CHAPTER 2

William got onto his horse outside the castle, making it seem like he was going out on patrol, but he instead headed off into the dark forest. He didn't seem happy at all. He headed off to a hidden village on the territory of the Dark Kingdom, a rival kingdom filled with dark knights and a corrupt, evil king.

The village was very small and filled with shady people who all had some sort of criminal background among the knights. William hated being in such a place, but he had no other choice. He would have to accept it and go forward.

William stopped his horse at a small, damaged little place known as the The Worn Sword Hall. He dismounted his horse and made his way into the place. The stench of a group of drunk guys quickly struck his nose as soon as he entered. Rouges and thieves of all kinds were sitting and drinking, trading stories and having a good time. A few tables were destroyed, probably because of fights. The place was overall in pretty bad shape, and William wondered why he was suppose to meet someone at such a place.

He took a seat and waited a while, seeing two hooded guys enter and approach him.

"Sir William." one of the hooded figures simply said.

"King Andres. We meet again at last. Who's that you brought with you?" William asked, referring to the second hooded figure.

"This is Prince Anthony, my son. Now, have you gone and completed your part of the deal, Sir William?" King Andres answered, but the prince didn't say anything.

"Princess Rose is under the assumption I'm angry with her. The time is right for our little plan to begin." William said.

King Andres got out a piece of paper he brought along with him along with ink and a feather.

"Now, we'll give the princess three days alone. During that time, she will think that you are gone for good, and that is when the prince will come in, acting as you. He'll be the one to make the wedding plans. During that time, you will direct Anthony on how to be you so our plan works perfectly." the king explained, writing down the plan in detail as he explained it.

William smiled and nodded his head in approval, a bit impressed that the king had come up with such a strategy. "Be sure to make it convincing, prince. Make sure she thinks it's me or this entire plan will be nothing but a waste." William said.

"I agree with William. We can't have this plan getting screwed up. Do everything you can to keep the princess convinced that you are the one she is suppose to be marrying." King Andres interrupted before Anthony could say anything.

Andres and Anthony stand up, heading outside and mounting their horses before heading out of the forest and towards their castle.

The castle was a large, black fortress of a castle. A large line of knights were waiting for the king's return at the front entrance, all of them clad in black armor. William was really liking the look of the black armor, and he knew that he would soon be one of the black knights.

King Andres, William, and Anthony dismounted their horses and headed inside to get Anthony ready to go for his part of the plan ahead of time. The castle seemed very familiar to William since the design was a lot like the castle he was used to. He went for a little walk around the castle while Anthony was given a makeover to look a lot more like William. Their plan was going perfectly

Rose's POV

The next morning, I awaken to the sound of birds chirping near my window. I smiled a bit and sat up, but I was surprised to see my father sitting in a chair near my bed, waiting for me to awaken.

"Morning father." I cheerfully said, but my father looked down at the floor. He had a sad look in his eyes, and I could tell right away that something was wrong.

"Rose...I have some bad news. I was informed by one of the knights that Sir William has gone missing." my father sadly said.

"He didn't return last night?" I asked, starting to feel tears roll down my cheeks.

"There's no sign of him ever returning. Even his horse if gone. We fear the worst might've happened." my father answered, and after hearing that, I began to cry. I look away from my father as he stands up and walks out of the room.

Even though I was sad that William had gone missing, I was still wondering if I really wanted to marry William, or was it just to make my father happy. Maybe he had left all because he really didn't want to marry me, or he might've been dragged into it by my father, which might explain why he was so nervous talking to me in the garden.

I spend the entire morning sitting in bed, thinking of every possible reason why William would just go and dissapear all of a sudden. Father and I have suffered enough when my mother, the queen, died from a rare disease. I start crying even more, thinking about seeing my mother on her deathbed when I was only six years old, and I was hoping that William had not died.

I ended up crying myself to sleep that night, seeing William in my dreams. He was the only thing I could dream about that night. All the times we've spent together, his kindness whenever I was sad, giving me the roses he had given to me in the garden, and even more. I smiled a bit, feeling like William was with me right now. All I could dream and think about was William.