The Prince's Escape

Chapter 3 || Take Care Of Ashes

< - - - Luca - - - >

"You allowed a girl of the Kingdom to degrade your betrothed! What has gotten into?!" Father practically yelled at me. The disapproval washing off of him was enough to suffocate, but I held my ground. It was just him and I. Usually when he gets like this, a moment of clarity can be found with the aid of a drink, but he doesn't seem eager to gain any form of sanity. 

"What would you have me do, Father? The girl hadn't realized her mistake until it was too late" I try to defend the girl from the stables, who held a fire in her. 

Father releases a sigh, moving back to his throne. I hate when he sits in that gaudy chair while conversing with me. With just his position, he reminds me of my place, below him. It doesn't matter how hard I train, how much I care about the kingdom I call home. It will never be enough in his eyes. He will never look at me, as he used too. The frustration still hasn't left his blue eyes as he says, "What did the Princess request of you?"

Thinking back to the easy way the Princess threated the girl's life. "Death to come to her," I spit in disgust. It was obvious the girl in the stables simply did not know who she was speaking to at first. If only that girl knew how to shut her mouth, then perhaps neither of them would be in this current position. Me fighting with my father yet again, and her completely oblivious to the fact that impending doom could become her. If it weren't so incredibly ludicrous I would laugh at the tragic comedy. 

I thought back to the girl, whose face held a gentle innocence about it. Those pouty lips that were the ones of men's fantasies.  Well, that is when she wasn't talking. How can a girl with such a flame in her, hold notions of peace? Quickly, letting the image of the mysterious girl in the stables go, I focused back on my father. 

"Then," Father began to nod to himself as though finding some sort of reason behind the request. Surely, he can't be considering such harsh punishments, for merely speaking out of terms. 

"You cannot speak the truth," I answer, trying to recover from the shock at the same time, I jump back into the argument. He can't possibly expect the death of one life to be the cost of one woman's pride.

"She disrespected your love," he began again, but I interjected quickly. 

"You speak of love when we both know this is nothing, but an arrangement to subdue the advancements of Ramila." He waved his hand at me as though they were one of the same. Love and agreements. They don't go together. My mother was the one that made that clear. She was the love in their Kingdom, before- I need to stop. 

Collecting my thoughts, I try to focus again on what nonsense father is spouting out, "It is a logical way to show the people that you follow through with your decisions and that they must listen to their new Queen." He put extra emphasis on the title, and it took me a moment to understand.

"Are you stepping down?" I ask suspiciously. 

"If you have a wife by your side, then who am I to stop the progress of our Kingdom?" I'm stunned. He as called me a lot of things, ungrateful, weak, undisciplined, but progress was never one of them. I see a small smile on his face and that's when I realized he was just saying that to get me to put down my defense. It's a deal. I make Francesa happy and become King or fight for the girl's life and lose my chance at being King. But that's not a bad thing. I make a great prince, well at least I like to think so. "Now, that that's settled," He seemed to be finished with me for now, he turned to his head guard, Proteus. "Send for the girl," he ordered.

"This is not over, father," I threaten, but I know it falls on deaf ears. Retreating to the corridor, I want to scream at his demanding ways. He doesn't see how this is wrong. He speaks of logic, but holds none! I turn a corner, and only to find Davis leaning up against the wall. His eyes are closed as though he is about to fall asleep. "Davis!" I call to startle him awake.