Beastly

Escape

To her utmost surprise and fortune Ivor had received a court call and had said that he wouldn't be joining her for dinner,she had donned on a riding habit and an over coat and she had being around the arena for over an hour, the back gates wasn't as heavily guarded as the front,on one or two occasions she had seen one of the two guards in that station asleep she would find a way to be gone before anyone notices, she had this feeling that this would be her only chance.

The day darkened very slowly, by this hour they would be preparing her dinner, She had told Rose she didn't need her around ,that she needed some alone time so she wouldn't be in the way of her escape tonight.she had come out with a pouch of coins sufficient enough for her travel.

Thrianna mounted off her horse walking behind the throng of bushes she stopped to pat her horse.

"Hush! Maggie."she whispered when it almost neighed.

"Good girl, now stay put."she ordered ,she crouched walking in the direction of the guards, she would need the lock, she hid for a minute as she observed,the guard asleep held the key to the gate while the one awake stood in play as the typical guard on watch, she needed something to make him leave, she picked some stones and threw one as far as she could away from the gate into a bush and his head snapped towards that direction waiting for a second then she threw it again and he looked at his mate cautiously, tapping him .

"I'ld be back."he said and walked in the direction the sound came from,and just as he was leaving the other fell back asleep,she tiptoed, standing just beside him she extended her hand to the key on his waist line, muttering silent prayers she reached out and unhooked it letting out a sharp breath, she rushed back to Maggie grabbing her rope and quietly lead her to the gate, then very carefully she inserted the key so that it wouldn't jingle,there were five keys on the hold and on the third one it clicked and she heard the guard groan in his sleep and she turned to look at him.

Still asleep, she thought as she opened the gate, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand, she was a bit scared all of a sudden,she brushed off the feeling as she mounted her horse,she needed to be out before the other guard was back leaving the keys there,she went past the gate, would her family be happy?, and then it hit her, what was she doing?,she had been so caught up with herself that she didn't take the time to think of others ,she hadn't stopped to think of how she actually got in this situation,she wasn't forced into the decision of marrying him,she chose to do it for Trice ,for her family,for the land, lord Valot just happened to be a part of the quest to save her land,she couldn't leave,if she did he would withdraw his offer of protection and she didn't want to think of what might happen if lord Garius attacked them at that point.

She closed her eyes,she couldn't do it, opening her eyes it glowed.

"He's coming."she muttered turning back she went back in hurriedly she came down from her horse and his behind the bushes panting and when he returned she left the spot slowly as he looked alarmed at the sight of the open gate,she returned to the shed to find Mr Anton waiting,he looked worried.

"I'm sorry for returning late Mr Anton."she said.

"There is no need to apologize, milady."he said with a bow and she handed Maggie back to him and started towards the manor and she sighted Rose just at the entrance,she had her face lowered to the floor so she couldn't see her expression,and it was almost completely dark.

"His Majesty summons your presence at the south wing milady."she said with a bow Thrianna nodded and walked past her while Rose followed behind her.

Getting to the south wing,she saw him standing in the corridor, in front of the portraits, Rose bowed and left while she went further,she stopped a bit behind him.

"Milord."she said with a bow,he stayed silent for a while not acknowledging her presence not because he didn't know she was there but because he was in deep thought,she stood for a while just staring at the portrait,it was the picture of the woman with brown hair and lovely grey eyes,now that she looked more closely,he did look like her,he had her grey eyes and if not for the touch of mischief in his eyes he would have looked just as innocent but that was never possible, with just that smile he always wore he looked well like the devil's first born.

"My mother,she's beautiful, isn't she?"his voice came rather distant.

"Hum." Thrianna hummed.

"She must have been a lovely person."she added.

"I hear she was."he took a deep breath.

"I never got the chance to meet her,she left before I could,they say she was an angel."he said.

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't be."he said immediately,"it wasn't your fault."

"I'm sure if she were alive,she would have been proud of the man you have become."she said trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"No, she wouldn't, maybe father but not her,he had taught me every thing as such a young age but denied me the one thing I only ever wanted."he paused and then she realized that he wasn't quite comfortable saying this,then why was he?

"Love."he spoke as he gritted his teeth.

"He was more of a king than a father,I never got to play with kids my age,I was always occupied with one class or the other with a governess,then he left me at the age of seven."he said and her heart broke for the little boy who had to go through life alone,he had to start handling the kingdom at such a young age?,she didn't think so, maybe he had uncle's or perhaps a relative that helped him through.

"I had to take everything on."he said and her question was cleared,now she knew why he had such a personality and she really felt bad for him.

"They all left when I would have needed them the most."he said, his voice sounded rather gruff, she looked down at his hands, they were fisted to his sides ,was he angry?,he wouldn't have possibly found out about her little escape would he?,and she saw something drip from it ,she furrowed her brows,what was that?,the corridor was brightly lit and she knew that the substance dripping from his hand was none other thing than his own blood,she reached out for him hurriedly as she spoke.

"You're hurting."but as soon as she could grab his hand he turned around to face her and she froze for a moment,his eyes,they weren't grey,they were black and it seemed to be spreading and for the first time since she met him ,she felt genuinely scared,she took few steps back before she could stop herself and soon enough she crashed into the wall.

"Why does it bother you?,as far as I know you would rather want me dead."he said trying hard to curtail his anger,he took slow steps towards her, placing his palms on the wall next to her head on both sides, she could only wonder how deep his injuries were and what he had used to cut himself.

"No."she whispered,she didn't want anyone dead,she never even wished anyone hurt.

"You were going to leave like every other person-"

"I'm not leavin-"she made to cut in.

"Don't you dare deny it!!"he said as he raised his hand and slammed his fist into the wall and the wall cracked as debris fell to the floor,his voice sounded like a growl,she flinched as she shut her eyes, while tears dropped from her eyes,she felt so guilty, not just for the fact that she was about to run away but because she would have only cost more damage by doing so.

He had seen her,but he didn't stop her,he would have waged war on her kingdom in anger but then that would have made him insensible,he wanted her to go as far as she could thinking that she could get away from him,then he would dash that hope of hers,he knew her scent and he could track it to the ends of the earth but then she didn't leave,he didn't know what had changed her mind but he didn't want her thinking she could ever leave,then he saw through the haze of his anger when a tear dropped from her eyes,he lowered his head,he was barely in control of his temper,he could hear the frantic beating of her heart as he tried catching his breath,he didn't want her seeing this side of him,at least not now.

Thrianna took a deep breath, calming her self but no matter how much she tried to remain calm,it wasn't quite possible,she shouldn't be scared,she had this feeling that he would never hurt her,but she had really annoyed him this time, what in the world was he?, what happened to his eyes?, and how could she get him to believe that she wasn't going to leave,no matter how much she wanted to.

She opened her eyes when she didn't hear his ragged breath any longer,he wasn't there anymore,he'd left.

Her knees finally gave up and she crumbled to the floor as she wrapped her hand around her knees together burying her head in her knees.

He sank deeper into the lake, he couldn't quite remember the last time he had done this, maybe when he eighteen, nineteen years,he had never been on the verge of releasing his demons ever since then, he knew the damage it could cause and he swore to himself that he would never unleash his anger on anybody again,but today he almost did,he had never thought that she would try to leave and when he saw her going past the gates,he didn't know why he let her go as far as she did,did she really think it would be that easy to leave Nightfalls?,did she really think she could get away from him?, and then his mind went back to the guard asleep on duty,now there was a place to channel all that anger.

He reached for the surface,he rose from the lake, dripping wet he walked out of the wasteland and back into the castle, straight to the servants quarters,he knew his scent,he had picked it up on Thrianna so he sniffed out his scent through the multitude and immediately walked in the direction of his room, he slammed open the door and the sleeping guard was startled awake, rubbing his eyes several times before he could make out the figure before him.

"Your majesty."he said getting out of bed to fall on his knees,why would his majesty pay him a visit by this time of the night?

"You despicable peasant."Ivor said very calmly and the guard raised his head to look at him and was confronted with eyes as dark as void and he felt instant fear grip him.

"Any last words?"Ivor asked taking a step closer and the guard fell on his back as he scooted to the wall.

"I d-d-did nothing ,milord."he stuttered in panick

"Exactly."Ivor said as he looked down at his hands and it's nails grew much longer.

Beatrice sat in her favorite spot in the woodlet,it was a lot more exposed now with the guards from Nightfalls crawling around,she had given up hoping that she would ever see Darion again,she would have to leave her life with another,she would bear a child for another, maybe theirs stars weren't matched to begin with,she had just merely fallen in love with the wrong person.

She was so lost in thought she didn't notice someone sit next to her,she raised her hand to fix a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"A penny for your thoughts, milady."he said and she froze, that voice, that accent,she turned to face him,was this a figment of her imagination?,did her mind decide to conjure up what she so desperately desired,was she crazy?,she raised her hand cautiously towards his face as she caressed it and he leaned into her touch closing his eyes,he turned his face and kissed her palm.

It was him,it was her Darion.