Abducted
An Unknown Foreign Beauty
Chapter 9- Catching Fire
As the rays of the dying sun painted the western sky in bright crimson, the shadows of the trees grew larger, shaded the forest path with darkness. Even the song of the birds returning home faded away, except the clip-clop sound of the hooves of their horses making on the hard soil. There were two of them- identical with the eyes flushing with revenge. As the darkness grew thicker, their eyes caught the sight of the people at a distance. There were a few of them led by an elegant man in a bright red suit and dark curls accompanied by an army of men in golden armors. Some of them were carrying a huge luggage (no doubt belonged to the elegant man) while others carried their weapons.
"That's them." The eye patch said to his brother. The mute twin nodded in agreement.
"We'll set the camp here tonight." The man in armor, the captain ordered his men after taking a glance around him. "Yes, sir." Rest of the guards began following his orders, hurried near the clearing, gathered all the necessary things for setting the tent. The captain allowed himself to be engaged in the job too.
"I need to comb my hair." The elegant man who was busy in examining the embroideries of his suit, making sure that they matched the dying sun, raised his curly head, and halted his horse at his pace, "This forest air is ruining my hairstyle."
"But sire…" The captain of the guards, who should be surprised with his weird demand in this odd time, felt truly annoyed. This man was turning his life into a hell. He did nothing to help them to survive in this wilderness, except ordering him or his men to comb his hair, to powder his face, to file his nails, or to help him to dress.
"Hey, captain." Prince Edward sounded really impatient "Can you hear me? Get me my comb."
"But, can't we do it after we can finish our camping?"
"No 'but' anymore." Edward halted his horse, his icy eyes were burning him "I do pay you Captain. So don't try to defy me."
The words silenced the captain. Anger began creeping up inside his mind, but he remained calm. He handed his job to another guard quietly and fetched his golden comb from his huge luggage. A guard hurried near him with a lavish mirror while another was combing his wild curls into a neat ponytail. The captain remained in his guard with his arrows and bows ready for any attack.
It was getting dark. And this prince hadn't finished powdering his face yet.
But he owed the prince in many ways. It was him who saved him from losing his job for being incapable of finding the princess. It was Edward who stood up for him in the court and told them to grant the captain one more chance to prove himself. The captain was truly grateful to him for saving his job and his family from the starvation. Edward treated him like a servant but he couldn't protest. It was King Rupert's order, his punishment.
"It's perfect." Edward looked at his reflection in the mirror, satisfied, and then turned to the captain "Can you fetch me my new orange shoes? It will be a perfect match." With a sigh the captain approached near the luggage again. He had not much high idea about his fashion sense, but he had to follow his orders. Then he had to stop because his eyes caught two horsemen riding straight towards them. He quickly jumped to his feet, reached for his bow, and ordered the men. They quickly gathered around him, with their swords ready while others were loading their bows with arrows to shoot the intruders.
"Oh, no!" no one heard Edward's frightened scream as he scrambled behind the half-set tent. As the horsemen got close, the whole army tensed with the possibility of a sudden attack.
"Please, don't shot us. We're friends." One of the horsemen cried. The captain's brows were drawn together in a suspicious frown but soon it disappeared when he caught the sight of the white flag in their hands."Ok." He ordered his men to lower their bows ."Who are you?" he asked.
"We are friends." The eye patch replied as both of them dismounted the horse. "We are the Stabbington brothers. We have news about the lost princess."
The captain glanced over his shoulder to catch the sight of the prince still trembling behind the tent. His lips turned up in a smile. What a coward!
"Your highness," He said loudly so that the prince could hear him. "It's alright. They are friends."
Slowly the Edward's half powdered face appeared from behind the canvas; with a suspicious look in his eyes as if he was still taking in the situation. The twin's smiling face assured him. He quickly threw away the rugs, pulled himself up from the ground, and straightened his wrinkled dress. "I was just gathering my weapons, captain." He took a proud step forward, glaring at the army who were trying hard to swallow their smiles.
"Sire, these men have news about the princess." The captain tried to lighten the situation, signing his men to stop "Why don't you take rest while I talk with them?"
Edward's face turned red, his eyes flushed as he met his eyes in a silent warning. "I've saved your job, captain. But you've not finished doing mine. You've not cleaned my shoes yet."
"Sir, this is only mud." Anger kept creeping up to his throat and he swallowed "It is nothing.
"Clear that." Edward screamed like a child, trying to cover his cowardliness with anger "It costs me one hundred gold. I don't want it to be spoiled with mud."
"Sir, it's not actually my job." The captain insisted ."Do I pay you or not?" Edward's angry scream cut him off in mid sentence "Captain, don't forget your army is living on my donation." It was enough to silence the captain. His heart squeezed with the thought to be paid by a foreign prince instead of his own king. But there was no way, the kingdom resources were running out, and they had to depend on this pathetic man. With a sigh, the captain walked near the luggage again, searching for a new pair of shoes.
"I'll talk with them." Edward assured his men with a smile, satisfied with the captain's disgrace.
"Sire," The Stabbingtons bowed respectfully. "Rider has taken her highness to marry her forcefully." Marcus said, pausing for a while, waiting for the prince's reaction. He found him shaking slightly; his dark eyes were clouded with jealousy. The Stabbingtons exchanged meaningful looks. It was a perfect plan. Rider would never be happy to see his old foe, chasing after him, ruining his almost victory.
"Rider!" Edward cursed under his breath. That name had set fire under his skin. He just couldn't imagine that his rival to win the race before him…
"Where he has taken her?" his voice was hoarse.
"To a pub called Snuggly Duckling."
When the captain returned with a new pair of shoes, he heard the prince boosting to his men "It's me who is going to recue your princess." Then his eyes caught the Stabbington's smiling faces. All of a sudden he began to feel sorry for the princess.
()()()
"A toast for Flynn Rider and his bride."
Under normal circumstances, this call for a wedding toast would have caused the lavishly dressed ladies and gentlemen assembled in the great hall at Corona castle to smile and cheer. Goblets of wine would have been raised and more toasts offered in celebration of a grand and noble wedding such as the one which took place an hour ago.
But not today. Not at this wedding.
The princess of Corona was married in a pub instead of a castle, surrounded by a bunch of thugs, instead of the nobles. Hookhand collapsed on the ground after ingesting a gallon of beers while others were singing a traditional wedding song with horrible voices. The princess seemed not be affected by any of these irregularities, instead she was appreciating this. She looked around her, waiting for some one to start the dance. But none did. So she lept up on a table and announced, "Is there anyone to dance with me?"
An awkeward silence fell across the pub, no one responded. Rapunzel looked around her, slightly disappointed. She shook her head slightly and grinned, "Now it's time for me to take the first step."
Before anyone could guess her next step, Shorty was dragged by the princess to the dance floor. He was shocked, but soon he was touched by her effort and began dancing with her. Vladimir, who was crying all the times, was dragged by Rapunzel in the dancing party too. Slowly rest of the thugs began joining her one by one. Even Killer, who never danced was snatched by the princess from his hiding place. It was the most unusual post marriage celebration for the princess of Corona in the history.
Standing alone at a corner, Eugene watched his newly wedded bride with a smile on his lips. She looked so different. There was no sign of the tensed girl few hours ago. She looked so happy. He wasn't sure if her happiness was true. It wasn't a marriage of love but a forced one. None of them were sure about their true feelings about each other. What was she thinking? Was she happy with this unexpected marriage? And Edward? What was her exact relation with him? Did she love him? What was waiting for them in the future?
"What's wrong man?" Eugene's thoughts were broken with a sudden thump on his shoulder. "Why are you not dancing?" Atilla thundered.
"I don't dance." Eugene tried to deny politely. But before he could speak that out loud, Atilla's strong hands grabbed his collar and literally carried him to the dance floor. He could see a flush of amusement at the corner of her eyes when he was dropped infront of his wife. "Eugene." Her lips quivered with joy as she ditched her current dance partner, and walked near him. "Let's dance."
"But Blondie…"
Soon he was cut off by Hookhand's announcement. No one knew when he woke up from his drunken stupor. "It is the time for a couple dance."
With the declaration Eugene's body tensed. He wasn't that kind of dancer. He was rouge who knew nothing but fighting. "Yayyyyy…." Rest of the crowd cheered. Slowly they moved from the dance floor, to make room for the new couple. "Blondie I…" Eugene tried to say, but Rapunzel silenced him by pressing her finger on his lips and led him to the clearing. "It will be alright." She smiled.
Hookhand moved near the piano and began searching for the perfect song for this situation. Eugene escaped a glance of Maximus who was truly grinning now. Bignose blew out the unnecessary candles; Shorty drew the curtains so that the darkness wrapped the whole pub leaving only two of them in the spot light. Hookhand began playing one of the most famous dance music. Rapunzel took his hand and wrapped it around her finely curved waist, placing her own on his shoulder. "Just follow me." She whispered to him. Eugene nodded and gazed into her emerald orbs. They were reflecting the golden candlelight above their heads, which matched her sunny hair. Her cheeks were tinted with a rosy blush and the trail of golden hair behind her was…Eugene couldn't think. He couldn't stop looking at her. She was brighter than the stars above, she was precious than all the jewels of the world. She was his golden angel.
"Follow me." she said, her feet were moving with the music. Eugene tried to follow her but it was too hard for someone who never danced before. He felt her fingers holding his in a tight grip, confidently leading him through the dance. They made some simple moves, like twirling. Once, twice…
The crowd kept cheering wildly behind them. He felt her relaxing against him. This time he looked into her eyes confidently as if asking it was okay to take the lead. His wife smiled, letting him to take the lead. With the beat of music Eugene twirled her again but he was still new in this. When she was coming back, he lost his hold on her hand and she lost her balance, falling right in his arms. Once again their eyes met. Rapunzel looked into his brown orbs veiled with confusion. She felt his arms pulling her close and his lips whispered in her ears "Is it ok that you are married to me?"
She startled with his question and tilted her face. "Why this question?" she asked, joining him with another music. Eugene hesitated for a while and searched for her true emotions in her face, but there was nothing. She was very good in hiding her emotions. "Just asking." he replied. "I've kidnapped you and made you to marry me. You should be angry. I'm afraid that I've gotten you in a forced relationship."
His answer brought a small smile to her lips. She gazed into his eyes only to find the guilt there. Her heart squeezed with the realization. It wasn't the rouge who kidnapped her. It was the boy who used to play hide and seek with her in the garden. It was her fault that rushed them into a marriage. It was she, who was engaged to Edward. It was her who couldn't give him anything but sorrow and heartbreak. A drop of tear appeared at the corners of her eyes, almost threatened to fall. She couldn't answer his questions. Instead she freed herself from his embrace and rushed to the upstairs. "Rapunzel." Eugene followed her to the upstairs. Even the whole pub became confused with the sudden change of the jolly mood. What happened? They could only exchange confused looks.
"Rapunzel." Eugene entered into the only room in the upstairs where he found his wife lying on the bed. It was dark inside. Her golden hair was trailing behind her and, as he walked closer he found her body shaking horribly with a cry.
"Blondie." He knelt beside her gently and touched her shoulder. "I know I did wrong." Eugene spoke quietly. His heart was bleeding with the realization. What he had done? How he couldn't see that the things changed so much in the last fourteen years? He thought she loved him but he was wrong. "I've destroyed your whole life." He was almost chocked with the grief "But if you want, we can have the divorce…"
"No." He was cut off in the middle with her small fingers flowing to his mouth in the dark. "It's me who destroyed your life, Eugene." Eugene looked at her, confused. Rapunzel's eyes were still red from crying and more and more tears were welling up from them.
"It's not about Edward." She said quietly "I never loved him." Relief washed over Eugene as he gazed into her eyes, tender with love. She was telling the truth, he knew. Then why?
"Then what's wrong, Blondie?"
"We can't tell anyone about this marriage." This time Rapunzel whispered, taking his one hand and pressed it against her cheek, feeling his warmth. "The council will never accept this marriage. Can you take me to your kingdom, Eugene?"
"My family will never accept us either." Eugene gently wiped her tears away with his thumb, pulling her face closer; his heart was breaking with the words he were saying, "If you go there, they will keep you as captive and force your father to surrender to Naldora army. It was my intention too when I first kidnapped you. I've no idea that my plan will backfire like this."
"So, even great Flynn Rider's plans backfire?" For the first time Rapunzel smiled after their wedding.
"In a good way." Eugene smiled too, leaning closer to her. She was so close. Her warm breath was brushing his skin in the cold night. The nightmares were wiping away leaving only a light cloud behind. Eugene cupped her chin in his palm and tilted her face so that he could look into her beautiful green orbs. Her eyelids trembled for few times and then they were closed. Eugene's minty breath touched her cheeks, leaving the Goosebumps wherever it touched her. At last she felt Eugene's lips pressing against hers.
"I love you." Eugene whispered at last admitting his feelings. The kidnapper Flynn Rider seemed like a ghost now. Once again he transported to the past when a certain Eugene Fitzherbert fell in love with a strange blond haired princess.
"I can't lose you." Her lips were pressing against him. At last the angry princess was truly abducted for life.
They had no idea how long they stayed like this, lost in each other's lips. None of them noticed the lanterns lighting up the sky of the cold autumn night. Or the clip-clop sounds surrounding the old pub until the blood curling scream of Shorty broke the silence of the night. Confused, they broke the kiss and rushed to the staircase. Blood froze in their veins when they found the men in familiar armors surrounding the pub. Their weapons were loaded, ready to shoot. Without weapons these bandits were no match with the Corona army. Shorty was already shot in the hand, he was bleeding badly.
"Helping Rider to marry our princess? How dare you?" Rapunzel shivered with another familiar male voice. Her eyes travelled to the man who pushed through the army of the guards and walked near Hookhand. His sword was pointed to the bandit captain's throat. His face was blazing with pride, although it was the captain who managed to corner the huge man single handed.
"We didn't know she is the princess." All Hookhand could manage to say with Edward's sword pressing against his throat.
"You betrayed your princess, your king." Edward yelled, desperate to take the credit of rescuing the princess while ordering the guards to shoot the bandit captain. "You deserve nothing but death." As the guard loaded his bow, Rapunzel's grip tightened around Eugene, who stood beside her, stone-faced.
"It isn't fair." He murmured under his breath. "They are torturing him based on false news. They must know what happened between us." he tried to free his hand from her. "Let me go, Blondie."
"No." It was Rapunzel who wrapped her arms around him, not willing to let him go. "They will kill you." Her tears were soaking his green vest.
"But Blondie…" he interrupted "If it's my fault, then they must know that."
"No." This time Rapunzel raised her face from his chest and gazed into his eyes. Eugene saw her face glowing with determination, like the girl who was broke his smolder. "We must keep our marriage secret." She silenced him once more.
"Please." She pleaded; her tears were still welling up from her big eyes "We can't live as husband and wife anymore. If they know the truth, they will kill you. I want you to be safe, just for me. I've to go with them."
Eugene's eyes moved from his friends to his wife. He knew this time would come. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw him extending his arms to her. "A kiss as husband and wife? For the last time?" his voice was hollow. She was sure that he was trying not to cry in front of her.
She moved near him, pressed her lips against his furiously while preparing for the moment when she would have to let him go.
End of part one
(Title credit- Suzanne Collins, Catching fire.)
Sorry for all the errors and typos. My English isn't good.
So, before going into the next hibernation (up to January 15) it's all for you. Personally It's my favorite chapter. So I expect more responses from you (REVIREWS? FAVES? ALERTS?). I've a crucial exam coming, so I can't write well like before and that's a reason of the loss of my writing charm. I had a high expectation on this story (Although I'm not getting much, that's another reason to count.)
I'll love to see my inbox full of reviews from you.
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