Alex quickly mounted the horse and was about to ride off when someone cleared their throat behind her. She turned and saw JC standing there in a pair of breeches and a white shirt. "I take it you are trying to escape?" he said.
"Well, trying to. But such people as yourself are holding me up."
"I'm going with you. So just hold on okay?" JC disappeared into the stable and Alex sighed. He was right though. Someone had to go with her. Her father would be very mad knowing that she wasn't taking any of the royal guard with her. A few minutes later, he came out into the light leading a gray mare named Storm. He mounted, but didn't make any move to start ahead. "Well?" asked Alex impatiently. "Why aren't we going?"
"I ran into a few difficulties in the stable," he said. Out came Dei and Ana, both leading their horses.
Alex smacked her forehead. "Will you all be quiet and hurry up? I am trying to ditch the royal guard thank you and I don't need a beacon of my whereabouts here!" The girls mounted and Alex quickly spurred Iris into a cantor, the others following. She slowed down as they hit the forest, and said, "Well, I want to have fun. And that means that if anyone refers to me as Princess Alexandra, I will personally throw you into the lake." The others laughed as they rode into the clearing with Clearwater Lake. They dismounted and unpacked their belongings.
Alex sat down on the blanket as Dei and Ana walked around the shore of the lake. JC sat down next to her. "It's things like this that I miss," she said quietly, laying back looking up into the sky. "Just being able to be myself with my friends and not having mother and father or half the royal guard breathing down my neck."
JC laughed. He was about to say something, when a small bell went off in the back of his mind. He stood up and looked around, Alex watching him. "Jace? What's wrong?"
"I don't know, but something doesn't feel right." Alex immediately got up and called for the others. "Maybe we should leave," she suggested uneasily.
"That would probably be a good idea," he replied, scanning the trees.
"Dei, Ana, pack up all of the stuff and put it back in the saddlebags," instructed Alex. She then walked over to Iris and took her sword from the saddle. No one knew that she could use a sword, save for her friends. JC followed suit and got his sword that he thought he should bring in case something happened. They scanned the trees as the girls packed up.
"Let's go!" shouted Ana as they finished. JC and Alex turned to go to the horses, when a branch snapped in the forest. They immediately turned back and held their swords pointed at the sound. "Ana, Dei get back to the castle now," commanded Alex. "But Lexi," they protested.
"I am ordering you to go!" she said, not taking her eyes from the forest.
"You should go too Alex," said JC.
"I am not going to let you hold them off, whatever they are," she said. As if to prove their numbers, more noises came from around the clearing. "Uh oh," she whispered.
Then men brightly clad in blue and white riding stallions' rode into the clearing. JC grabbed the sword from Alex's hand and held it like it was his own. Alex meanwhile was cursing under her breath. "What impeccable timing the royal guard has!" she shouted as they came toward them. "Princess Alexandra, your parents were worried sick," said Captain Eric, leader of the royal guard. "Right now, I don't care! I was hoping to have some time alone, but now that you've showed up it obviously can't happen." The others sifted nervously, wondering what was going to happen.
"Yes. Now Your Highness, if you would please come back with us." Alex grumbled as she walked toward her horse, JC behind her. Ana and Dei were already mounted and they waited, holding the reigns of Iris and Storm. As Alex mounted, JC strapped her sword back to the saddle and then got on his own horse. "You know Their Majesties will be very angry," he whispered as the group rode off. Alex sighed. "I know. Just another lecture for me." The group rode in silence toward the castle in the distance.
"What were you thinking?!" thundered Roald as Alex stood in front of him. "What would have happened if someone were to kidnap you? You are the heir to the throne and cannot be compromised! I thought you had more sense than that! I thought you would know that you couldn't leave the palace without a guard! But you defy what is common knowledge and go anyway! And you took your little sister with you as well as your lady-in-waiting! The only sensible person you took with you was Joshua! At least he could protect you to some degree, but all three of you? I am furious with you Alexandra! Now go to your room and we will discuss the terms of your punishment later!"
Alex bowed and walked out. She quickly went to her room to see JC, Ana, and Dei waiting by the door. "What happened?" asked Ana as they went inside. "Basically father yelled at me for several minutes saying how I wasn't thinking and how I endangered all of you. Then he sent me here and I shall find out my fate later."
"I thought he would go easy on you," said Dei. "You really haven't done
this before."
"Well, father thinks that one time is too much." Alex shook her head and sat on her bed. "I'll live through it. You should go, I don't know what father would do if he found you in here." They nodded and walked out, returning to their own duties.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with her Cythera," said Roald as he paced across the room. "She never disobeyed me and now it seems like she is breaking out!"
"Roald, sit down," commanded his wife. "Alex just needed some time alone."
"I know, but she needs to focus on her future." He rubbed his temples and sighed. "Maybe we should just stop trying to let her choose her future. I'm not going to be here forever. I want to see her married and happy before I go."
"Don't talk like that," said Cythera.
"I think we should take the alternative that we have been thinking about."
Cythera stirred. "Are you sure? Are you sure that we should do that now?"
Roald sat down and looked at her. "She hasn't left us much choice. We have given her options, but she doesn't seem to want to take them. We should use it while it's still open." Cythera nodded and Roald walked out of the room to make a few arrangements.
"Justin!" shouted Charlotte as she jogged down the hill, her light brown hair blowing out behind her. "Justin!" The two men turned to watch her as she approached. The taller of the two, with blonde curly hair grinned. "Hey, Char." Char stopped at their feet to catch her breath. She stood up and looked at Justin. "They're majesties want to see you, they say it's important.'
Justin sighed. "Everything is important to them." He set off and left his two servants to trail him. "Do you know what's going on?" asked Lance. Char glanced at him, his blonde hair and green eyes shining in the light. Char shook her head. "They just told me to get Justin. They seemed very happy about something though. Her majesty was almost crying."
Lance frowned. "I have no idea what's happening. Let's just follow Justin and he'll probably tell us." They followed Justin through the halls of the palace until they reached the conference room. They stopped outside the doors as Justin went in to greet his parents. "Mother, father," he greeted walking into the room. His parents stopped and smiled over at him. "Justin," greeted his mother. "We have something to tell you." Justin stood in front of his mother, Lynn. He looked at them expectantly.
"We will be traveling to the Madrigal Kingdom tomorrow." Justin looked at them puzzled. "For what reason?"
"For you to meet your betrothed." Justin's jaw dropped. "My my what? Betrothed? But that would mean I am betrothed to Princess Alexandra!" Lynn nodded. "But, she's older than I am!" She shrugged. "We have been thinking of this for a while, and her parents as well as ourselves think that this would be for the best. We will leave tomorrow and your servants Lance and Charlotte will accompany us. Now, go and pack so that you may get ready to meet Alexandra tomorrow."
Justin stomped out of the room. Lance and Char followed him down the hallway. "Guess what? Looks like I'm betrothed to Princess Alexandra of Madrigal. I have no choice or say in the matter and you are coming with me tomorrow to meet her." They looked at Justin in shock. "Whoa," said Lance. "That is something."
"Your telling me," said Justin as he started to gather clothes that he would need for the journey. "We're coming with you?" questioned Char. "That's what mother said." Justin stopped and looked at them. "I have to find a way out of this," he muttered as he glanced at Char. He sighed and turned back to his closet, the others walking out to do some packing of their own.
Three