" A man questioned.
"About a week and a half away. It is very deep in the forest and it is easy to become lost. We will be safe there, it is near impossible for others to find us," Eliad explained.
"How will we not get lost?" One woman cried.
"My men and I know the way well - it is only confusing to find on the first few occasions."
The men and women ran out of questions then, and appeared to be comforted by his words.
Eventually the clearing was full of all the people, and they shared in a large breakfast of fruit and a deer that one guard had caught. There was merriment and yet solemnity, but still no one approached Rose.
When Eliad had eaten, he turned to return to his tent. As he was passing, Rose yelled into her gag, creating a muffled noise. Eliad glanced at her with one raised eyebrow and walked over to her. He yanked her gag off roughly, pulling out a few strands of her hair as he did so. Rose winced and blew away the hair that had fallen on her face.
"Good morning, Rose, how are you faring?" Eliad asked, mostly sarcastically.
"I wish to relieve myself," Rose said curtly. Eliad scowled and gestured to one of his men, who ran over to him quickly.
"Take the girl so she can relieve herself," he mimicked. Rose opened her mouth to protest, but one sharp glare from Eliad had her snapping her mouth shut. Eliad walked away briskly.
The man calmly untied Rose from the tree, and released the rope from around her ankles. He held on firmly to the rope around her wrist so she could not run away.
She would not have tried, anyway.
It was humiliating having a guard near her while she relieved herself, but he was good enough to turn around to give her privacy. When she was finished, he walked her quickly back to her tree and tied her up without a single word.
As he moved to put the gag back around her mouth, Rose turned her head away and cried out: "Wait!" The man hesitated and looked at her curiously. "I demand to speak with Eliad." The man looked uncertain, but eventually nodded and walked up to Eliad's tent. He entered, and a minute later Eliad emerged with another scowl on his face.
"What?" He asked shortly.
"My mouth is parched and my hands shake. I have not eaten or had a drink, and I wish to know if this is how you plan to treat me from henceforth," Rose said angrily. She truly was thirsty, but she also revelled in seeing Eliad annoyed and frustrated. Perhaps I could annoy him so much that he would set me free, Rose giggled to herself.
Eliad snorted and looked at her in incredulity. "I am amazed you even have the audacity to speak to me in such a tone. I am under no requirement to oblige to your every request. You are my captive, not my follower. As for now, you have performed what use you have for me and I have no desire to see to it that you are perfectly looked after. You are to sit here and remain so until I say otherwise," Eliad told her. Rose looked at him in shock, never before having been spoken to in such a rude manner. God forgive me, but I despise this man.
"You cannot refuse to see to my basic survival needs!"
"I can refuse whatever I wish to," Eliad returned.
"I will die if you do not give me water," Rose exclaimed, her heart beginning to pound in panic. Would he actually consider letting her die of dehydration?
Eliad shrugged. "Who said anything about dying?"
In a moment of clarity, Rose understood. Eliad would keep her barely alive until she agreed to join his operation. Was that his only plan for her? Was she truly so useless to him that he would not bother to use more resources on her than necessary?
Eliad gestured to her and another man came up to her to retie her gag. Rose did not fight against him or try to scream, for she was too scared. She remembered William and closed her eyes in gentle relief. He would figure out a way to rescue her - until then, she could survive. No matter how tortured or uncomfortable she became, she would trust that she would be rescued soon. It could not take him more than a couple of days to figure out a rescue plan.
All day Rose was deprived of water and food, until finally, at dusk, she was handed one measly cup of water. Even after drinking every last drop, her lips were still dry and cracked and her throat still burned for more. But she accepted her situation in silence and rested against her tree, hoping William would rescue her sooner than later.
She thought of Tristan and how marvellous it would be to be reunited with him. She would run to him and tell him how much she loved him. He would hold her and call her his, and embrace her until her tears ran dry. Rose sighed just at the thought.
As it turned late, Rose managed to fall asleep, although her back and neck ached from her uncomfortable position. It seemed to be very late when someone nudged her shoulder, pulling her from her dreams. She woke up with a gasp, muffled by the gag around her mouth. With one glance she realised it was William and relaxed. The guards were, predictably, snoring just as loudly as all those hidden in their tents.
William untied her gag and gave her a worried smile.
"How are you?" He whispered.
"I am managing," Rose responded quietly. "How did you remain unseen today?"
"When I left last night, I found a nearby cave. It is very small, but I was hidden inside it. I did not leave it all day, so there is no possibility that the scouts could have seen me. I emerged when it was dark," he explained. Rose nodded her understanding. William moved to his side and pulled out a flask and small satchel. "I brought you some water and nuts - I am sorry I cannot offer you more."
Rose was so grateful that her eyes filled with tears. She took the items with her bound hands and took a long drink out of the flask. The water inside felt cool and refreshing.
"I thank you. I am so grateful to have you here, sir," she whispered to him. William nodded his head once, as a slight bow. "Have you thought of a way to escape?" She asked as she began chewing on the nuts he had given her.
"Our best chance seems to be if we move during the late night, when even the scouts would have fallen asleep. There is still a chance of capture, but I cannot think of another way out of this. During the day is far too dangerous. If we hide during daylight hours, as I did today, we may be able to escape safely," William whispered. Rose nodded every now and then, her eyes big and serious.
"It is s-"
A voice spoke suddenly, interrupting what she was about to say, that made Rose's stomach drop and her blood turn cold.
"Well, well. What do we have here?"
Eliad.
~~~
Eeep! Cliffhanger!
I hope you guys like William <3
I'm ridiculously excited to release the next few chapters! I'll update as soon as I can!