Opposing Kingdoms (Maria x Gent)

Sophia was awakened by the early morning sun's rays. She stretched out her arms above her head and paused. She listened for her father's, King David, shouts as he ordered the general of his army prepare the men for battle. For the past few months, the Cardon kingdom had been in a bitter war with the neighboring York Kingdom. It all started with a feud over territory, but as time went on more arguments arose. Battle after battle had gone on between each of the kingdom's armies, leaving many deaths on each side. Recently, the Cardon kingdom had many of the attacks on their own land, leaving King David frantic. As Sophia listened, she heard not a peep from her father, giving her hope that it was safe once again.

She climbed out of her bed and went in her dresser, picking out a dark green dress that had gold lace trimming at the top. She pulled on the dress that hugged her body in all the right ways. Being only 18, she was well developed. She had grown curves in all the right places. The dress hugged her hour-glass frame, showing her plump bottom and was low cut to expose an her supple cleavage. She went over to the mirror hung up on the wall to braid her shoulder-blade length hair. The fire-red hair was braided back to expose her face. Her baby-blue eyes were bright and were paired well with her light pink lips. She slid on her matching green flats and headed down to the kitchen, knowing the house maids would be there cooking breakfast.

"Morning!" She chirped as she entered the kitchen that had her favorite house maiden, Mary, in it. She had grown up with Mary at her side her whole life and she was like her mom. Her actual mom had passed away when she was younger, leaving Mary to take care of her. "Well aren't you peppy today, Princess Sophia. You must of heard the news of the wretched Yorks finally leaving our lands." Mary asked as she chopped up vegetables, smiling up at the princess. "No I haven't, but that's fantastic news! Do you think it's safe for me to go ride my horse outside for little while? I haven't been outside in days!" Sophia asked. Mary pressed her lips together as she thought about the question, then nodded. "Only if you promise to stay close to the Castle! No exploring the far out fields young lady."

"I promise, Mary!" Sophia exclaimed as she skipped out of the kitchen and towards the stables. One of Sophia favorite things to do was to ride her stallion around the kingdom's grounds. It was the only time she was able to be away from all the people of the kingdom. She's been craving that since the past two weeks there's been a royal guard by her side for precaution. She saddled up her horse and clicked her tongue, getting the horse to gallop out of the stable. She was so happy to smell the fresh air and feel the sun on her face that she didn't even realize she was near the border of the kingdom's territory after a half hour of riding. She pulled on the reigns of the horse as the stopped at pound. She sat down on the edge of the water, enjoying the peace and quite as she closed her eyes and leaned back on her elbows.

Thomas had been pretty dissatisfied with the way that the recent negotiations were going on but the people of York had pretty much required that the war with the Cardons be brought to an end and his father thought that this had been a good time to make that happen. They were at a point now where they had made a slight incursion into the Cardon Kingdom and claimed some of it for themselves. While this may have seemed like a small, simple victory, in the eyes of his aging father the expansion of his land would be good for his legacy.

The much younger, more aggressive Thomas saw this as weakness. The Turner's, his family, and their banner men had lost many loyal warriors to this war and all they had to show from it was a few miles of land. In his mind, the Kingdom of Cardon had gotten off easy.

Prince Thomas had let his personal group of guards know that they should jump on any opportunity to secure greater success in the war. Paul, Thomas' head guard, led a group of four other men around on a patrol, to see what the little bit of new land hand to offer. Paul and his patrol came over a hill that overlooked the pond. His eyes widened in slight disbelief as he pulled the reigns of his horse and dismounted quickly. Even though they were confused, his patrol did the same. They talked amongst themselves as they tried to figure out whether or not the princess was actually this far away from the castle.

They made their way slowly and as quietly as possible although they were able to be in armor. Eventually, they cleared the parameter and set up one of their own. Paul walked forward with his right hand resting on his sword hilt, "Well well. Looks like somebody lost their way."

Sophia was in bliss just sitting out by the pound by herself. It was a beautiful spring day. The sun shined down on her, making her red hair stand out even more. She loved to see how the water shimmered with the sun's rays. The air was warm as she rested, enjoying the fresh air. She opened her eyes a few minutes later and saw a terrifying sight.

Not far ahead on a hill was a few men on horse staring off at her, pointing in her direction. As she looked closely, she could see the York crest imprinted onto their armor. Her heart raced as she saw them make their way towards her, knowing that the situation was about to go down hill. She stood up and slowly started to back peddle towards her horse as they encircled her, but she stopped dead in her tracks as one man started to approach her.

She eyed his hand as it moved to his sword hilt. She knew it was too late to make an escape on her horse. She glared at him as he walked towards her making his comment,. "I think it's you who has lost their way. This is my kingdom's territory. Maybe you should get a map." She snapped back at him, refusing to show fear. It was clear that she was the princess because she had been at a few peace meetings before. She rested her hand on her horse's reigns, not quite sure on what her near future was going to be.

Paul took slow, deliberate steps toward the Princess of Cardon then began to make so slow circle. She was brave, he'd have to give her that. The Head Guard smiled as politely as the situation dictated. His dirty blond hair hung in his face slightly, hiding a few nasty scars on his forehead. One the outside, Paul was calm and collected but internally his was quite the mess. There was many options available to him, he could let the girl go, as a sign of good favor between the two kingdoms or he could accompany her to back to the castle to ensure her safety and strengthen the fragile alliance. For some reason, Paul did not believe that's the kind of thing Prince Thomas would approve of.

Paul fingered the hilt of his blade, "Well M'Lady, it appears you're right. technically," his last word was full of venom and spite. It was then Paul decided his course of action. "However, your presence is requested in the Court of York. Unfortunately, the brainless one," his finger pointed to a man on the opposite side of the Princess, "dropped the documentation in a swamp a few miles back. The Prince request your favor to discuss the feature of the two kingdoms. Immediately."

Paul was making all of this up as he went along but his fellow guardsmen caught on and played along as they all took a less aggressive stance and put on their most charming smiles. "Excuse us for approaching you in the manner that we did," Paul continued, "We wanted to make sure you were actually the Princess and I must say, the stories of the sharpness of your tongue and your unrivaled beauty are true." The Head Guardsman left a small smile play on his face, "Now, if you could accompany the rest of the guard and I back to our horses, we could be on our way and have you back by the sun's retreat."

Sophia watched the man in front of her closely. He was a York man so he was instantly unable to gain her trust. Ignoring the fact that he was a York, she had a gut feeling that he was a scum. The smile was far from friendly, more like slimy. They way Paul tried to talk her persuasively to convince her just gave her goosebumps.

Her green eyes scanned over Paul's men seeing their identical grins that weren't as genuine as Paul's. By the way the encompassed around her leaving no possible way to escape safely, she knew he was lying to her. The enemy soldiers around her had devious goal to get her to return home to their kingdom with their fake story. Her mind raced over all the possibilities of how to get out of this situation, but she came up short handed. "Thank you, sir. Do not worry about your entrance. You just caught me off guard."

"Oh, how unfortunate." She said kindly to Paul, going along with his lie. "I would be joyful to have a chat with Prince Thomas, but I'm afraid my father would not trust me going alone. With all the fighting going on, I bet he will want discuss my leaving before I agree to your invitation." She slowly climbed up on her horse, watching his hand toying with his sword on his hip. "If you'd like to be a gentlemen, you could escort me back to my castle. In my kingdom, that's common courtesy, but I don't expect much from a York." She could not help but make one jab at him. She smiled though as she grabbed her horse's reigns. 

Paul watched her as she navigated the conversation, she understood that she had a bit of an advantage because of her steed. Of course, any one of the men would cut the beast down if need be. Paul gave a curt smile just before he reached up to grab her horses reigns just below the mouth and pulled the horses head down so that the beast knew who was in charge. He gritted his teeth slightly at the insult she gave him but held his tongue all the same.

"M'Lady," his voice shook a bit with a hint of hesitation. Paul increased his grip on the reigns. "If you were back at the castle you would know that proper notification had been seen to your father already and has been approved."

Just when he thought that he was going to lose, he had a very ingenious idea. In a swift motion, he took a step around the side of the beast and began leading her and the animal back toward where they had stashed their horses. The rest of the guard followed, ready to jump on her if she tried to make a dash for it.

Sophia gritted her teeth as she saw him grip onto her horse's reigns that rested on his snout. It was rude to take hold of another person's animal without their permission. Her gripped onto the reins in her hands so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her facial expression painted utter calmness. She just watched him as he told another lie right to her face, her eyes squinting as he talked.

What Paul did next completely blind sided her. She just stared at him in awe. She couldn't believe how stupid she was to leave her self that vulnerable! "Stop, Titan!" She commanded to her steed. She pulled his reigns back to attempt to get the animal to listen to her, but he just followed the man with a hold on his snout. "Don't follow that idiot!" She cried out desperately to her horse, now starting to show her fear.

She quickly snapped her head up and looked around. She saw as Paul's soldiers encroach up on her. There were only a few and she was very fit. Maybe I could out run them! She thought to herself. She started to swing her legs over to one side to hop off and make a dash, but his men were quick. They pulled out their swords and pointed them at her threateningly. Her eyes popped wide open and stared towards Paul as they approached their horses. "You let me go this instance! This is no way to treat a lady of royalty, especially a princess!" She yelled at him in a frantic tone. "This will only start the war up again, you fool! You stupid York my father will kill all of your men to get me back!"

Paul laughed a little as she started to try to get her horse to not respond to his lead, of course that was useless. "M'Lady please, could you please try to be pleasant?" He was walking along calmly and confident that he had convinced her to go quietly enough when he heard her feet hit the ground and everyone's swords drew. Paul loved the sound of blades coming out of a sheathe and it caused a sinister smile to play on his face.

Paul listened to her screaming with an uninterested glance. He motioned for his men to back up slightly before he took a step in an whispered, "Listen, these men haven't been with a woman in three months. They don't give a fuck if you're a Princess or not, if you run away they will chase you and I will not. I'm the only person that is stopping them from having their way with you so I suggest you cooperate with me. I told you that your audience has been requested with the Prince. No one said anything about war." At this point Paul got a little upset and it showed through an elevation of volume in his voice, "There is nothing I want more than to slaughter your people and defile your women. Fortunately for you, I am not the heir." Paul turned and headed off to the horses that were near by and climbed on board then he offered a hand to her.

"You already proved that we can't trust you with your own mount so I'm going to have to insist that you ride with me." Paul smiled kindly and extended his hand while his men moved closer to her, corralling her like cattle.

Her body stiffened up like a plank of wood as he moved in close to her to whisper in her ear. Her breath caught in her throat as she listened to his threat. It was so rare that someone said anything rude to her, let alone make dangerous threats! She wasn't quite sure how to act. She sat back up straight, looking straight forwards saying absolutely nothing till they reached their horses.

As Paul gestured to her for help off the beast, slapped his hand away. "I don't need your help. Nor do I want to touch your hand." She sneered at him. She swung her leg quickly over the horse and hopped off him. She saw how the York mens' eyes focused in on her, desiring her flesh. She swallowed nervously, leaning into her horse giving it a quick kiss on its head before she turned back to Paul. "Thank god you're not the royal heir. Your a disgusting bastard. Though I doubt your beloved king will be any better." She snapped at him, crossing her arms across her chest. If she was going to be taken captive by a York man, then she would make it the worst experience in his entire life.

Paul became slightly enraged by the stinging sensation in his hand, she had done more than enough, "Tie the stupid bitch up," he yelled to his men. They happily obliged even pushing each other to see who could get their hands on her first. While some of the men were pushing, Estoban snuck up from behind and threw his arms around the Princess of Cardon. If Estoban grabbed a hold of her, his hand would slide down to get a good grope at her breast before he would spin her to face him.

At this point in time Charles, another man in the guard, would show up with rope in hand and tie it harshly around Princess Sophia's wrists. Paul would watch all of this happen with a sick smile of his face. "Only the wrists," he would shout, "Give the dumb broad a chance to learn the how to speak to a man. If she doesn't learn that lesson then you guys can tie her feet and gag her." Paul laughed a bit from on top of his mount while he extended his hand. Charles would tie a six foot leader to the rope that was used to keep her wrists together then hand it to Paul so that she couldn't run away as they headed back to the York Castle.

Sophia jumped when raised his voice in anger. Once her mind processed Paul's words, it was too late to make a run to escape. The group of soldier had began to rush over to her, pushing and shoving each other to reach the prize of the princess first. She began pacing backwards before she bumped into a big, burly man. He began to wrap his arms around her small body, but she quickly escaped his arms. Unfortunately, she collided with another man around the same size. He was much more swift and his arms crushed Sophia's body against his. He shoved his face against her red hair and took a big wiff. "Mhm...I wouldn't mind having you alone to myself." He cackled as he grabbed her slender arms in his rough hands.

"Let go of you repugnant man!" Sophia shriek, thrashing in his hold. Another man, Charles, pulled out his rope and tied her wrist together. She winced as the prickly rope scratched her skin and the tie was much too tight. "You asshole! Untie my hands immediately you worthless York!" Sophia knew screaming out insults would not make the situation any better, but her anger got the best of her. Charles gripped Sophia's chin in his hands, forcing his eyes on hers. "Quit a temper on you, bitch. Maybe a good spanking will teach you a lesson?" Charles smirked, reaching around and giving her bottom a hard, loud smack.

This set Sophia over the edge. Her legs were flailing as she tried to kick the man in front of her. "You sick bastard! Don't lay your dirty palm on me ever again! Get away!" The burly man holding Sophia tightened his hold on the women in his arms. Charles eyes bugged open as he had never expected such a fight from a women, let alone a princess. He ripped off a piece of clothe from his shirt and wrapped it around the princess' mouth, tying it. Sophia's screams were muffled as she was forced to bite down on the clothe in her mouth. She glared up at Paul on his horse, laughing like a villain

The journey back to the Royal Castle of York had been a long and annoying one. Before the trip was over, Paul had her tied at the wrists and at the feet as well as gagged and blindfolded and she still ensured that his head hurt by the time they made it back. Many commoners would have disagreed with the capture of the Cardonian Princess so Paul ensured that no one would see them by taking a special, well guarded tunnel that lead under the castle and up through the dungeon. The unfortunate reality about this passage was that there was no room for their horses so he basically had to drag her the entire way.

The Prince's Royal Guard delivered Princess Sophia directly to Prince Thomas' chambers and forced her roughly toward the ground. Paul dismissed the rest of them while he waited for Thomas to come out of his washroom, his hand secured tightly to Sophia's hair. The Prince's chamber was ornately decorated with jewels from all over the world. The York Prince was particularly fond of Egyptian architectural marvels and the trinkets in his room represented that. His bed was fitted with onyx sheets made from Egyptian cotton and was only slightly smaller than the kings. His bedroom came with a large fireplace with a large shield that had the York Crest on it and two broad swords behind the shield and beside the fireplace sat two jade Sphinxes. Prince Thomas wasn't particularly fond of broadswords but he was adept with them

Thomas made his way out of his washroom with a simple white shirt on and some black linen pants. The top of his shirt was a string that could be used to tie the shirt closed and it was wet from his dripping black hair. Thomas was a little shocked to see Paul in his room with a distressed looking red-headed women at his feet. "M'Lord," Paul started calmly and with a hint of fear in his voice. "You instructed us to take matters into our hands. To try to find something that will turn the tide in our favor." Paul gulped and took a step back from the Princess and released his hand from her locks.

Thomas' face lit up in excitement and immediately following was concern. He took a step forward, eyeing the woman, hoping they had picked up the wrong one. Unfortunately, his eyes confirmed exactly what Paul had said. "Princess Sophia," his voice was deep and soothing, "My apologies for my overzealous guardsmen. I give you my word, no further harm will come to you while in York." Thomas looked up to Paul and waved him away in an angry flourish as he moved and got on one knee to help Sophia up. "You're safe M'Lady." As he did so, Paul left the room, mumbling something about ungratefulness. Thomas didn't pay him any attention as his hands pushed back some of the now dirty red locks and he reached around her head to untie her gag. "I hope they haven't mistreated you too much," he spoke as he struggled with the gag.

Once the gag was out he would help he to her feet before noticing that he feet were bound as well. The York Prince would work quickly to undo the binds then move over to pour her a glass of water. He found himself hoping that she didn't try to escape because guards would be waiting outside of his door and her presence in the castle is something Thomas did not want to be known. As he poured the cups he looked over his shoulder at her tattered clothes with a frown. "I know you may not be happy with me, but I want you to know that your capture was not my intention. However, I'm sure you'll understand that I can't simply return immediately because of the ongoing tensions between our two nations. I can assure you." Thomas moved back toward her and extended the cup of water, "That you will be treated with the utmost respect while you're here. I'll arrange for a tailor to come with some dresses then, you can bathe in my personal quarters before we sit down and have a talk. Hm?" Prince Thomas smiled as pleasantly as possible, wondering how she would respond.

The trip to the York Kingdom seemed double the length for Sophia. Her big mouth earned her freedom of walking, talking, and using her hands. The York soldiers, especially Paul, made sure she knew her place. Rude comments were constantly spat at Sophia the whole trip. She was pulled, pushed, and occasionally touched inappropriately through out the whole trip. The princess kept her promising of making the trip back to be like living hell for the men. She screamed through her gag till her throat was sore and fought against the ties on her wrist and ankles. It was clear she was successful from all the annoyed groans from the men transporting her.

Sophia would never admit it, but she was terrified to reach the enemy's kingdom. The blind fold blocking her sight only made the fear worse. She had no idea what was to become of her once she reached the castle. Would she be sent to the dungeon? Would she be publicly humiliated in front of the York people? Or would she face the Prince Thomas, whom she had no clue how he react to her kidnapping. She pondered over the possible situations while she was dragged by Paul through what she believed to the castle.

Her assumption was proven true as Paul removed her blindfold, tossing her to the ground on her knees. Her blinked a few times, adjusting to the dimly lighted room. It was clear she was in a royals room. All the extravagant decoration and furniture were all from lands far away from their own. Egyptian maybe? She was dazzled by all the stunning jewels hung around the room. Whoever this room belonged to had exotic taste, which she liked. She realized it was the taste of Prince Thomas himself as Paul jerked her head up by her hair to look at the Prince strolling out of the washroom.

Sophia eyed Prince Thomas up and down as he slowly took steps closer to her. It had been a while since she had truly him, maybe since she was 15? Meetings in the past few months she had no focused on any York in the room, disgusted by them that she even left the room if they were in it. He had grown into his body in just the right way. She had to admit to herself, he didn't look half bad. His eyes looked over her body kneeling on the ground in a weakened state. He looked displeased which baffled Sophia. Isn't this what he wanted? Her whole body tensed up when Paul spoke, hearing the slight fear in his voice. Her baby blue eyes watched as the prince kneeled down to speak to her, untying her. His words soothing her was puzzling to Sophia. She coughed as the gag was removed, taking a deep breath of fresh air.

Sophia carefully stood up and brushed off the dirt on her tattered dress and frowned. She must of looked like a mess. Her hair all knotted, dress falling apart, and her skin covered in grim from the travel. Sophia kept her face empty as Thomas spoke to her. She took the water from his hand and gulped down half of it before she spoke. "Excuse me for my grubby appearance, Prince Thomas," she murmured in a slightly hoarse voice. "I was not planning on being stolen away from my kingdom, treated like an slave, and being spoken to like a whore. I guess that's how York men are raised. Like rude animals with little respect." Her tone was calm and professional as she slandered the Prince's men. "I can fathom the concept of why I can't be returned to my Kingdom." She sighed as she looked back at the door then back up at his face. "What could we possibly discuss, Prince? The details of my imprisonment that was wrongly brought upon me?" A hint of her frustration peeked through her words as she responded to him.

Prince Thomas watched her drink and waited calmly as he sipped his own, rather refreshing, beverage. He sighed a bit at her next words although they didn't come as a surprise to him, Sophia was know across most kingdoms for her lack of concern for pleasantries once she was offended. While most High-Born might be offended at her lack of pleasantries, Thomas appreciated the fact that he could count on the Princess to tell him what was on her mind.

He shook his head slightly as a sign that he would not be judging her appearance, "M'Lady. I think that you and I can both agree that men, no matter what land they are born in, are raised like rude animals with little respect." He chuckled slightly before he continued, "Forgive my men Princess, in love for their country they have brought you here and while I can assure you I did not personally ask for your capture I think it's far to say that if the tables were turned, you would understand the advantage of having a royal family member as a.." he paused momentarily and took another sip of his water, "guest."

Thomas frowned slightly and placed his glass back on the table. "Nonetheless, I would rather not discuss politics before you get an opportunity to wash and have a proper meal. You'll find every thing you need in the washroom." Prince Thomas motioned to the room he had just came out of with a handsome smile, "Please excuse the steam." Thomas chuckled a little as he grabbed his glass. "I'll send a tailor in to have to fitted in something fit for your status." The Prince nodded a bit as he headed toward the door, "You've met Paul. He'll be just outside to make sure no one comes in and bothers you and I can assume you he'll be a lot more pleasant this time."

With those words, Thomas headed out and had a word with Paul before heading and getting the arrangements together for Sophia then he headed off to have a word with his father.

Sophia stood quietly in front of Prince Thomas as he spoke to her. She knew little about the York Prince to tell the truth. From stories she heard from travelers, it seemed as if he was a very kind gentlemen. Something about the calmness of his words and the situation behold them did not match up. The princess had a hunch that he wasn't as nice of a man as he came off as. She just watched Thomas, sipping on her water.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed when he called her his "guest". Thomas and herself knew damn well that she wasn't a guest but a unique prisoner. She opened her mouth to make a witty comment but as she began to speak, her throat was extremely sore from all the screaming she had done previously in the day. She nodded her head once. "Thank you....Sir" She mumbled out the last part in a rough voice. She gave a faint smile when he gave his handsome smile back. He seemed so happy that he had her trapped in his castle. It sicked Sophia to the core.

Once she heard the door close, she looked down at her tattered dress and frowned. Her feet padded across the hard wood floor as she made her way to the washroom. Off to the side was a large marble bathtub that she turned the faucet, filling the tub hot water. She stripped off her clothes and dropped them to the floor then stepped into hot water. She sighed as the hot water engulfed all of her skin. She scrubbed all the dirt off of her fair skin. A half hour later, she stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel and headed back into the Prince's bedroom. There was a tailor awaiting her, a young women not much younger than Sophia herself.

Sophia said nothing as the tailor took her measurements. It was clear that the women reconizied the princess by her shakey hands as she worked. Once the tailor had all the measurements, she grabbed Sophia a violet dress from her bag. "This should fit you, Prin-M'lady." The tailor said innocently. "Thank you, maiden." Sophia responded as she accepted the dress. The tailor made a quick get away after that. Sophia dropped the towel to the floor before she slipped on the dress. The violet dress hugged her curves, flowing at the legs. Sophia sat on the edge of the bed once she was dressed before the wave of exhaustion hit her. She had no clue how long Thomas would be gone for, so she climbed up to the head of the bed, resting her head on the pillows. She closed her eyes just for a few minutes, but soon later she would out like a light from her long, grueling trip.

While Sophia was in the shower, Thomas made his way to the Royal Chamber. His heart was racing as he went over the events that happened in his head. One minute, he was relaxing, taking a bath and contemplating pleasuring himself and the next minute the Princess of Cardon, very lovely Princess of Cardon, was in his room. It was a turn of events that he never expected to happen but one that anyone somewhat familiar with kingdom politics would be foolish not to take advantage of, the only question was how?

Thomas nodded to a guard who knocked on the door to his father's chamber and they both listened closely for the shaky response of his aging father. Often times, Thomas felt bad for his aging father especially in times of war. The old man's mind wasn't as sharp as it used to be and on occasion one could hear his advisors complaining about the age of the King and the lack of experience of the Prince. However, many silently applauded Thomas' open discomfort of the way the Cardonian conflict had ended. The Young Prince swallowed hard and shook away any fear before stepping into the King's chambers.

The King's quarters was always dark, only a few candles burning and the windows darkened by black blinds. The light hurt the King's eyes although few people knew it. "Father?" Thomas started out in a rather calm, soft voice. The King was sitting in his study where Thomas joined him and delivered the news about Princess Sophia's arrival in the York Capital and the circumstances that it happened under. The King's fury was quiet and Thomas and his father argued for about a half of an hour before they came to an agreement. His father, noting his age, decided since Thomas had got the realm into his situation, he would have to get the realm out. Thomas nodded and left with an excited look upon his face.

As he made his way back to his chambers, his mind raced with the possibilities. Of course, boasting to the Cardonian King would completely invoke all out war and that was something that no one wanted anymore. At the same time, her surrender and apology would no doubt be looked upon as weak especially with the current bad taste she had in her mouth about York men. He ran his left hand through his dark hair as he knocked slightly on his door with his right. Thomas didn't hear any scattering that would make him think that she was naked, even though he wouldn't mind the sight at all.

Thomas pushed the door open in time to notice the beautiful woman in his bed. He walked past her as quietly as possible and headed to his closet to grab some chain mail. The Young Prince knew that if she wasn't already awake, the sound of the rattling chain mail would cause her to stir. "M'Lady, I hear stories of your love for riding," while he spoke he tossed the heavy chain mail over his head and it rattled loudly as the metal bounced against itself. "Would you care to join me?" Thomas paused for a moment as he looked at himself in the mirror, "Princess," he turned and faced her, "Feel free to decline me if you so feel. I know our meeting is rather unfortunate but I would hope that we could make the best of it. I won't stop you from doing anything that you want to do..except return to Cardon for the moment. Not until I figure a way to do it tactfully, in the mean time I encourage you to make this castle your home." Thomas turned back to his closet to get his simple, light weight riding armor. "Needless to say, we will find you a proper chamber and you will be well taken care of." The last thing the Young Prince did was strap his sword to his side then took another look at himself, pleased he made his way to the door. "Will you be joining me M'Lady?"

The sound of the large wooden door to Prince Thomas' room swing close behind the prince stirred the sleeping Princess. Her eyes fluttered open underneath her damp hair from her bath sprawled across the pillow. She stayed perfectly still as she watched him look at her as he walked by. The noisy clanking of the chain mail caused her to jump from her peaceful resting position as she was caught off guard. She flipped her messy hair away from her face as she watched and listen to him as he dressed himself in his chain mail armor.

Her eye brow arched elegently as he mention her passion for riding. It was true; she loved riding horses ever since she was 5 years old. How did he know all these facts about her? She had never had a friendly conversation with the Prince in her whole life. It was known in her kingdom that she adored riding because she trotted around the kingdom saying hello to everyone on most days. It wasn't valuable information to spread, though.

"Uhhh..." was all Sophia could manage to spit out when he paused after making his offer to her. In any other situation, she would never refuse a ride. But this time it was worth contemplating. She had no desire to be friendly to anyone in York, mainly the Prince. The problem was that she had no idea how long she would be held hostage in her enemy's kingdom for. Her sassy comments would only be dealt with for a matter of time before a punishment was brought upon her. Also, if she went for the ride it was an opportunity for her to make an escape. She was speedy on any horse she mounted so she knew she could beat him in a sprint. The only problem was that she had no clue on what the guard situation was outside the castle. They would easily be able to knock the small princess of the horse.

Sophia pondered upon the request only for a few seconds before she made up her mind. "I would love to take a ride," She smiled kindly at him as she sat up on the bed. The only way she could figure out if she could make her solo escape was taking this ride with Thomas. Her hands reached back as she began braiding her damp hair back into a simple braid, a few pieces of dried hair hanging off the side of her face. She then stood up, leaving a straight smile on her face as she eyed his newly attached sword on his hip. "No matter how much I long for my homelands, I do not think it would be the best idea for me to attempt a escape. Especially with the hospitality you hard generously offering me." She said in a soft, easing tone. Yes, she was sweet talking him, but it was hard not to with his handsome face.

Cautiously, the petite princess took steps towards the lean prince in front of her. She reached out towards him, her hand running down his muscular bicep covered in thick, silver chain mail. "You are dressed for battle. Afraid of a little ole' me, Sire?" She smirked up at him, her body only a few feet away. A little dimple was on her cheek as she smirked. She tilted her head up to look into his blue eyes. Many times her gestures came off as flirtatious when she talked to men, but she was a bold woman. In this case, a little bit of her famous charm wouldn't do her any harm. "Though I do have to ask how you know so much personal information about me.." She trailed off, her fingertips dragging across his arm before she place her hand on her curvy hip.

Thomas smiled as he heard her accept his invitation to ride with him. Oddly, his heart began to pick up pace more than he expected was this, excitement? "Excellent," he responded as she sat up on his bed with her red hair slightly damp. Something inside of him awoke at this sight although it wasn't a physical response. That response was replaced by slight suspicion as she mentioned the possibility of escape. This was something he actually did not consider at first. If he was the prisoner, he would definitely try to make his escape on a one on one ride.

He found her tone intriguing, almost as if she had planned to enjoy her time here and it confused him slightly. Had her bath been that relaxing? Could she really be coming around? For some reason he doubted it but this did not play on his face. Instead he smiled pleasantly as she made her way toward him and he started to extended his hand out to her so that she might walk with him, "I'll return you home in due time M'Lady. You have my word."

Thomas nodded a little just before he reached out to touch him. At this point, he hadn't extended his hand all the way so he wasn't sure if she even noticed the gesture coming. The touch, although on his armor, sent chills up and down his arm. Prince Thomas was quite sure that he had goosebumps formed on his arms but neither of them would be able to tell because of the armor. The Prince of York smiled at her words, "No M'Lady however, any student of history understands the power of a woman," he chuckled slightly, "It's better to be prepared."

Thomas hoped that she would take offense to his statement and although it didn't look like it, he was sure she was playing nice with him. "M'Lady." His arm motioned for her to step out the open door, "York high born men and women are educated in many things. The royal family is educated even more. We have friends in your kingdom, and others, Cardonians by birth, in the case of your kingdom who would surely fight for your country but our friends nonetheless. They shared many stories of not only your beauty but of your personality." The York Prince's cheeks flushed slightly, "Forgive me M'Lady but the stories of you were by far the most interesting to me."

Thomas would lead Sophia down from the second highest tower toward the stables. "You'll be riding my stallion. He'll be gentle I assure you." This was also a way to make sure that Princess Sophia would not escape him and he was sure that she would know this. "So, tell me something I don't know about the lovely Princess Sophia."

Sophia noticed how Thomas' hand was slightly extended towards her as she moved her hand away. To be polite, she reached down and grabbed his hand, twinning their fingers together. Her soft hand fit perfectly into his larger, rougher one. The connection between them sent a shock up her arm. It's not like she hadn't held hands with another man before, so why did this time did it seem so different? It must be because she was holding the hand of
her enemy. For some reason her gut told her that wasn't the correct answer, but she ignored it.

The princess laughed softly when he made his joke about her. She knew it was harmless so there was no need to snap back at him. "Well it is a true fact that women with red hair are known to lean towards the feisty side," she winked up at him as she followed him through the halls of the castle. She kept her head low the whole time they traveled to the barn, making sure to stay a step behind him so she could shield her face behind his arm. It was embarrassing enough that she got captured by her enemies since birth. She did not want to be seen being friendly with the York prince for it would make her look weak, graveling at his feet like a peasant.

Sophia smiled at his compliment towards her beauty. Though she was not quite sure if he meant it or if it just slipped out, it was still nice that he did not think of her as repulsive because of their differences. "How odd. I would have never guessed that my enemy would care to know so much information about me," she mentioned politely as they reached the barn. She took a deep breath and smiled. She loved the smell of the fresh hay in the barn, it comforted her. Her eyes roamed over the horses, one espcially catching her eye. Fortunately, it was the one she would be riding. Unfortunately, it was his stallion. Her chances of escaping were foiled at that very moment. Any loyal stead would never disobey orders of his master, so there was no point of even trying to make an escape.

Sophia shook her head as she walked up to the horse, smiling as she petting the stallion's neck. "No, no, no. You already know plenty about me. I want to hear about you, Prince Thomas." She grinned as she put her hands on her hips, accentuating them without meaning to. "Unlike York royalty, I know little about your family. And to be quite honest, I'm curious about them, especially you." She flashes a friendly grin, trying to be kind.

Thomas found it a little entertaining the way she seemed to try to hide her face from people in passing. Little did she know, this would only bring more attention to her but The Young Prince decided not to tell her out of the fear that he might offend her.

"I need a little spice in my life these days." He commented to her when she made her statement about women with red hair. Silently, he knew all too well that women with red hair got him excited in many ways but Thomas decided that he could leave that part out.

Luckily, they made it out to the stables without any interruption. "I think you have been misinformed about my people." Thomas chuckled a little, appreciating the way she appreciated his stallion. "We are a civilized people. Do you think our people would have been at war so long if we weren't?" His head tilted slightly before taking a couple steps to where the saddle and things were situated. Onyx, his stallion, moved over to his side with slow steps. Onyx could sense that it was time to ride and stood still while Thomas fixed him up. Thomas always saddles his own mount because he felt as if it deepened the bond between man and beast.

The Prince of York looked up just as she had put her hand on her hip and bit his lip unconsciously. "You're curious about me?" He couldn't help but chuckle a little. "The Turner Family is almost as old as your family. Troubled by bloodshed and beautiful women. My great great grandfather actually traded villages for exotic women." He began fixing the saddle on another horse who's name he didn't bother to know. "Of course, he reconquered those villages the next week but still, it was a stupid trade.

Thomas moved over to Onyx and took the reigns in tightly in his left hand. "We'll have plenty of time to talk about me later. I would assume a woman who rides as much as you can mount a steed with no problem." He flashed her a handsome smile before quickly mounting the coffee colored mare and waited for Sophia so she could show her around.

"Almost as easily as walking," She trifled with him. She grabbed the top of the of the saddle and hooked her foot in the stirrup. She then, with ease, pulled her body up and on the saddle, swinging her leg around the other side to straddle the horse gracefully. Her violet dress still looked elegant on her even when she mounted the horse.

Sophia rolled her baby blue eyes at him as he made his comment about being misinformed. "I never said that you were not a civilized people. If you were like cavemen, then we would have overtook your kingdom months ago." She gripped the reigns of Onyx in her hands, ushering him to take a few steps towards the Prince of York on his own horse. "That seems silly that your grandfather would waste his effort on one exotic women. That's poor ruling if you ask me." She smirked at him, having to put her two sense in that story.

Sophia looked out of the stable doors and out into the sunny land. "So where are you guiding me on this stroll, Sir Thomas?" Sophia ask with a beautiful grin on her face. She was looking forward to explore the York Kingdom. She had never gotten the chance to leave her own kingdom. Her father was very overprotective of his only daughter and did not want to lose her. One of Sophia's deepest desires was to glance around the York Kingdom, but of course she would never get that chance. Or she thought that before today's events.

Thomas was used to people, especially his enemies, criticizing his great great grandfather. Hell, Thomas would have chose a different path but he had to admire a King that went after whatever he wanted and still remained loyal to his people, Thomas felt there was a lesson in there somewhere.

Thomas admired how comfortable Sophia was on top of a mount. He enjoyed watching a woman that could control a mighty beast like Onyx. The York Prince was even surprised to see that Onyx had moved toward him at her command. Even though he had no fear of her escaping, those few steps spoke volumes about her confidence on horseback not to mention, she looked sexy doing it.

Prince Thomas scratched the scruffiness of his beard slightly as he beckoned his horse to head out of the capital. "Well, further away from Cardon I'm afraid." He chuckled slightly, not caring if he offended her. "We'll be heading through the forest a short ways to one of my favorite lakes." The lake house was used as a get away if anything was to happen to the castle but, Sophia didn't need to know that. As they made their way down the path, his dark hues were often trained on Sophia. Thomas told her a few different stories about his childhood. He shared both successes and failures in the most genuine way possible. "I remember when I first got Onyx probably three or four years ago. He wouldn't let me ride him for six months. It was so embarrassing that he had his own pasture, away from prying eyes, where I would feed him and care for him myself. We couldn't have people seeing their future king being thrown repeatedly from a horse." Thomas laughed a bit and shook his head. Just through the forest the lake was coming into view.

"Please Princess." He looked at her flowing locks and smiled, "I wish to hear more about you. I'm sure you're much more interesting that I am."

Sophia sighed quietly as he mentioned where he was taking her. "Just like how your men took me from my favorite lake. How ironic," she looked and smirked at him. Though she was excited to visit the lake, it was only a reminder of where her situation. It was tease to the princess. With the dreamy prince on the horse next to her escorting to a private lake, it was the perfect dream date for any woman. Sophia wished she could think of it as the same, but she guessed that it would be more like a private business meeting. She had to keep her guard up to make sure no secrets about the Cardon Kingdom snuck from her lips.

Prince Thomas' stories amused Sophia. She was laughing at almost every story he shared. It made him feel like a regular guy to her. They were both chatting and sharing stories about their lives felt so casual. It almost made Sophia felt safe and relaxed, but she knew that was impossible. The princess would not let her guard drop. "You're much more interesting than you think, Prince Thomas, " she grinned at him as she pulled her horse to a halt as they reached the lake.

"Alright, I'll tell you a few tales about myself," she brought her finger to her chin, pondering on what to tell. Her face lite up once she remembered one. "When I was 5 years old, I loved to paint. My father bought me all this paint for my 5th birthday and said I could paint a wall in my room. I was so ecstatic that when I was painting, I knocked over a bucket of paint and slipped on it, getting covered in paint. I has the brilliant idea to dump all my paint of the floor and rolled around in it," The cheery princess chuckled slightly before she continued. "Then I went to show my father my new idea, trailing paint alllllll over the castle. I even interrupted his important meeting with a foreign king by hugging the king thinking he was my dad. Let's just say my father didn't get the deal and I lost all privileges of paint!" She grinned at him, remembering the seen.

Princess Sophia told other tales of her life in the Cardon kingdom. She specifically avoided any stories that would give any secret that would give the Yorks a upper hand in their rivalry, though they already did with her being imprisoned on their land. She also mention nothing about her mother. No one really knew about her mother, the Queen, not even the Cardon people knew much about her.

Thomas scowled a bit at her comment about her kidnapping. "M'Lady. You have to know that your unfortunate arrival in my kingdom was not my doing nor my plan. Look at the bright side, at least you get to spend some time near the water." Thomas smiled a bit and thanked her when she said that he was interesting. "The life of a Cardonian Princess must be extremely boring if you find me interesting." Thomas chuckled again and fell silent for a moment as they rode. He listened to the stories of the Cardonian Princess and laughed where appropriate. It seemed as if she had a pretty good childhood, not too much different than his own.

Thomas didn't think about her mother at all. He, as well as any other learned gentleman, believed that the Cardonian Queen was a quiet woman and liked to stay out of the kingdoms affairs. Most men liked their woman quiet and out of the way most of the time, but not Thomas. He was tired of spineless women who lived to serve. The fact that he was to be king someday only made it worse. People everywhere lived to serve him and women tried to bed him as often as possible hoping that they might secure a bastard child.

Thomas pulled the reins of his own beast a few feet from the house where there was a hitching post and secured the reins. Next, he turned to face Princess Sophia and he offered a hand to her so that she could get down. "Not that you need it." He smiled charmingly.

Once she was down he would take her hand and lead her to the lake. Thomas didn't bother tying up Onyx because he knew the beast wasn't going anywhere. His chain mail clanked loudly as they journeyed down to the lake. It was a beautiful site. There was a large field on the opposite side of the house that was full of wild flowers and sweet smells. Across the lake, snow capped mountain peaks reached up and punctured the sky. Thomas sat down with a clunk and patted the ground as an invite to Sophia to do the same. "This is one of my favorite places in the land. I've never brought a Lady here before. I know it's not a large feast and I know you don't consider yourself to be here on friendly terms but I would like to offer a bit of a peace offering. What do you say?"

"Well recently it has been. I've been locked up in my castle for weeks on end due to this bitter war," Sophia sighed as she responded to his comment. "My father is very protective of me. I wonder how is handling the news of my disappearance..." She trailed off in thought as Onyx lead her up to the lake. The scenery was breath taking. She would never admit it in a thousand years but she it was more beautiful than anything in the Cardon empire. She loved how it had a touch of everything, from the mountains to the lush green grass encompassing the crystal clear waters of the lake.

As Sophia twisted her body to unmount the horse, she grinned as he appeared at her side with her hand offered to her. Everyone in the whole Cardon kingdom, and apparently the York kingdom as well, knew that the princess was an expert at riding horse. It was common sense for her to let her climb off the horse at well. It was nice that he was a gentlemen and assisted her off his stead. That charming smile sent the butterflies in her stomach fluttering as she grabbed his hand and carefully hopped off the horse, only a few inches away from Prince Thomas' body. It caught the princess off guard that she stared up into his eyes for a few moments before she breathed out, "Thank you, Prince."

She strolled along next to him hand in hand till they were near the edge of the lake. She gracefully sat down next of him, not letting go of his hand nor noticing that she hadn't. "Aren't I a special lady, eh? Women must be falling all over you to be with the handsome prince! This is the perfect date spot." She rambled on as her eyes scanned over the view then landed on Thomas himself. She reached over and placed a hand on his chain mail, picking it up slightly then dropped it down back onto it's resting place on your arm. "Thomas, you can remove your armor. I swear I will not attack nor harm you in any way," She grinned as she leaned back on her elbows on the ground, getting comfortable. She even did not say his royal title, showing that she was getting more relaxed with him.