[M] Royally Mistaken [Ashen & Midoripickle]

[Midori-Hime]

Jessamine stirred at the sound of his voice and smile softly before opening her eyes. So warm… She thought in wonder, then suddenly realized she was on his chest. Jessamine lifted her head suddenly, blushing as she looked into his eyes, inches from his face. After apologizing, she got up and dressed with Giuseppe's help, her blush never quite leaving her cheeks. "I would hope not… You really ought to be more careful." She told him but smiled, before they packed up their horses and were on their way home once again.

She was anxious as they reached the base of the mountain trail again, remembering how frightening it had been last time. Fortunately it seemed to a warmer day than their first trip through the mountains and she hoped that it was a good sign for their trip ahead. However, it wasn't so. The first half of their journey through the mountain pass went without a hitch and they started their way down again. "Almost there…" She said, able to see the bottom of the mountain from there and looked to Giuseppe with a smile. Then suddenly something whipped through the air and before she knew what was happening, her horse cried out, rearing and taking off down the mountainside.

Jessamine was too startled to cry out, simply focusing on controlling her horse. But the beast seemed to be more irritated than simply spooked and she when tried to stop him, the horse began to buck, throwing her off. She crashed onto the ground with a groan, but other than a bruised hip and arm, she would be fine. However, as the prince caught up to her, several men lept out from the surrounding rocks. It seemed they had anticipated the prince to carry a sword so before Jessamine knew what was happening, one of the men grabbed her up from the ground and pinned her arm against her back, his other holding a knife at her throat. "You there! Dismount and drop your weapons… Or the girl is dead!" Jessamine froze, staring at Giuseppe wide eyed as she trembled.

[Ashen]

It was certainly looking up for their trip back to Ibeacia. Giuseppe sent up a silent prayer of thanks at the weather, and hoped that the remainder of their trip would be as calm. They had no problems on the mountain, which was saying something, as these mountains were known for giving their visitors trouble. He was just about to comment on the peace when they started their journey down the side of the mountain. However, before he could think the right words to say, Jessamine's horse was running off, obviously irritated at something.

The prince commanded his horse to run after her. A little distance away, the steed threw Jessamine. Giuseppe looked on with horror as Jessamine hit the ground. Panic welled up inside him once more: how would he continue with Jessamine wounded? Would she be alright? Hadn't one of the castle guards died from being thrown like that? He sped up to her, but before he could get to her Jessamine was being pulled away by some men.

Giuseppe was trained for this. He resumed a calm demeanor, hopped down from his horse, and began unsheathing his weapon when the man holding Jessamine back put a knife to her throat. This stilled the prince. He kept a neutral expression and listened to the man speak. Foreigners, he could tell from their accents. They had some nerve, threatening the prince's lady and demanding things of him. Did they even know who he was? He had no choice but to listen to them. Giuseppe unsheathed his blade and dropped it to the ground. He held his hands by his head. "There is no need to be rash, gentlemen," he said calmly. "We were only passing through. We did not mean to disturb you."

Giuseppe was calm on the outside. His father had made certain he'd know what to do in such situations as this, even going so far as to hire people to pretend to kidnap him. But inside, the prince was panicking. He didn't want anything to happen to Jessamine, and he didn't know these men's intentions. All he wanted was a peaceful trek back to his castle, but he couldn't even manage that.

[Midori-Hime]

The man holding Jessamine simple scoffed at the prince's diplomatic words. "Oh don't worry, you're not disturbing us at all, My Lord." He smirked and then nodded to the men closest to the prince. One moved quickly to grab his hands, pinning them behind his back and wasted no time tying them tightly with rope. The other grabbed his discarded weapons and his horse. "In fact, why don't you join us this evening…" He then leaned in to Jessamine's ear. "Now, if you wouldn't mind putting your hands out, my dear." Jessamine swallowed, feeling her skin crawl as the man leaned in closer. Slowly she held out her hands, putting on a brave face though she was trembling. Another man came and tied her wrists together. "What a doll…" The first bandit purred, then finally lowered the knife from her neck. However, it still lingered between her should blade.

"Now if you would be so kind… Come with us. Our boss will be dying to meet you." He said before the men began to drag them along down a hidden path through the woods in the mountains. The men walked quietly for the most part, seeming proud of their haul. Jessamine walked in front of Giuseppe, probably as a reminder to the prince that should he try anything, Jessamine still had a knife at her back. She tried to peek back at him, but was quickly warned with a prick between her shoulder blades. She was fearful what these men had planned for them.

It wasn't long of a walk before they reached a small encampment filled with perhaps another twenty men. Many stopped what they were doing, eager to see what the others had brought. "Hurry, go get the Boss! I'm sure he'll be eager to see our spoils… " The bandit holding Jessamine shouted. The other's pulled Giuseppe up along side her while the others came to their horses, digging through the saddle bags for any valuables. Now that they were close again, Jessamine looked to Giuseppe, her eyes soft yet fearful as they looked into his, questioning what might happen to them now. Then suddenly she looked up as a large man came forward. He looked muscular and rough, with a scruffy beard and a scar over his right brow. "Well well, what do we have here?" He stepped to Giuseppe first, looking him over with great amusement.

It took a moment, after looking over his clothes before the leader of the bandits seemed to realize just who he was. "My, I'm honored. The crown prince of Ibeacia is at my doorstep, if I'm not mistaken." He let out a bellowing laugh then. "Good job lads! You didn't bring me just any noble man, but a prince!" He smirked then with a dark glint his black eyes. "I'm sure the King of Ibeacia will pay a handsome sum to get his only son back… mostly unharmed."

[Ashen]

Giuseppe hated how powerless he suddenly was. He had no say in anything that was going on, too paralyzed by the fear that Jessamine would be hurt. He went along with the men that dragged him, fully aware that they were rummaging through his things, taking his valuables. He didn't know where they were suddenly going. They needed to go the other way, they needed to get home to the castle; they needed anything but this.

When they got to the encampment, Giuseppe could feel the fear and panic well within him. There were so many men that he and Jessamine would have a very hard time getting out, should they disobey. They were looking through his saddlebags, taking all the Ibeacia trinkets he held dear. The ring with his emblem, used for identification, was being walked off by one of the men. Their supply of food and coin was being fought over by a few others. He knew by the time he got out of this they would have nothing, and that filled him with anger. He did not have to stand for this. He was sitting prince of the best kingdom in the lands, and his father would hear of this.

Then their leader came forward. He looked exactly like the kind of man Giuseppe did not want to deal with: a hoodlum, with muscles too large and scars too bloody. Giuseppe tried not to let his distaste show. The leader spoke to him, condescending. Giuseppe held his tongue. When the man did finish speaking, Giuseppe broke eye contact. "My father will not buy into a game like yours," he spat. "He has more important matters to attend to than bailing his only son out of a band of thieves. He would not pay you a single copper piece."

Giuseppe didn't know if that were true. He and his father were not on the best terms, true, but he didn't know how much King Frederick valued his male heir. If his words were true, if his father would not pay for his release, what did that say about their relationship? Giuseppe tried not to think on it. He looked at the leader of their group again. "Do let us go. We have no business with you. You will not be getting any coin out of me."

[Midori-Hime]

The bandit only grinned as Giuseppe tried to suggest that it would be useless. "You there… give me that!" He called out suddenly to the man walking away with the prince's ring. He grabbed it and then held it out in front of Giuseppe's face, playing with it between his fingers. "Oh I think he will. You may not be king yet boy, but one day you will understand… More than his son, you are his only heir. Despite what sort of relationship you think you have, he will surely pay up if he doesn't want me to send back your head."

The bandit turned for a moment, instructing one of his men to write a letter and to include the ring as proof. "Tell him he has two days to reply, or we will start sending back appendages." He chuckled at that before turning back to the prince. "You won't touch him!" Jessamine snapped suddenly, having heard enough. The leader blinked, looking to her as if he has suddenly realized she was even there. "Well then… Who is this Prince. Your lady?" He asked, turning to her instead. "Such a pretty thing…" He smirked, grabbing her chin a bit roughly in his hand and tilted her head side to side. The man wasn't shy about his wandering gaze and suddenly Jessamine yanked her face from his grip, glaring at him from the corner of her eyes. "You will not touch me either…" Jessamine spat.

This made the bandit grin. "Feisty too… Just how I like them." He seemed to think a moment before he looked to the others. "Take the whelp and tie him to the post." He ordered, pointing to a post near the horses and close enough to the fire so that they could keep an eye on him. "And bring the girl to my tent…" He threw a smile her way then. Jessamine's eyes widened, looking up sharply. She was not so naive that she didn't know what that man intended. Then suddenly she was being pulled along and Jessamine reached out for the prince desperately. "Giuseppe!" She cried out before turning on the man that held her, flailing, kicking, and fighting every step of the way. "No! Get your hands off of me!" She yelled as two men had to grab her to drag her away. Jessamine managed to glance back at Giuseppe one more time, scared what might become of them now.

[Ashen]

Giuseppe narrowed his eyes at his own ring, the ring his father had given him for this trip. "I am not his only heir," he muttered, though he knew what the man had meant. He was the only prince, the only one in his father eyes that would one day--or so Frederick sincerely hoped--be fit to rule his kingdom. His mother was still of bearing age; Giuseppe wondered how easily they could replace him. He didn't want his father to pay for him. He didn't want his parents to bail him out of even more trouble. That had been too common in his life. The whole idea of this trip was to prove that he was now a man; he'd find a way out of this.

The prince's entire facade changed when the bandit turned his attention to Jessamine. "Let her be," he commanded, though he knew his word would be useless. He hated this, knowing that Jessamine was in danger, and there was nothing he could do. He looked around the encampment, trying to devise a way out of this. There was no way he could communicate with his lady, not in any way the bandit would let pass. He wanted to tell her to run, to run as far as she could and leave him to get out of this himself, but with the number of men around, he doubted that was even a possibility. Still, she tried to fight. He had to give her credit for that, however fruitless her efforts were.

Before he knew it, Jessamine was being taken away, off to the tent of the bandit leader. Giuseppe hated the sound of that. As soon as two men grabbed hold of Jessamine he was fighting his own captors, kicking and biting at them to let him go. He managed to get free, and he ran after Jessamine, but a sharp crack stopped him. He flinched from the pain that welled from his shoulder, where a barbed whip had sliced through his shirt and skin. He was grabbed again, this time more forcefully, and shoved away from Jessamine. He could feel blood starting to trickle down his back, but his new wound was nothing compared to the pain of his helplessness.

[Midori-Hime]

Jessamine managed to look back at the prince once more, just in time to witness him getting struck by the whip. She screamed his name and this time could not hold back her tears, despite how much she hated to cry in front of these men. She continued to fight the men until they tossed her in the largest tent in the center of the camp. There was a big bed where their leader must slept, a long with many of his personal belongings and a table with different maps and papers spread out across the surface. They found a post to tie her to for the time being. "Now, don't even think of trying anything… " The one sneered while the other rubbed his jaw where she'd elbowed him. "Damn wench packs a punch…" He grumbled, leaving with the other to stand watch outside the door.

Once they were out of sight, she tugged frantically at her bindings, but it was no use. She could still see Giuseppe getting struck and the helplessness she felt was overwhelming. If they did anything to him… More tears fell. Would his father pay their ransom in time? Would he pay at all? What would become of them if he didn't… Jessamine dropped her head, squeezing her eyes tightly, wanting the thoughts to stop. She could only think of Giuseppe and didn't consider her own situation until someone stepped inside the tent. She lifted her head sharply, freezing as the leader of the bandits stared down at her.

He stripped off his coat and weapons until he stood before her in an undershirt and pants. The man kneeled by her then and she shifted as far away from him as he could get. "What is your name?" He asked, a smirk permanently plastered on his rough face. Jessamine only glared at him but then flinched as he grabbed her face again. "Don't be shy…" He purred, sending chills down her spine. In response, Jessamine suddenly spit in his face. A look of anger flashed in his eyes, but that smirk was still there. "You still have some bite to you… Good~" He pulled her arms from the post, thought they were still tied and spun her around, her back to him as he pulled her against his chest. She tried to squirm firm but his hold was tight and unyielding. With a free hand he grabbed a lock of her hair, holding it to his nose and lips. "Mmm… You smell lovely. So clean and pure… Let's change that-" He growled and then proceeded to cut the ties along the back of her dress with his knife.

[Ashen]

Giuseppe was being led away from Jessamine, and there was nothing he could do about it. He could only think of her, of the way she yelled his name, of the way her face screamed even louder of her horror. The longer he spent away from her, the longer he saw her in his mind, with the bandit leader, vulnerable and ruined... He couldn't stand this. A prince suddenly powerless; he didn't know what to do.

Giuseppe was led away from the tents, to a clearing with a few weapons scattered about. It was where these fiends tended to their swords and daggers, he guessed, and where they placed the ones they stole. He looked over the swords, wondering how he could take one and turn it on each of these men. He'd cut through them all to get to Jessamine, somehow. But soon his hands were being forcefully shoved together, ropes rubbing his skin raw. He moved away from the men holding him swiftly, tried to crouch down to grab a sword. The men didn't like that; another barbed whip was cracking against his skin. This time, it nicked the side of his face and neck. Blood swelled to the surface in seconds, but he still struggled to grab a sword. One of the men holding him caught him before he could and stepped on his hand, shoved it into the dirt. Giuseppe let out a cry of pain, drowned out by the sound of another crack.

The men threatened him with the swords around them, but the prince didn't care. Blood was dripping from his face, back, and chest at this point. His hand ached as well, and he was having a hard time moving it without causing searing pain throughout his whole arm. But none of it compared to the pain of his helplessness. "Let me see her," he kept pleading. No one was listening to him; the men who had brought him to this area were joyfully looking forward to the payout they would get from their newest captive. Giuseppe decided to be quiet for a while, silently biding, until one of the men walked off. He'd be back soon he'd said, so the prince had to act fast. Once again he reached for a weapon, managed to get a dagger, and he shot off. The man was upon him in seconds, but the prince was fast. He fumbled with the dagger and the ropes, but his hand was proving to be dead weight. But he had a chance. He was free, for now. He would find Jessamine, and they would get out of here.

In a few moments, Giuseppe was tripped by one of the bandits throwing a sword at his legs. The blade cut through his trousers. The dagger slid away from him, and before he could scramble to get to it, a bulky man was above him. "You don't know when to give it up," the man barked. Giuseppe gulped. He had gone about this the wrong way, and now he would pay for it. As he was led away from the tents, he could only think of Jessamine, of his failure to save her.

[Midori-Hime]

Jessamine shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself as she was left in nothing but her thin night gown. Her skin crawled, feeling so exposed in front of this brute of a man. He turned her then and pulled her tight against him, and immediately her whole body tensed. She pushed against him as much as she could, but he was solid and he had an iron tight grip. The man lifted her chin roughly, forcing a kiss on her that she was sure would leave bruises. It was nothing like Giuseppe's sweet kiss and the thought of him and that night made her heart ache. Would the prince want her once she'd been used…

Tears fell down her cheeks, though as the man's slimy tongue invaded her mouth, she felt her fight come back. Jessamine bit down as hard as she could, until she could taste that metallic tang. The bandit jerked back suddenly, yelping in pain and then spit blood onto the floor. "… You bitch!" There was a loud crack as his hand struck her face, sending her falling onto the cot beside them. It left her dazed for a moment, and then she could feel the pain blossoming on her cheek and taste a bit of blood in her mouth. And then the bandit was on top of her now, forcing her arms above her head while the other moved down to undo his pants quickly. Jessamine cried out as she tried everything to squirm out of his grasp, but as he was preoccupied with getting his pants down, she saw an opportunity and took it, throwing her knee up as hard as she could.

The man wailed, falling away from her and knelt down on the ground, trying to catch his breath. Jessamine leap up then, looking around frantically before her eyes fell on what looked like a rather heavy clay pot. Lifting it up, she turned and brought it down on the bandit's head. It shattered to pieces and the leader dropped to the floor with a heavy, dull thud. Panting, Jessamine stared down at the man's body blankly before reality came flooding back. She had to find Giuseppe and they had to escape from there. There would likely be man standing out front, so she went to the back of the tent, but not before grabbing the leader's sword. Cutting a slit in the back of the tent, she managed to squeeze through quietly. Most of the men seemed to be settling down to sleep now and slowly she crept around the back of the tents, making her way over to the horses, where they said they were keeping the prince.

[Ashen]

He was in agony as he sat there, now away from the weapons. The large man from before had given him a proper beating with his bare hands, and Giuseppe could feel the places on his skin where bruises would certainly bloom. He was sitting by a shed where a couple horses were. Were his own horses there as well? He couldn't tell, and could not move to find out. His hands were tightly bound now, as well as his feet. His shirt was stained with the blood that dripped from his face and chest. The back of his shirt was a mess; what once was a soft cream color now glowed in scarlet. And still he could think of only his lady, of what must have been happening to her, and that it was his fault for bringing her along anyway.

He didn't know how much time had passed. The men around him had gone off to bed, sure Giuseppe would not be able to move very far. They were right; between his ties and injuries he could barely handle readjusting himself. He was in too much pain to sleep, despite the exhaustion he could feel creeping over him. He still needed to find some way out of this, to save her...

Suddenly, Giuseppe could hear someone approaching. It wasn't the sound of bulky boots he had been hearing; these footfalls were much softer. Giuseppe looked up to see Jessamine. His eyes suddenly aglow, he excitedly whispered her name. "How...?" He was too happy to form words. But how she must have seen him--his smile quickly fell away. He did not want her to see him in such a state. "I am so sorry, I tried to get to you, they overpowered me--" There were tears in his voice, even if he refused to let them fall from his eyes. The prince tried to move towards her, but doing so only brought more pain. Defeated, he slunk back down. "I am so sorry, Jessamine."