Judith took a moment to blink back the tears that were mysteriously forming in her eyes. She didn't expect to be so affected by the prince's departure. She had thought that maybe after their brief contact they could start to have an actual conversation. It was a horrible thought to share her life with a man whom she never spoke to.

Or to accept that she would share her bed with a stranger.

Shifting in her seat, Judith looked around quickly at the other guests. She was sure that every person had seen the prince leave the room. There were a few confused murmurs about his actions, but no one did anything to bring too much attention to themselves.

Almost as if by instinct, Judith turned to look at Solovet. No doubt she would think this was somehow Judith's fault. Everything that went wrong would be her fault.

Sure enough, her mother was giving her a steely gaze coated with a sweet smile, just in case anyone else was watching. Judith returned the look with a questioning one, letting her know that she had absolutely no idea what had happened or why he had left. Of course, there was the questioning conversation between him and the colonel, but Judith wasn't sure about that yet.

Just as she thought, Judith's gesture simply wasn't enough for Solovet. One quick movement of her eyes to the door was enough to give Judith the order to leave the room as well.

Groaning internally, Judith pushed her chair away from the table and apologized curtly before turning to leave. She heard a few of the people say something about how the lovers needed "time alone" and it took all her strength not to lean over and hurl the small amount of food she had eaten. Just the thought of being alone on her wedding night with a man she didn't know was enough to make her feel sick.

As soon as she had stepped out into the hall, she felt her mother's tight grasp on her shoulder.

"Judith," Solovet began in a cold voice. "Would you like to tell me what is going on?"

"I do not know," she answered quickly with a pleading look. "I swear it. He simply got up and left."

Solovet gave her a menacing gaze. "Maybe it was something you said."

"I doubt it very much, mother. We have not spoken all night."

Solovet frowned. "Then perhaps that was the issue. Now go find him and fix things. It is in your best interest to keep this engagement on."

Her best interest? Or Solovet's? Of course, Judith wasn't about to ask her that. But how was she supposed to fix things? It's not like she was the one who made him leave!

"Perhaps he only had to…you know…relieve himself," she said uneasily.

"Then you will find out which restroom he chose to do so in and you will wait outside until he emerges," Solovet spat before turning on her heel and returning to the dining hall.

Humiliated, Judith knew she could only follow her mother's orders for the time being.

She vowed that if this marriage went through, she would use her position as queen to defy Solovet in every way possible. That was the one good thing that would come of this.

Now, where to start looking? This palace had so many restrooms that it would be nearly impossible to find out which one the prince had gone to. If she had to pick one though, it would be the closest one, which was just on the other side of the High Hall. Walking carefully in order to avoid stepping on her gown, Judith began her search.

The High Hall was completely deserted. Everyone was inside eating and drinking and talking, leaving the rest of the palace abandoned. Who would be dumb enough to stay out here?

Oh right. Her.

It was only her and that man over there at one of the balconies.

Stopping in her tracks, Judith turned back to make sure she hadn't imagined it. After a second glance, she realized it wasn't in her mind. There really was someone near the edge of the hall where the High Hall ended and looked out over the city. It only took her a second to connect the fancy attire to the face.

It was the prince.

He wasn't moving at all. He was simply leaning on the balcony railing, staring out over the sleeping city. Judith made her best effort to keep quiet while she approached him, making sure she wouldn't cause him a discomfort.

She had to get him to go back inside with her. That was the only way Solovet wouldn't be angry. But what was she supposed to say? How in the world would she start a conversation with him? Maybe introduce herself? Hello, my name is Judith?

The thought of that was suddenly hilarious to her. She was supposed to marry him in just over two weeks and she was still worried about introductions.

It was the giggle that escaped her lips which startled him into turning around with a frightened expression. He looked about ready to swing at her when he realized who she was. Calming down, he gave her a look.

"Do you mean to scare me to death, woman?"

Feeling bad over nearly giving him a heart attack, Judith only shook her head, though she was still smiling slightly. "I wish not to marry a corpse, sir."

The prince's face went from startled to serious, refusing to return her smile. "I know you do not wish to marry at all," he responded with a level gaze, which completely erased the smile from Judith's face. When she didn't reply, he simply turned back around and leaned on the stone railing again. "My death would free you from that."

Death? She didn't wish death on anyone! Not to the king, as Susannah had mentioned, and definitely not the prince.

"I would not blame you for it," he whispered.

She frowned. "For?"

"For trying to kill me so that you can escape this life," he said with a sigh. "I reckon many have tried before you in generations past."

"I would never," she breathed timidly, staring at his back. The way he spoke mixed with the tone of his voice was...heartbreaking. So defeated and vulnerable. Almost as if he was as miserable as she felt. Perhaps she wasn't the only one suffering from this decision. He only shrugged at her response.

Great. This was going so smoothly. Solovet would strangle her if she knew this was how the conversation was going.

"We should go back inside to enjoy the festivity," she tried.

He shrugged again. "There will be another. Take my word on that."

"It seems there is constantly something to celebrate."

"And if there is not, leave it to my father to find something," he finished. "Trust me."

"I do," she nodded meekly. Who was she to go against his word? If there was anyone who knew the king, it would be his son.

Judith stepped closer to the railing, looking down below. The city was dark, but the faint flicker of torches at every doorstep gave the streets a strange golden glow. So warm and inviting. What Judith wouldn't give to be there now. She leaned on the railing just like him, finding a spot a few inches from his.

"Why were you laughing?" he asked suddenly.

The memory brought a smile back to her face. Now that she thought of it though, it wasn't that funny. She was just an idiot.

"Do not tell me if you do not wish to."

"No," she said quickly, turning to look at him. "I was only thinking that I wanted to start a conversation, but I was unsure of whether I should introduce myself first or not. We have yet to introduce ourselves to each other."

His frown told her that it definitely wasn't funny. Her face slowly began turning red with embarrassment when he spoke.

"Lucius," he whispered.

Judith nodded, obviously having heard his name before. However, this was the first time she had heard him say it. "Judith," she replied.

"You…are to be my wife," he said slowly.

"And...you are to be my husband," she replied, mirroring his hesitance.

Lucius frowned again, finally turning to look at her. His eyes were the lightest shade of purple she had ever seen, but what caught her attention the most was that they were filled with the deepest sorrow imaginable. There was a raging storm in his violet irises, displaying a wide range of emotions. Staring into his eyes was like looking at her reflection from the past two days.

"I…wanted to thank you for helping me," she stammered. "I am still…quite unfamiliar with formal dinners and the- hey!"

The prince had quickly reached out and suddenly taken her by the arm to pull her along with him. She let out a cry of surprise as he led her to the edge of the High Hall, closer to the encircling walls. When they were pressed against the wall, hidden behind one of the huge marble pillars, Lucius clamped a hand over her mouth and put an index finger to his own lips.

Judith wanted to squirm and scream and push him away. Her heart was beating so hard she was afraid it would rip through her ribcage. The fight instincts were kicking in, urging her to get as far away from the threat as possible. Now she was wishing she let Hamnet teach her some self defense moves.

It was the look he was giving her that allowed Judith to calm down. His eyes were pleading desperately and had not a trace of malice in them. She frowned in confusion, wondering what in the hell was going on. Staying as still as she could, Judith slowed her ragged breathing down as much as possible. It was only then that she heard it.

"Lucius!"

A voice was calling out to the prince as footsteps grew closer. By the sound of it, the voice belonged to the younger prince, Judith's future brother in law. The steps continued to get louder and the calls came repeatedly. Lucius was tense the entire time, holding his breath even to avoid making any noise. Judith could only assume that he was intent on not going back to the feast. The only thing on his mind was not being found, but all Judith could think about was how strange it felt to have his body pressed so tightly against her.

When the younger prince finally left to continue his search in another room of the palace, Lucius let out a low breath. Slowly, he dropped his hand from Judith's mouth and took a step back from her. Judith stayed with her back pressed to the pillar for a second while she tried to stop her head from spinning.

"You could have just asked me to stay quiet," she said breathlessly. "Asking is so much nicer."

"I had to be sure."

"Or you could have hid and I could have lied and said I had not seen you."

"I do not want to go back in," he mumbled softly, ignoring her comment.

Judith gave him a sad look. Then she looked in the direction the other prince had come from. "I did not hear him coming closer," she admitted.

To her surprise, Lucius smiled slightly. "One person sneaking up on me is enough for tonight. I was distracted earlier when you near scared me to death, but I was not going to let it happen again. Fortunately for me, he was announcing his presence quite loudly."

"Well if he did not find you now, he might try again in a few minutes."

The smile disappeared from his face as he thought it over. His eyes combed the High Hall until he seemed to settle on a solution. Stepping away from her and staring out into the empty air, Lucius let out a series of low whistles. It was only a short moment before a dark shadow came floating down to a spot directly in front of them.

"You should head back inside," he whispered to her as he climbed onto the flier.

"Where are you going?" Judith blurted out. She knew it was none of her business, but staying by herself in a room full of drunk people was not the way she wanted to spend the night.

Lucius sighed heavily. "Anywhere but here."

If Judith were thinking clearly, she would have thought her next words more carefully. It was only after they were out of her mouth that she actually registered her words.

"Can I come with you?"

The look Lucius gave her would surely have turned her red if her embarrassment hadn't already done so. Judith wanted to take back her words and escape the way he was looking at her. Like he was studying her. Staring into her soul.

When she was absolutely sure he would turn around and leave her, Lucius took a step forward and extended a shaky hand. Judith eyed it for a moment before letting out a quick exhale. Today had been a day of impulses and unpleasantries. She might as well start living life with a little more excitement to keep her from an inevitable depression.

The hesitant hand became firm as soon as Judith accepted his offer to help her up. A delightful chill ran down her back when their bare skin made contact. She let his hand guide her as stepped onto the flier with soft steps, hoping the weight of two people wasn't too much for the poor creature.

"Greetings," the bat purred politely.

"Hello," she replied nervously, finding a seat behind Lucius. "Pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure indeed," came the soft purr in response.

Lucius turned his head slightly to give her a quick glance. "Hold on," he warned.

Judith placed her hands on his lower waist and shifted so that she could see over his shoulder. With a soft command from Lucius, the silver-colored bat took lift and shot straight into the air. Judith wasn't expecting the speed and instantly clung to Lucius more firmly in order to avoid being thrown off. She wrapped her arms over his torso and could feel his body shaking with silent laughter. Too scared to protest, Judith only focused on trying to keep from trembling. She hadn't flown since she was a child and was now regretting her idea to fly with him.

The flight continued that way for a while, the bat speeding through the air while Judith struggled not to scream. It was on one specific low drop that the piercing noise escaped her lips, causing Lucius to jump slightly. When she recovered, Judith saw him lean over to whisper something in the flier's ear. After that, the ride was much smoother.

It was another few minutes before they arrived to a cliff. Judith got off the flier to find that the vast space ended on a ledge which dropped down straight into a river. It was a beautiful site with cascades and smooth rocks, ideal for a picnic. The thing that made it even better though was the mesmerizing sight of Regalia in the distance. The tall stone structures stood proudly with their soft golden glow and beckoning promise of warmth.

Smiling at the beauty surrounding her, Judith turned to find Lucius staring at her. More than just a little self-conscious, she dropped her gaze and focused on a spot on the ground. The silence that grew between them only grew more awkward when the flier that had brought them decided to spread its wings and leave them all alone.

Thinking that it was better to start a conversation and get to know him at least somewhat, Judith raised her eyes to look at him again. Her line of vision never got to his face, however. Instead, it stopped at his hand, where a shiny silver dagger was resting.

The realization that no one would hear her screams frightened her more than she had ever been in her life. More than when he had pushed her behind a pillar and covered her mouth. Now, it didn't matter whether she screamed for help or not. They were miles away from the city.

When Lucius took a step forward, Judith discovered she was frozen in place. Petrified in the most literal sense possible. But her fear only turned to confusion when the prince took the blade in his palm and offered her the handle.

"Take it," he whispered. "Now that you have me alone, let us get to why you are really here."

Judith stared at him with wide eyes, her short ragged breaths becoming painful. She was struggling to find an explanation for all of this but couldn't come up with any plausible ones. To accept the impossible was something that was slowly becoming more and more of a necessity.

Oh God. She was going to marry a psychopath.

"No one will ever find out," he continued, taking a few more steps. "You can drop my body into the river when you are finished, and there will be no evidence."

Judith blinked. "…What?"

"You can kill me here, away from everyone."

"N-no!" she stammered weakly, wishing she could feel her legs so that she could back away from his approach.

"I would not blame you for it," he assured her, as if repeating his words from the balcony would encourage her to take the knife.

"Put the dagger away," she pleaded, feeling the tears fill her eyes.

"Take it," Lucius urged, finally standing right in front of her. "I am offering us both a way out."

Judith let the silent tears fall freely. Raising her hands, she put them over the dagger and pushed it down so that it was away from both of them. "Please," she whimpered, hoping her eyes would do the rest of the begging for her.

The prince stared at her for a long moment, remaining completely still while she wept in front of him. With a final sigh, Lucius sheathed the dagger and placed it back on his waist. He turned and walked away from her on shaky steps, heading towards the cliff. Judith was fearful for a moment that he might attempt suicide but was thankfully proven wrong when he sat down a few feet from the edge. She would have tried to run over and pull him back but she was still too shocked to move.

Judith could only watch as Lucius looked over the darkness, much like he was doing at the balcony when she had found him. She wondered what was so fascinating about staring off into nothing.

Finally remembering how to move her legs, Judith walked slowly over to where the prince was sitting. She didn't even bother to wipe the tears off her face. Getting on her knees in a sitting position right behind him, much like they were on the flier, Judith wrapped her arms around his chest and pressed her face into the back of his shoulder, letting the rest of her tears go. She could feel his body grow instantly tense at her contact but she didn't care. What she needed was someone to cry on, and his physical presence was enough. No comfort was needed.

He only sat there completely still as she bawled into his tunic, silently letting her get past her trauma. Perhaps he felt guilty and that's why he didn't push her away, even though there was no doubt his shirt would be ruined after this. His clothes were of the finest materials and yet they were the last thing on either of their minds.

Was it his upbringing as royalty that taught him to expect an assassination attempt from everyone he met? Even from her? Had she given him any reason to believe she was trying to get him alone so that she could kill him?

Who would have thought that a person could grow to be so miserable in just a few days. Even worse was the fact that both her and her future husband were suffering in ways completely unrelated to each other. A marriage full of pain even before the vows were exchanged. He had given her a knife and expected her to kill him, maybe not because he didn't trust her, maybe it was just to test her, or maybe because he really wanted to free himself of her. The arrangement was done without Judith's participation and was the worst thing that had ever happened to her, but she had resigned herself to her fate in the end. Instead of doing the same, the prince had considered death over marriage.

He really wanted nothing to do with her.

Pressing her face harder into his back as she sobbed uncontrollably, Judith couldn't decide what was worse: That he was so ready to die, or that he didn't trust her.

For some reason, the second one was much worse.

Hey everyone! Just want to thank you guys for reading this story. I'm having so much fun and I hope you guys are liking it so far. Next chapter is the last one and I'd really like to hear what you guys are thinking.

The concept for this story (and the one about Bartholomew of Sandwich) were ideas taken from drabbles written by Skychip. Maybe you remember him or maybe you don't, but he wrote lots of things that were just never posted up. I've been taking them and adding stuff to make them into longer chapters with his help. There will be tons more stories coming up, and we really hope you enjoy them.

I know I haven't really added author's notes to anything, and I probably should. I'll try to be better at that. Anyways, like I said before, I would looooove to have some feedback, so post a review if you can or send a PM. If you have the time, even if you've already read it, reviewing our story "Sandwich" would be nice too.

Again, thanks so much for everything. See you in a few with the last chapter!