CHAPTER EIGHT
"T-terrorism?" I stuttered, stepping back unconsciously. "What?" I shook my head, my wet hair whipping against my face. "It was humiliating, mortifying and down right cruel, but it wasn't terrorism." I may find Shane's actions with girls to be demeaning, and I may feel something just under hate for him after what he did to me, but he wasn't a terrorist.
"It was a public action against the Crown, that is a very serious offence of terrorism in Cyrus." Carlton explained and I shook my head. "A car will be here within the hour to take you to a safe house until this is dealt with apropriately."
"You're kidding?" I rolled my eyes, I went to my drawers and grabbed a set of clothes. "I'm going to get dressed, or is that some national offense as well?" This was ridiculous. Ten minutes later I was dressed and had dried and brushed my hair.
"Where are you going, your Highness?" Jethro questioned when I started for the door.
"For a walk." I muttered, opening the door and leaving before they could stop me. There were two suits with guns outside Shane's room. I frowned and slowly walked over to them. I knew my guards were right behind me, but I didn't care. "Can I see him?" I requested, I wanted to know why. Why would he do that to me? Was it payback for practically calling him a manwhore?
"I'm afraid that's not allowed, your Highness." The guard denied and I frowned.
"I'm the Crown Princess, you kinda have to do what I say." I pointed out, but he only glanced uneasily at the guard next to him. "As Crown Princess of Cyrus I order to let me into that room." It was the first time I'd actually meant it, and not as a petulant teenaged rebellion like before.
"Your Highness-" Jethro started to protest, but I shot him a glare as the guard in front of me let me into Shane's room. Shane was sitting on his bed with his back to the door, hunched over.
"Shane?" I murmured softly and his head shot up, but he didn't turn around. I moved to shut the door behind me, but the guard stopped me. "I want to talk to him alone, got it?" I glared and the guard recoiled enough for me shut and lock the door. "Shane?" I tried again, but he still refused to look at me. "I just wanted to know why you would do that to me?" I felt angry and sad and betrayed all at the same time.
"You promised you'd forgive me." Shane muttered, still not turning to look at me and I frowned and walked over so I was directly in front of him, which caused him to look down again.
"Look at me, Shane." I demanded and he finally looked up. His good eye was pained and I frowned. "Why did you do it? I'm sorry about what I said, but I don't like guys who just use girls... I don-didn't think you were a bad guy, but..." Shane looked down again and I sighed.
"I-I just... It's-you-I..." He let out a frustrated sound and stood up, forcing me back as started pacing. "I'm sorry, Princess, it's just-it's complicated. I can't tell you. Just trust me... You said you'd forgive me, I need you to forgive me." I couldn't help but stare at hime with wide eyes as he paced and rambled. I jumped when he grabbed something randomly off his dresser and threw it at the wall.
"Your Highness!" One of the guards knocked on the door and I jumped again. "Are you okay, your Highness?"
"I-I'm fine!" I called back, keeping a wary eye on Shane. "Shane." I whispered, walking in front of him and making him stop and look at me again. "Shane." I reached up and gently ghosted my fingers over his bruise, he winced and I sighed. "Shane, why did you do that to me?" I heard phantom laughs all over again. All those people just watching and laughing. Felt the humiliation and hurt all over again. I thought burned it away in the shower, but it was here all over again.
"I'm sorry, Princess, I am, but I just... I just can't tell you." He was frustrated as he forced himself to say it through clenched teeth.
"Well, just so you know, they want you brought up on terrorism charges... If that helps you decide if you can tell me or not." I told him before I turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist.
"Please, Princess, please just trust me when I say that there are people in the school who do want to hurt you. Badly. But, I'm not one them, I swear it on my little brothers life." Shane let go of my wrist and went back to his bed.
"Shane Gray is not a terrorist." I told all five guards directly when I left Shane's room. I sighed and went back into my own room, locking the door before anyone could follow me in. I hated this stupid school. I hated this whole stupid country. I hated this wholse stupid situation. Could my Dad not have mentioned any of this in the last twelve years? Prepared me at least instead of just sending me off like a sheep to the slaughter house? Worst of all though, I hated being away from my Dad and Jackson.
"Your Highness!" I don't know how long I'd been stuck in my own thoughts, but the next thing I knew someone was knocking on my door. I unlocked the door and sighed again. "The extended guard has arrived, your Highness."
"What's really going to happen to Shane? What-what's the best case scenario?" I questioned, giving in and letting them lead me through the halls; boxed in at all openings so that the only place I could look without seeing suits was up or down.
"Best case for Mister Gray..." Carlton mused, though still somehow being formal. "A misdemeaner criminal record for enforcing Public Indecency on a minor of the Royal family." I let out a breath; considering it could be terrorism charges that wasn't so bad. "Worst case scenario would be..." He continued thoughtfully. "A Grade A federal crime of terrorism against the Crown resulting in a death sentance."
"DEATH?" I yelled, stopping walking completely.
"Please keep walking, your Highness." Someone guided me none too gently to keep walking and I frowned.
"He may be a jerk, a manwhore and a bully, but you can't kill Shane." I denied desperately.
"That's for a hearing to decide, your Highness." Carlton shook his head. "Watch your head." He advised as the guards all parted to reveal the open back door of a limo.
Princess Miley
Saturday, September 24
If I had to stay in this stupid safe-house one more day I was going to kill someone. Preffereably one those insufferable guards that wouldn't even let me go outside. Luckilly for me - and the insufferable guards - Shane and the other boys 'hearing' was today and as the 'wronged party of treason' I was required to be there. I hadn't been allowed back to school yesterday or Thursday, but the King promised I was allowed to go back on Monday. Hopefully no-one would die between now and then.
"Are you ready, your Highness?" Grace Jefferson - another trial personal assistant Alyssa had arranged - questioned nervously outside my bedroom door of the safe-house. Honestly, Madison had been overly sunny, formal and bright-eyed and annoying. But, Grace was a nervous wreck, the mere thought of being the same room as me seemed to send her into a panic attack.
"Yeah, whatever." I muttered back, opening the door. Apparently the deal with today was to assentuate my age and 'innocence' because I was in a white little dress, white sandles, and I looked about ten. I'd only barely managed to convince the stylist team to ditch the wreath of daisies they wanted in my hair. "Let's do this thing."
It was a two-hour drive to the court or whatever and I spent the entire time trying to ignore Grace who seemed to have progressed from nervous silence to nervous rambling and was going on about the court proceedings. Seriously, court proceedings... Because Shane decided to be a jerk for one minute. It was rediculous.
"Your Majesty." The door-opening dude bowed as I sighed. Another day of Majesty, Highness and Princess. I hated it, no-one in the entire country seemed capable of calling me Miley. I gasped as I looked around; there were like two hundred people here. The King was sitting in the high chair in the front of the room, most everyone in the room was wearing some fancy robes thing and Shane and the other boy were already there; sitting in chairs right in the middle of the room. I was lead over to a chair next to the Kings, almost as high, almost as ellegant. The King smiled at me briefly, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Shane.
"I now call this session of the High Court into order." The King anounced and the quiet buzz stopped immediately. "Have the charges known to the Court." He commanded.
"Deffendant Earl Ecklestein; charged with one count of terrorism against the Crown, one count of treason, one count of conspiracy against the Crown." The other boy who had been in on it with Shane didn't look the least bit nervous. "Deffendant Shane Gray; charged with one count of terrorism against the Crown, one count of treason." Shane looked nervous and I could see him fidgetting a little, at least he ddin't get a conspiracy charge as well.
"Do you both understand the charges as they have been read?" King Altiyan asked and both boys answered affirmitive. "Mister Ecklestein, what is your deffence?" The other boy stood up and I took a good look at him; kinda tall, sandy blond hair, pale skin, arrogant smirk.
"Your Majesty." He bowed slightly, the arrogant smirk never leaving his face. "Pay it please the Crown, but I did not know that the girl I acted against was the future Crown. That does not excuse my behaviour, but my first impression of the beautiful Princess was that I simply wanted to... Impress upon her my affections." I rolled my eyes and glanced at the King, he wasn't buying it either.
"And you went about that by soiling her in public?" The King raised an eyebrow and Ecklestein bowed again.
"Though my actions were questionable, my intentions were nothing but pure of heart." Ecklestein said before he turned and sat back in his chair.
"Mister Gray, you may speak your piece." The King allowed and my breath caught as Shane stood up. His eye was better, but it was still slightly bruised, and he wasn't wearing a smirk at all, he looked deadly serious. I swear he was looking right into my eyes as he spoke.
"I'd do it again." Four words. That's all he said, four words that made the entire hall gasp collectively before there were a few shouts and a lot of murmurs. Then Shane sat down and I felt even more betrayed than when he did it. The King frowned down at Shane and let out a heavy sigh.
"I open the floor to questions for the deffendant." He waved immediately there seemed to be a raise in the volume as everyone tried to speak at once. "Lord Hawthorne, you may speak." King Altiyan spoke and I shot my eyes in the direction he was looking. Lord Marcus was here, even from a hundred feet from where I was sitting I could see his sparkling baby blue eyes.
"Mister Ecklestein claims romantic affections for the Princess?" Lord Marcus questioned and his eyes flickered to me for a second. "Why are we to believe him? Mister Ecklestein has in fact spoken out against the Crown on several previous ocassions, the entire school of Prince Arthur's was informed that the Princess would begin her education there this past week and no new students have been admitted in the intermediate to senior years since two years ago; would it not stand to reason that he knew who the new student was?" The murmurs started again as Lord Marcus sat down and I saw the King glare down at Ecklestein.
"I object!" Someone stood up, a man a little older than my Dad who bore a striking resemblance to Ecklestein. "What right does some unrefined half-breed have to question my sons emotions and affections." Well, that explained it. These people were the Cyrus equivelant of the Malfoys from Harry Potter.
"Objection noted, however, Lord Ecklestein, the evidence is not in your sons favour." King Altiyan decided. I always did like Draco in the Harry Potter series; the tormented bad boy with skewed beliefs because of his parents. "The elder Lord Hawthorne had a question too, I believe?" Lord Marcus' brother, Lord Kale stood up, but I was more focussed on Marcus sitting next to him. It was amazing how his blue eyes were so bright i could see them from here.
"Misterr Gray, you stated that you would commit youur crimes again; why would you act against the Crown a first time let alone commit to stating you would do it again?" I finally moved my eyes from Marcus to look at Shane. I saw a brief flash of guilt in his eyes before he stood.
"I respectfully decline to answer." Shane said and I frowned. What was going on with him? How could this be the same boy who was so broken and confused the other day?
"That is not an option I will allow, Mister Gray." King Altiyan denied and Shane fidgeted a little again.
"Yes, your Majesty." Shane bowed slightly. "I do not deny that I knew the identity of the Princess at the time of my crimes, nor that we in fact shared several classes-" more like all our classes "-however we also shared words that did not end in a favourable manor." I frowned, he threw a drink on me because of what I said? Then why did he demand that I forgive him, before and after?
"So you retaliated against my granddaughter with treason?" The King raised an eyebrow.
"I admit I reacted rashly, but in light of the words that passed amongst us I was left... Somewhat humiliated myself and I saw what I did as a suitable retaliation. One I would do again if the situation arose." Shane sat down again and I frowned, he'd do it again? I don't know why that thought made my stomach queasy and my heart clench. I heard more protests from the men in the seats and I looked up, I could see Lord Marcus glaring at Shane and Ecklestein. I didn't like that look in his eyes; those beautiful eyes should be filled with happiness, not disdain. It shocked me when I realized that I wanted to be the one to make Marcus happy.
Well, this chapter is longer than all the others. Hopefully the next one will be just as long :)
I don't know how long this story is going to be, but I think this is just the begining of it all. It'll most probably be more than 25 chapters, but I don't want to get your hopes up for it. I have a lot planned for this story, but I don't know that the current way it's going will allow for it all; I think things are going to change a little.
Only two reviews for my last chapter? I'm heartbroken :(
Please review more? Pretty please?
I start my job tomorrow, so it'll be at least three or four days before my next update. I expect to have at least five reviews for each chapter when I do... Or else... Okay, I'm really not good at this whole threatening thing, but PLEASE? I'm begging, I'm desperate. I'm a very needy person, I make my parents tell me they love me every time they leave the room. PLEASE? PLEASE? PLEASE?
Wish me luck for tomorrow? I get to spend all day chasing after little kids, probably changing nappies, and saying 'no' a lot when they try to do something that they know is wrong. How fun... But, it's good money, and they're really cute a lot of the time, so I guess I can deal with the bad stuff.
If anyone is interested in Puckleberry (Noah/Rachel Glee) fanfics, the author Awesam is in the process of writing two really good ones and they update really fast; several times a day in fact. And, I kind of have Aussie Pride as well. :)
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Miley-Girl