A few weeks had passed. Daniel was different. It was weird.
He wasn't outright kind, but he wasn't cold the way he had been. He tolerated her now.
Every night he came to the room they shared and lay on the couch while Aileen bathed, and once she was done he got up and bathed as she settled into bed.
Almost always after he was done she was fast asleep.
However Aileen was met with the news that Daniel had another business trip. She wondered off to find him, as she had some questions of her own.
She found him in his office. Tie loose, glasses on. She was ashamed to say she found him attractive in that moment.
She knocked on the frame of his door. He looked up, sitting the papers down he held.
She curtisied, " Greetings your highness."
She stepped further into the room.
"I heard you are going on your business trip... I wanted to know if there is anything I should do, with my duties here at this kingdom..."
Daniel looked at her for a moment.
"Just take care of any guests that come through, attend meals with my mother and father, and you are free to do what you want during the day... You don't have to handle any paperwork or diplomatic issues, I usually do alongside my father... Have I answered all your questions?"
Aileen shook her head.
"Oh? What else is there you would like to ask me?"
"How long will you be gone?"
"A week."
Aileen nodded and then curtisied once more before leaving his office.
....
The next morning they once again stood on the steps in front of the castle doors she was all too familiar with.
Daniel shook his father's hand, hugged his mother, and when he reached her it was quiet for a moment. Then he lifted her hand and kissed it before turning and climbing into the carriage.
Aileen stood still next to her mother-in-law. She was treated well so she wondered why she felt so out of place.
After his carriage was no longer in sight she once again returned inside the castle.
Aileen spent her days how she usually did. Dressed in pretty little outfits only to spend the day in the garden or in the library. She felt like back home she always had a blast. But here she couldn't be out of control like she was back home. She had to be mature, and regal.
On the fourth day of his absence, Aileen was in the library and suddenly two maids had entered.
She dropped down and crouched behind one of the huge shelves. The maids gossiped.
"I heard he went to go settle some unfinished business if you know what I mean..."
The other maid looked confused.
"Oh don't tell me you don't know."
"Well I don't usually spend much time observing his highness."
The maid dismissed her excuse.
"Well I'll tell you anyways. So I heard that His highness has gone on this business trip not only for you know business but also to see his lover Diane."
For some odd reason Aileen felt her heart drop.
The other maid gasped.
"He has a lover?"
"Yes, she was always here at the palace, mainly in his office, or his room. But a few months before the wedding she stopped coming around. I had wondered if the prince broke it off with her, or if she simply decided she didn't want to be involved with him anymore.... I guess rumor has it is that they are still secretly together since his marriage was only out of convenience."
Aileen almost wanted to get up and scold them for gossiping about such personal matters. But the next words she heard shattered her.
"I give it a maximum of five years, this marriage. I doubt the prince will ever touch her. I mean Diane is way more prettier than Princess Aileen. I heard they haven't even consumated the marriage yet... Another girl told me that she goes to clean in the mornings and has only found his belongings on the couch across the room from the bed. Gosh I would hate to be Princess Aileen. He'll probably divorce her and marry Diane right away."
Then to her relief the two of them walked out and left the library.
Aileen stood up, her legs aching from crouching down, her confidence and courage extremely wounded.
No wonder Daniel was so cold to her, and even though he tolerated her now.. he still didn't show an ounce of warmth towards her.
While some days her heart still ached over Sebastian. There were times like this when for some reason she felt disappointed to know Daniel had no interest or intention of wanting anything to do with her.
But this felt like the last straw. Even the maids, and Aileen hated to judge someone based on their status, the maids, the lowest rank in the castle, didn't respect her. She was a joke to this kingdom. Everyone here knew that Daniel did not care for her, and he never would. He put on a show for people when they were around, but hell! He couldn't even sleep in the same bed as her.
Aileen rushed out of the library feeling sick. She made her way to the stables.
She had been down here once. And she had bonded with an all black horse she had named Raven. According to the stablesmen, none of the horses really had names. Their only use was for soldiers.
Aileen climbed up onto Raven and rode him out of the stables. Her tears blurred her vision, but she knew she needed fresh air, and she needed to get away from this palace even if it was just for a few hours.
She rode towards the gates which unfortunately were guarded. So she waited until they were switching rounds. As the two walked away that guarded the gates, Aileen new she had maybe a minute to reach the gate and get out.
The cloak she wore covered her head and she gripped Ravens reigns and signaled for him to run.
Just as she heard laughter she had slipped out of the gates and out of the palace. Perhaps all those times of watching people leave had helped with her knowledge of getting out.
She didn't know where she was, she just knew she had to keep going, keep riding...
And some time had passed by now. She knew that, as the sun began to set. It seemed to be the only time this place had any color to it. She saw the vibrant orange and red in sky, and it made her heart ache even more. She longed to be home... But of course she didn't know how to get home.
It occured to her that she actually didnt know where she was at all, and panic hit. How was she going to get back. She had been so distracted by her thoughts, that she wasn't watching where she was.
Now she was near what seemed like an empty and barren village. The sheds, which she guessed were houses, were broken down and torn rags hung from them.
She hopped down off of Raven near a small patch of grass and let him eat. She looked around for any source of water but it didn't seem like there was.
As she was turned and rubbed Raven's Maine, a sound occurred from one of the sheds.
She turned and at the same time a skinny and sick looking man emerged.
She immediately got chills, and a bad feeling washed up over her. His eyes were locked onto her.
"You! .... You're one of those fire bastards aren't ya!"
Aileen didn't respond she didn't move.. She was frozen.
"Ah don't try to hide darling, I can clearly see the way you look, and you don't look like you belong here... Actually don't nobody belong here, because you and your evil people destroyed this village, for so many claims of peace your royalty sure don't care about what their soldiers do in their free time."
The man moved closer.
"Oh you're a pretty little thing aren't ya. It's too bad it'll be wasted, cause I'm considering whether or not I should carve your face out and leave you here for them to find."
Aileen finally spoke up.
"Whatever it is you speak of... I wasn't aware I didn't know..."
The man threw his head back and laughed.
"Yeah yeah, of course you didn't the citizens over there are so sheltered to the corruption that goes on around them. I'll bet that damn royal family don't even know what's going on."
Aileen knew this man didn't know she was royalty, but she felt shocked. Did her parents know about this?
Aileen held her hands up.
"I just... Sir I'm sorry, but I was just wondering, and I want to go home, I never meant any harm, or to disrespect you in any way."
The man's face had an evil smirk on it, and then it seemed to transform into a face of no remorse.
TW: SA
He started for her and Aileen tried to run but the snow and the ice, it was slippery.
He grabbed her leg and she managed to kick him off. She scrambled to get up, but her caught her by her hair. And wrapping it in his fist he yanked her back towards him, her head began to burn.
He dragged her back through the snow and climbed on top of her.
"I'm sorry baby, it don't look like you gonna be going home any time soon."
Aileen struggled, but for as thin as the man was she still felt powerless.
Her arms flailed around her. He bent down and began smelling her hair, picking up locks of it and pulling it.
He then licked the side of her face, his breath smelled terrible and Aileen felt doomed.
She found a rock after the scrambling her arms had done. She picked it up and hit him against the side of his head knocking him off a little.
She turned to try and crawl away and felt a searing of pain in her leg.
He had stabbed her.
She watched her blood start to leak out into the snow. Staining it red. She knew, this was it, she was going to die.
He walked towards her and kicked her in the side. And then slapped her face cutting her mouth in the process, she tasted blood.
She let out a yelp.
He bent down again. Grabbing her face with his dirty hands.
"What baby? You don't want to have no fun with me?"
Aileen turned her head trying to resist him.
He took his knife and tore her dress, revealing some of her leg, he did the same to her stomach.
Aileen began to beg.
"Please no, please, please, just let me go, please."
The man looked at her and a grin spread over his face, his teeth were rotten.
"Let's just enjoy each other's time together first."
He untied the cloak she had around her shoulders. At this moment she wished her dress had been one with sleeves.
Her mind was still frantic and fighting, but her body was starting to become exhausted.
She started screaming at the top of her lungs. Hoping that someone would hear, anyone, if there was any chance at all.
That angered the man who kicked her once again, momentarily silencing her, before she started again.
"Dammit Bitch, I can't have no fun can I?"
She turned her head towards him.
"Go to hell."
With those words she felt another searing pain in her abdomen. This was harder to ignore than her leg. He had stabbed her. This was worse.
As she shifted from the pain and agony she was feeling, the man saw a small emblem. One signifying that she was from the royal family.
Suddenly the playfulness melted away and the man began to flee leaving her alone.
Aileen felt a fire ripping through her body, the knife still stuck in her, she did her best to limp towards the horse. But she couldn't muster the strength to get onto him.
She knew she was going to die. There was no one around for miles. Daniel would probably be happy. The people would have their queen anyway.... Diane would be.
She just felt sorry for her parents... She knew they would be so heartbroken. She hoped they would keep the peace... Because it was her own fault for coming out here like this. And now she was in a terrible situation.
Meanwhile.....
Back at the palace things were also chaotic.
Aileen had been missing for hours now. And Daniel had been summoned back to the palace.
He paced the room his parents also sat in.
"Did anyone see her leaving? How the hell are we supposed to know where she went!?"
His parents shook their head his father standing along with him, his mother sat with worry written on her face.
"We've sent groups of guards out South and West." We are preparing to go East and North now."
Daniel nodded.
"Well I'm going to go with the North group then."
His father nodded and said he'd go with him.
They were given horses and cloaks and wasted no time leaving the palace.
.....
Back to Aileen
The bleeding had been slowed because of the knife being lodged into her abdomen. She tore off some of the already ripped fabric from her dress and wrapped it tightly around her leg. She exerted even more strength to rip off another large piece and press it to her stomach.
As if Raven could sense something was very wrong he had layed next to her. And had been for a few minutes now.
It wasn't until he suddenly got up and ran off that Aileen felt the last bit of comfort melt away from her.
She lay staring up at the sky, the last bit of orange in the clouds was beginning to fade away. Her face scrunched and she began to sob quietly.
She was alone. And she had barely gotten to live yet, how could she be dying right now, when she had barely gotten to live.
She had been applying pressure to slow the bleeding, and about twenty minutes had passed.
...
Twenty minutes ago.
The group that had headed East was with Daniel and the King. They had been riding for a while now. And they were starting to lose hope when suddenly a guard had spotted Raven.
"Look! There!" He called.
Daniel and his father rushed up on their horses.
"That's one of our horses! Follow it!". Daniel commanded.
They all rode in that way.
It seemed like Raven was trying to lead them somewhere.
...
Aileen was just starting to feel dizzy when she heard the sound of voices in the distance.
It was like a bolt of alertness had come through her. And she tried to muster up whatever she had left in her.
"Help!" She yelled. It wasn't very loud.
She tried again though hoping that anyone may hear her.
"Help!"
But it didn't seem like the voices were getting closer. She lay her head back down in despair.
Just then the sound of hooves came galloping towards her. Just faint... And then the sound of many more.
Raven appeared right back next to her.
And then she heard the shouting of men.
"Your highness!?"
"Get out of my way!" She heard a voice in the distance. It was Daniel.
He ran towards her.
As he got close he sucked in a breath.
The torn clothes, the blood, her swollen face...
It seemed to indicate what had happened.
Daniel felt a rage wash over him.
He took his cloak off and draped it over her.
But as he got closer he saw the knife that was still stuck in her.
"Dammit." He growled.
He slowly and carefully picked her up walking back to his horse.
"She's been stabbed."
The alarmed gasps rang from all over.
Daniel looked a select few in their eyes.
"Find whoever did this to her. Find them. NOW!"
They all hurriedly hopped onto their horses and began to spread out searching for any clues of who may have harmed Aileen.
Daniel got himself up onto his horse and then reached down for another guard to place Aileen back into his arms.
Then with the rest of the guards he had, they hurried to the palace as fast as they could.
.....
It took nearly a half an hour to get back, and Daniel was convinced she was going to die.
But when he checked there was still a pulse.. weak, but it was still there.
The doctors and nurses had been at the door ready to take her if anything was wrong.
Daniel handed her to a guard before hopping off his horse and taking her back.
There were shocked gasps all around when they saw her condition.
She was placed on the stretcher and taken immediately to the medical wing.