The Princess & The Thief

Chapter 18-There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back

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"I knew when we collided, you're the one I have decided, who's one of my kind,"
"Hey, soul sister. Ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, the way you move ain't fair, you know,"
"Hey, soul sister. I don't wanna miss a single thing you do, tonight..."
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Julie's POV

Julie practically skipped down to the guy's quarters, their suits draped over her arm. It was October fourteenth, about a month after the whole Caleb fiasco, and the day they were to be officially released from their probation. She was still in disbelief that she'd actually known them for almost three months, and now they were being made royal companions. She was even more shocked that they hadn't successfully managed to do anything wrong. They weren't officially her band yet, they still had to perform for the RMP, but they were going to be a legal part of the crown.

Now she was hand delivering the suits they were to wear for the liberation ceremony, along with some basic instructions on what they were to do. The door was ajar when she got there so she pushed it open. Reggie was the only one currently in the room, singing a song in low tones.

"Baby uh-oh...oh! Hey Julie! Whatcha doin'?"

"Just delivering these," she smiled, handing him his tux, "where are the others?"

Reggie's face lit up at the sight of the outfit—he was probably really excited for the liberation—but he still managed to answer after a moment. "Um, I think Alex went for a walk, nerves, yah know, and Luke's in the shower."

Julie decided to wait on the others, just as excited to see their faces from what she'd brought. She was taking in the sparse room and talking to Reggie when the bathroom door flew open.

Luke stepped out, toweling his soaking hair, unaware of Julie. To her horror he was covered only by a towel that was hanging dangerously low on his waist, revealing smooth, well-defined muscle and the v-line divots of exposed hipbones. His skin was glossy with a sheen of water and when he finally lifted his head and noticed her he tensed, which did not help to repel her from the sight at all.

"Julie! What—" he scrambled for a tight grip on his towel, "what are you doing in here?"

Julie gaped. Her face had caught fire and she tried incredibly hard to keep her eyes where they were supposed to be. Words, she needed words.

"I just—was...clothes! Please!" She practically launched his suit at him, flinching away from the possibility of contact. Then she muttered a half-assed excuse and fled from the room.

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That afternoon the ceremony went really well on the boy's parts, thankfully. They stood regally in front of the throne, all having cleaned up nicely in their red and gold suits (the castle's colors), and managed to hold back their beaming smiles until after they were freed. Once it was done Julie glided down the stairs and swept them up in a group hug.

They were to remain in guard training to uphold some sort of daily duty to the castle, as well as spend more time with Julie in her teachings in order to learn about how things worked. They also got upgraded pagers, which were watch-like devices that they could be contacted on by higher authorities, as well as communicate with Julie and each other.

So everything went smoothly. Or at least, most of it.

Once the terms were announced, Caleb began to protest against the boys new positions as Julie consultants, or companions. His issue was mostly with the fact that they were technically higher up in the chain than he was as advisor. She kind of understood his frustration, they didn't have any knowledge or experience, but it wasn't like they were going to be licensed to give orders to anyone but the occasional worker. The title was more for reasonability than anything.