Chapter 2: Fear

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We could have never met. But we did, and I'm glad for it.

-People madly in love.

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The guards had forcefully dragged her to the palace. Ella was shaking with fear and terror. All the nasty rumours about the King and his cruel ways against traitors had made her weak. "Should I tell them about me helping a man?" she thought, but as soon as the idea crossed her head, her conscience shunned it taunting her that if the king found out about her helping a suspect, he will behead her right there and then

But her heart argued with her conscience saying 'How is it wrong to help a person in need?' "I just saw a helpless man who needed help, that is all. His identity was also unknown to me" she thought. Ella was still trembling, but now she had decided to not let fear get into her way.

Suddenly the guards stopped. They had reached the palace. Ella was quickly dragged to the main hall where the King was sitting in his mighty throne. As soon as Ella entered that room, her heart felt very uneasy, but she shook it off as fear of the interrogation. The guards were bowing down truly devoted to the King, and so was Ella. Everybody had to bow to the King, not bowing meant disrespect and that wasn't something you could show to the king.

The head guard spoke "My King! This woman was found near the area where the intruder escaped. We believe she has a hand in his plan my Lord."Ella did not say anything as nobody had allowed her to speak yet. Well, the King had not even looked at her and she was so glad for that, but it seemed like her happiness was short lived as just after a second the King asked her to raise her head and look him in the face while speaking to him.

Ella was paralysed with fear. Fear for herself and the predicament that she was stuck in. The King walked towards her, his every step full of authority and power. His aura was so dominating and suppressive, it made Ella want to crawl up in a sack and never be back here again.

The King's icy cold gaze was on her face. With one swift movement of his hand, he gripped her jaw so hard that for a moment she thought that it would break, and then he lifted her face up to meet with his. But what Ella saw took her breath away."James?" Ella whispered. Her tone was uncertain and vulnerable, but also terrified. Hearing a common peasant acting weird towards the King, made all the guards unsheath their swords and point it at her neck.

But at that moment the King growled "EVERYBODY OUT!!!" and just in a second only Ella and the King was present in the room. Ella's face was filled with dread and the King was now furious.

Ella could not really believe her eyes actually. After seeing the King, the word 'James' had unexpectedly slipped out of her tongue. Surely James would not be King, would he? because as far as she knew James was just a normal citizen of the kingdom. She and James had been inseparable ever since they had met at the tender age of 15 and 17. James lived with his nanny beside Ella's home. As far as she knew he had just been a normal boy, then why was it that the man in front of her, who was supposedly the KIng looked so familiar to James. It was as if God just carved their exact clones into a stone and brought it to life.