The weight in the bed shifted and you opened an eye to see Aiden sitting up. Your right side felt cold.
You reached your hand out and grabbed his arm, "Stay."
Aiden looked at you, his eyes wide, before smiling and nodding. He laid back down and wrapped his arms around you.
Much better...
~~~~
There was a tickling sensation on your nose. You opened your eyes to see nothing but brown hair. Noticing the way you were facing, you concluded it was Connor. His head sat under your chin and stray strands of brown hair were tickling your nose. Sighing, you willed yourself back to sleep, knowing you couldn't do anything about it.
There was a knocking on the door. The twins collectively groaned, and you shifted as Aiden got up. The door opened and you saw Florence step into the room.
"Good morning Your Highness's, (Y/n). I came to tell you that the dress you asked for a few days ago is now ready. All I need to do is make sure it fits (Y/n) in a few places and then she can wear it."
You lifted your head off the pillow, confused, "Dress? What dress?"
Connor slowly sat up, "You're not really our maid anymore (Y/n), so we asked Florence to make something more suitable for you to wear."
You yawned and pulled the covers over your head, already dreading it. It was too early to start the day.
Aiden laughed, "We'll send (Y/n) down once we coax her out of bed Florence."
She laughed as well, "Very well then. I'll be waiting." You heard the door softly shut.
Suddenly the covers were ripped off of you and the cool air hit your skin.
"Hey! Give those back!" You lunged for the covers, but someone grabbed your waist and pulled you back. They moved your hair away from your neck and sighed.
"How sad. They're already fading. Brother, our mark on her is almost gone."
Aiden dropped the covers and came over to you, grabbing your chin. "You're right. We must've done a bad job."
"G-guys. Please don't..." You mumbled as you tried to wiggle away.
Aiden frowned, "Why (Y/n)? Do you not want to be ours?"
Connor leaned into you, "We can make it more enjoyable this time (Y/n)."
You continued to squirm, "T-that's not the point! Leaving bruises on my neck to show I'm yours is just possessive!"
Aiden touched his forehead to yours, "But we are possessive my dear."
You flinched at feeling Connors warm breath by your ear, "Very possessive."
"Stop..." You whispered, squeezing your eyes shut.
"Relax (Y/n). It's meant to feel good." Connor smiled as his lips brushed against your neck.
Your face went red, "C-Conner I'm serious!"
Aiden laughed as he leaned towards your neck as well, "Well brother, she said your name, but not mine. I have the okay to do it."
You leaned away from Aiden, "No you don't! Now let me go!"
"(Y/n). If you're going to fight, we're going to have to restrain you." Connor growled and you froze.
"Good girl." Aiden said cheerfully as he leaned in towards you.
You pushed against his chest and pulled out of Connors grasp, tumbling to the floor. You gazed up at them and quickly tried to scramble away. You were stopped, and in an instant Aiden had your arms pinned to the ground. Connor rolled off the bed and pinned your right arm and leg to the ground, Aiden doing the same with your left.
"Well (Y/n), you could've just said you wanted us to be on the floor." Connor laughed as he watched you try to push and kick them off.
"Tsk, tsk. We're much stronger than you dear." Aiden said as he leaned towards your ear. "Although I don't mind watching you struggle against us."
Your face went a deeper shade of red.
"I'm done playing." Connor stated and you felt his nose and lips brush against your neck again.
Aiden nodded in agreement and leaned in.
Simultaneously, their lips latched onto your skin and you whimpered.
"S-sto...stop!" You managed to get out as you weakly tried to regain control of your limbs.
Aiden hummed in amusement causing a tickling feeling on your neck. You gasped as you felt Connors teeth come in contact with your skin, Aidens following soon after. Instead of settling for just one spot like before, they trailed them down your neck onto your collarbone. You whimpered and thrashed around, but nothing worked.
Finally, they pulled away and stared down at you. You couldn't figure out what expression was on their faces.
"Your noises are so cute..." Connor murmured as his fingertips brushed across the already forming bruises.
"Oh I cant wait for the masquerade." Aiden breathed as he got off you. Taking the opportunity, you shoved Connor away and ran towards the bathroom.
Staring into the mirror, your eyes widened. There would be no way to hide what they had just done. Purple and blue bruises trailed down the sides and front of your neck and stopped right above your chest.
You clenched your hands into fists as you walked back into the bedroom.
"Oooh, so scary. I think she's mad at us brother." Connor commented as he watched you come up to them.
You swung your hand forward and slapped him. He stared at you shocked for a moment before grinning.
"Now dear. If you're going to slap me, do it properly. Do it harder." He held your wrist and looked down at you in amusement.
Aiden came up behind you and nuzzled his face into your hair, "She's so physical. I love it."
"S-stop it!" You yelled. "Don't I have to go somewhere!?"
Aiden sighed and stepped away, "Yes. But we can have some more fun after you get your dress."
Connors eyes glinted mischievously as he let your wrist go. You ran out of the room.
Crazy princes! You can't just say stuff like that! You mentally screamed as you made your way to the fitting room.
Opening the door, you stepped inside and peered around.
"Florence?" You called out as you made your way to the back of the room.
"Over here dear!" She answered as she poked her head around a rack of clothing. You made your way over, noticing a knocked over rack, before coming face to face with the elderly woman.
She shoved a pile of (f/c) fabric into your arms and glanced at your neck before pointing at the changing area.
Embarrassed, you walked over and quickly undressed yourself. Sliding the dress over your head, you silently prayed that it covered the marks the princes had left on you. Staring back at the mirror, your jaw dropped. Oh it didn't come close to covering anything. The dress itself was (f/c) and it hung off the shoulders, leaving your entire neck and collarbone exposed. It was made of a light, but soft fabric that billowed out from your waist and ended above your knees. It was very beautiful, but not ideal for your situation.
You emerged from behind the area and saw Florence's eyes fill up with excitement.
"Oh it looks perfect on you!" She exclaimed as she circled around you, "I don't think I have to touch anything up after all!"
You smiled, "The dress is beautiful Florence. Thank you."
She nodded, "Now best not keep-" The door to the fitting room opened and in stepped a black-haired blue-eyed male.
Your breath caught in your throat as you silently shuffled out of his view.
"Micah?" Florence called out as she turned the corner. "Oh! There you are. Come look at this dress (Y/n) has!"
"(Y/n)? Where is she?" His voice sounded hopeful.
Florence grabbed your arm and yanked you out of your hiding spot. Your (e/c) eyes met his and you froze. Suddenly, he was wrapping his arms around you.
"(Y/n)...I'm so sorry....so sorry I left you with them. They wouldn't let me see you yesterday. One of them was always watching the door." He rambled as he pulled away to look at you.
"The dress is beautiful. It compliments your eyes." His gaze trailed to your neck and his face filled with guilt. "I knew it. I knew I shouldn't have let you be with them!"
You watched him, "The princes are fine Micah. They've been kinder to me than you." You briskly walked past him, but he caught your arm.
"(Y/n). What are you talking about?! They've trapped you here. You're like a doll to them! They're crazy!"
You glared at him, "Crazy or not, they care about me. Unlike you. Now let go of my arm."
His brow furrowed in confusion, "(Y/n)...I care about you! It's crazy... how much I care about you! What are you talking about?"
You scoffed, "You have a funny way of showing it! You're useless (Y/n). Do something for yourself (Y/n)." You yanked your hand away and placed it on the door handle.
"(Y/n)! I never said anything like that! What do you mean!?"
You turned to look at him, and his face was filled with confusion and worry. "The letter you wrote and snuck onto the dinner cart last night? Does that ring a bell?"
"I wasn't even in the palace last night. I was...well...In the village."
It was your turn to look confused. "But it said..." It dawned on you, "Those lying little-"
"(Y/n)? What happened last night?"
You clenched your hands into fists, "They set you up. They set you up, made me cry, and I let them comfort me!" Your hand fell off the doorknob. "I let them comfort me!"
You felt a hand on your shoulder and saw Micah staring down at you, "Angel...I'm so sorry about yesterday. My emotions were out of line, but you need to stop being vague and explain."
You shook with anger, "They...wrote a note saying how useless and helpless I was. They signed it as if you wrote it. I can't believe I even thought you would say something like that..."
"Hey. Hey, look at me."
Your gaze met his.
"You figured it out, okay? They won't be able to pull that trick again. You are strong and smart, so don't listen to them. I have a surprise for you."
You raised your eyebrows, "A surprise for me?"
He nodded and pulled a small circular tin from his back pocket. You immediately recognized it.
"This is my parents." You observed as you took the tin from him.
He nodded, smiling, "I had to drop a few things off to your family and asked if they had anything that would help with..." He gestured to your neck.
You unscrewed the lid and saw a teal substance inside.
"Your father said it was made from Bezaberries. I'm not sure what those are, but he said to apply a little to the necessary spots." Micah explained, watching your expression.
You nodded, screwed the lid shut again, and looked at him, "Thank you. I don't deserve you."
He scoffed, "Yeah right. I caused the problem yesterday not you, angel. Think of it as an apology gift."
You smiled and went to open the door, but Micah's touch stopped you.
"(Y/n)...Maybe....its best to continue to act like you hate me. In front of the princes at least. It would make the plans for your escape much easier if they think you despise me."
You thought for a moment, "I guess that's true. I'll warn you though, my acting skills are pretty good. Don't get offended if you think it's true." You sent a wink his way.
He blushed before laughing, "Okay, Angel. Before you go, I'd like you to meet Reed tonight for another riding lesson. You need to be able to ride comfortably for my plan to work."
You nodded, glanced at him one more time, and then stepped into the hall.
Just convince them that you hate Micah...It's not that hard (Y/n). Your thoughts swirled around as you made your way back to your room. You stopped in front of the door, Wait, how do I explain this tin? Argh! It's terrible making up a plan on the spot.
An idea popped into your head. If you kept their gaze away from your hand, you could smuggle it somewhere safe before they saw it. You smiled, cleared your face, and put your hand on the handle.
Suddenly, you threw the door open and stormed into the room.
Aiden jumped, "(Y/n)?! What's wrong!?"
You glanced his way angrily, "Nothing!"
"I'd say there's something wrong dear." Connor said calmly as he came up to you.
You panicked internally, "Go away!" Your legs carried you to the bathroom where you shut and locked the door. Sighing softly in relief, you opened the cabinet and put the tin next to the bag of berries.
"(Y/n)? Please come out dear." Aiden asked on the other side of the door.
Now your body boiled with true rage as you remembered what they had done. The doorknob jiggled and you stared at it almost daring them to come close to you.
"(Y/n). Unlock the door." Connors voice was stern.
You calmed yourself down internally before purposefully holding your eyes open until they burned. Slowly, tears started to form and you unlocked and opened the door as one rolled down your cheek.
"Oh...You're crying again dear." Aiden softly said as he pulled you towards them.
"M-Micah was there." You stuttered into his shoulder. "I couldn't stick around after Florence gave me the dress. It felt...scary in there. I-I wanted you guys..." Your body shook with fake sobs.
"Shhh, Its okay (Y/n). You're with us now. We're all you need."
Yeah right. You thought but nodded.
Aiden pulled away from you and looked you up and down, "Florence did an amazing job with that dress..."
"You look stunning (Y/n)." Connor agreed as he reached out to brush a strand of hair behind your ear.
You flinched instinctively, and pushed him out of the way. Going over to the bed, you face planted onto a pillow.
Connor cleared his throat, "Do you want breakfast?"
"No thank you." You said into the pillow, wishing they would leave already.
"What was that?" Aiden smiled as he sat down next to you.
You looked at him, exaggerating your annunciation, "No. Thank. You."
He frowned, but stood up. "Alright. You can't be skipping so many meals though, my dear."
You shrugged and went back to hiding your face.
There were two sighs and sound of a door opening and closing before the room fell silent.
"Crazy psychopaths." You mumbled as you got up and made your way back into the bathroom.
Retrieving the tin from its hiding place, you unscrewed the lid a dipped your finger into the substance. It felt cool. You gently applied it along your neck and collarbone before washing your hand and putting it back in its hiding spot. It felt cold against your skin as well.
What to do... You thought as you looked around the room.