Two Worlds

Chapter Twelve

"Lord Frederick?" a voice asked from behind him.

He swallowed the low, guttural growl that threatened to escape his lips. Clearing his throat, he buttoned up his party jacket to hide his side blade, though if one looked close enough or bumping into him, they would know he was hiding something on his belt. Placing a fake smile upon his lips—like he'd done so many times—he turned.

He felt his lips begin to curl into a sneer at the sight of the glorified servant standing before him. What was his name again? Douglas? No, that wasn't it. It sounded much more exotic than that. "Ah…" What was it? What did it matter really, anyway? He would just forget it later.

"It's Dimitrius, sir," he said, bowing only at the neck for the Lord. What was a sophisticated man like Lord Frederick doing in the servant's wing? "Are you lost?"

Of course he wasn't lost! He was right where he needed to be and this… foul creature of a man was letting the opportunity slip away from him. "I beg your pardon?" he asked, putting on a show the likes the servant had most likely never seen. He could be a wonderful actor if he tried hard enough.

Letting a smirk curl at his lips, D replied, "You're in the servants' chambers, sir." Yet, why didn't D believe that this man was here by accident. A lot of unsavory folk were just itching to get their hands on the Hudson land and if the rumor of Jack's liveliness had spread as quickly as he thought it had, most men in Lord Frederick's position would handle the task of killing the boy themselves. Letting him go any farther would be like leading a lamb to the slaughter.

Lord Frederick pretended to look aghast at the news. "Oh, I had no idea!" he proclaimed. 'Just leave me be so I can do what I came to do!' his mind yelled at Dimitrius. The cold steel at his side was calling to him. A throat would need to be cut this night and if it wasn't going to be the young Hudson, he could settle for the dark-skinned man standing before him.

"Why don't I show you back to your quarters? It's been a long day." Placing a firm hand upon the Lord's shoulder, D urged the nobleman to follow him.

'No, my will must be done!' his thoughts protested, but damn his feet for cooperating. He supposed he could wait for the opportune moment. He only wanted to kill Hudson, not spill the blood of an innocent passerby, though he couldn't be quite certain how innocent this Dimitrius Gans could be. He would oblige for now, but when the moment came, no one would be able to protect the son of James Hudson, not even the King, himself.

Letting out a breath of relief, D assisted the "lost" Lord back to at least the right hallway, but before exiting the servant's wing, he spared one last fleeting look back at Jack's door. Donna would be angry for sure, but the boy would just have to wait. The King would need to know everything and he was prepared to tell all.

He lightly knocked on the door, but stood tall and proud. It just wouldn't do if he were to show his weakness at first sight. The king wouldn't appreciate it, not after the night he'd had. An answer didn't come readily, so he knocked again, this time louder. Perhaps he was off speaking to his daughter or to Lord Leland about their pending nuptials. Even when Edward had announced it, D had seen the glimmer of despair in his eyes. Lord Hudson was meant to be the future king, not a Leland; no matter how often they spouted off about their riches and honors.

If he'd only told Jack sooner, none of this would have happened and the castle would be filled with joy instead of a dull stench of loss. The castle itself felt like it was in mourning for the love that was almost, but not quite and it left a dense fog to circulate through the corridors until every in inhabitance would feel it as well.

Sighing heavily when yet again an answer didn't come, D turned and began to walk away, but the familiar click of a key turning in the lock and the grating sound of the door latch turning brought his attention back to the door. There Edward stood, grim lines gracing his face. His daughter's reluctance to the marriage was taking a toll on him, he could see.

"Dimitrius?" he asked; his voice hoarse as if he'd been talking for hours on end, which he probably had been doing. Thinking aloud was always more productive.

"Your Majesty," D said as he bowed at the waist. Standing tall in front of the broken man, D let his eyes show his silent sympathy. Taking in a deep breath, he exhaled smoothly as he spoke. "There is something that I wish to discuss with you." He wasn't sure whether speaking the Hudson name would be wise, so he let the King assume what he wanted until they got behind closed doors.

Nodding, Edward ushered his old friend inside.

Stargazer was light on her feet, so light that Sue barely felt her hooves hit the ground. But, that could have been because her thoughts were focused elsewhere besides the large amount of horseflesh beating against her behind.

She'd done it. She'd run away. Relief swirled around within her. Relief that she no longer had to marry for politics, but for what her own heart desired. But, it was mixed together with fright, loneliness, and an emotional longing to see her father one last time.

The darkness blanketed her in fear. She was surrounded by both nothing and yet everything at the same time. She was only calm because the horse would know if she was being followed even if she couldn't see them through the shroud of black. Daring a glance behind her, she saw nothing but the glowing eyes of the nocturnal creatures that roamed the woods. She was entering their domain now and she only hoped that they were the friendly sort.

What she didn't hear were the calls of the wild, the sounds urging the horse on until she came upon some sort of civilization. Loud squawks of birds and a chattering of some sort of small tree-dwelling rodents were loud enough to break the awkward silence of her mistress. Stargazer could feel the girl's fright as she clung tightly to her neck as they continued to press on. Hopefully when dawn approached she wouldn't be digging her fingernails into the flesh.

Sue was alone for the first time in her life. No duties to tend to, no servants groveling at her feet, no father to tell her what to do. She was happy that it was all gone, yet she was already beginning to miss the human contact. She hadn't had much of it considering her deafness and it wasn't like they were treating her kindly because of what they saw in her heart. She was the princess; upset her and to the gallows you go.

She could remember only having one good friend in her life and she'd gone just like all of the others. This one hadn't run away, though. She'd been Sue's best friend until the day she died. It had been a terrible accident that no one could have prevented, but there were nights when Sue didn't still lie away, wondering what would have happened if Judy had survived.

Sniffling softly, she couldn't let herself become emotional, now. The hour was late and sleep was threatening to take hold. She would need to find a place to stop for the night to sleep. Glancing through the darkness, she wondered where she would be able to find any safe place to rest.

The trees were close together and they would provide some sort of shelter from the elements and a possibly proper hiding place should her father send men after her. The only question was whether it was safe out here. She'd always been told not to wander too far out into the woods for fear of bandits traveling the roads.

Perhaps it wouldn't matter, she considered. She had no money on her person, so she really had nothing to offer. A small smile graced her face at that assumption, though a snort echoing through her brain caused it to fall. She knew better than that.

Donna had served almost as a second mother to her while evolving from a mere child into womanhood. The more experienced woman told her that a woman has a lot to offer a man who was desperate enough to take it and that the princess has very much to offer a man on the outside.

She'd been putting it simply, Sue knew, to be kind to her innocent mind at the time. Her womanly figure had blossomed much more since that special little talk and many more young men—and a few older ones as well—had noticed how beautiful she'd become. Of course, her beauty was not what had been on their minds, she was sure and neither would any highway bandit she crossed paths with.

A slight inward groan graced her lips as she wished she would have brought some sort of protection to protect her… naivety—as Donna had pronounced it. She remembered blushing the first time she'd said it in that manner and the thought of Donna's lips forming that word brought another blush to her cheeks.

There was a fork in the road up ahead, she noticed. Finally taking control of the horse, Sue pulled back on the reins to take them to a slight canter. She patted Stargazer's neck and whispered a few praises in her ear with a promise to stop and rest soon.

They paused at the two roads. One headed straight and continued on south while the other veered off slightly to the east. Both trails were alike, though the one going east seemed to be a shortcut of some sorts, though a shortcut to what, Sue wasn't exactly sure. The one continuing south seemed to be the one more frequently traveled, which meant it would be more likely that she could be followed.

She pulled on the reigns for Stargazer to go east, but the horse protested and began walking south. Pulling harder at the reins to turn, the horse finally complied, though the princess could swear the animal had looked back for a fleeting second to the safer road.

Sue didn't know where she was heading, but as long as it was far enough away from the castle and her father's superficial demands, she could handle anything that came into her path. Halting Stargazer for one last moment, she glanced back in the direction of her home. She could still see the distinct silhouettes of the turrets in the distance. Silently, she said a final goodbye to her home and to everyone inside of it. She would never be returning.

Letting out a heavy breath, she kicked at the horses sides, thrown back by the burst of energy, but able to hold on tight. She never felt the ribbon slip from her tousled hair and she never heard the thundering hoof beats coming in close behind her.