Thunder roared through the sky as her blood pumped through her veins like a raging river, and her feet carried her through the forest. Panting, her body screamed at her to stop, her heart threatening to jump out of her chest as she continued to push herself forward. She had to get as far away from the castle as possible, away from the ones who were hunting her. Her legs were getting tired, her breath was escaping her at a rapid pace, and she could feel exhaustion coming over her. All she wanted to do was lie in the trees and never awaken.
That night, there had been a party, and she was nothing but a simple maid, tasked with serving drinks to the royal family. Rumors had been floating around for a bit about a rendezvous between the maid and the prince, as many could see he was highly infatuated with her. He would touch her, keep her close, and refuse to allow her to be alone with anyone who wasn’t him. It wasn’t his place to want her, but that didn’t stop him. His royal parents didn’t seem to care as they had another son to take the throne if their youngest wanted to become a rake.
The maid had served wine to the crown prince as requested, bowing as he flashed her a brilliant smile, his bright green eyes flickering with delight and lust as he watched her. His parents denied anything she tried to serve them, shooing her off as if she were a bug under their shoes that they were trying to squish. She stood by the prince, the tray clutched to her chest as her head stayed bowed, waiting for more orders to come through for her.
A hand grasped one of her wrists, and she didn’t have to look up to know it was the prince as he lowered his head close to hers, his lips brushing across her ear. He whispered sweet nothings to her, his grip tightening as he demanded she meet him in the eastern wing of the castle. She couldn’t deny the orders as she knew he would be angry, violently so. The second heir to the throne was known to beat the maids who disobeyed him, some having even died in their service to him. It wasn’t known if it was luck or not that she had survived this long around him.
Grabbing a glass of wine from a butler, the prince sauntered off to mingle with the crowd, leaving the maid alone with her growing fear.
She did as she was told, leaving the tray behind and slipping away from the engagement party for the prince’s older brother. Her heart raced in fear as she reached the prince’s chambers in the eastern wing, her fingers fiddling with the apron over her dress. She stood outside the door, her head bowed, and her long blonde hair brushing across her face as she waited for what she knew was about to come. Her coworkers had whispered to her about the prince’s desires for her, how his eyes followed her with every movement, filled with sinister intent. They told her to be cautious, to try to back away, and to keep her virtue. Doing that seemed to only heighten the prince’s desires for her.
His hand was wrapped around her wrist once more as he pushed the door open to his chambers, pulling her inside as he entered. She barely had time to react before his lips were on hers, his hands grasping at her dress as he pulled her close. A whimper of fear escaped her as she felt his arousal press against her, her body tensing up. She knew better than to fight, even as much as she wanted to. Her hands trembled as she reached up, grasping the front of the prince’s suit, knowing if she acted interested that he might be gentler with her.
That was not the case. The prince had torn her dress in the process of getting it off her, desperate to get his hands on her smooth, pale skin. Her soft sobs fell on death’s ears as she was left in nothing but her underdress, made to lie on the comfortable bed meant for royalty. His hands were all over her, grasping, squeezing, stroking - anything to attempt to bring her own arousal out. He bit into the skin of her neck, causing her to cry out in pain, marking her as his as he tasted copper on his tongue. It would turn into a lovely, dark bruise in the morning.
“Starting tonight, you will be mine,” The prince grinned wickedly as he pushed his fingers inside her, a surge of excitement coursing through his veins at her cries and pleas for him to stop. “No one will be able to keep you from me. Not my prejudiced parents, the laws, or society. You will be my bride and carry my heirs, as many as I wish.” He leaned down, brushing his lips across her cheek, licking up her tears. His hands moved to his belt, starting to undo it.
Panic went through her as she heard him start to pull his own clothes off. She started to thrash under him, pleading with him not to do this. Just as she felt him move between her thighs, he seemed to tense up, and she didn’t dare look at him. Her eyes clenched shut as she lay there, her heart beating wildly in her chest. After a few moments, the sound of the prince’s body hitting the floor came to her ears, and she opened her eyes in confusion and fright. She pushed herself up so that she was sitting and glanced over the edge of the bed.
There, he lay, foam coming out of his mouth, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. She screeched in fright, scrambling back away from him before a knight entered the room at the sound of her voice.
Time seemed to move quickly from then. The prince had died from poisoning, and the staff was blaming her as she had been the only one in the room with the prince when he died. She denied it. Without a single piece of evidence, the king and queen sentenced her to death.
And she ran. She ran for everything she was worth.
Her thin gown was torn from the bushes she had gotten caught in, her legs and sides bleeding. Her feet were covered in blisters and cuts from the rocks and twigs on the forest floor. She could hear the horses catching up with her and she pushed herself further, wanting to get across the river before it was too late. The sound of the river was close when she reached a hillside she didn’t know was there, tumbling down it from slipping on the wet grass. A cry escaped her lips at the pain she felt in her leg, and she looked over, noticing the sickening angle it was bent in. She was broken in every way possible.
She knew she couldn’t get away now. There was no point. Tears streamed down her face as she heard the heavy footsteps coming down the hill of the knight sent to catch her. Her fingers fisted in the graveled dirt under her, a sob racking through her as she glared down at the ground in anger and grief. Boots stopped in front of her, and she looked up at the bearded man, her tired and defeated eyes locked with his.
“Please,” Her voice pleaded with desperation as she eyed him. “Please kill me.” Her body trembled as she watched his reaction, getting none in response to her plea. “He has already ruined me! I am of no use to anyone!”
The knight watched the pathetic woman in front of him plead for death as if it would release her from her crimes. His orders were set. Bring her back and behead her in front of the town. The rain made her look more pathetic than she had been when he entered the prince’s chambers. She looked like a frightened rabbit, ready to bolt at any moment. He almost pitied her.
“Why did you run if you want to die?”
The maid gripped her dress with her free hand, a whimper escaping her as she sniffled. “I thought… I thought I could get away before you found me.”
How utterly pathetic. He knew she was innocent. She had never caused any trouble before. Always doing whatever the prince asked, no matter the time of day. Poor little rabbit got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. He reached forward, grabbing her arm to pull her onto her feet, ignoring her cry of pain as she was forced to walk on her broken leg.
She had been returned to the king and queen a mere hour after she had bolted.
The next morning, she was beheaded for treason and buried in an unmarked grave near the very river she had tried to cross the night before.
That night, there had been a party, and she was nothing but a simple maid, tasked with serving drinks to the royal family. Rumors had been floating around for a bit about a rendezvous between the maid and the prince, as many could see he was highly infatuated with her. He would touch her, keep her close, and refuse to allow her to be alone with anyone who wasn’t him. It wasn’t his place to want her, but that didn’t stop him. His royal parents didn’t seem to care as they had another son to take the throne if their youngest wanted to become a rake.
The maid had served wine to the crown prince as requested, bowing as he flashed her a brilliant smile, his bright green eyes flickering with delight and lust as he watched her. His parents denied anything she tried to serve them, shooing her off as if she were a bug under their shoes that they were trying to squish. She stood by the prince, the tray clutched to her chest as her head stayed bowed, waiting for more orders to come through for her.
A hand grasped one of her wrists, and she didn’t have to look up to know it was the prince as he lowered his head close to hers, his lips brushing across her ear. He whispered sweet nothings to her, his grip tightening as he demanded she meet him in the eastern wing of the castle. She couldn’t deny the orders as she knew he would be angry, violently so. The second heir to the throne was known to beat the maids who disobeyed him, some having even died in their service to him. It wasn’t known if it was luck or not that she had survived this long around him.
Grabbing a glass of wine from a butler, the prince sauntered off to mingle with the crowd, leaving the maid alone with her growing fear.
She did as she was told, leaving the tray behind and slipping away from the engagement party for the prince’s older brother. Her heart raced in fear as she reached the prince’s chambers in the eastern wing, her fingers fiddling with the apron over her dress. She stood outside the door, her head bowed, and her long blonde hair brushing across her face as she waited for what she knew was about to come. Her coworkers had whispered to her about the prince’s desires for her, how his eyes followed her with every movement, filled with sinister intent. They told her to be cautious, to try to back away, and to keep her virtue. Doing that seemed to only heighten the prince’s desires for her.
His hand was wrapped around her wrist once more as he pushed the door open to his chambers, pulling her inside as he entered. She barely had time to react before his lips were on hers, his hands grasping at her dress as he pulled her close. A whimper of fear escaped her as she felt his arousal press against her, her body tensing up. She knew better than to fight, even as much as she wanted to. Her hands trembled as she reached up, grasping the front of the prince’s suit, knowing if she acted interested that he might be gentler with her.
That was not the case. The prince had torn her dress in the process of getting it off her, desperate to get his hands on her smooth, pale skin. Her soft sobs fell on death’s ears as she was left in nothing but her underdress, made to lie on the comfortable bed meant for royalty. His hands were all over her, grasping, squeezing, stroking - anything to attempt to bring her own arousal out. He bit into the skin of her neck, causing her to cry out in pain, marking her as his as he tasted copper on his tongue. It would turn into a lovely, dark bruise in the morning.
“Starting tonight, you will be mine,” The prince grinned wickedly as he pushed his fingers inside her, a surge of excitement coursing through his veins at her cries and pleas for him to stop. “No one will be able to keep you from me. Not my prejudiced parents, the laws, or society. You will be my bride and carry my heirs, as many as I wish.” He leaned down, brushing his lips across her cheek, licking up her tears. His hands moved to his belt, starting to undo it.
Panic went through her as she heard him start to pull his own clothes off. She started to thrash under him, pleading with him not to do this. Just as she felt him move between her thighs, he seemed to tense up, and she didn’t dare look at him. Her eyes clenched shut as she lay there, her heart beating wildly in her chest. After a few moments, the sound of the prince’s body hitting the floor came to her ears, and she opened her eyes in confusion and fright. She pushed herself up so that she was sitting and glanced over the edge of the bed.
There, he lay, foam coming out of his mouth, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. She screeched in fright, scrambling back away from him before a knight entered the room at the sound of her voice.
Time seemed to move quickly from then. The prince had died from poisoning, and the staff was blaming her as she had been the only one in the room with the prince when he died. She denied it. Without a single piece of evidence, the king and queen sentenced her to death.
And she ran. She ran for everything she was worth.
Her thin gown was torn from the bushes she had gotten caught in, her legs and sides bleeding. Her feet were covered in blisters and cuts from the rocks and twigs on the forest floor. She could hear the horses catching up with her and she pushed herself further, wanting to get across the river before it was too late. The sound of the river was close when she reached a hillside she didn’t know was there, tumbling down it from slipping on the wet grass. A cry escaped her lips at the pain she felt in her leg, and she looked over, noticing the sickening angle it was bent in. She was broken in every way possible.
She knew she couldn’t get away now. There was no point. Tears streamed down her face as she heard the heavy footsteps coming down the hill of the knight sent to catch her. Her fingers fisted in the graveled dirt under her, a sob racking through her as she glared down at the ground in anger and grief. Boots stopped in front of her, and she looked up at the bearded man, her tired and defeated eyes locked with his.
“Please,” Her voice pleaded with desperation as she eyed him. “Please kill me.” Her body trembled as she watched his reaction, getting none in response to her plea. “He has already ruined me! I am of no use to anyone!”
The knight watched the pathetic woman in front of him plead for death as if it would release her from her crimes. His orders were set. Bring her back and behead her in front of the town. The rain made her look more pathetic than she had been when he entered the prince’s chambers. She looked like a frightened rabbit, ready to bolt at any moment. He almost pitied her.
“Why did you run if you want to die?”
The maid gripped her dress with her free hand, a whimper escaping her as she sniffled. “I thought… I thought I could get away before you found me.”
How utterly pathetic. He knew she was innocent. She had never caused any trouble before. Always doing whatever the prince asked, no matter the time of day. Poor little rabbit got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. He reached forward, grabbing her arm to pull her onto her feet, ignoring her cry of pain as she was forced to walk on her broken leg.
She had been returned to the king and queen a mere hour after she had bolted.
The next morning, she was beheaded for treason and buried in an unmarked grave near the very river she had tried to cross the night before.