My Prince - 9. Chapter 9

Alessandro, Grayson and Violet weren't the only ones willing to help the Prince and his blacksmith to find time together; they had a slew of others in on it. Aurora, who worked in the archives, had come up with some very elaborate and sneaky plans. And somehow they even got Ms.Sarah and Rachel, maids who worked in the castle, helping to cover for the young Prince. It was never for very long, and usually in some junk filled storage room, but over the next month Noah and Phoenix managed to see each other almost every day. Those stolen moments and hurried kisses were the lights in Noah's life. He had never been happier. Sure they had some close calls; no plan was foolproof especially with Landon on a rampage, expecting the Guards to know where he was at all times. There was the time Phoenix had to bury himself in the hay when they met up at the stables; the stable master Frank nearly pissed himself when the Lieutenant of the Guard came in looking for the Prince. And the poor man stood frozen with his eyes on the ground while Landon lectured Noah on the impropriety of his behavior. Noah kept his eyes glued on the angry soldier before him, else his eyes drifted over to where he knew his love was hiding half naked in the hay. Biting his lip to keep from smirking at the sight of Phoenix's tunic and vest lying discarded behind Frank, he tried to rush his Guard out. He remembered the time Ms.Sarah and Rachel had caught sight of him sneaking in through the kitchen; after snickering about his disheveled appearance and pointing out the buttons on his fancy rumpled shirt were uneven they slipped him some bread and rushed him to his room through the servant's stairway.

Noah wasn't sure if he should be worried about how many of the villagers were willing to help Phoenix go against the King. He spent many hours worrying if it was a sign their people weren't loyal to their ruler. Wondering what it would mean if their enemies approached. Did it suggest someone may have assisted the pirates in his original kidnapping? Would they betray their royal family in times of war? Without loyal subjects a King was just a man sitting in a big chair. Noah shook these thoughts away. Phoenix had told him a hundred times it was not a lack of loyalty for the King; it was a sign of their loyalty to the Prince. It was proof of their belief in true love. In a world where so many people spent their lives being told love wasn't real it gave them hope to see two people willing to throw it all away to be together. The people in the village were willing and excited to help because they wanted their Prince to be happy. Phoenix had risked his life when he went after Noah, and the young man had brought their Prince home safely. That earned him the respect and admiration of all the people. Noah tried not to let his fear and doubts cloud their time together; it wasn't until he was alone at night he allowed himself time to worry.

William caused him the most worry; the young blond always let Noah slip away easily, accepting any flimsy excuse the young prince offered upon his return and denying that Noah had left his sight when Landon asked. He was part of the Royal Guard, his loyalty should be absolute. Noah was sure the young Guard knew exactly where Noah was going when he disappeared. Just as he was sure Landon knew too. The older man was trying his hardest to catch them together. He followed Noah around like a dog, and when he lost sight he scoured the village until he was found. He was constantly interrogating the Guard and villagers on Noah's movements.

And even so, his last thought before drifting off to sleep every night was of his beloved Phoenix. He held onto the memory of those lips pressed against his own, the feel of his hands gently mapping out of inch of his torso. Every night he fell asleep aching to have those strong arms wrapped around him again.

*

"Snap out of it!" Landon scolded.

Noah snapped back to attention, his mind had been drifting off to Phoenix again while he was supposed to be training. He looked up at the sword pointed at his chest and clinked. He was in the middle of a match.

"Sorry, Lieutenant Landon."

"If this was a real fight you would be dead!"

"If this was a real fight it would have been able to hold my interest." Noah snapped back. Swinging his sword up and over and flicking it in just the way to force the older man to drop his own. The older man picked up his sword with a glare.

"Again." He growled, taking a starting stance. Noah smirked and twirled his sword before taking his own stance. Landon was angry and embarrassed; Noah was going to take pleasure in embarrassing him further.

Under normal circumstances Landon would easily be the better swordsman but Prince Noah knew when he got upset he got sloppy. Know your opponent, Phoenix had told him. Soon the courtyard was filled with the sounds of clashing metal and a small crowd had gathered. Landon was stronger, but Noah was faster. The young Prince managed to parry every blow the older man threw his way but the brute force was taking its toll on the smaller man's aching arms. Noah felt the moment it went from being a trainer trying to prove a point to his trainee to something much more dangerous. The older man had a dark glint in his eyes and an angry scowl on his face. The young Prince knew he had to end this fight soon but the only way to disarm the Lieutenant would be to get close. Noah adjusted his stance and used his pauldron to lead into Landon's reach; the older man's sword connected with the Prince's shoulder with a clang and a sharp pain jumped from shoulder to elbow. With a quick dip Landon's sword fell low and Noah spun in close and used his now aching elbow to connect with Landon's hand then chest. The older man yelped in surprise and the sword fell. Noah took the opportunity to step back so he was against Landon's chest before sweeping his leg out and dropping the older man on his back. With one more pivot Noah now faced his Guardsman and brought the tip of his sword to his fallen opponent's throat.

Laying in the dirt, sweaty and red with anger, the Lieutenant growled. "How did you do that? I am the best swordsman in the kingdom!"

Noah left out a soft snort as he smirked with arrogance to the man below him, sword still pressed against the soft skin beneath his chin. "No, you are the best swordsman in the Guard. The best swordsman with noble blood who wished to serve. That leaves another 80% of the kingdom for potential swordsman to be better then you. You need to drop this conceit and remember your place." Noah punctuated his point by slapping the bottom of Landon's chin with the flat of his sword.

With a final smirk Noah spun and sheathed his sword before turning away and stalked back into the castle. He kept his chin up and back straight, ignoring the burn in his shoulder. He could feel the joint slipping further out of place as his eyes began to water in pain. Still, he couldn't help but smile at the look of shock on Landon's face as he lay there in the dirt. He couldn't wait to tell Phoenix all about it. At the thought of his beautiful beloved his body filled with warmth and the pain seemed much more manageable. He felt like he was walking on air as he made his way to see the castle healer and apothecary, so the man could take a look at his shoulder.

*

Noah pressed himself against the wall hoping the shadows were enough to hide him from the passing Guardsmen. He cursed himself for losing track of time, but it was so easy to forget the world when Phoenix had the young Prince in his arms. Once the Guard moved passed, Prince Noah pushed off the wall and rushed towards the kitchen door. He threw himself in and slammed the door closed with a bang. Leaning with his back against it the young Prince tried to catch his breath.

"My Lord?" A soft voice broke into his thoughts. Noah's head shot up, eye wide in fear. "Are you okay, my Lord?" Ms.Sarah was sitting at a small table in the corner next to Frank the stable master, a plate of food in front of each of them and a low burning candle.

"Oh, I did not think anyone would be in here. I am sorry." Noah mumbled, embarrassed he had obviously interrupting something.

"Nonsense, you do not even fret." Ms.Sarah jumped from the table and rushed to his side. "Are you hungry? You missed dinner."

Noah winced. "Did the King notice?"

"He did Prince Noah, but Miss Rachel told him she saw you heading up to your bedroom. I am not sure if he had someone check on you."

"I greatly appreciate that, but I do not want anyone to get into trouble because of me."

Ms.Sarah gently led the young prince over to the table and guided him into a chair. She pushed a bowl of stew in front of him and a hunk of bread. "It is not much but you should eat up before getting off to bed. No arguments young man." Noah smiled gently at the old maid before digging in. "We do not mind helping out, truly. A love like yours does not come around very often." Noah blushed. "Besides, Phoenix is a good friend of ours, and you obviously care about each other very deeply."

"I do. I do not want him to get into trouble. I am so scared..." Noah felt his chest tighten and his eyes burn. "I hate putting him in danger, sometimes I think I should just let him go." Noah choked back a sob and balled his fists on his lap. He felt ashamed for breaking down like this, in front of a servant no less, but Ms.Sarah had always been so kind to him she was almost like family.

"Nonsense! Do not even think that for one minute!" Ms.Sarah scolded gently.

"If he gets caught..."

"Phoenix is a big boy; he can take care of himself." Frank cut in softly, "And if I am not being too forward, I do not think it would matter too much. He made his choice in you and that man is stubborn as a mule. No offense meant my lord."

Noah laughed. "No, you are correct, he is very stubborn." The two servants joined in laughing and Noah felt much better.

Suddenly the kitchen door swung open, banging hard on the wall.

"There you are!" Landon and William strolled through into the kitchen. Landon looked angry, furious even. William just looked worried. "Where have you been?"

The Prince pushed to his feet and glared at the men. "Wherever I wished to be. Watch your tone Guardsman, remember who you are speaking too!" Noah was proud his voice didn't shake and betray his fear. Landon glared back in silence.

William stepped forward and bowed low. "Forgive us, my Lord, the Lieutenant has just been worried about you. No one knows where you have been since noon." He was obviously trying to defuse the situation.

Landon pushed the smaller Guardsmen causing him to stumble. "Do not try and play politics, kid, you are no good at it." Landon took a step closer to the young Prince, who had to force himself not to step back. "I was not worried; I knew exactly where the prince was." Noah swallowed hard. "You were out there with that peasant boy, were you not?"

"I am sure I have no idea what you are talking about." Noah said, hoping Landon missed the quiver in his voice. The older man stepped forward and grabbed Noah's tunic, lifting him so only the tips of his toes touched the floor. He heard Ms.Sarah let out a gasp followed by muffled cries, Frank must have taken hold of her.

"Lieutenant!" William shouted, trying to step between them. "You must unhand the Prince!"

"Stay out of this boy, the Prince and I understand each other. Don't we, young Noah?"

"Release me, or I will turn you into my Father!" Noah spat out.

Landon just laughed. "I am sure your Father will not care, not when I tell him I caught you with that hedge-born wench!"

Noah shoved the older man away dropping to his feet. Digging his nails into his palms to calm himself. He had to be very careful in his next move, he had to protect Phoenix.

"Are you defacing my honor, Guardsman?"

Landon narrowed his eyes. "You have no honor left. I saw you two sneaking out of the archives a fortnight ago. I can only imagine what defiling acts you have been up to. You bring shame to this family, to the crown!"

"Watch your tongue!"

"Watch yours! That base court cur has no place consorting with a Prince. And when I am done with him he will wish he had never laid eyes on your highness, not to mention whatever else he may have laid on you. I am going to find him, and I am going to break him. Then, I am going to bring him to your Father. He will be throne in the dungeon, if the King does not kill him outright."

Noah surged forward, arms out as he reached for the Guardsman. He wished he had his sword on his belt. Landon batted his arms away and sidestepped out of the Prince's reach. Grabbing him around the waist Landon pulled the smaller boy against his chest, his free arms wrapping around his throat. Noah could hear shouted protests but was unable to make them out. All he could distinctly hear was his own blood pumping in his ears. His vision was beginning to blur and his lungs burned. Something hot and wet brushed his cheek and he realized Landon had licked him. He felt himself retch as the body pressed against his back shook with laughter.

"After your blacksmith is caught, your Father will be in quite a rush to marry you off, young Prince." Landon hissed into his ear, "We have already discussed it, him and I. It will be hard to find a lady willing to disgrace her family by marrying a Prince who had a known affair with a blacksmith. You will be mine, little Noah, and when I take you the first time it will be rough and harsh, and it will be with a one man audience." Landon laughed deeply as he released his hold on the young Prince. Noah fell to his knees gasping for breath. William rushed over and tried to help the boy to his feet.

"I have a dog to catch." Landon spat as he turned on his heel and rushed out the back door.

Noah scrambled to his feet and tried to rush after him, but William grabbed him and pushed him into a chair. Noah struggled against the stronger boy. "No! You have to let me go! I have to warn him!' Noah shouted.

"Hush, my Lord, you cannot go after Landon! If you are there when he catches up to Phoenix it will only make things worse!"

"No! Please, I have to warn him!" Noah flailed his arms trying to fight the man off without hurting him too badly.

"Stop! You need to stop! I will help Phoenix."

"What?" Noah stopped fighting. "You would do that?"

"Oh, My Prince, Did you really think you two would have been able to sneak around so easily if you did not have some guards on your side?" The Guardsman replied with a smirk.

"But..."

"You have no idea the effect you have on people, do you?" William asked softly brushing dark hair away from darker eyes. He turned to address the servants, "Get him to his room and take care of him. Then send the twins to find me." Frank and Ms.Sarah nodded. With one more, gentle smile William rushed into the early night after Landon.