Beatrice rushed through the vacant hallways. She stumbled with every step - she hadn't properly walked in months. She clutched her stomach and winced with every movement, but it didn't stop her - she knew that once she reached her destination, all the pain would have been worth it.
The lights shining from the Banquet Hall indicated to her that she was almost there. Pushing past the pain in her legs and her body aches, Beatrice stumbled toward the door. The guards were too slow to notice her presence, too late to try and stop her.
She opened the doors and fell forward, landing on her elbows. She grunted in pain, looking up to see several guests looking her way. She looked past them all and stared at the groom. Her groom.
"Stop!" She cried with all her force. "Stop the wedding!"
Evelyn turned around at the sudden commotion. Her eyes widened to their extremities as she stared at the woman she was told was dead. Killed. Her hands shook as she covered her mouth. Was this guilt for pushing Tobias into a marriage? Was her ghost haunting me? Whatever the reason, her hand fell limp as she let out a startling scream.
The crowd erupted in cries and gasps. Marcus turned and held onto his panicked wife, having not registered any of the commotion. He watched as guards ran over to the suddenly assembled crowd.
Zeke stared out in front of him, backing up into his brother's arms. Uriah, equally in shock, froze.
Tobias glanced at his best friend before motioning to step down, wanting to address what was going on. Lauren grunted and grabbed her fiancee's hand, pulling him back.
"No!" she cried. "We must finish the ceremony!"
Tobias scoffed and ripped his arm from her hard grasp. "How thoughtless could you be?"
The last to comprehend the situation, Tobias and Marcus walked shoulder to shoulder toward the crowd. Upon their footsteps, guests quickly scrambled to the side, not wanting to get in the way of the Royals.
Marcus stopped at the sight of his prisoner on the floor by his feet. His fist shook in rage as he roared in disbelief. Tobias grabbed his father's shoulder and pushed him away, wanting to see what the fuss was about.
And, as the miserable young prince's eyes finally settled on the woman who had crashed his wedding, his whole world had stopped-
-it was as if Tobias was breathing in new air.
"Tobias!" Beatrice gasped, lifting herself up from the ground.
Tobias' eyes went wide.
The prince fell to his knees.
Tobias slowly reached out his hand to touch the woman in front of him, but as he neared her, his hands shook rapidly. He lowered his head, shaking it profusely. "This is not real," he repeated over and over, showing the world how deep his unstable mind ran.
"No, Tobias," Beatrice called out softly. "Look at me. Look at me, it's me. It's me."
He reached his hand out again, and this time, she caught his hand with hers.
The warmth of both their hands touching after being apart for so long coursed through their veins. Tobias felt alive once more. Beatrice felt cured of any pain.
Their reunion was caught bitterly short as Marcus shoved his son to the side. He bent down and grabbed Beatrice's wrist, pulling her toward him. She winced at his tightening grasp, but was no longer afraid.
A sense of relief washed over her. Yes, I am no longer afraid of him. I escaped from him all by myself, she reminded, almost welcoming his panicked state.
"Incompetent idiots!" Marcus roared in anger, tossing her to the ground.
Her shoulder collided on the floor, causing her to groan out in pain. She pressed her hand to the floor, lifting herself up as much as she could.
Marcus sneered watching her determinedly continue to sit up and face him. He reached out to grab Beatrice again but Tobias was faster; he retracted his arm and punched his father in the side of his face, throwing him off balance. Marcus stumbled and reached for his cheek, looking in awe at his son.
Tobias drained out the sounds of the crowd's cries as they fled out of the room. He stepped in front of Beatrice, shaking all over. He bent down and grabbed his father's collar - a move his father had done to him numerous times - before shoving him to the ground.
"How could you?! HOW?!" he yelled, stepping forward toward his father. With every step, Marcus scooted backward. "She was my everything and you took her from me!"
Tobias would have surely done something drastic had it not been for Beatrice's whimpers. He turned around quickly, the sound of her voice filling him once more. His heart clenched, his mind still not completely understanding how she would be in front of him again.
How after so long of being tormented by her death, she would be reaching for him once more.
He sighed and rushed over to her, on his knees again.
He reached for her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, clutching her in his hands. "Are you hurt?" He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to her hand, trying to shield his torment of having to hear her for the first time in such a pained state as hers.
Beatrice sighed at his voice, afraid he would disappear again.
Tobias glanced to her side and noticed her bare feet. He reached out to lift her from the floor into his arms, but paused at the sight of her ankles. Her bruised ankles, marked with an imprint. He worriedly turned to her, only to notice the same bruised imprint around her wrists.
"I will kill him," he told her, feeling his body starting to shake.
Beatrice reached for his face. At the contact, she smiled in relief, grateful to have been able to hold him once more. "He's not worth it," she whispered.
Evelyn watched from the side, still trying to register her shock. Beatrice's words caused her to smile. She...she has the same concerns? she bit her thumb. She can see how easy it would be for Tobias to slip into the same violence-prone nature as his father - slip into the need to assert power over those who betray him. Yet, she continues to hold him.
The Queen sighed softly, pressing her hand against her heart. For the first time, she felt unwavering support of their relationship. She faltered, reprimanding herself for how long it took her to accept it. For how much blood had been shed because of her stubbornness.
Tobias would have protested had she not suddenly groaned out in pain. She quickly reached down to her thigh, looking at her hand and noticing the blood. She was bleeding. She had hurt herself during her escape.
Zeke, now at their side, quickly bent down and took Beatrice into his arms. He assured Tobias he would rush her to the doctor, turning around and running out, Uriah behind him.
Tobias stood and turned, determined to deal with his father. Marcus had stood, holding a handkerchief to his bleeding cheek.
"You must understand why-" Marcus began, but was cut short by his son's fist. In one punch, Marcus fell to the floor, unconscious. Evelyn turned away.
As the room fell eerily silent, Tobias prepared to leave. He walked forward, but caught a glimpse of a reflection in a fallen vase. He turned, face to face with the princess he had left at the altar.
Lauren appeared slowly, wrapped in horror, her face full of tears.
She shook her head and looked at the prince. "You just could not forget her? You really could not?"
He glanced at her.
She scoffed, understanding how severe the situation was. "So you meant what you said, that day in the garden. You were never going to marry me."
Perhaps it was Beatrice's reappearance that caused a wave of pity to fill him. Even though he would have resented Lauren every day of their marriage, he still pitied her.
She covered her mouth, horrifyingly confused. "When you professed your love to me, you were speaking to her?"
"Lauren-"
"Answer me!"
"Yes."
Lauren clenched her fist for the first time in her life. "You took me-"
"-No," Tobias interrupted, approaching her. "No, Lauren, you do not have the right to do this. You took advantage of my vulnerability that night and you persisted with this engagement even after I had told you I was not ready."
She flinched at his words. Now that his precious little mistress is back, he has suddenly retrieved his words? No more shy persona? She stared at him before erupting into laughter. "All this?" she laughed, pointing around to the destroyed room. "All this, was for her?"
"Always," he promised.
Lauren stepped forward in a sharp inhale. Before either could open their mouths again, she retracted her arm and slapped him across his face. "You will regret this, Tobias. I will never forgive you."
With those final words, she picked up her gown and walked out of the room. She refused to look back, but vowed to see him again.
A hand carefully touched Tobias' shoulder in support. He looked back and saw his mother standing behind him, staring at her husband lying on the ground.
"Tobias," she sighed. "I had no idea what your father had done."
He nodded to her. "He will pay for this."
She squeezed his shoulder. "I am sorry for what you had to do."
He turned around to face her. For the first time in a while, his mother saw him smile. Truly happy. "I am not, mother."
Evelyn inhaled and nodded. "Go be with Miss Prior now."
He looked at her, not ready to forgive her for her part in the buildup for today. His mother might not have been the one directly responsible for the kidnapping, but she was responsible for fueling his father's rage and forcing her son into a forced marriage.
Not wanting to get into it at the moment, Tobias turned and ran from her toward the hospital wing.
Slowly, Evelyn approached her husband's unconscious state. She smiled as she towered over him, finding herself to be enjoying the sight. She crouched down and grabbed his face between her fingers, admiring the bruised impact her son had done to his face.
I might not want Tobias to turn out the same way, but I must admire a beautiful punch when I see one, she amused.
And then, suddenly, she burst into laughter.
Two guards approached her, confused by her reaction. "Your Majesty, what are we to do?" they asked.
The Queen glanced at them with a wide smile. She straightened herself. "Take him into one of the cells. He is not to be released unless I tell you to do so."
The guards stuttered, shocked at such a command.
She cocked a brow. "Endangering the lives of the Royal Family is an imprisonable offense," she reminded.
They shifted uncomfortably and confusedly. "You want us to lock the king up?"
"Did I stutter?"
They nodded slowly and proceeded to carry him out.
Evelyn watched and sat in one of the chairs, reaching out with her hands to grip the handles. She sighed contently, grabbing a nearby drink. For the first time, the alcohol that burned down her throat was invited. Relished.
She looked out at the destruction of the wedding ceremony and laughed.