Bondage (formerly Escape from the Obstinate Prince)

When Ami woke up the next morning, her stomach feeling as if someone had taken it, turned it inside out and then placed it back where it was.

The fact that Jack despised her for agreeing to the picnic made her all the more uneasy. She had experienced his angry side one too many times and she was not looking forward to being at the center of it again.

Nevertheless, she forced herself to get up and got ready for the day, both mentally and figuratively.

“Your Highness,” a servant bowed as she exited her bedroom through the double doors. “The Prince requests your presence at the stables.”

Ami raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t even be bothered to come to my door? she sighed and tried to banish the discouraging thoughts. At least he isn’t in bed still, Ami mentally congratulated herself for thinking on the bright side.

She sighed and walked through the castle corridors with the poise of a princess.

A pair of servants opened the doors for her and she stepped out into the warm, already humid air. She hated to leave the cool interior of the stone castle and resented the fact that it was quite hot in Carenthia.

“Your Highness.” a servant bowed as she hurried past towards the stables. A pair of servants opened the doors for her and she stepped out into the warm, already humid air. She hated to leave the cool interior of the stone castle and resented the fact that it was so hot in Carenthia.

She slowed her pace to deter the heat from penetrating her too deeply.

“Ami, dear,” Jack’s sarcastic voice met her ears.

Ami found Jack, with two horses on either side of him and Jack standing in the middle, the reins of both horses in his hands.

“Good morning, Jack,” Ami forced her tone of voice to be pleasant.

“Is it a good morning?” he handed her the reins to her horse. “I hardly think it’s a good morning.”

“That is very unfortunate that you think that,” Ami smiled despite Jack’s scowl, “as I think this is a beautiful morning to go riding. And such company too!”

Jack’s scowl intensified. “Isn’t it just dandy?”

Ami realized that what she said had been taken sarcastically. “I didn’t mean-”

“Get on the horse, please,” Jack said curtly and hopped onto his own mount.

She climbed onto her horse without the aid of Jack and sat primly on top. “Might I ask where we’re going?”

The Prince gave no reply.

Ami had tried on several occasions to make conversation - failing most of the time as Jack either gave short, clipped answers or else didn’t answer at all if he felt the question wasn’t worth answering.

After a time she had given up on trying to converse with him and rode silently beside Jack.

He once tried to gallop away from her, presumably to escape her; she had simply galloped along with him. He had not been expecting her to keep up with him, as he looked quite surprised when he saw her lagging only a few yards behind him.

“If you’re trying to lose me, I’m afraid to say that I’m not going to be lost.”

Jack ignored her.

“Look, Jack. I’m trying my best to make this work. To make this relationship work.”

He glanced back at her sharply. “What if I don’t want it to work?”

She flinched slightly. “Jack, we are going to spend our lives together whether you wish it to be so or not. We had better make the best of it.”

“I think we could both live quite well without ever seeing each other,” he smiled, but it was clear that it was fake.

Ami took a calming breath. “I don’t believe the King or Queen would let us spend our lives apart.”

“Do you think I care what they think?” he lashed out. “Mother has a bubble for a brain and Father is a pig! Mother only wants me to marry you because she’s always fantasising about romance and fairytales-” he mocked the Queen’s voice, “- and Father just wants to make me miserable. It’s all he’s ever wanted; to make me unhappy. He’s doing a very good job of it too!” he let out a frustrated puff of air.

Ami thought for a moment. “If you want to show your father that he is failing his so called job of ‘making you miserable’, then simply don’t be so miserable. I know that I’m quite frustrating and aggravating, but I’m sure you could at least try to make this work.”

“You’re right, Ami,” Jack said. Ami felt a surge of hope course through her body. Was he going to try to be more agreeable? “You are very frustrating and aggravating. You are also very bratty. You are the most spoiled girl I have ever met and I have no desire to make peace with you.”

Any hope that Ami had left, vanished faster than steam from a tea kettle. She clenched her teeth and fought off frustrated tears. He really just doesn’t care.

Jack must have seen her vexation and felt the need to taunt further. “Go ahead, cry on Mother’s shoulder. She’ll tell Father and Father will tell me what a bad son I am and how I’ll make a terrible heir. See if I care if you cry or not.”

Ami stuck out her chin and was silent for a short while. She wanted to cry. She wanted to go back to the castle and spend her birthday with better company. But she couldn’t. She, as the Princess of Rhone, had responsibilities and she was determined to fulfill them. “We came here to have a picnic, did we not, Prince Jack?” it took all of her willpower to not cry in front of him. She took deep, steadying breaths.

Jack’s eyebrows rose and he looked slightly stunned that she did not gallop away on her horse, back to the castle. His befuddlement lasted only a moment and he straightened up and prodded his horse into movement.

Ami followed him dolefully for what seemed like an eternity.

He finally halted and unmounted his horse. I presume this is the final destination, she said to herself, but I don’t think Jack would answer me if I asked him whether it was or not.

She sighed and studied her surroundings, just then noticing that the foliage blocked the sun’s rays and that little flittering bugs and insects were everywhere, sometimes zipping to and fro, other times they just hovered in little groups.

She sat down on the mix of dirt and grass, submitting herself to the fact that her clothes were going to get dirty whether she looked for bugs first or not.

“Lovely place to have a picnic, is it not?” Jack smiled boyishly, hoping Ami would complain about her discomfort.

Ami smiled back sweetly. She knew she couldn’t answer honestly without telling him how she detested bugs. “You have a charming smile, Jack, you should really smile more often. It looks quite becoming on you.”

He frowned slightly, confused by her behavior. It didn’t take him long to recover and his cocky grin took over.“I know I do. But I’d rather not give you the pleasure of seeing my delightful smile.”

“You’d rather just look like a cranky, unapproachable grouch all the time?” the harsh words slipped before Ami could catch them.

Jack smirked, finally evoking an argument. “It would definitely be better than having a bratty princess following me around all the time.”

She sighed. Exasperated, she had to bite her tongue from lashing out at Jack. She forced smile directed at him. Dear God, how long do I have to put up with this infuriating man? Please help me keep my temper.

Jack’s desire for an argument seemed to have abated somewhat and he contented himself snacking on some nuts he had found.

Wasn’t this supposed to be a fun picnic? she rested against a tree trunk and tried not to think of all the creepy crawlers that might latch onto her clothes. “Jack, darling,” Ami had gotten so used to sarcastically adding pet names that she now did it out of habit, “was this supposed to be a picnic? Or are we supposed to scavenge the ground and look for our food as commoners do?”

Jack glanced up at her. She almost thought she saw a wave of guilt cloud his handsome features. Handsome? she shook her head to clear her thoughts. “It was. But I thought you might enjoy this area more. A cool breeze, pretty scenery, a canopy of trees hanging above…what’s not to like? Besides, you’ll get plenty to eat once you get back to the castle.”

Ami resisted the urge to raise her eyebrows. The air was muggy - not cool, the scenery considered of trees, trees, and more trees, and the canopy of leaves hanging above was not comforting, as she very well knew that lots of disgusting things could fall from it and into her. And she hadn’t eaten a bite of food that morning. “Yes, quite a beautiful place, Your Highness.”

Jack’s eyes met hers once more. He then stood abruptly. “Well, I’m starting to get hungry and nuts aren’t going to satisfy me,” he brushed off his hands on his trousers. “I was told that there was a picnic basket waiting for us at the bank of the Crystal Brook.”

Ami withheld a snort and instead smiled. “How very nice. Are you sure you don’t want to wait until we’re back at the castle to eat?”

Jack looked as if he was going to retaliate, but he closed his mouth and hopped onto his horse. Ami did the same.

Jack opened the picnic basket and emitted some satisfactory mumbles as he took a sandwich out of the basket.

Ami’s ears almost hurt from the noise of the Crystal Brook. The Crystal Brook was a brook in name only. It was more like a river than a brook and Ami didn’t dare take another step near the edge of the bank for fear the water would somehow leap out, grab hold of her and drag her underwater.

She wasn’t exactly afraid of water, but she had lived long enough to know the dangers of it. She had witnessed it carrying away grown men into sea and tossing children around like corn husk dolls.

Ami backed away from the river and then fingered through the basket of food. “Might I ask why this river is called a brook? And why does it sound so loud and angry?” she asked. She pulled out a orange out of the basket then started peeling the citrus fruit.

“Legend says” Jack stuffed a bite of sandwich into his mouth, “before Carenthia first had a king, a Ruler of the heavens roamed the earth.”

“The Great Father,” Ami murmured before sticking a slice of orange in her mouth.

Jack continued without acknowledging Ami. “There was one just one landform. Rhone and Carenthia were connected - and they were much bigger. Norcliffe and Svenland were connected to Carenthia and Rhone as well. But anyway, there was a spring of water in the middle of the lands. And from it came an everlasting supply of water that drained down by rivers and would fall into the sea. The only sea at the time. It was one big sea, encircling the land. The Ruler, sometimes called the Great Father and sometimes referred to as God or Lord or High King, created man for his enjoyment and glory, and then the woman was created. The Ruler told man that if he followed His ways, then man would live long, and the earth would prosper. The man agreed to it and the Ruler gave him plentiful crops and always enough to eat and drink. The man also named everything. Which is how the Crystal Brook got its name. Then the man and woman had children, and their children had children, but the children’s children were very wicked and forgot the promise that the Ruler had first made with the man, so the Ruler got angry and was actually somewhat sad that he made man, but being merciful, he didn’t destroy the whole earth, he just made living harder on the humans, since they were so wicked that they needed chastisement. And so we believe that once upon a time, this river was a peaceful and calm brook. Clear as crystal and the trickling water having a calming effect on mankind. But the river gets wider and more defined each passing year, and the river is loud because it’s early summer and the water will naturally be higher, which would make it sound more glorious. Others say that they Ruler made this river wider, deeper and faster because mankind was so evil.”

Ami fingered the orange peel.

“And some actually still believe in this God,” Jack stuffed the last bite of bread in his mouth. “I think it’s a fun Legend to tell, but to believe in a superior being like that is somewhat ridiculous. Some people even pray to It and ask it for guidance.”

Ami looked up at him suddenly, shock portrayed in her eyes. “You don’t believe in the Great Father?”

Jack met her gaze incredulously. “You believe in the Great Father?”

She stood up suddenly, backing up from Jack. Confusment shrouded Jack. Faint horror and disgust covered Ami.

It was starting to make sense. His bad attitude, his resentment towards her and everything else. He didn’t believe in the Great Father and so of course he didn’t think he needed to follow His ways or laws. No wonder he didn’t respect his father or mother. No wonder he belittled the servants.

She shook her head. How could she live with him if he didn’t follow the ways of the living God? How could she have the assurance of knowing he wouldn’t try to kill her in her sleep? The Great Father meant nothing to him. Who knew if Jack even had a conscience.

She stood up quickly and her vision blackened for a bit. She tried to take a deep breath but the whale bones in her corset hindered her from doing so. Her restricting, long dress only added to her overheating and she struggled to keep her balance.

Nevertheless she hiked up her long skirt and started dizzily running away from Jack, along the bank of the Crystal. The black spots returned as she exerted herself; her footing slipped on the green moss and as she unconsciously fell into the water of the fast moving river.