room?”
I closed the distance between my eyebrows in concentration. “The first?” I asked.
“Correct,” he said. “Press one.”
I did.
“Do you remember the number of the floor I pressed on the elevator?”
“Fourteen.”
“Press one then four.”
When I did, he asked, “How many tunnels did we take?”
“Two.”
“Very good, Princess.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Two is the last number.”
I smiled at my accomplishment and pressed the number, gasping and flinching, then taking a step back when I heard the loud bang caused by the wall moving up, only stopping when there was a decent gap for us to pass through to the other side.
“Do you want me to go first?” he asked.
“No, it’s fine,” I said, taking the few steps to the other side, finding my legs leading me to a ladder. I fisted the robe in my hand and climbed, pushing a wooden board when it blocked my way.
A cool breeze hit my face and my hood fell as I looked up at the dark sky, taking in everything around me. It looked like a giant garden, almost as big as the one I could see from the window in the bedroom. This one, though, had more flowers and was surrounded by tall trees. The feel of the cool grass underneath me was just as good as the sight. Refreshing and freeing, and it was only then I was glad my heel had broken.
Well, aside from the prince carrying you, holding you so close, and you getting to smell him and hear his heartbeat along with feeling his broad chest and tigh-
Shut up!
“This way, Princess,” the prince told me, his hand gesturing to the right while the other touched the small of my back.
“Where are we going?”
“I’m taking you to meet the love of my life,” he smiled.
My breath hitched and I stopped in my tracks, looking at him in disbelief, feeling hurt and humiliated at the same time.
How. Could. He?
“My whores.” He continued.
That was it!
I turned to leave, my blood boiling and my heart clenching, my eyes burning with unshed tears that made my vision blur.
The prince’s hand gripped mine and he pulled me back. I didn’t turn around and struggled with him to let my hand loose.
“Let go!” My voice was full of hurt and my legs were shaking.
“Princess!”
“Let go of me!” I screamed.
My scream was met by a loud noise that sort of scared me. I looked around to where the noise had come from but I still saw nothing, though more noises made me sure of what they were, and what they were coming from.
It was a horse neighing.
Oh!
I looked at the prince with traitorous tears wetting my cheeks. His eyes were watching me and he offered me a small, sad smile. “Do you need me to spell it, Princess?”
I looked down.
“It’s H.O.R.S.E, Jealous, Jealous Princess,” he said, taking my face in his hands and wiping my tears with his thumbs, just like he had done before.
“I’m not jealous,” I whispered, still looking down.
“Come.”
I let him lead the way again as he kept his hold of my hand and started walking toward where he’d pointed a minute ago. A short walk later, the grass underneath my feet turned into sand as we passed through a small fence that circled the garden, and it wasn’t so hard to tell we were standing in front of a stable. A ridiculously huge stable.
“Salma is in number forty-one.” He pointed to the doors with numbers on them.
Salma is a horse?
Huh!
Wait, wait, he left the room, without explaining, and stayed away for hours…for a horse?
“Um, please don’t make any sudden moves or try to touch her; she’s a bit sensitive and insecure,” the prince said, and I nodded, even without knowing what that meant–and with a hundred questions forming in my head.
When we entered Salma’s large stall I was surprised to find a little horse–not a newborn horse, colt or a pony. She was just a little one, short, almost my height. Her coat was colored light brown and the hair of her mane and tail was a darker shade of chestnut; it looked so soft. I wanted to touch it.
“Princess, this is Salma,” the prince smiled while looking at her. I could see how he truly loved her, just by the look in his eyes. He took a few careful steps to stand beside her, then slowly raised his hand to touch her neck, causing her to make a low, but strong neighing. I stayed back.
“She’s beautiful,” I said in