Chapter 11Runaway Anjanique

"I can't believe he would do that. It isn't like him. I thought he was my friend!" I was sitting on my window seat while talking; okay more like shouting, to Colleen.

"I don't know Anjanique. I don't think it was his fault. It looked like she forced him into it."

"But," I was silenced by the sound of a knock at my door. I watched as Colleen went to answer and to see who it was. I could see that it was Lena, and what was I going to do? Turn Lena away? Lena was like my sister. Our mom's had both come from the neighboring country of Farthing. Her mom had married the price at seventeen and my mom came to Dracoon to study. That was where she met my dad. When we were little we played together all the time.

Lena came in and sat next to me on the window seat. She was holding a bouquet of yellow daisies and blue snap dragons, and a piece of paper folded in half. She handed them to me and said,

"Theses are from Gregory." I took them and almost threw them on the ground but Lena stopped me.

"Before you destroy them, he said to tell you he didn't mean it, and that it wasn't his fault. I don't know what he's talking about, but why would he go to all this trouble if he didn't mean it?" Lena stood up and looked down at me. "I'm just saying, Louis wouldn't go to all that trouble to lie to me and I don't think Gregory would either." She messed up my hair and left my room.

I looked at the flowers and didn't throw them. Lena was right. Greg was a terrible liar, and he would never go to the trouble of trying to make a lie sound or look good because he knows it wouldn't work.

I put the flowers down beside me, and opened the note.

Anne,
I am so sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen. She threw herself at me. I was just showing her around like Mother told me to. I didn't want any of that to happen. If you can forgive me, meet just outside of your bedroom door at ten after it gets dark. I hope you do. I'm sure Colleen will cover for you.
Greg.

I smiled and looked out of the window again. It was starting to get dark. When I showed Colleen the note she agreed to cover for me, so we didn't get caught. She also said I told you so. And she was right. Greg hadn't meant any of it and it wasn't his fault.

I stayed in the clothes I had been wearing all day until after the physician checked on me and I ate dinner. I then pulled on pants and tunic and carried my boots in my hand until I was out in the hall.
I walked into the hall and Gregory sighed in relief. He was carrying his boots too; we really were being sneaky.

He kissed my forehead and grabbed my hand. "Follow me." I smiled and followed him down the hall. Sneakily and quietly. He turned to me and held a finger to his lips and the pulled back the tapestry we were standing in front of. He grabbed a candle from and nearby table and led me into the tunnel behind the tapestry.

He turned to me again and held the candle up so I could see. "Okay. You can put your boots on now. They can't hear us in here." I bent down and pulled my boots on over my pants and then Greg did the same.

He straightened back up and smiled at me again. One of those silly crooked smiles and grabbed my hand again and kept leading me down the hidden hallway.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked him as he kept pulling me through the hallway.

"You'll see. I promise."

He pulled me through the nearly dark hallway for a solid five minutes in silence, and then out of now where he stopped. He turned to me and held his finger to his lips again so I knew to be quiet. He pushed open a door that was hidden in the wall, that I would have never known was there. He held the door open for me, and once I was out her followed me and blew out the candle.

We were outside now, and the moon was full so it lit our way. He grabbed my hand once more and started walking quite fast, and in the shadows, towards the stables. We went passed the stables and far back into the grounds. He took me to a place that I didn't even know existed.

Waiting by the wall the marked the edge of the castle grounds was one of the stable hands. He was standing by a gate in the wall, holding a single horse by the reigns. Gregory walked up to the horse and swung himself easily and swiftly on, and then he reached down and grabbed my hand and helped pull me on behind him.

"Are you going to tell me where we are going yet?" I whisper fiercely into his ear.

"Not yet. Soon." The stable hand then handed Greg the reigns to the horse. "Did you get everything I asked for?" He asked the teenage boy stand near us.

"Yes, you're Highness. It is all in the saddle bags," the boy said as he made a small bow to Gregory.

"Alright then. Thank you. Open the gate. And tell no one we left."

"Of course you're Highness. Not a soul." The boy opened the gate and Greg kicked the horse and started away from the castle.

This gate lead straight into the forest that surrounded this side of the palace and you could barely see the moon above us. I wrapped my arms around Gregory's torso so I wouldn't slip off the horse. Again Gregory kept quiet and just let the horse walk.

It took ten minutes to get to where we were going. Greg slid of the horse and tied it to a tree before reaching up and helping me off the horse. Once on the ground he kissed my forehead again and took of his cloak and wrapped it around me. "Stay warm, while I build a fire."

I nodded and looked around at where we were while he built his fire and unloaded the horse. We were at a small lake that was almost entirely surrounded by trees. He built his fire far enough away from the trees so they wouldn't catch, but close enough that we could lean up against them.

Fire built he dumped out one of the saddle bags and laid out a blanket and then pulled me over to it and pulled me onto the ground with him. We sat in silence for a while, while I looked at the ground and he stared into the fire.

"Anne," he said and I looked up from the ground. He placed his hand on the side of my face. It was so warm. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of that to happen, much less for you to see. She threw herself on me, and I understand if you don't believe me, but please, I mean it."

I looked at him and smiled softly. "I believe you," I said and then laid my head on his collarbone.

"So you're not mad at me?" He asked running his fingers through my hair.

"Not anymore. I was then but that was because I didn't know what happened."

"Then why didn't you let me explain before?"

"I don't know. I was just so mad. I didn't care what you said." I rolled me eyes to look up at him and he smiled at me.

"You know your beautiful right?" He said as he twisted my hair around his fingers.

I looked down again. "You're just saying that."

"No. I'm not. I can't wait to see what you look like on the night of the Ball. I'm sure you'll look even more beautiful then." I laughed at this. "What?"

"There are going to be hundreds of other girls there. Not just girls but royal girls. Noble girls. Not just the falconer's daughter."

"It won't matter how many girls are there. I have only had eyes for one girl for the last two years. And she is sitting right here with me."

"Really?"

"Yes. I was only doing what my mother told me to do this afternoon, or I would have never left your room."

I sat up and his cloak fell off my shoulders. I looked him straight in the eye and said, "You really mean it? You're not just saying it?"

He moved his hand to my face and brushed the hair out of it again. "Why would I lie about something like that?"

"You wouldn't I guess. I just don't understand why me."

Gregory laughed lightly and pulled his cloak back up around my shoulders. He then wrapped his arms around me again and pulled me back to him. "Because you aren't like other girls," he whispered. "You could care less if I was the Prince of if I was just any other boy on the streets. You don't care what anyone thinks about you. You are just you. It doesn't matter that you are the falconer's daughter, because you would still be you, even if you weren't his daughter. Now do see why you?" I nodded against his chest and yawned. He laughed again and his body shook. He wrapped his arms tighter around me. "Sleep. Don't worry no one will find us."

I smiled lightly and closed my eyes. I fell asleep that wonderful night wrapped in my Gregory's arms. Not Prince Gregory; just Gregory.