Saving Prince James: A James and Sofia Love Story
Set in an alternate universe, James is now 20 and usurped his father as king and conquered every kingdom to create an empire, but he has lived his years as a lonely king with only power and wealth to keep him company. When Cedric summons a banished Sofia, 18, to the castle to secretly save the kingdoms and James, something stirs in James's heart the moment he sees a grown and blossomed Sofia. Can a banished princess save the kingdoms and can a ruthless prince find his way into the heart of a princess he once lost?
Chapter 14: The Truth About True Love
Sofia
Sofia couldn't believe what was happening around her.
One moment, she was just happily dancing with Desmond and the next thing she knew, Cyrus – no, Hugo – and James were fighting on the floor in front of her. Everything that happened in between those moments were either a combination of blurred images or perfectly preserved memories.
Sofia couldn't move her body. She was too afraid, too hurt, too confused to even move a single muscle.
James currently had Hugo in a tight headlock while Hugo repeatedly jabbed punches into James's stomach with his elbow. Hugo managed to strike James hard enough that he doubled over with pain and Hugo threw a fierce punch at James. The two of just continued on to charge at one another with ready fists and kicks.
There was small drops of blood splattered on the marble floor as they continued to brawl with each other. Amid the fight, Sofia saw that blood dripped from each of their lips and she could tell that their faces were going to be badly bruised from how hard they've been repeatedly hitting each other.
Some of the other princes, Zandar and Khalid in particular, have tried to intervene on the fight but failed to rip them apart.
"James! Stop this!" Sofia heard Zandar yell, trying to link his arms around James to pull him away from Hugo.
"Seriously, Hugo, you're going to kill each other!" Khalid shouted as he tried to reason with the two of them.
"That's the point," James growled at the two princes. "I'm going to kill him for what he did to Sofia!"
"Kill me?" Hugo spat, some of his blood spraying onto the floor. "Like you even can!"
"Ha!" James scoffed. "Confident jackass!"
The two of them began to circle one another, waiting for the right moment to strike each other.
"You know, I never liked you or your other persona, 'Cyrus'. I knew that there had to be a reason why I never liked it when I learned that 'Cyrus' was Sofia's personal guard," James sneered. "And there is! 'Cyrus' was you! Of all people, 'Cyrus' had to be you, Hugo!"
"What? Don't like me close with Sofia?" Hugo said in a mocking tone.
"Never did. Never will."
"Well, too bad," Hugo said, motioning for James to charge at him.
James's eyes grew wild with anger as he ran towards Hugo and threw more punches. "You always did this, Hugo! You always tried something with her no matter how many times I warned you to stay away from her!"
James managed to hit Hugo on his cheek and cause him to fall to the ground. It looked like James was going to kick Hugo on his side but he managed to spring back up and throw a hard fist into James's stomach.
"That's because I like her! I wanted to court her but you always got in the way!" Hugo continued to shout.
More punches and kicks were thrown as they continued to fight.
"I got in the way because you were never good enough for her!" James grunted back as Hugo grabbed onto James's neck and lock it underneath his arms, trying to subdue him.
"Ha! 'Good enough'?" Hugo sneered down at James. "You don't think I already know that? I always knew that she was too good for me but at least I have the guts to try, James!"
"You actually think that what you did out there showed that you had 'guts'?" Sofia watched as James pushed back at Hugo and escaped his grip. James now straightened and glared back at Hugo with a renewed fury and disgust. "You just stole a kiss from her! Do you think that automatically makes you her suitor?!"
"I just want to see what I can have with her!"
"You have absolutely nothing with her! You will never have anything with her!"
"I can feel something between Sofia and I, James! And I'm going to see what that is!"
"You. Have. Nothing," James growled. "The only thing between you two is just air! Empty! Meaningless! Air!"
"You almost sound like you're jealous, James," Hugo taunted him with a cruel smile. "Does it honestly upset you that there are other guys who are interested in Sofia?"
"I'm not! I'm pissed as hell!" James charged forward again.
And their fight continued on as Sofia could do nothing but stand there frozen.
Her mind was everywhere, trying to make sense of everything, but her body couldn't understand a single thing and just shut down from all of the chaos that surrounded her.
Everyone in the ballroom was crowded around in a large circle as Sofia stood motionless in the center.
Sofia didn't know what to do. The only thing she could only do was close her eyes just to shut out the sounds and cries that wanted to consume her.
She just wants to try and think.
Just think.
Think of anything.
Hugo… Hugo is Cyrus… This entire time, he was Cyrus, the one thought she tried to keep away barged into her mind. Sofia felt completely and utterly betrayed as her mind just grabbed onto that. Her body was numb and shaking at the same time, her eyes stung as tears tried to fight their way out. This entire time, he lied to me and pretended to be someone he's not.
Hugo… or Cyrus… or whoever he is now… lied to me….
"Enough!" Sofia heard her sister angrily yell.
Looking over her shoulder, Sofia saw Amber rushed to her side and felt Amber put her arms around Sofia as she ordered for the guards to stop Hugo and James. It took ten palace guards to pull the two of them apart and, even in their arms, James and Hugo continued to try and lunge for each other.
"Sofia," Amber looked worryingly at her. "Hey, look at me. Sofia, are you okay?"
Sofia couldn't take her eyes away from James and Hugo, the look of pure madness still ran through their eyes as they still tried to fight against the ten guards just to return to their brawl.
"Sofia, hey. Hey! Sofia!" Amber gently yelled at her to get her attention.
Then, she saw how both James's and Hugo's head snapped up at Amber's shout. They both looked over at Sofia and it was like the angry spell on them broke.
"Sofia…" she heard Hugo say, regret and shame immediately ran through his face like someone poured ice cold water over him. "Just let me explain, I –"
But he stopped short when Sofia began to walk towards the two of them. And the closer she got to Hugo, the harder it was for her to fight against her tears and the lump that was growing in her throat.
Sofia didn't want to break down here, not in front of everyone. Not in front of James and Hugo.
"Sofia…." Hugo's voice was barely above a whisper now as he looked down at her.
And immediately, her hand shot up and was ready to slap him with everything she's got. Sofia saw how his face cringed and tried to cower away from her raised hand.
Behind her, she heard several gasps, obviously surprised that she of all people would even raise her hand against something.
She wanted him to feel how hurt she is from his betrayal, from his lies. She wanted to slap him and hear his apologies. She wanted to see if he's even sorry for lying to her. She wanted answers to the millions of questions that ran through her mind.
She wanted….
She wanted….
She didn't know what she wanted….
All she knew was that hurting him – hurting Hugo – wasn't the answer because it wouldn't erase what she felt, what she was so afraid to admit to herself right now.
"I can't… I can't hurt you," Sofia said as she lowered her hand and let the hot tears run down her cheeks. "I don't think I have it in me to slap you, Hugo…."
"Sofia, I'm so sorry," Hugo rushed. "You have to believe me. I never meant to hurt you like this. I was going to tell you everything, I wanted you to know the truth. Please, just let me explain and you'll understand everything. Please, believe me."
There it is, the apology you wanted, Sofia thought. But… my heart is still hurt. I'm still hurt.
"I-I don't know what to believe, Hugo." Sofia's voice cracked, thick with all of the tears that mixed with it.
Sofia was certain that her make-up was now ruined. That everything was ruined. All of their hard work and preparations were nothing but complete trash now.
"No, no. Sofia, please." Sofia saw the pure emotions running through his eyes, how hard his ever hazel eyes were trying to make her believe every word he was saying. "Believe me, I would never hurt you. I love you."
More gasps sounded around her, but none of them reached her ears as Sofia just stood there in front of Hugo.
Suddenly, it was like she couldn't breathe. All at once, her dress felt too tight, her shoes were too small, and her crown weighed like stone on her head.
She needed to get out and run, to find a place where she felt free.
"You son of a bitch!" James roared from where he was held, trying to ferociously fight against the guards' grip. "I'll kill you!"
Ignoring him, Hugo continued to hold her with his piercing hazel eyes. "Sofia, I love you. I know that you felt something in that kiss between us earlier. I just know it. Please. Please tell me you felt it like I did."
"Hugo…." Sofia began as more of her tears rained down like it was her own personal storm. "I-I-I… I can't breathe. I need some fresh air."
Darting around, Sofia spotted the closest exit her eyes landed on and dashed towards the large arch doors that lead out to the balconies. Without another word, Sofia ran and ran and ran.
"Sofia!" she heard James, Hugo, and Amber call out to her.
Faster than her legs could ever carry her, Sofia made it out onto the palace's large balcony and down its stairs in what felt like seconds.
Sofia continued to run and run until her body screamed that she needed to stop and try to breathe. When she saw the palace garden's grand water fountain with its illuminated and splashing water, Sofia began to slow down and just sat down on its ledge that was wide enough for three people to stand on. And Sofia just sat on the white tiled ledge, watching the streams of liquid play and jump in the glowing water around the tall structure of a large stone rose surrounded by similar stone vines and leaves.
Her heart was beating too fast, making her bodice feel like it was getting tighter by the second. It was constricting her and making her breathe in shallow breaths. Her feet hurt from her high heels, pinching and squeezing the life out of her feet. Her scalp itched from all of the pins and clips Amber made the hairstylist put into her hair. Her head felt heavy from carrying the massive crown.
From the full moon's light reflecting on the water, Sofia looked down into the water and saw a beautiful girl staring back at her.
It looked like Sofia, but it didn't feel like her. Nothing about her reflection told her that she was staring at herself.
From her large, beautiful crown, her running mascara, her perfectly styled hair that glistened in the moonlight, none of it felt like it belonged to Sofia.
It was all fake.
She wanted to rip and tear her dress apart until it was torn into pieces and falling between her fingertips.
She wanted to throw her heels, her crown, and every single hairclip that was hammered onto her head into the water fountain.
She wanted to jump into the large pond-sized base of the water fountain and wash away her make-up so she can feel her face fresh and free again.
This isn't me, Sofia thought as she looked herself over. Everything on me is so unnecessary. My hair is overly curled and styled. My make-up makes me feel like some counterfeit doll. And this crown…. Sofia ripped it from her head, looking at how it glimmered in the bright moonlight. I don't even need this crown. I never needed it. It just made me feel like some overly dressed princess.
And one by one, Sofia began to remove it all.
She took off her painful high heels and laid it on the ground beside the water fountain. She enjoyed how the cold stones beneath her feet soothed her aching feet. Next, she took out every single jeweled hairclip and bobby pin in her head, setting them down on the water fountain's edge with her crown. When they were all gone, Sofia shook out her hair and welcomed the relief she felt now that she was finally free from her scalp's itching. She ran both of her hands through her hair and began to dishevel her hair until it was a crown of curly, messy hair. Looking at herself in the water's reflection again, Sofia scooped up a handful of the water and began to scrub away all of her make-up until she was certain that her face was now completely clean and rinsed.
While using her dress's skirt to dry her face, Sofia went on to evaluate her dress.
There is so much tulle on this dress, Sofia thought as she picked at her dress. It's almost irritating at how much there is….
Then she began to rip each layer of tulle from her skirt until what was left from her dress was only her outer coverings of silk and her chemise.
Returning back to her watery reflection, Sofia couldn't help but grow into a big, satisfied smile. Her dress lost all of its volume but her hair seemed to have gained it. She looked like the complete opposite of a princess with her ripped dress, messy hair, and nothing but a naked face on.
And she couldn't be any happier.
She loved it all. The complete freedom of not wearing any heavy make-up, or having her hair painfully pinned into some ridiculous style, or carrying some massive crown on the top of her head.
She felt liberated.
She felt free.
She felt like herself again.
Her hair was a complete mess, her entire face was bare, and she was barefoot in a torn dress. And she never felt more beautiful.
She was herself… and she was beautiful….
All around her was an array of ripped fabric and cotton tulle that floated and moved in the late night autumn breeze. And for a while, Sofia just returned back to sitting on the water fountain's ledge and breathe in the quiet serenity of the water fountain and cold breeze. The sounds of the water splashing behind her as she watched the fabric move was calming and soothed her frantic heart. It cleared her mind and left her feeling like she was at least at peace in this chaotic situation….
Standing up again, Sofia was about to go and pick up all of the straying pieces of ripped fabric until she heard a faint pounding of feet off in the distance.
"Sofia! Sofia!" she heard voices call to her.
Amber? Desmond?
"Sofia! Where are you?!"
James?! Her heart began to beat fast again at the sound of his voice.
"Sofia! Please, let's just talk about this!"
Hugo?! Now her heart was pulsing at a frantic rate.
"Sofia! Sofia!"
No! No! No! Sofia thoughts shouted. I don't want to see anyone right now! I just want to be alone!
Dropping everything in her arms, Sofia didn't even bother to look at where she was going. Her feet just began to sprint towards the darkest place around her and took her into the far corners of the garden. Barging through the tall bushes, Sofia just let her feet take over and carry her to the tall trees near outer boarders of the garden. She felt the sharp pangs of pain at the soles of her feet from stepping on small stones and twigs on the garden's dark path but she wouldn't let her feet stop and ignored the pain, she just kept on running and running.
Behind her, Sofia could feel the faint presence of someone running after her. Taking a glance over her shoulder, Sofia saw only the distant outline of their silhouette because they were so far behind her; the path was too shadowed for her to see their face.
Quickly ducking off of the garden's paved path and into the safety of the trees' shadows. Sofia tried to push through the many trees, but their low hanging branches kept on tugging onto her sheer sleeves and slowing her down. With desperation and fear consuming her, Sofia just hectically ripped her sleeves from her dress and continued to run further into the cluster of trees and hid behind a tree's big, thick trunk. Sofia held her breath and remained as low as her body would allow until she was certain that whoever was behind her was gone.
"Sofia!"
It was James. He followed her into the garden's forest of trees.
"Sofia!"
Just leave me alone, James. I just need to be alone right now.
"Sofia… please…."
The desperation in his voice nearly made her entire body instinctively run to him… but it also made her grow irritated at him.
No. Angry.
Really angry.
He has no right to use that voice on her after breaking his promise. He has absolutely no right!
When she only heard the quiet silence of the night for several heartbeats, Sofia softly got up from her hunched position behind the big tree trunk and looked over to where she heard James's voice earlier.
From the moonlight, she could see that his back was to her.
Good, Sofia thought. I can get away.
As quietly as possible, Sofia picked up what remained of her dress's skirt so that they wouldn't get caught on any exposed roots or branches and tried to quietly slip further into the night shadows.
But she stopped when James's voice call out to her again.
"Sofia, I know you're here." Turning back around, she saw that he was holding onto both of her sleeves in his hands. "Sofia, please. Just come out."
Silently cursing at herself for leaving a trail, Sofia went back to trying to escape but she accidentally stepped onto a dry twig and a loud snap echoed through the quiet trees.
Gasping, Sofia looked back at James and saw that his eyes immediately found her.
"Sofia!" He began to sprint after her.
No!
Instantly, Sofia let her legs take control again and she shot through the trees like she was flying.
"No! Sofia! Wait!"
She felt his presence gaining on her. Using every ounce of strength left within her, Sofia pushed her legs beyond its limits and began to speed through the winding trees.
Don't turn around. Don't turn around, the thought rang through her mind. Don't turn around, Sofia. Don't turn around.
"Sof!" James shouted, but his voice was fading behind her.
Sofia was always faster than James. Even when they were kids, James could never beat her when it came to running or sprinting. She just had better agility and cardio skills than him.
Pushing her legs to run faster, Sofia didn't stop until his voice was completely gone and then she fell breathlessly down onto the ground. She tried to gasp in as much air as possible to stop the pain crying from her lungs. Her hands touched down onto soft grass and fallen leaves; looking up, she saw that she arrived in front of the massive oak tree that rests on the very outskirts of the palace. Shifting herself, Sofia sat down and leaned against it, trying to rest just for a bit.
Why did I run? Why do I always run? Sofia berated herself as she listened to her long breathing, the only sound that bounced from tree to tree.
"Am I that much of a coward that I run every time someone says 'I love you' to me?" Sofia choked out as she stared up at the cluster of stars that peaked through the trees. She felt the threat of new tears behind her eyes.
"You're not a coward, Sofia." Sofia immediately recognized who that voice belonged to.
"Queen Anne..." Sofia barely gasped as she turned and saw her floating figure standing before her.
"Oh, enough with this 'Queen Anne' business," Queen Anne smiled at Sofia as she sat across from Sofia. "Just call me 'Anne'. Or whatever you may like."
"Uh, okay…. Anne…. What are you doing here?"
Queen Anne gave her a sympathetic look as she gently held onto Sofia's hand. "Sofia, dear, I was in my room when I felt the chaos completely overtake your ball."
"You felt it?"
"Another aspect to my abilities is that I am able to feel heavy and powerful emotions that can give me a hint as to what's going on in the castle, but it won't tell me exactly what's happening."
"Oh… okay…." Sofia couldn't find anything else to say, she was just too tried to think of anything right now. She drew her legs up to her chest and rested her head on the tops of her knees as she let out a heavy sigh. She received her explanation, so what else did she have to say?
"Sofia..." Queen Anne said kindly, "tell me what happened back there."
She could feel Queen Anne looking worryingly at her as Sofia remained quiet. Sofia knew that Queen Anne was the only person – alive or dead – who could help Sofia understand things that are going on right now in both her heart and her mind.
"Hugo came back…." Her voice was barely audible even to her own ears.
And immediately, their dance and conversation flashed through her head.
Sofia remembered how her cheeks began to grow warm when he came up to her and asked for a dance in his deep and soothing voice.
He's so handsome…. Sofia recalled how that thought popped into her head when her eyes registered him at the top of the stairs and the massive wave of guilt washing over her.
But she did. She found him so handsome when he smiled down at her, lighting up his mask-covered face. He was even more handsome when his hazel eyes became so intense when he looked at her and only her.
"Sofia, you look wonderful," Hugo had said to her when he brought her close to him as they began to dance.
Flustered, Sofia didn't know how to respond. She simply nodded and smiled up at him with blushing cheeks.
"It's great to have you back," he continued on.
"I can say the same to you, Hugo," Sofia said, trying to calm her cheeks back to normal. "Where have you been all these years? I heard you disappeared."
"I've been… around," Hugo said as Sofia was mentally taking him in.
Sofia saw that he had grown so well; she could feel how muscled he was, his body was lean and well built. From his exposed mouth and chin, Sofia could tell that his face must be well chiseled too.
And she didn't understand why she was feeling so flustered by this. She had James. So why was she taken aback by Hugo?
But there was this familiarity with Hugo that Sofia couldn't shake off. Then she thought it was because she was getting used to Hugo's new and matured appearance after all these years, not because he was really Cyrus and they were the same person she was dancing with.
His hands should have given it away! Sofia mentally cursed herself.
She remembered absently recalling the familiar zap of warmth that shot through her hand the instant she held onto Hugo's hand and feeling how rough it was. The shape and feel of his calloused hand was so familiar to her….
"And he kiss me…. In front of everyone," Sofia continued on to Queen Anne as the flashbacks went on in her mind.
Sofia and Hugo just proceeded to talk and laugh about what they've been doing since the last time they've seen each other. He didn't reveal much to Sofia, except that for a couple of years, he's been traveling all throughout the kingdoms and learning many useful skills. He made her laugh couple of times with simple and almost idiotic jokes.
And the entire time, Sofia felt guilty for liking the dance far more than she should have. She liked feeling how warm he was, how wonderfully he talked to her, and how amazing his eyes looked in the raining lights.
Her dance with Hugo was completely different than her dance with James.
With James, there was this certain passion and love that exuded between them, making Sofia feel alive. The way his hands held her waist, warming her with an electric heat. She just wanted to wrap her body around him, relishing in the fire between them. There was always this incredible intensity and power between her and James, like they couldn't get enough of each other. His touch alone could undo her, but it also made her feel so awake and… and… alive. Just alive. He made her feel like she was truly living.
But with Hugo, he made her feel so at ease and… cherished, like she was treasured. James always makes her feel like she's his most precious thing in the entire world, but with Hugo, it was something else…. It was a different type of treasured. His hands held her so tenderly that she felt like he was afraid of breaking her. There wasn't any electricity that radiated between them, but there was a gentle magnetism that made her feel drawn to him.
Hugo is so different from James. There is this security I feel around him while James is this wild ball of energy….
Then suddenly, he abruptly stopped dancing and brought her to a halt right in the center of the dance floor.
"Sofia…" Hugo said as his hands stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.
Sofia knows that she would be lying to herself if she said that she didn't like how warm his hands felt against her cheeks. She liked how rough his calloused hands felt as it stroked her cheeks, and how unbelievably gentle they felt to her….
"Sofia…" He said again. Sofia could hear the urgency and desire that flowed through his words. "There is so much I need to tell you, stuff that that you don't fully understand about me and what I had to do. But I promise that I'll tell you after."
"After what?" She asked as she felt him cup her face.
"After this."
Immediately after those words left his mouth, Hugo's lips crashed onto hers. The kiss didn't possess her like how James's normally would but…. It was so nice, just soft and tender. It felt like his kiss was so questioning, as if he was silently asking for permission to try and deepen it into something more between them.
And just for a second, Sofia found herself kissing him back.
Sofia felt Hugo quickly responded to her kissing him back; he added more pressure into the kiss and her eyes began to flutter close. There was this ease and smoothness in the kiss, it was sweet and kind. Nothing like how her kisses with James are. She felt no fire erupt inside of her, but there was a spark…. The way her lips felt a slight tingle and thrill from the kiss was a small proof of what laid between her and Hugo. Sofia could remember how her mind joyfully shuddered at the ease and simple bliss she felt to be this close to Hugo.
It was a comfortable kiss. It was an affectionate kiss.
And she liked it.
She liked every second that Hugo's lips were hers.
"Oh…." Sofia could hear the shock in Queen Anne's voice, bringing her back from her thoughts.
Looking over at her, Sofia let out a tired huff of a laugh. "Yeah…. Then he told me that he loved me…. In front of everyone, again."
"…Wow…."
"…Yup," Sofia said with a nod as her eyes returned to staring at the stars above her. "And like the situation with James, I ran after hearing that."
"…Sofi –"
"Why do I always do this…?" Sofia's voice was becoming thick with tears again. "Why do I always run? Is there something wrong with me for wanting to run every time someone pours their heart out to me?"
"No, no. There is nothing wrong with you, sweetheart."
"Then tell me why," Sofia pleaded. "Tell me why I always run because nothing makes sense to me anymore."
"My opinion here may not seem much, but I honestly think it's because you're so young."
"Because I'm young?" Sofia said, bewildered at what her youth has anything to do with her situation.
"Yes," Queen answered back with a firm nod. "Sofia, you're only eighteen years old and I think that you're just afraid of this type of love because of how inexperienced you are. Think about it. You haven't gone out and discover the world. You haven't lived your life yet or go explore the world, its people, and its magic yet, and you have yet to discover anything about yourself. I know that deep down inside of you, you know that you want to go and experience the world before you experience this type of love because you want to learn about yourself first."
Sofia left speechless. Again, Queen Anne has surprised her beyond all speech.
How is it possible that this ghost knows Sofia better than herself?
She didn't know what to do, and as the exhaustion and frustration began to catch up to her, Sofia just followed her need to cry. Sofia could only shake as the tears flowed freely out.
She felt too overwhelmed. Everything is just so crazy….
"Sofia…" Queen Anne's voice tried to soothe her. "I know that everything is confusing right now, but it'll work out in the end."
"It's not that... I just – it's like I don't even understand my own feelings anymore. I can't even trust my own mind to explain it to me. It's all just too much…."
"What do you mean dear?"
"W-when Hugo kissed me, I liked it. I liked it a lot," Sofia said in between her sobs. "What kind of person does that make me? To like a kiss from someone that isn't my true love? I found my true love already. I thought that with true love, no one else matters when you find your soulmate because you were meant to find them and instantly fall in love with them."
"But that's it, Sofia. You are meant to fall in love." Sofia could hear the kindness and seriousness in Queen Anne's tone mix. "True love doesn't mean that you instantly fall in love with someone. It only means that you find your soulmate and gradually fall in love with everything they are. You slowly learn to understand them and grow to love them. You become their entire world over time. True love means that you and your soulmate are bound together, to find each other and learn about each other until you understand each other completely. They grow and mature with each other. When true loves find each other, they form an instant connection or bond, but the love between them grows as they get to know one another and it turns into something special."
Sofia was taken away at Queen Anne's profound words. It was nothing like she's learned or read about before. And with every word that she said, it rang with a truth to them that Sofia knew she could never read about in any book.
"Sofia, what you're experiencing isn't all that uncommon. You may find yourself drawn to Prince Hugo, but even with true loves, sometimes they do drift and lose each other but they always find their way back to one another. James is still your soulmate and you'll never lose your connection to him. It's going to be okay, Sofia."
Sofia opened her mouth to say a few words of gratitude to Queen Anne but a faint rustling quickly caught their attention.
"Bye," Sofia heard Queen Anne quickly whispered. She was certain that she saw a small, knowing smile on the Queen's lips as she disappeared.
What?
"Sofia!" Her head immediately turned towards the source of the voice.
It was James.
Sofia quickly stood with her back against the tree's truck and watched as he emerged from the shadowy cluster of trees looking completely disheveled. His hair was wild and messy, his entire hair was tousled even further as it rustled in the night winds. Sofia saw that he was only wearing his suit's jacket and cotton shirt tucked into his vest, it seems that he discarded his cravat along with his pins. His jacket was open and loose, the ends flapping in the cold air.
"Sofia…." she heard him breathlessly say again as he ran a hand through his crazy hair.
Sofia felt a rush of various emotions as she continued to stand there and stare at him. It was all too much for her to handle how crazily her emotions began to bounce around inside of her; relief, fear, guilt, anger, and exhaustion all began to try and win dominance within her. She wanted to close her eyes and try to control her emotions but Sofia couldn't rip her eyes away from the way James gazed at her with such intensity.
"Sof…." James took a step towards her.
And, alarmed at his movement, the fear inside won and she turned to run again.
But she suddenly felt a pair of strong, warm arms clasp onto her waist and lift her off of the ground. Her feet dangled above the floor as he pull her back hard against his chest.
"No! No, you're not running away from me again," he irritably said into her ear. Sofia felt his hot breath brush against her neck as she tried to fight against his grip on her.
She tried everything to break free from his arms, kicking him with the back of her legs and hitting his arms around her waist. She continued on to struggle against him but that only resulted in him tightening his arms and bringing her closer to his body.
"Sofia, stop this. Stop trying to run. I'm not letting you go, so just stop."
But this only made her fight harder. She didn't like how he sounded like he was commanding her what to do. She thrashed and wildly fought his grip, her hair was flying as she desperately tried to free herself. Sofia was growing irritated at him and it soon boiled to anger.
"Let me go, James," Sofia hissed at him as the anger in her began to grow and erase her fear.
"No. Like I said, I'm not letting you go."
"I'm serious, James. Let me go right now," Sofia turned and glared at him. "I want to be alone. So, let me go!"
"Why?" James angrily asked her. "Why do you always want to be alone when I'm right here trying to help you?!"
"Help me?!" Sofia yelled. "You honestly think what you did back there was 'helping' me?!"
"Yes! I helped save you from getting your face sucked off by him!"
Sofia bitterly scoffed at him, "you think you saved me by starting a fight?!"
"Dammit, Sofi –"
"James, I'm not the one who needs saving here!" Sofia felt his arms grow stiff and she knew that her words was pouring over him like lemon juice on a cut. She saw how wounded his eyes looked and immediately regretted how her words hung in the air between them now.
There was a heavy silence between them before James voice came out filled with carefully controlled anger. "I don't care if you're angry with me right now, Sofia. What I did back there, I did it because I was trying to help you."
"How was starting a fight with Hugo helping me?!"
James finally let her down and turned her to face him, his hands never leaving her waist and clutching it even tighter than before.
"He kissed you right in front of me! I had every right to kick his puny ass because he stole a kiss from you!" James fiercely said to her, his eyes level to hers.
Sofia's anger now rose beyond her limits at hearing his words. "You don't have 'every right' because you broke your promise, James!" Sofia fought him. She pushed hard on his chest and managed to release herself from him. "You promised me! You promised that you wouldn't fight anyone! You said that you would control yourself! But what do you do? You go berserk and start fighting Hugo! You two nearly killed each other! I mean, look at yourself! You're bloodied and bruised!"
"Okay, I know that I promised to be on my best behavior, but Sofia, that jackass kissed you. In. Front. Of. Me. What was I supposed to do? Just let him continue kissing you?"
"Well, you didn't have to fight him! I could have handled Hugo on my own!"
"You could have handled him? Really?" Sofia heard the mocking disbelief oozing in his voice as he walked closer to her. "Then, tell me. How would you have 'handled' him?"
Sofia didn't have an answer right away. She couldn't find her voice because of how closely James stood in front of her now and her feet were rooted to the forest floor. It was just like this morning's situation in his room where he backed her up against a wall and locked her in place, but this time, he locked her between him and a large tree. Her bare skin was pinned against the rough tree bark and scratched her naked arms.
"Tell me, Sofia. How would you have 'handled' that idiot, Hugo?" Sofia saw James's eyes gaze from her eyes to her lips and back.
How would I have handled him? Sofia thought. Would I have slapped him? Would I have continued on kissing him? Would I have angrily yelled at him and stormed off?
I know that I liked the kiss. I kissed him back and wanted his arms around me. I wanted it to continue so I could explore it between us….
I-I-I-I don't think I would have handled it…. I would have just been left speechless…
But there's something else to it….
Hugo's kiss was nice and everything but… it was nothing like James's. The more she thought it over, the more she realized how true her words were. It didn't leave me wanting more, it didn't consume my body and soul as my mind reeled from just the exhilaration and passion of his lips….
Coming down to it, between Hugo and James, James was the one my heart wants….
"Well, I wouldn't have gone and tried to beat the life out of him," Sofia crossly taunted under her breath.
"I want a serious answer, Sofia."
"Fine. I… I don't know, James. I don't know how I would have handled the situation because…." Sofia didn't know how to explain to him that she liked the kiss and it would have left her too frazzled to do anything.
"Because what?" James asked, his eyes gazing and searching her eyes for the truth.
Sofia tried to respond but couldn't find the words to explain herself to him.
"Because you liked the kiss?" Sofia heard him joke bitterly. But when she didn't reply, his eyes began to widen as he continued to stare into her eyes. "Did-did you like the kiss?"
"…James…." Sofia tried, but his arms flew to her shoulders and painfully gripped it too hard.
"Sofia, answer me. Did you like his kiss?"
"James, I –"
"Sofia!"
"I-I-I… did…."
"You did," James said horrified and breathless. He released his hands from her and took a step back. "You like Hugo's kiss."
"James –"
"Do you love him? You love him, don't you?" James turned to her with such hurt eyes that her heart panged painfully. "Of course you do, why wouldn't you? Hugo isn't a murderer like me. He isn't some monster with blood-stained hands. He doesn't have all of these issues to work out. He's your prince ch –"
"James, I don't love Hugo…." Sofia tried to reason with him.
"Don't lie to me, Sofia. I know that you have feelings for Hugo! You love him!"
"James, I never said that I love him!"
"You don't have to! Your silence and the look in your eyes did!" James looked at her accusingly. "He kissed you and now you love him! Next, you're going to want to marry him and leave me here brokenhearted! I-I-I can't endure that, Sofia. I can't watch you love him and walk away from me! I can't lose you, Sofia –"
"James."
"He says that he loves you, but he doesn't even know you like I do! Hugo doesn't understand you! He can't love you like I do, Sofia –"
"James."
"Sofia, you don't know how much I love you! I can't lose you. Not again. Not ever. I love you too mu –"
"Shut! Up! James!" Sofia shouted at him. She couldn't hear any more of this. She was tired and irritated and her emotions were too high for her to deal with. "I don't love Hugo! I love you!"
And again, there was complete silence between them as Sofia's words was laid in front of them.
Sofia wanted to rip those words away and try to push them back into her throat. She didn't mean to say those words to him so fast, it was all on impulse from the storm of their emotions and James's hurt expression.
"Wh-what?"
Well, there's no going back now….
"I love you, James," Sofia said as her cheeks grew so hot that she was unsure if she had a fever instead. Her heart was beating so fast that she didn't know how it was possible that she was still standing or even breathing. Its beating was so loud that it rang in her ears and she was certain that James could hear every loud pang of her heart.
"Sofia…."
"Yes, I did like his kiss but I don't love them like I love yours," Sofia explained. "I don't want or crave them like how I want and crave yours. I'm addicted to your kisses, James. You don't know what your lips do to me. They leave me feeling like I'm on fire and completely submerged in ice at the same time. I want your touches, James. I want your kisses. I want you. Because I am in love with you."
She watched him as she said every word, the way his hands were clenched so tightly at his sides that she could see how white his knuckles were turning. Sofia couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling at the moment, his face was a large and complicated mess of emotions that she couldn't decipher. One moment it was relief that spread across his face, then it turned to fear, as if he was afraid of what he was hearing.
"This was what I tried not to tell you this morning, James," Sofia continued on, watching him try and take a step towards her. "I've been wanting to tell you but I wanted to be absolutely sure that I was ready to tell you. And I wanted the moment to be perfect when I do…."
Whatever Sofia wanted to say next was permanently erased from her mind as James stopped right in front of her and slowly raised his hand up to her cheek to tuck away a random strand of her hair behind her ear. Her eyes instinctively closed from the familiar static of his hands on her skin.
"Sofia…" James said as she felt both of his hands cup around her cheeks. His voice was so strained and hoarse, like everything that he was feeling was trying to push its way out of him. "Say it again…."
Opening her eyes, Sofia found herself staring at a pair of scared, hopeful green eyes telling her that he didn't ask to hear it again because he wanted it. He needed it. He needed to hear her say it because he wants to know that she feels the same way that he does. That she can feel the fire and heat between them whenever they are so close to each other.
"James… I love you…."
And without another word, Sofia felt James crash his lips onto hers and they returned back to their dance of passion and kisses.
Chapter Fourteen! Woo!
Wow... I can't believe I made it this far! Thank you to everyone that stuck around this long since the beginning! As always, big and happy thanks to everyone who reads and reviews my chapters! I love them!
I don't have much to say here, just that my health is up right now. I still have my moments here and there, but it's a lot better now. Thank you to everyone who PM me and reviewed saying so many encouraging things! I love you all! I'm trying to get back into my normal routine of publishing on a regular basis, but it's hard. I promise I'll try, so please be patient with me.
Read, review, etc.
Thanks :)
