[M] Royally Mistaken [Ashen & Midoripickle]

[Midori-Hime]

Jessamine moved as slow and cautiously as she could, though it was hard to do so when she was so anxious to find Giuseppe, to make sure he was okay. And then as she neared the horse corral, she spotted a slumped figure that was familiar. She rushed forward then, still carefully minding her step until she reached him. As his eyes met hers, she could feel her heart flutter wildly. That is until she got a better look at him and then extent of his injuries. She covered her mouth, feeling fresh tears stinging at her eyes.

"Oh Giuseppe…" She breathed, dropping her hand away from her mouth, feeling her heart breaking as she reached out to touch his cheek. But then she hesitated, worried she might hurt him with the way his face was bruised and bloody. "T-there's no time to explain… We have to get out of here." She withered urgently and then moved behind him, taking the sword and carefully sawing through the robes around his hands. "Shh… Don't apologize…" She cooed to him softly as he spoke. Jessamine then went back to work, trying to be careful as not to cut him.

Suddenly the robes snapped and fell away from his raw wrists. Jessamine then moved back to his front quickly, doing the same to the ropes around his feet. They broke away even sooner and finally Giuseppe was free. Jessamine looked into his eyes then, reaching to take his hands. "D-do you think you can stand alright? We have to see if we can find our horses… or at least grab one of theirs." She said before looking over towards the corral. Her eyes wandered before she noticed the only two white horses, where will still tied to a post next to the fence.

[Ashen]

Giuseppe kept whispering his appreciation to Jessamine as she cut through his ropes. He moved his hands and feet freely, but still found that his hand was too injured to move. There was no time to nurse his hand; they would need to leave before anyone realized they were gone. Giuseppe looked through the horses gathered. He spotted his own easily, the ones he had known for years, the shimmering white ones. Both of his horses were agitated, and the prince could tell. He tried, with a lot of difficulty, to free his horses. Once his horses were free, Giuseppe turned to Jessamine. His expression said all his voice did not. They needed to go.

Giuseppe and Jessamine were able to speed away on horseback after Giuseppe had found his blade once more. He knew his other belongings were gone, but he was too eager to get the two of them from those thieves to care just yet. For now, they would get as far away as they could, and not rest until they knew they were safe. They were silent as they raced through the mountain. Giuseppe did not dare slow his horse until they were at the bottom of the mountain, and only then because his horse was starting to protest. They continued on in silence until the next town came into view, dead in the middle of the night.

Giuseppe still was not talking as he dropped off the horses at a stable, promising to pay the stablehand in the morning when he awoke. He wrote a note on some paper he found excusing the two new additions, but he had no emblems to prove it was from him. Then he went to the inn, but with no money, he had no choice but to beg. Giuseppe had no doubt he could get money from the castle to this innkeep, but he had no way of making them believe him. He looked to Jessamine and shrugged his shoulders, not sure what to do. The bandits might have still been on them; they could not risk sleeping under the stars.

The prince decided to wake the innkeeper. It was worth a shot, he figured, to try and get her to understand. The elderly woman did; she let them both in a small room, and promised to go to the castle of Ibeacia personally if she didn't get double what the room was worth. Giuseppe promised her what she wanted, and he led Jessamine to the room.

Finally inside, he sat on the bed, exhausted. He looked down at his hand, at his red and purple wrist. "I am so sorry," he told her again. "I do not know why this happened, but I am so sorry it did. I brought you along for this, and I hate myself for it."

[Midori-Hime]

Jessamine looked into his eyes and didn't waste a second, getting onto her horse and taking off with the prince. She didn't speak nor slow her horse, the adrenaline driving her forward. However, as their horses finally slowed, the exhaustion, physically and mentally, was catching up to her. She was practically dead on her horses back by the time they reached the town.

Trying to find an inn at this time, with no money or proof of their status was proving difficult, and the idea of sleeping on on the ground somewhere terrified her. Until finally the innkeeper gave in. Once they were in their room, finally alone and safe, everything suddenly weighted down on Jessamine. The innkeeper was kind enough to provide them with some supplies to clean their wounds and she quickly moved over to wrap Giuseppe's wrist. She cringed as she looked over the terrible wounds on his body.

His apology startled her and she paused, looking into her eyes. "There is no reason to apologize… It wasn't anyone's fault." She told him desperately, before she suddenly, although carefully, wrapped her arms around his neck. "I-I'm just so happy you're alright!" She sobbed into his neck, her shoulders shaking as she cried softly, finally breaking down. Jessamine drew back then after a minute, her hand caressing through the prince's dark hair. Her tears left streaks among the bit of dirt on her cheeks as she looked into his eyes lovingly. And then she leaned in to kiss him, relieved that he was safe and in her arms again.

[Ashen]

Giuseppe knew his wounds needed to be cleaned, but the cloths on his skin was stinging. He was more battered than he had realized. He let Jessamine dab at his injuries, wincing slightly when she touched an especially tender part of his skin. When he caught a glimpse of the washcloth she was using, Giuseppe felt sick. He wasn't scared of blood, but knowing how much he had lost, seeing it permanently stain the cloth, and knowing Jessamine was looking at it like he could not... He felt horrible.

A slew of questions wandered into his mind. The prince looked up at Jessamine, wondering how he could ask. He paused when he saw her tears, and he moved to wipe them away with his good hand. Then, Jessamine drew in for a kiss. Giuseppe kissed her back, all the frustration and relief coming out in this single kiss. When he finally drew away, there was a smile on his face. "Oh, Jessamine," he murmured against her. "I love you so much."

He lifted his head to make eye contact with her. His curiosity was getting the better of him, and he needed to ask. "Jessamine," he said again. "What... happened? What did he do to you? Are you alright?" His hand went to trace her skin but realized too late he was using his wrapped hand. He winced again, then switched hands. "I will get my revenge on them. The second we get back to the castle I will send out an order to have them killed. In fact, I will send a letter to my father first thing in the morning--ah. A messenger will not deliver for me without identification... Damn those bastards." Distracted, he shook his head and looked at her again. "Are you alright? Tell me, what have they done?"

[Midori-Hime]

She cried silently as he returned the kiss, however, his smile brought a smile to her own face. "I-I love you too, Giuseppe." She muttered in reply, gently stroking his jaw where it was safe to touch. She smiled as she met his eyes, but it slowly fell away at his question. She shifted her gaze downward, her sky blue eyes becoming distant as she recalled everything that had happened earlier that evening. She shuddered to think how very different things could have gone for her.

She'd barely heard what he'd said, until he asked her again. Jessamine's eyes snapped back up to meet his ad she swallowed. But they'd made it out of there alright and now her beautiful Giuseppe was here, safe, with her. Jessamine took his hand, holding it in hers. "He tried to… force himself on me." She muttered. "B-but I managed to get him off of me and… I broke a pot over his head." She said, suddenly giving a laugh, surprising herself. "Oh, if you could have seen him. The way he went down, face pressed on the ground with his pants down." It hindsight, it was a bit amusing to think of.

However, the laughter suddenly turned into quiet sobbing, covering her face with her hands then. "I-I was so scared…" She muttered, trying to calm herself. "But more than anything, I was afraid what you would think of me. That you wouldn't want me… after I'd been used by another man. That when you touched me, all I would be able to think about was that man…" Jessamine reluctantly met his eyes then, her breaths shaky, even though she'd managed to stop her tears.

[Ashen]

Giuseppe listened to the retelling of what happened, and he laughed with her. He loved that laughter, loved that she had been able to get away by such a simple method. He had to commend her for that. But soon her laughter died, and thus so did his. She grew upset again, and Giuseppe pulled her into her arms. "No, Jessamine," he murmured against her. "I wish you would never think something like that. No, I would never treat you like that..."

He gave her a moment before pulling away and looking her in the eye. "Listen to me," he said, his voice demanding attention. "A woman is not a tool to be used by a man. To think I would not want you because of such a thing is an offense to my character. I am so terribly sorry you would think that, that that was a fear you would even have to think. I would never cast you away after such an already painful thing. Jessamine, I wouldn't, I--" His voice broke off and he took a moment to compose himself. "But you were not used, and I hope you never will be used. Not as long as I am able to protect you."

Like he protected her tonight. The thought snaked through his mind without warning. It had been Jessamine who had saved him, not the other way around, and suddenly he was feeling self-conscious about it. But then, he realized he didn't need to. Jessamine had saved him, and he felt he had fallen in love with her even more because of that. He needed a queen to rely on, someone who was his equal, and as the days went on he drew more and more confident Jessamine could fit the bill.

Giuseppe shook his head again. He cupped Jessamine's face and planted a small kiss on her lips. "Let me undo all he has done wrong, then," he said gently. "I hope my touch can make you forget anything he might have done to you." He kissed her again, then lay on the bed. "We should get some rest, Jessamine. I would like to be rested for our journey tomorrow. I would like to get back to the castle as soon as possible, before they have a chance to attempt to hide."

[Midori-Hime]

Jessamine clung to him softly as he held her. "N-no… I know you wouldn't-" She gasped suddenly, realizing the implication of what she said. She then met his eyes, looking into them deeply as he spoke. She looked down then, holding his hands. "I don't doubt your character Giuseppe…I just- I've seen it all my life. It's one thing my mother always told me, not that I've ever listened to her. But the way other noblemen talk, I know it to be true." She muttered.

But then she looked up into his eyes softly, taking one hand and holding it to her heart. "But I'm am sorry if I have offended you. I know that you are not like them. You're so different than anyone else I've ever met… And I- I love you for that." She told him softly and then smiled when the prince drew her in for a kiss. His kiss was so gentle, so different than that brutish man. "I have no doubts that it can." Jessamine whispered, returning the kiss this time, doing her best to put it all behind them.

She nodded in response, letting him lay back and get comfortable before she joined him, resting her head carefully on his shoulder. She lay awake for a little while, staring off into the dark as she listened to the rhythm of Giuseppe's heart. She thought about everything they'd been through since the start of this journey and now they were only two days from arriving safely at home. But despite all the hardships, more than anything she was happy she was at Giuseppe's side. And she hoped he felt the same way.

[Ashen]

The next couple days passed without problems. Giuseppe's hand still was as useless as it had been while at the bandits' camp, but now it was highlighted in hues of faint purple. They had sped through the distance from home, not wanting to run into any more trouble. And finally, Giuseppe could see his castle in the distance. They would be home before sundown.

The sun was high in the sky, and they still had another couple hours of land to cover. Giuseppe stood by his horse, now drinking from a lake. The prince sighed as he looked out at his castle. "It has been too long," he murmured. "I never thought I would look forward to seeing Violet again." Suddenly his eyes went to his horse, at where their bags would have been if they hadn't been stolen three days prior. "Oh," he said quietly. Realization came with a heavy pain. "Violet... her flower. I had a flower pressed for her. And now..." It was gone, probably discarded by one of the bandits. Frustration filled him, but there was nothing they could do now, so he let it go.

He was better at letting go of emotions like that. Jessamine had helped; he never wanted to hang onto bad things when she was around. The prince looked at his lady and smiled. "I will have to get her a new flower, then," he decided with a shrug. "Never mind. How are you feeling, Jessamine? It feels as if it has been years since we have been in Ibeacia, would you not say?" With his good hand, he grabbed Jessamine's hand. "I am glad I could spend it with you. I have learned a lot, and I would not have wanted to learn with anyone else."

[Midori-Hime]

Relief washed over her as the cattle finally came into view. It was so close now, but still hours away. Jeanine stared off, looking worn and exhausted, but she didn't want to rest for long until they reached the castle. Her head jerked up as The Prince spoke and she looked at him softly. However, she noticed the pain in his voice and she watched him sadly. "We will pick some lovely flowers for her." She suggested.

As he took her hand, her eyes wanted to his other. Each day her worry for his injury grew worse and she hoped there wasn't any permanent damage done. Her own wounds were healing slowly but surely, left with only a dark mark on her lip and the bruise on her cheek turning a greenish yellow.

"I feel the same..." She said, wrapping her hands around his. The last few days had been frightening, and even though they'd escaped the bandits, every little rustle in the bushes had her jumping. Yet despite all that, she didn't regret journeying with the Prince. She too had learned a lot and she hoped she'd been able to prove herself worthy of Giuseppe. Jessamine then held his hand as she walked with her horse down the path. They had been riding for days and her body was sore, so she thought it would be good to walk it off for a bit.

[Ashen]

Giuseppe was happy to give up riding for a bit. He waited until the horses were done drinking before grabbing the reigns of his and walking with Jessamine. Even if he was still afraid of the bandits, afraid that they had followed them even to here, he figured they could spare the moments they'd spend on the road by walking. He would be careful, listening to every sound and watching every blur. Those bastards would not get the better of them again.

Their walk was peaceful. The weather was just right, and the wind blew their hair gently. Their horses walked behind them slowly, and their hooves made a steady rhythm to their conversation. They talked of being back in the kingdom, being back to their homes, and what they would do when they returned. Giuseppe had to keep one thing to himself. He didn't want to tell Jessamine yet, though he was positive of his intentions. Anxiety crept towards him. He'd have to tell her eventually, have to tell his parents and hers. For now, he cleared his head. He would think about it another time.

It was late afternoon by the time they rode up to Duke Northlonde's manor. Giuseppe was taking Jessamine home before returning to his own castle. As the two of them rode up, Giuseppe looked over to Jessamine. "I do hope you have enjoyed this journey," he said, grabbing for her hand. "I have enjoyed it immensely because of you. I have learned more about who you are, but also about who I am. You have helped me to realize that. I am so appreciative of your company." He leaned in to place a kiss on her lips. "I will come back for you soon. I am sure you are just dying to be rid of me by now." He smirked. "Thank you again, Jessamine. As all my time with you, I will cherish this trip forever."