Someday My Prince Will Come (epic love story) (16 page)

"Freddie!" I pulled away slightly and looked into his eyes, grinning. "I'm hungry."

Goofily, my prince wiggled his eyebrows at me. "So am I!" He then grabbed my face and kissed me again, making me laugh in my throat. He released me shortly after, however, and we both sat down to eat. Freddie opened the picnic basket and revealed a delicious lunch.

After the fresh grapes, roasted turkey Panini's, fruit salad, and Italian sodas were devoured, Freddie and I left our belongings and decided to take a walk. He wanted to show me the little bridge over a small creek in the garden. The pond at my aunt and uncle's farm had reminded him of it, and he had a hankering to show it to me, for some reason.

So, I willingly obliged and took his hand; letting him lead me through the maze of flowers and stepping stones. It really was a beautiful garden. There were humongous oak trees, willow trees, cherry trees, all sorts of different ones; each placed in the realm of plants perfectly. There weren't too much, but not too little, and the theme was definitely built into the 'white wicker bench' look. I loved it here; I understood why this was Freddie's favorite part of the palace. Even though it was December, the air was crisp and cool, just a little bit too cold to wear a sundress.

The sun shone through gray skies, and I could imagine the glory of the place in the spring, when all was fresh and in perfect balance. I sighed and then realized we were stopping; standing on a white little bridge that ran over a creek.

I let go of Freddie's hand and leaned over the edge, placing my elbows under my arms. The wind grabbed at my hair gently, and I was glad that I had kept it down today. My heart was welling with happiness; filled with joy, love and the overwhelming feeling of finally being safe.

Freddie's arms encumbered around me, making me snuggle into his warmth. I closed my eyes and breathed deep, forgetting all of the problems that I struggled with before this glorious day. For a long while, we just stood there enjoying each other's touch, and the peace of the garden.

I broke the silence by asking the love of my life a question; "Why is this bridge so important to you, Freddie?" "Well," he thought, his chin moving up and down on my shoulder as he spoke, "when I was little I came out here one night and saw my parents standing here, cuddling like there was no tomorrow-"

"Ew!" I interrupted. If I ever saw my parents making out, there would be some serious repercussions. Freddie laughed at my disgust. "I know, I know, parents doing that is gross to some people. But you didn't know my parents. They were so loving, so very calm and kind," he said pulling away from me. He walked down the bridge a little more before he spoke again, very slowly. His eyes were glazed over, like he was somewhere else; some other time. "My mother and father had to have been my best friends. We were always together. Every breakfast, lunch and dinner we would eat as a family, no matter what important speech there was, or what grand ball. My mother was my playing companion; she couldn't have any more children after I was born. She taught me everything, how to be proper, but not too proper. How to show kindness, but not flirt with all the cute little princesses. She taught me when to be serious and when to laugh. She also taught me to respect our security. They've always done so very much for our family My parents made me laugh, but never cry. They smiled all the time, and I don't think I ever saw them frown, except once... They were the greatest inspiration to me, that I've ever had. Well, them and you," he came back to the present and gave me a loving smirk. I blushed and waited for him to continue.

"I think it was also the night that I saw them, which made me love this bridge. It was when I was seven, fourteen years ago, and there was a small war that my father had to leave for. It nearly broke my heart to have to see him leave us; my mother and I. I didn't really understand why Paul couldn't just handle everything by himself. He seemed to do everything else. My father shook his head and told me that that's what kings were for; making sure everything ran smoothly, and not letting someone else do all the work for them. That's what made good kings, he told me. Throughout all of this, my mother just smiled and nodded her head, telling me that he was right. I thought for a while that she didn't care, but then I saw them that night under the stars. She was crying and he was holding her tightly. I heard her say the same things that I did, 'Why couldn't Paul just handle everything?' My father had laughed lovingly, and he started wiping tears off of her grief-stricken face. Then he said, 'Because I love you and Frederick too much to let anything happen to either one of you.'"

By this point, silent tears were running down my face. The way he described them made it so much harder that they were gone. I couldn't imagine how he must feel, if even I was standing here crying. However, Freddie stayed strong, as he continued;

"I thought that little sentence was the most valiant that I had ever heard from my father. I remember feeling sick at the stomach for thinking my mother didn't care, and I wanted to rush over to them, but I didn't dare ruin the scene. My mother stood there, crying for a couple more minutes, then gradually she stopped, my father was comforting her by running his hands up and down her back. Of course, just walking up to see this might be revolting to some people, but it showed me just how much he did love us. That's when I promised myself that I would be just as brave and strong a king as he; I just never thought it would be so soon. I also promised myself that I would love a woman like my father did, and when I knew that she was 'the one', I would take her to this bridge just like my father did. He was so-"

Then I saw it. My prince was crying. It wasn't an over-emotional sort of crying, 'oh woe is me, I lost a game' or 'this movie is sad, I'm going to cry.' It was full of pain and of love. It was silent, I didn't even realize that he was crying until his voice squeaked slightly and he stopped talking. The tears were running down his face slowly, but the pain in his eyes was too much for me to bear. I rushed to him as fast as my legs could carry me, and all I could think of doing was embracing him, comforting him as he let out his pain.

Frederick Stephan Papillion III was a strong man. He was brave, opinionated and tough, so for a rock solid guy like this to be crying meant pain. Utter and wretched pain. My tears were also flowing down my face, threatening to destroy my meticulous makeup, but I didn't care. I felt the liquid of my eyes land softly in Freddie's shirt, and my tears seemed to make him hold me tighter. I stopped crying before he did, I could feel the tears in my hair long after mine had dried, but I held on like the world was ending and he was my life source.

There was nothing, no amount of money or power that would drive me away from this man. I felt his hand running up and down my back, and I smiled. When he told me that we were meant to be that evening by the pond at my aunt and uncle's house, he was right. And there was nothing in the world that could change that.

Chapter 11

Freddie

I gave Arianne one last kiss before I told her that I would see her later. We were at her room now, and my mind was swirling; still catching up from the emotion that I had surfaced from the depths of my heart. I couldn't believe I told her about all of that, or much less started to cry. When did I ever cry? Oh well, I guess it was for a good reason. I discarded the lump that wanted to form in my throat, and instead looked at Arianne's bouncing curls as she walked into her room, and then shut the door. God, I was lucky, wasn't I?

I smiled at the door, as if I could see her through it, and subconsciously saw the cluster of body guards standing around the wooden separation. I decided that I needed to talk to Paul about this; four bodyguards were really a bit too much. For the first time in a year, I actually felt happy in my palace. I hadn't felt this kind of joy for a long time. It felt good to be happy; to release worries to someone that you loved.

I walked into the security office with a blundering grin, "Hello Paul," I said as I greeted the back of his body. He was leaning against a desk and suddenly he whirled around, catching me off guard. I frowned at his behavior and casually asked what was wrong in French.

"Prince Frederick, I was just about to send for you," he said quickly responding in the same language. Paul's mannerisms were making me worry all the more. He was a very collected man and he hardly ever showed his emotions. Something was definitely wrong. Great; way to ruin my happy day! My heart rate increased as he blurted a string of words, "We have just received another threat, but this time in the form of a letter. At first it was just another threat, but at the end is where we have finally found our answer."

"An answer?" I nearly screamed, "what is it?"

"Read the last paragraph," Paul told me. I grabbed the wrinkled white paper and scanned the words, 'Say goodbye to your little princess. Your bodyguard Jameson has done a great job so far; make sure you give him a raise, he has been a very big help to us. Are you worried about your country, my friends? I would be more worried about your sweet Arianne. Goodbye."

Jameson? It couldn't be! He had been my bodyguard for years now! It just couldn't be possible. I felt the sting of betrayal burn my soul. It simply seemed like a mean joke, for it didn't sink in the right way; at first. I wanted to believe that there was something wrong; it just couldn't be the truth.

"Are you sure that Jameson is really the answer? What if they're trying to delude us? Take down our own players so that we stop trusting each other" I reasoned, my eyes wild with the truth. They wouldn't lie about something like that. Then it suddenly became clear to me. Jameson was working for them the whole time. He was assigned to become close to me; know my weaknesses and fears, and after four long years, he had finally found one. Arianne. Yes, he had been there when I had first seen her in all of her glory, and he saw the infatuation immediately. He knew our feelings for each other, and he knew what I would do to get her out of danger, hadn't I instructed him to stay behind to watch out for her?

I put my hand to my forehead as Paul spoke, "This is the reason that you were not attacked in America. The enemy has found what you want most, and Jameson is the one who led them to it. They figured that if they killed you there, it would be harder than kidnapping your girlfriend and using her as a ransom, and the price? Your country"

"No," I moaned suddenly feeling weak. How could this be happening? And on my happy day, too?

"I have sent countless amounts of men to search for Jameson; he mysteriously disappeared after the shooting. Now it's clear that he rendezvoused with his group, no doubt planning the next move. I wouldn't be too worried about Arianne. I have assigned a number of men to watch her every movement, and report every time she leaves her room.

I nodded, understanding completely. "I'm sure she will be safe. I was just coming to talk to you about how many men were guarding her, but now I think that four bodyguards are quite sufficient." I smeared my fingers over my temples, desperately trying to take away the pain that pulsed in my rattling head.

"Did you say four bodyguards, your highness?" Paul suddenly said, with an edge to his voice.

"Yes, why?" I asked with suspicion, looking up at him blankly.

"I never assigned four bodyguards, Prince Frederick," Paul said, confused. "Only three"

I looked at him bewildered and then suddenly my heart exploded. "Jameson," I whispered. Paul's eyes grew large and I suddenly sprang up from my chair and sprinted out of the office, my nerves slowly disintegrating with worry. I could hear Paul right behind me, and he was breathlessly ordering men about through his watch, which was also a system of communication.

"Lock down the palace, I repeat, lock down the palace. Do not let anyone out, I repeat, Lock down the entire palace."

I only sub-consciously heard his orders for my mind was filled with only one word, Arianne. I don't know if I've ever run faster in my entire life, as I did that afternoon. We rounded the corner to the hall where Arianne's room was, and I suddenly stopped breathing as I saw what lay in front of her door. Three bodyguards were lying helplessly unconscious on the floor, the back of their heads oozing bright red blood onto the white carpet.

"ARIANNE!" I screamed as I ran through the already opened doors. "Arianne, where are you? Arie?" My lungs were starting to hurt and my eyes burned when they connected with my brain that her room was empty. No, no, no! I frantically rushed around the room, looking under the bed, behind the curtains, in the closet and in the bathroom, and there was no sight of my sweet Arianne. I felt my lungs giving way, and I struggled to breathe, the hyperventilation taking over my airway. I refused to give up, not until I found something that would lead me to her; a clue.

Anger descended onto my face, making my teeth squeeze together and my breathing become a growl. Then suddenly my eyes caught something white as I looked to the large desk that was in a corner of her room. I jumped for it, and as soon as my hands touched the paper, I felt as if it would burn to ashes from the heat of my touch. "NO!" I suddenly screamed after I read the note. "Arianne!" My voice was lined with despair, and I started to feel physically weak. But then, suddenly, I felt hatred seeping out of my every pore. My eyes flared honest fury and they bore a hole through the carpet that I was simply staring at. I suddenly went into a daze, and everything around me, all sounds, all senses were completely blocked out from my mind. The only thing I could think of was my precious doll; what would they do to her? I slumped into the chair at the desk and pressed my elbows on the lifeless wood. I buried my head into my hands, and all I could do was sit there; my body was suddenly unresponsive to any movements. Paul rushed over to me when he saw my disturbing state and then his eyes widened as he read the note out loud, voicing the two words that I never had planned on hearing, "You lose."