"Bring it to me," the king cried. Servants and ladies-in-waiting ran around the large hall. A tall, thin man approached the king's throne in a low bow. He slowly raised a large piece of parchment. The king snatched it from him and mumbled as he read. "Not guilty? What is this nonsense?" he shouted.

          "Your Highness, the court has studied the evidence and they believe that the princess, your daughter, has run away of her own free will," the servant muttered.

          "Nonsense! Why would my daughter have reason to leave the kingdom?"

          "There is another thing sire. As her ladies were tending her room, they noticed that the necklace was missing."

          "WHAT?" The king threw the decree at the servant. He stormed out of the hall and, in a rage, entered his wife's spa.

          "Do you believe this Cassandra? The royal court has decreed that Emily has run away on her own!"

          "Yes, it is possible Fredrick. You two had a big fight the other night, don't you recall? She loves that boy more than anything, why can't you just let them be?"

          "Because that boy is not the one we chose for her! He is not the right one! I have had him seized and he will be brought in for further questioning," the king added nonchalantly. Cassandra gasped.

          "Fredrick! You know Cornell is a ruffian and will not bring him back alive! You are going to break that child's heart!"

          "It is for her protection!"

          "No, it is for your own! You will have the boy murdered in your name so that she will not grow up and leave you!"

          "How dare you? I am king and I will do as I please!" he shouted in a huff. He retreated from Cassandra's spa before she could object and went to his quarters. He stared from the window to the great stone walls surrounding the castle. He had told Cornell to return with the boy in the dead of night so as not to arouse suspicion. Cornell was the genius who had figured out the boy's true identity. He had also led the king to believe that the boy was corrupting his daughter into treason against him. "It's not true, she wouldn't leave on her own," he muttered to himself. But he did little convincing. Maybe it was best if he didn't search for her right away. He could convince her that some robber had beaten the boy and she would have to grieve him in peace. Then, he could choose a proper suitor for her and have it done and over with. He only prayed that Emily would never find out.

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Comments (3)

Posted by r.e.potter 2008-01-18 08:32:19 again enjoyed. this chapter was so short that maybe it could have been part 1. But i'm not to big on long reads...so good job Lucy...by the way, like your name. + Report this comment
Posted by Dirkin 2008-01-21 06:44:56 .... a lot shorter than the first, although i can guess how the stories are related... + Report this comment
Posted by curlyQ 2008-03-31 05:26:21 .... Thanks for the comments on The Necklace. I haven't updated in a while because it's been so busy but I'm hoping to upload the entire rest of the story within the next week. And thanks, I'm named after my grandmother! My dad wanted me to be beautiful like she was.... + Report this comment

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