Bondage (formerly Escape from the Obstinate Prince)

Ami looked at the camp of guards. She looked at the horses. Then wrinkled her nose. There was no carriage. Absolutely nothing she could ride on besides a horse.

“Of course I had to inherit Mother’s fear of riding horses.” she tried her best not to pout. “Why did I ever try to convince Father not to give me riding lessons? And whyever did he consent?”

“Good morning, Princess.” a voice sounded beside her. “Do you know how to ride?”

She glanced up at the Prince. “Of course I do. Don’t all Princesses?”

“I don’t know. My sister is too young to ride and I don’t know any other Princesses besides you.” Jack crossed his arms. “Of course my mother loved to ride. And she was quite good at it.”

“Well I do know how.” she crossed her arms as well.

“So then you won’t need to ride with anyone. Correct?” he asked with a smug smile. Almost as if he could sense her fear of horses.

“No, I will be quite fine riding by myself, thank you.”

“Very well.” he walked to his beast and mounted. “If you’re having trouble, you can always ride with Portia.”

She tensed. She would never ride with Portia and especially never admit that she was terrible at riding. How am I supposed to manage riding nonstop for almost a week? Not to mention look like I’m good at it, she sighed, I need help, Father.

Then she frowned. Was she supposed to ask help from Him for the sake of her pride? Surely He would understand just this once.

“May I ask why you don’t have a carriage for me to ride in? Isn’t that how you are supposed to transport me?” she called after him.

“Because the terrain is too rough and not suited for a carriage.” he answered slowly as if talking to a child. “Aren’t you going to get onto your horse, Princess?” the Prince asked from on top of his high horse. “We can’t just stand around all day if we ever want to get to the castle.”

She glared at his cheekiness and looked at her horse. He looked stable enough. For a horse.

She grabbed the horse’s reins, put her foot in the stirrup, and then realized that it was not the type of saddle that she was used to riding. “What is this strange contraption?”

“It’s called a saddle.” Jack smiled wickedly. “Don’t you have those back in Rhone?”

“Yes, of course we do.” she glared back. “But ladies do not straddle their horses in Rhone.”

“Does that mean you cannot ride? Portia!” he called. “You’re in need over here. Our new Princess does not know how to ride in Carenthia’s saddles. Or rather, she does not know how to straddle a horse. Would you let her ride with you?”

Portia faked a smile for the Prince, not fooling Ami for a minute. “Come along, Princess.”

“Thank you, no.” Ami said in a polite tone. “If one of the guards could be bothered to show me how, I’m sure I could pick it up very quickly.”

Jack raised an eyebrow then dismounted. “You really shouldn’t bother any of the guards, as they are here to protect us, not to show the incapable Princess how to ride.”

He walked over to Ami and her horse. “This is how you get on.” he started to get on the horse.

“One minute.” she put a hand on his arm to stop him. “How am I supposed to ride in this?” she motioned to her dress.”

“Oh that is a problem.” he shook his head and tsked. ’I guess you’ll just have to lift it so you can get your legs around the horse since you don’t have any riding clothes.”

Her eyes widened. “No. I refuse. That is indecent and I will not embarrass myself like that in front of your guards or servants.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?” he put his weight on one leg and crossed his arms.

“I don’t know.” she lifted her chin. “You’re the Prince of this land. What are you supposed to do?”

Not bury the sidesaddle simply to annoy the Princess, he thought. “Either you ride sidesaddle with me or Portia. Whichever you chose.”

“What if I ride with him?” she pointed to the Captain of the Guards.

“His job is to keep us safe and he can’t do that very well if he has a Princess in his arms.” he retorted.

“Then I shall walk.” she refused his gaze and left him standing by her horse.

He shut his eyes tightly for a bit. “Why do you have to be so stubborn, woman? Just ride! You’ll be worn out before the sun has fully risen and my Father will blame me for delivering a half dead Princess.”

“You should have thought of bringing a saddle that I could ride on beforehand.” she stated calmly. “I will not ride with you or Portia.”

He breathed in deeply through his nose in order to keep himself calm. “Suit yourself. But you cannot blame me for your red and peeling skin when we get to the castle grounds.”

“Do not worry your pretty little head over my skin, Jacques, it will be fine.” she put a hat over her head and tied the ribbons underneath her chin. “I came prepared for this barbarian country.”

He sent her one last glare before he mounted his horse and called for the camp to pull out. Their plan to act like a happy couple was not working as well as he thought it would.

<><><>

It was the third day out in the sun and Ami’s legs were beyond tired, her face was probably red and maybe peeling, and her ankles, although somewhat protected by her skirts, were torn up from walking through bristles and weeds. She had to walk faster than just her usual leisurely stroll, and she was breathing hard not even ten minutes after they had made camp.

“Are you sure you don’t want to ride up here?” Jack rode next to her on his horse. “You’re looking rather tired, Princess. And your skin.” he frowned. “Tsk tsk. What would Mother say? You really shouldn’t be walking in this terrible terrain.”

She looked up at him. “Look Jacques, I would not ride with you even if you were to pay me-” she let out a yelp as she fell to the ground.

“Ami?” Jack stopped his horse and hopped off. “What happened? Are you alright? Stop the company!” he called to the Captain of the Guards. “The Princess has been hurt!”

Her face contorted and she held her ankle in her hands. “I think I twisted my ankle the wrong way. I’ll be fine if you can just help me to my feet.”

Jack lifted her off the ground and set her on her feet.

“There we go.” she smiled and let go of Jack. “I’m fi-ouch!” she collapsed into Jack’s arms before pushing him away, attempting to stand on her own.

“You are not going to walk.” he took a deep breath to keep from yelling at her foolishness. “You are going to ride with your betrothed whether you like it or not.”

He lifted her up and walked back to his mount. “Father will have my neck.”

Ami smiled as best she could with a hurt ankle. “I’ll be glad. Tell me if there is anything else I can do for you.”

He glared. “Think you can stay on your own two feet for a bit if you hold onto my horse?”

“I think so.” she nodded and braced herself.

He swung up on his horse before leaning down to help Ami onto the horse.

“This is so embarrassing.” she covered her eyes once she was on the horse. “And I am to be their Princess before long. I doubt they will have even a hair of respect left for me”

Jack rolled his eyes and motioned to the Captain of the Guards that they could continue riding. “This will be a lot faster and we should be back to the castle before long.”

“How long is long?” she bit her lip.

“Does your ankle bother you much?” he looked at her ankle.

She blushed and tried to cover up her ankle. “Don’t look at my ankle. It is indecent. And yes, it’s fine.”

“Do you have to be so prigish about everything?” Jack’s nose wrinkled. “I’m only trying to help and all you do is reject it!”

“I’m sorry if I’m not comfortable with having a strange man study my ankle!” she hissed. “But in Rhone, it is considered immodest to show this much of my leg.” she looked at the good few inches of her ankle and leg that were uncovered before she was blushing again.

He sighed. “You must grow accustomed to it. In Carenthia it is less of a concern for a lady to show off her ankle.”

Ami’s eyes widened. “Surely you jest!”

“Surely not, Princess.” he had an amused smirk on his face. “And you will find that your new dresses will not have those funny high necklines that you people in Rhone have.”

If possible, her cheeks reddened even more. “It is not funny in the slightest and I prefer to have my dresses made that way that you very much.”

He shrugged. “If you notice Portia, she is dressed rather modestly for someone in Carenthia. But of course, she is a peasant.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ami asked warily.

“It means that the higher class you go, the less cloth is required for making dresses.” he faked a huge, childish, smile.

“No! I will not!” she squirmed in her seat. “I will die before I wear any of Carenthia’s style of clothing. Or better yet, I shall write to Mother and Father and have them take me home immediately!”

His grip around her waist tightened. “You wouldn’t. You know how much we all need this alliance.”

“I will.” she pinched his arm that held her waist.

“Oww!” he slapped her hand away. “You can’t. You know you can’t. This alliance is not an option for either of us and you cannot go whining to your parents if you don’t happen to like our type of clothing!”

She turned around so that she could glare at him. “I can make your life miserable, Prince Jacques, so I suggest you do not antagonize me.”

He laughed lightly. “You cannot scare me with empty threats, Princess. I do not believe that you are capable of making my life miserable.”

She raised her hand to slap him.

“Ah ah ah!” he shook his head and took her hand in his. “We have a reputation to keep up, remember?” he held her hand up to his lips. “My love.”

“Oh yes of course.” she faked a smile. “Of course I remember.” she grabbed a hunk of his cheek and squeezed it. “My little doodly bear.”

He raised an eyebrow. “May I ask what a doodly bear is?”

“A doodly bear, is you. So it could be a monster, a terrorizer, a big oaf-” she let out a squeal as Jack pinched her side.

She turned her squeal into a forced laugh, once the guards started looking, and patted his cheek. “Remember my dear, we are not married as of yet and you cannot do such things. Or I will make your life miserable.”

“I do believe you’ve said that before.” he sighed. “And again, I do not find you frightening in the slightest.”

“I hate you.” she wished she could glare at him, but feared there were too many guards looking their way.

“I hate you too.” He answered with a bright smile, then looked around to see that they had not started moving, instead everyone had decided to watch the playful banter between their future Princess and their Prince. “Let’s head out! We won’t get anywhere sitting all day!”

<><><>

Ami looked at the castle. The turrets were different than the ones in Rhone. Instead of a coned top, they had very harsh looking up and down squares. She wrinkled her nose

“What do you think, Princess?” Jack fanned his arm around, as if in doing so he was helping it look more majestic.

“It’s different.” She said simply. She would not insult the work of Jack’s ancestors, even if she did hate the Prince himself.

“I’m sure you’ll love your room.” He smiled, almost too big, making him look quite suspicious, and her quite wary.

They continued to ride in silence until they reached the village. And that was where the excitement started. Horns blew, people cheered, flags waved, and children danced.

“Arthur should be here any time now to welcome you like a true Princess.” Jack told her.

She did her best not to glare. “That will be quite welcome after how the Prince welcomed me.”

“The way I welcomed you was as good as you deserved.” she felt him shrug.

She clenched her teeth and decided that the best way to reply to his comment was to say nothing at all.

After another agonizing five minutes of riding together, a man with dark brown hair came up on a decorated mount and halted in front of Jack and Ami. “Greetings Andromeda Aurora Amélia, Sir Arthur of Havensh, and on behalf of King Gavin and Queen Katherine, welcome you to the plentiful land of Carenthia.”

The people raised a cheer for her once more.

“Thank you.” Ami glanced at Jack. Her parents had briefly gone over Carethnia’s rituals, but she was still unsure of what exactly to say and how to go about saying it. She was supposed to curtsy, but given her condition she couldn’t.

“Shall we ride to the castle now? I’m very tired and the Princess has a broken ankle that needs to be attended.” Jack spoke to Sir Arthur.

Ami silently thanked him for his intervention.

“Yes of course, we’ll depart immediately.” Sir Arthur turned his horse around and the brass sounded once again.

The sound of people cheering clogged Ami’s ears and she waved as she thought a Princess should. They exited the village, crossed the castle drawbridge, and kept riding inside of the stone castle walls, passing through the gatehouse until they reached the bailey.

Jack hopped off the horse and helped Ami down, careful to keep her supported by putting an arm around her.

“If it did not hurt so much to walk, I would not be within five feet of you.” Ami gritted her teeth, turning quite pale.

Jack decided that now was probably not a good time to make a smart comment. “How is your foot fairing?”

“It’s bearable.” she looked slightly confused at his random words that were not tormenting. “But I should like to get off of it as soon as possible.”

A tall man with a golden crown came out of the keep, a beautiful woman close on his trail, and a nursemaid with a little girl in her arms.

“Andromeda Aurora Amélia the Third.” the man opened his arms to her and she cringed at her long name. “Welcome to Carenthia! I trust you had a safe journey here.”

She glanced at Jack. “Quite safe, thank you. I regret to inform you that my ankle has broken and I am unable to bow down before you. Please excuse me.”

“Oh you poor dear!” the lady who was presumably the queen rushed forward and touched her arm. “Jack, get her inside right now. I’ll go get the physician.”

“Yes, Mother.” he mumbled and helped Ami into the castle keep and onto a temporary resting place.

After a few minutes the Queen reappeared with a physician close behind. “Jack, can you carry her to her room? She should really be resting and she shouldn’t be walking.”

Jack raised an eyebrow and sighed, turning to Ami once more and whispered. “Just so you know, I’m enjoying this no more than you are.”

She frowned. “I would hate to put you through such torture.” she turned to the Queen. “Excuse me Your Majesty, but I can walk on my own. It’s truly not a bother for me.”

The Queen turned around and looked at Jack with a very formidable look, not saying a word.

Jack hushed up and quickly picked up Ami, following the Queen up the stairs and down a hall to Ami’s private chamber.

“Here is where you’ll be staying until you and Jack are married.” the Queen opened the door showing a huge room with a gigantic bed with a white sheer canopy, white and scarlet quilts and a mahogany wooden wardrobe that had yet to be filled with expensive gowns and silk garments. “I hope you find it to your liking.”

“Thank you very much, Your Majesty, it is much better than I hoped for.” Ami smiled and looked as grateful as she could.

“What were you expecting?” Jack muttered under his breath. “The servants quarters?”

Ami turned to subtly glare at Jack. “No, I simply did not to be honored and be treated so highly.”

“Is it so surprising?” Jack raised an eyebrow. “How does Rhone treat guests and future sons? I shudder to think.”

“We would treat them quite nicely, but what I’m trying to say is that the room is very nice and I’m trying to be polite to your kind mother.” Ami breathed heavily, and Jack didn’t know if she was quite angry with him, or if her ankle was putting her through extreme pain.

“Here, set her down right on the bed.” the Queen patted the big fluffy bed and Jack laid her down and quickly backed up. “I’ll be going now, goodbye Ami, goodbye Mother.”

“Jack dear, you should stay and keep your betrothed company.” the Queen smiled at him. “After all, she’s only just met me and I’m sure she would feel much more comfortable with your presence, I’m sure.”

Jack seemed to internally debate with himself before giving in to his mother’s request. “Yes, Mother.”

“Now, I think I left Freya with the nursemaid, I should go get her.” the Queen smiled, if Ami didn’t know better she would have sworn that the smile was conniving, and scurried out of the room, leaving Ami alone with the physician and Jack.