Rescued (A10)

Mild warning: mentions of women’s virtue and being ruined

She ran down the castle hallway, pulling her skirts up behind her and cursing that her heels announced her exit path even as she took it. She didn’t want to be married to the king of the nation who waged war with them for a decade, but she knew it was the right path forward. The only path without further war. Not all who visited their castle were supporters of this, and the enemies of her kingdom sought her out in an attempt to ruin her and break this fragile peace.

The action would be horrible enough, but the repercussions would be even worse.

She cursed the wretched shoes but her narrow headway would not be helped by stopping to remove them. She heard the noble shout her name and prayed. Any passerby would be able to help. She yelped as an arm dragged her to the side, and she was pulled inside of one of the narrow corridors. Her elbow scraped the stone wall and it throbbed as her back hit the wall.

She peered up, but it wasn’t the noble who stood before her. It was the king’s brother.

“Princess.” He looked away from her, watching as the noble from his kingdom continued down the hall.

“Thank you for the rescue.” She said as the noble faded from view. She pushed off the wall but he held her there with a hand on her shoulder, looking down at her with fire in his eyes. Goosebumps raced their way up her arms in response.

“What if I didn’t come here to rescue you?” He asked. He pressed closer to her, so that she was trapped between him and the wall with no space to move. “He does have a point… if I were to ruin you for my king-”

“Then this whole truce is null and void and we go back to war.” She interrupted hotly. Warmth spread across her face, something solely due to the liberties he took with her. He clearly was the more blessed of the two brothers. His skin was dark from his time in the sun, and his pink lips parted to reveal a row of smiling teeth. His eyes were a dark brown abyss she could fall into if she slipped. His black hair was long and drawn back into a ponytail at the base of his head. His large muscular body shielded her from view as his large hands pressed against her shoulders to pin her to the cold wall.

For a moment, she thought he was the king. He carried himself like a king, and had walked in armored with a sword and cape. The men looked to him for commands. He looked her up and down and deemed her acceptable, and she’d never felt more naked in her life. Then he stepped to the side and introduced his brother, the king. She felt a fool, and the demure tone in her greeting wasn’t deference.

“Maybe that’s what I want.” He moved his hand off of her shoulder to place it over her shoulder, but her relief was short lived as he stepped further into her space and looked down at her. “I still remember the way your face fell when you found out I wasn’t the brother you were to marry. Maybe I was disappointed too. Maybe I want a taste before my brother marries you.”

She was trapped between the cold wall at her back and the warm heat of his body. She should push him away, but she didn’t have the strength for it. She didn’t have the breath for it, as it fled from her at the dark and hungry look in his eyes. Yes, she wanted him, but this could not be.

“No.” Even as she said the words, her eyes fell to his lips. Would they taste sweet or as sour as their dalliance? Could she go through with the marriage if she had him? He was forbidden. All men were forbidden to her, but him even more so. She would be his sister in the coming weeks. As much as the temptation would gnaw at her and keep her awake at night, the guilt would consume her further. She would not be able to lay with her husband if she had memories of his brother in her mind.

She straightened her spine and shoved against him. Her hands barely moved him, and the feeling of his chest underneath her fingers was not one she’d soon forget. He smirked down at her, even as she shoved again. She left her hands against his chest as her own heaved.

“Let me go, prince.”

“Easy princess, once I’m sure he’s gone I’ll let you go and then you can go on wishing that I was the brother you were betrothed too.”

“You forget yourself.” She shoved again, but he was unmoving. How could he drive her so mad?

“Maybe, but you won’t forget me.” He kept her there another minute, testing her resolve with every breath. Then he stepped back and gestured down the hall. “Shall I escort you, sister, to your chambers?”

“I’ll manage.” She turned from him and lifted her skirts again, walking away as fast as her feet would take her. Before she turned the corner, she glanced back. He was staring at her. Dark. Hungry. It would be all too easy to beckon him to follow her. Would he?

Swallowing the thought, she turned away from him and continued, but she felt his gaze all the way to her chambers.