“How is it? To be Queen! Is it a dream you never thought possible?” The King was now just a metre in front of her and Alison nodded.

“You can’t relax though, my son isn’t dumb, you must always keep him under wraps!” The King walked one more step towards her and Alison bowed her head, feeling his hand then on top of her head.

Don’t touch me! Oh, how she wished she could scream these words but…She did not act out anything that she so dearly wanted to and just stayed there…

“You know how easy it is to get rid of you? You know that your life, and even that of your children’s lives are on the line, so…I suggest, little thief, that you just do as you are told…”

Shivering slightly to the King’s words and touch, Alison didn’t know how she held in her anger.

This man killed her family, destroyed her home, stole from them what was there’s and now wants her to do his bidding, no questions asked!

“Has he happened to tell you what he likes about you?” The King asked.

Alison shook her head after a moment, even if she did know she didn’t want to tell him! “No, Your Majesty.”

“Mmm, I suggest you find out so that you can keep it up.” The King stated.

Alison continued to bow, as the King ranted some more and then left, leaving her breathing heavily.

Was the Prince really going to make that man leave the throne?

Holding onto her chest, Alison squeezed her eyes shut and wondered what to do. What type of predicament was this! How does she get released from it!?

Falling to the floor, Alison continued to hold onto her chest, like it might fall out if she didn’t…

What do I do? She continued to ask herself.

She felt like she was torn, she wanted to trust and help the Prince with anything he wanted but on the other hand, something filled with anger…How could she want to help the Prince, the son of the man who killed her family!?

***

The Prince could hardly sleep that night, there was just way too much going through his head!

Plans, actions, ideas…Alison…

He needed to think ahead, think of how they would act or deal with something. He needed to make sure that he did things that wouldn’t get them into trouble but get the King in trouble instead…It was…A mess….

Then, there was Alison. Clearly, she was still not trusting him a hundred percent. She might still be working with the advisor too…He knew all too well that she was a thief after all, so perhaps she could lie or act easily against him…

As much as he wanted her to be on his side, he still had to keep in mind that she may not be as well…

What made him feel pathetic though, was that he didn’t care if she was not on his side. If she were to make things harder for him, to make things go backwards, to take more time…It felt like he could deal with it…

What was wrong with him?

It’s like he couldn’t live without her back chatting and her thieving ways! Was he going crazy!?

Yes…He was crazy!

That had to be it!

Wiping his hands on his face, grumbling out upon how pathetic he was, the Prince sighed.

…He knew that King Lewis’s reign must end, which also meant Lady Adaline also must end, for him to marry Alison. He knew that her identity needed to be brought to light, her family needed to be released from its false accusation of being stealers and…Forgiveness…

Alison is bound to be angry at his family…She was once a fiancé, she was also a daughter of a family killed by his father…Which meant she needed to forgive him.

The chances…What are the chances that she will stay with him? Even if he loved her? Even if she had all the rights to be his Queen? Even if…

The Prince tossed and turned, which didn’t only happen one night…No, it seemed that he wouldn’t have a proper night’s sleep now without a certain person in his arms…

David had never been so busy!

He even had to get not only his father to help him help the Prince, but also that of the black market, who will be most upset to know that they were ‘forced’ to help royalty!

This was not right! David thought, as he walked through a certain door.

A scream was heard and then heavy footsteps…

“Don’t hurt us…Please…”

He had gone to Noel’s parents’ original home, to find nothing. He was now at a sister’s daughter’s house.

“Did you know your uncle, Noel Price?” David asked.

“We…We haven’t done anything wrong…We…We don’t have anything for you to steal!”

“Did you know your uncle?” David repeated himself, grasping the top of his sword in irritation.

They shook their heads and stayed in the corner, one of them being a small daughter…

David sighed and turned, there was one more place to go but…

…There was one shroud of news that stated that Noel Price originally was not from the Price family at all, but that he was a slave. He had been taken into the Price family, to be the one that entered the palace, simply because they had no other heirs to do so.

It really was a mass of daughters that were born in this particular family!

Getting onto his horse, David raced towards a temple and hoped to find something for his friend. He could feel it…Feel something big happening just over the horizon. His friend had really changed but this had nothing to do with that…No, this was the long-term goal his friend had ever since he could remember!

Was it really time!?

“No, we don’t know a Noel Price.” Came the reply…

David sighed. “What about a boy from the year of…”

David looked at the paper and gave the year, T1765, saying that he would have been about eight in that year.

A nun came down then, having been listening. She was old, probably ready to…

“Leon. It must be Leon.”

Leon?

“Leon? That’s right, a family took him in, they didn’t have any male heirs…”

David nodded, “That’s it. Did he come back and give you anything by chance?”

The nun that came late smiled, “He had not mentioned that his name had changed but yes, Leon did leave something.”

David was ecstatic, “That’s great!”

In no time, David had a nice-looking box in his hold.

“So, you are the one that was going to claim it, he said that you would come to do so.”

David looked at the old nun and said, “…Uh?”

“Well, he wasn’t too specific, I suppose.” The nun stated. She was old but it looked like she had a great memory! “Ah, that boy. Such a sad fate…”

David nodded and then went to leave. It was already late…Very late, but his job wasn’t finished yet! First, he had to get a message to Cid!

***

Since his confinement was only said to be one day, the Prince spent a quick moment, after his morning routine, to see his sister. Then he did not only what was expected of him but what he wanted to do and secondly went to see Alison.

Only when seeing her form in front of him does it make him all the more certain that he had indeed fallen for the girl. “Alison!”

With a rush, he was pulled into the room and a hand went over his mouth, “What are you doing!”

The Prince went wide eyed then shook his head, yes…What was he doing!?

Holding onto her waist, while they glided down the wall to the floor, he mumbled through her hand, so she took her hand away.

“I’m sorry.”

Alison shook her head and stared at the idiot. “Stupid!”

He put his head into her neck and apologized again. “I’m sorry.”

“I…I told you I wasn’t Alison!” She stammered out, now finally realizing how close they were. He really wasn’t playing fair! Did he know how much he made her blank? How much she liked his touch and his smell?

Naughty boy!

“I’m sorry”.

Letting out a yelp to his quiet words to her ear, making her get goosebumps, she pushed him away, “Stop it!”

The Prince chuckled, not letting her get too far away.

“Did you worry?” He asked, watching her very closely.

Alison shook her head and looked away, “No!”

Sighing, the Prince suddenly pushed her into him and quietly said, “Don’t be startled but my sister will leave here as you.”

Alison was originally going to push him away but seemed to sense the seriousness from the Prince, “The Princess?”

“Mmm, as soon as something goes wrong for them, I have a feeling that they will try to get you out of the palace to use you as bait. To get me to do whatever they want…”

Alison was a bit shocked, “Are you going to put Princess Bethany in danger…”

“No! Silly! Princess Bethany will have not only her title to help her but someone there will by her side to keep her safe.” The Prince pinched her waist to her silly question!

Alison yelped and glared at him, making the Prince smile.

“You will instead be another diversion, with less guards!” Elton said, while touching her nose. “It also gets you away from this room where they might want to pick you and take you away!”

Making a face, she continued then to glare at him. “What do you mean?”

“It was troubling me upon who they would follow the most, fight the most and…I think what David found last night will be better protected in the hands of the Princess but…!”

Alison shook her head lightly at first, then harder, “You are putting her in danger!”

The Prince sighed, making her fall forward. “I need you to do something for me. And trust me, if anyone is going to be in danger…It’s going to be you!”

Alison nodded involuntarily, her mind was more occupied upon the idea of them kissing…Since they were suddenly so close.

“David has a box outside of the palace…He’s waiting at The Fox Inn, the inn is on the main stretch of road leading outside of the palace…” The Prince flicked her gently on the forehead to get her attention.

“You want me to go and get it?” Alison asked putting a hand to her forehead and rubbing it. Actually, she didn’t even know that she was smiling right now…The idea of leaving the palace and doing something else sounded great!

The Prince gently looked upon the woman in his arms and nodded, “You should be able to know how to get in and out of the palace, I can’t leave without a more valid reason and…”

He wanted to let her know how much he trusted her. There was only one catch, it’s that she couldn’t get caught!

“I know…” Alison said, like she heard his thoughts. “I’ll get the box and come back without anyone knowing!”

The Prince smiled and brought her in for a hug, “Good girl!”

“I’m not a girl…” Alison said, smiling into his shoulder.

“You’re my girl…” The Prince whispered…

Not long after they had this conversation, Bethany came in. Having quickly changed, to become more like that of ‘Lady Adaline’ and to pick up another box outside of the palace, Bethany left soon after, right through the palace front doors. Cid was currently waiting outside of the palace, so that he would not show that Bethany was Adaline. Cid had been up for hours already with Benjamin, busy preparing for this hour…

The Prince hoped that anyone that would follow Alison would actually all end up following after Princess Bethany instead, so that Alison would return safely. It was a chance, a scary chance, but if all of Alison’s secret followers left, then she would get some time out of the palace and her and David would be able to connect on another level. Just the smile on her face, her obvious excitement made it all worth it…

The Prince left her quarters, while Alison discretely left another way.

She had changed into thieving attire, put her hair up and even dirtied her face a bit, looking completely different but…She was so excited!

She never knew how much she missed being a thief until she left the palace.

Ah, freedom!

Alison smiled and rushed around the corner and then jumped onto a higher ledge to run across one roof to another. Looking across the road, to see one of the windows in, Alison saw David’s side profile and so she slid down a side tree pole and hid, before crossing the road like a normal person…

Upon crossing the road, Alison took two steps on the side, up the building, then jumped to an outstretched timber ledge and brought herself up to the second tier, to go through the window and sit down…Completely stunning David.

He stood up and the chair fell over, “You! It’s you!”

Alison frowned, then remembered, that’s right! David was there too, on that day that the other man got stuck and she freed him!

She totally forgot!

Laughing to her memories, Alison saw David look around and then hold the box to him tightly, “I know people, so don’t you dare even think about it!”

He must think that she was…

Really, Alison still wanted to laugh but she should not linger here too long.

Her laughing stopped, as Alison sighed, “I’ve come for the box.”

“A box? Indeed, I’d like to see what’s inside this box! I’d also…Like to know why you are here…”

The words were not spoken by either David or Alison, as they turned to the doorway…To find Advisor Rick staring at Alison with a bit of concern in his gaze!

She had been sure that no one had followed her! She wouldn’t have come if someone had been following her! The Prince trusted her so easily, trusted her to come back! Why was the master here!?

Panic filled her, making her bow and say, “Master.”

“Master? You calling me master? Let’s see about that! Give me the box!” Advisor Rick glared at David and in a moment, there were five black hooded people surrounding the box.

In a bit of a rush, Advisor Rick knew that something had gone wrong in his plans…He needed to make contact with his other men and find out what has happened!

David looked at Alison and was so angry that he nearly spat at the floor! “You’re with them?”

Alison didn’t do anything, she had been caught, she…Had been caught!

“Wait…If you came for the box…” David looked at Alison confused and then widened his eyes. “Lady Adaline…”

His Highness had said he was sending her, and David had thought that she would come in a carriage…Perhaps it might have been better if she had!

“This poses a problem…” Advisor Rick stated.

Now that David openly said who her other identity was, it had now become even more serious!

“Take them both, we can’t kill them here.” With that, Advisor Rick left, leaving five people to capture two.

Alison felt like she had betrayed, not just betrayed David, but betrayed her Prince, Princess Bethany and even herself…She was in such a defeated state of mind that she was caught easily…On the other hand, David took out his sword and tried to defend himself, while desperately holding onto the box. “I won’t forgive you for this!”

Alison swallowed and walked out, a tear dropping from her eye at the same time.

Everything was so…It was such in a lousy way, a terrible way!

David fought by defending the box and himself but in no time the four remaining people had both the box and him. Much to his surprise, once he got down the stairs, in front of the few people at the inn, no one did anything when he said that he was being taken without his consent.

After he left, there were claps, like a play had just been done and David glared at the inn as it got further and further away.

“Where’s the girl?” David asked the men holding onto him.

“Gone.”

“Gone?” He asked. “Where?”

“Why should we tell you!?” A man in black said, before hitting him in the side of the neck.

David didn’t have time to fall unconscious! He had to make sure of Lady Adaline’s safety! He had to get…He had…

Blackness overtook him…

David was indeed a loyal servant, so loyal that he knew he was a diversion. He accepted that he had to act like he was looking after something extremely important but never did they realize of what they might do if David came to see Lady Adaline be known as someone that called Advisor Rick as ‘master’ and that she was instead working for him instead of being his real granddaughter.

That small detail had not entered into the Prince’s plans and so…David’s future become a lot more critical than ever imagined!

The Prince waited…And waited…

After two hours had gone by, he was pacing his quarters, wondering if something had gone wrong.

David, he would be upset but…Since I sent her, he’d trust her…

Perhaps David was just fighting and grumbling with Alison…

The Prince came up with many different types of ideas but did not want to support any kind of theory that suggested the idea that Alison was caught. Just the idea of Alison being caught was not something he could deal with but…He just couldn’t trust anyone else and if he left the palace, he was most likely going to get followed…He…

What if David was being followed?

The Prince stopped and put a hand through his hair…He had not contemplated David being followed! He had only worried about Alison being followed!

If David had been followed all this time, the two boxes might be known of as a ploy! His whole plans…

No, he needed to stay calm and think properly. He knew that Alison may still get followed, so the only problem laid upon the boxes, where one was a ploy…If that was known, then would his plans still work or not?

There was just no choice but to wait and see upon what happens next…That is all the Prince could do now…Is wait!

He had to wait for the King and the advisor to act and take that first step!