{ Flashback Continues....}
The dinner that evening had become very uncomfortable for Samaira who never bothered with talking to King Edward... and he did not even bother her as well knowing he had gone all out and openly expressed his true feelings to her.
After they had both finished eating... at least to their fill, he signaled the maids to come clear the table.
Samaira had merely touched up her food and nothing more. Just as the maids arrived, she stood up and bowed slightly. " I'll take my leave", she stated absent-minded and turned to leave.
" Wait!", King Edward called out to her as he stood up causing her to stop and turn to him. Both their eyes met as he watched the brows on her face furrow at what he wanted to say now.
" Come with me", he ordered softly stretching forth his hand for her to take, the table in the middle being the only thing that separated them.
" Where to?", Sam asked tiredly, refusing to take his hand into hers. He made her very uncomfortable, his hand on hers would simply do her no good.
King Edward dropped his hand by his side and a glint of disappointment flashed in his grey eyes but he quickly covered it with an easy smile.
" I would like to show you a painting of Alicia", he stated in a calm voice which made Sam pause in her thoughts as she aimed to think his words through.
" No, thank you", she replied rather swiftly after deciding within her that she did not need it because what she actually wanted was time alone to herself and her thoughts.
" I've seen a good number of paintings of my late Auntie Alicia.. the one you have will not make any difference", she added in a curt manner before turning away once again deciding to leave.
" Come with me Samaira, you really need to understand Alicia from my point of view... surely you must have seen a good number of paintings but you have never seen one made from the very hands that belongs to the King", King Edward persevered and as he had half expected, he watched her stop in her footsteps.
Samaira turned to him with her brown eyes narrowed. Now that she thought of it, She would actually love to see his own portrait of her aunt, and how much they looked so alike in his view.
She nodded softly in acceptance and watched him beam from where he stood.
" You must come with me immediately", King Edward stated softly, happy that he would finally get to show Alicia his paintings of her... he had so many.
{Flash back Ends}
PRESENT DAY.....
Drained from all the crying she had been doing, Sam tiredly stared at the Iron bars on the cell she had been locked up in. She counted them one after the other with her dull eyes.
Anytime she remembered her time spent with the King, she could not help but wish inwardly that she had never met him... she wished so badly that they had never crossed paths, she wished so badly.
She suddenly heard noises of approaching footsteps causing her to stand up although like a nervous and scared being.
She had expected to see that crazy princess again, the one who had yelled at her earlier making her feel so unsafe.
Samaira was not this weak in comparison to the previous her but the inability to prove herself right in a situation where she was termed wrong made her feel so tired and scared.
As though the heavens were finally on her side... the face she had expected to see was not the one that appeared.
A guard first of all showed his face and soon afterwards... her Papa, clothed in all modesty, appeared behind the guard and her dried red eyes watered immediately.
" Papa....?", she called out unsure if she were just seeing things. Countless times she had imagined her Papa suddenly coming to her rescue... but it had never happened. All in two days so much had happened and she felt so alone in all this.
She stared at the figure in front of her, her eyes refusing to leave him afraid that he would suddenly disappear. The guard stood at a corner quietly resting his muscular frame on the bars of another cell next to Sam's. He was the one who had been assigned to listen to their every word.
Sam moved forward wanting a clear view of her father as tears began to fall from her eyes. She held onto the iron bars watching the Duke nervously. " Papa?", she called out again and his worried and disappointed eyes landed on her hand.
He immediately held it and his grip tightened on it causing her to gasp, he was really here.
" I did not Kill King Edward Papa", she uttered immediately as if wanting him to hear her side of the story before anyone else's.
" I know", Duke Alfred replied as tears slipped out of his eyes. " I know you cannot do that darling... you, you... might be stubborn but you are not a killer", he said in a stuttering manner.
He felt pain just seeing how very unkept his daughter look. Her hair was all over the place and her face was red and swollen, he could not help but feel disappointed in himself.
Sam sniffed whilst trying to talk in between her tears. " You.... You, You believe me... but... nobody believes me", she voiced in a tear filled voice.
She sniffed once again whilst using her hand to wipe her tears. " But I..., I do not care because you... you believe me Papa and that is enough for me", she said and tried to portray a strong appearance whilst sniffing continuously.
" I am so sorry, Sammie.... I could not take you away from that dangerous man... you ... are only suffering because of my mistake..., I'm so sorry", Duke Alfred pleaded with her in tears. He felt so helpless, even his title as Duke could not help him save his daughter.
They were his treasures, he had always valued them ever since they were born but now... his favorite was facing a huge problem and he, her father, was helpless, he was so helpless.
" No... do not be sorry Papa.... I have no regrets... ever since the King came into my life... I have been very unhappy... very unhappy, but now.... I will not be unhappy anymore... I will be free even if I die at least I would know I died without getting married against my will... I will be very happy", Sam stated in an emotional state but she truly meant all what she said.
She was feeling so tired, as it is.... she would be free if she died... she would not have to constantly worry about some suitor proposing to her or worry about the problems that came with being a female... she would certainly be free.
She nodded her head subconsciously while Duke Alfred shook his head. " You are speaking nonsense Sammie... you are... I will get you out of this mess... just tell me what truly happened", Duke Alfred said encouragingly deciding to deal with this matter more intellectually.
His daughter was thinking of surrendering and letting things be as they are, she was rebellious and she was never one to give up... the light those eyes of hers once held was now dying... he could not simply let it happen, No!
" I got a letter.... Papa, a guard handed me a letter saying you sent it ", she stated all of a sudden as she realized something as well, causing the ears of the listening guard and her Papa to widen...
A letter, Duke Alfred did not remember ever sending any letter, he did not even write one so how could he send it then?
{ Flashback Continues....}
Samaira had followed King Edward as he had requested earlier. He led her through some passage which she had never come across and all through the way. There was no guard positioned in this area... just lit torches and old paintings on the wall.
She wanted to ask where he was taken her but as soon as the thought came to mind it vanished because she finally stopped at an old looking door.
He pushed it open and picked up a torch at the corner collecting light from an already lit torch in the process.
He stepped into the dark looking room and had encouraged Sam to come in with a nod and that usual smile of his.
Sam breathed in, though she was a little nervous at what could be inside the dark room, she was also curious... and her curious streak won over.
She followed the King into the dark room whilst making sure that her eyes were on the still opened door Incase she needed to make a quick run for it.
She watched the King walk further into the room coming to stand in front of three covered canvases, all resting on an easel as if on display but they were covered with a cloth.
He placed the torch he was holding at a stand made particularly for it which ended up bringing good enough light into the room.
She wondered inwardly why the room was so dark when it was only evening outside. Was this place some kind of secret because it looked and felt so secretive.
The sound of a cloth being removed brought her attention back to the paintings. He had unmasked the one in the middle and she was truly shocked when she saw the figure in the painting.
The figure was her aunt dressed in a familiar looking red gown whilst her blonde hair was done in a loose weaving. What the bloody hell?
They looked so alike right now. She turned to the king for answers, why did he dress her up exactly like her late aunt.
" Oh my God! What the.... bloody hell did you?", she cursed out abandoning her title as a prim and proper lady.
She was putting on the same red gown and her blonde hair had also been done in a loose weaving.
He only smiled at her when their eyes met.
" Do you see what I mean now? You two are so much alike", he stated but was quickly cut short by the surprised looking Sam.
" So much alike? Will you quit it... we do not even look alike.... You are trying to me to paint me to look like her... You are turning me into a substitute Alicia because you are mentally unstable", she cried out shocked at the painting and at him.
" You say you do not look alike then how about this painting?", he asked as he unmasked another painting bringing her to a face that almost shared a resemblance to hers. In this painting, she looked.... rebellious and defiant but that wasn't her, that was her aunt.
Sam had stared at both paintings at a loss for words. Finally deciding that she was now turning mentally stressed, she turned away from him and the paintings.
" I need to go back to my room..., immediately", she stated not bothering to face him whilst he nodded from behind.
" Do not go through there... that route is extremely long so I'll show you another one", he exclaimed in regards to the the open door and Sam just nodded her head.
He led her silent figure to a small door and opened it allowing light into the dark painting room. This door led to his bedroom and they came out of the painting room only to enter his large room.
She stared around for a little while before hurrying away the moment she found the doors that led her out of his room.
The guards at the door stared at her confused, wondering how she had gotten in but they did not ask and only carried on with their duty of guarding the door.
Sam had hurried to her current room and was about opening the door when a guard suddenly tapped her, gave her a folded up scroll and immediately scurried away discreetly.
She stared at his quick retreating figure wondering what that was all about. She took the scroll with her and hurried into the room closing the door behind her.
She opened up the scroll and read its contents... it was her Papa.. he wanted her to come and see him else he would kill himself... he would kill himself and starve himself if she refused to leave the King and come to him.
She frantically read the contents and also read that it said the letter must be burnt after reading.
She stared at it for a while before burning it immediately in the fire place. She secretly hatched up a plan... and in the middle of the night, she ran away with an no certainty of what was going on.
She had already gone far... far away from the castle where she had hitched a ride on a town folks horse... well she had stolen the person's horse shortly after running away from the castle on foot and that was not even easy.
It was just that the thought of running away had always crossed her mind so sometimes she subconsciously studied the passage in the castle.
She was now riding towards the north with the thought of why? Why would her father ever threaten her?
Unexpectedly, she found men in horses riding behind hers ordering her to stop but she out of instincts she tried to get away from them but in the end they caught up with her at that moment where the sky was as dark as midnight and brought her back to the castle roughly all in the name that she had killed the King.
PRESENT DAY....
Sam stared at her father who seemed to be going through a lot of things in his head as they were visible on his face.
" Why? Why did you send that letter?", she inquired in a very calm voice, she wondered why he would ever threaten her with his life... it did not actually seem like something he would do but situations could change a person.
" I... never sent you any letter Samaira... honestly I do not understand why you even received a letter in my name", Duke Alfred replied still being thoughtful until his eyes met Sam's and a knowing look flashed in their eyes.
This was not a misunderstanding... it was all planned right from the start.