1Per his duty, Merrick escorted the Princess to her engagement ceremony. He nodded lazily at a guard, indicating the need for an announcer. The guard went inside to call an announcer and then returned, nodding in confirmation.
"Beloved guests, may I present the crown princess: Her Royal Highness, Princess Shayla!" the announcer, Trip, declared extravagantly.
Both Merrick and Princess Shayla entered the hall but the latter walked all the way up to her father while the former slipped into the shadows. The other warriors probably caught a glimpse of him at the very least so he hoped they'd just leave him alone.
"Princess," the King addressed, kissing his daughter's hand.
"Father," she replied, curtseying stiffly in response.
"Your Royal Majesty, Your Royal Highness," the Grand Duke spoke.
"Your Royal Highness," father and daughter replied at the same time.
The King and the Grand Duke started talking about political affairs so the Princess excused herself from the conversation. As she scoped the hall for her protector, she lightly touched her lips, unable to believe that said man had kissed her only moments ago...
What was going on his mind? Was he thinking about her too? Shayla quickly snapped out of the reverie, remembering that Merrick had cheated on her. Yes... He had slept with a maid called Siobhan. A maid that she saw frequently. If that wasn't a blatant slap in the face then she didn't know what was...
But then again, why had she - the Princess herself - admit she loved him in front of him? Of course she already knew the answer to that: even after he'd been unfaithful to her, Merrick was still in her heart and simply refused to leave. What was she to do? Forgive him? Take revenge?
All too soon, Shayla was forced to return to the real world. Her father was speaking, giving a whole speech about what a great daughter she was and how he'd miss her after the wedding. She'd be lying if she said her heart wasn't moved by his words but whenever she thought of her father, she was reminded of the fact that he was forcing her into an unwanted marriage with a complete stranger. She'd never be able to forgive him for that.
The high priest in attendance started the handfasting. Shayla looked up and closed off her mind from all emotions but not before she spotted a silhouetted figure escaping from the hall...
Princess Shayla sighed in relief once the handfasting was done. The Grand Duke walked away, presumably to mingle, while she stayed next to her father. Luckily, this handfasting hadn't required vows of any kind so she wasn't bound by fake promises. Not yet anyway.
"I told you to forget him," the King hissed discreetly, putting on a fake smile for the audience.
"Father, what are you talking about?" the Princess asked, remaining composed.
"About Sir Merrick," he answered. "I have seen the way you look at him; you love him."
Shayla's heart lurched painfully as she looked straight at her father and nodded. How could he be so cruel? How could he be forcing his daughter to marry another when he himself admitted to knowing who she loved?
"It does not matter," she spoke, her eyes growing red. "He does not return my feelings." The King's eyes widened in what could only be shock. Either he was dreaming or Merrick was taking his job very seriously. "He is intimate with one of the palace maids."
Judging from the heartbroken look in her eyes, the King deduced that his daughter was being truthful. Seizing the opportunity, he decided to make the most of the situation.
"I told you long ago not to get too close to him. This was why. He may have been infatuated with you at one time... but he got tired of you and moved onto an easy target. Young men cannot be trusted with the hearts of young women."
Infatuated. Her father had just said Merrick was infatuated with her. The feeling of hope ran through her. That meant that Merrick's feelings towards her hadn't been wishful thinking on her part. They were real. As real as the kiss he gave her earlier in the day.
"Yes, Father," Shayla responded boldly, startling the King. "You are right. He was infatuated with me. Maybe he even loved me. But now he loves another. Let us not talk about this."
Shayla curtseyed to the King, leaving him a bit confused but hugely relieved. Merrick had taken a sacred oath and Shayla had accepted the circumstances. Now her marriage would go smoothly.
As the Princess walked away, she smiled. Her father believed she had moved on but he was wrong. Ironically, it was his words that gave her hope. She left the hall and headed towards her chamber to get her necklace. Hopefully, her plan would work.
Shayla totally ignored the guards as she walked past them, towards Merrick's chamber. If the guards hadn't heard the rumours yet, they'd definitely start a few new ones now. In general, Princess Shayla going to her protector's chamber wasn't out of the ordinary... if it was in the day. At night, however, it gave off the completely wrong impression.
Just as the Princess reached the chamber doors, a young servant opened the door. He had a ridiculous amount of laundry with him so it looked like he was leaving for the night.
"Your Royal Highness," the servant greeted. He was surprised to see her there, still dressed in her elegant red engagement dress.
"Is Merrick here?" Shayla enquired and the servant nodded. "Is he alone?" She spoke quietly, knowing she'd arouse suspicion if she was too loud.
The servant stood there for a second, almost unsure of how to answer until he finally managed to make out "Yes, but he said he wanted to be alone," in a faint whisper.
"Too bad," Shayla said before dismissing the servant and gently pushing Merrick's bedchamber door open. This ends now, she thought, he is going to stop playing with my feelings once and for all.
She walked into his chamber and noticed he was facing the window away from the door, examining his sword. His blue cape was draped over the large elegant chair next to his desk. The majority of the candles in the room were lit out except from a select few, most of which were near the bed. He placed his sword on the table by the window and he was about to undress when he turned around and saw Shayla now standing in the middle of his room. She wanted to sound firm and confident but the brief conversation she had with her father had worn her out so she looked tired even though her dress and make up told a different story.
"Your Royal Highness," Merrick finally managed to make out, "Are you okay?"
He swallowed hard and felt something stir inside him, seeing her in that deep red dress again. It had already been hard enough earlier in the day and now she stood in his bedroom with the same seductive curve fitting dress and soft brown curls falling around her face. The red lipstick she had donned at the beginning of the night had now faded and she bit her bottom lip, making his desire to kiss her even worse.
"I think I should be asking you that," she said.
"Yes, I suppose so," he admitted, looking away from her.
"Well? Why did you walk out of my engagement ceremony?" she implored, moving closer to him.
"It was nothing important," he replied, trying to sound casual. His eyes widened as he noticed she was wearing the necklace again. When? He was pretty sure she hadn't been wearing it at the memorial or the engagement ceremony. But then again, he hadn't really stuck around long enough to find out...
"You left during the future Queen's engagement ceremony, how is that not important?" He did not respond so she spoke up again. "I just came here to tell you that after I am married I must go to the Grand Duke's family home for a while; for my honeymoon. When I return, I will probably be withchild, as is expected. I know you will be busy preparing for the war so I thought I should tell you," she explained, crossing her arms in front of her, "There is something I want to ask you though."
Shayla's words were like a slap in his face. Withchild. In a few months time, she would become pregnant with another man's child. The thought of another man so much as touching her made his skin crawl. How would he bear it? More importantly, how would she bear it? Clearing his throat, Merrick banished all thoughts of the Grand Duke out of his mind.
"What do you wish to know?" he asked while leaning on the wall.
"Do you or did you ever have any feelings for me?" she queried quickly, before she lost her courage.
He observed her for a while, surprised by her boldness, knowing what he wanted to say but also what he had to say.
"My answer is not going to be what you want to hear," he warned her, glaring at the ground.
"I still want to hear it," she demanded.
"Why are you making things harder than they are?" he questioned, inching closer to her.
"What are you talking about?" she inquired.
"You came here to ask me if I feel anything towards you but any man would be crazy not to feel something seeing you in that dress," he conceded, eyeing her from head to toe. He then exhaled a long breath.
"You never answered my question," she reminded him, pretending not to be swayed by what he had just said.
"Why does it matter?" he asked, "You are getting married remember!"
"Stop changing the subject. You know that it is only a marriage of convenience. You know who I love," she responded in a small voice.
"I know. Even your father, the King, knows," he told her, shaking his head. "But it does not matter."
"Yes it does!" her voice rose.
"What do you want from me Princess!?" his voice was loud and shaky.
"I want you to be honest, forget about everything else, just tell me the truth!" she shouted at him, feeling frustrated.
He knew what he had to say but he did not want to let her down, he did not want to crush her heart. But knowing he loved her back would only make things worse. In his mind, he would rather look like a villain to her. It made it easier to deal with this whole situation.
"Very well, the truth is I do not feel anything towards you," he lied, trying to sound as convincing as possible.
Shayla let out a sharp short breath expecting that answer from him, after all he'd been avoiding her.
"Are you sure?" she asked, getting dangerously close to him.
Merrick didn't respond because he expected her to behave like any other girl would've. The natural response would've been for her to start crying but it was as if she knew what he was going to say and she knew there was more. She was as close to him as she could possibly be without touching him. Her protector remained still, his hands clasped behind his back.
Shayla's big eyes looked up at him and she asked him, "If you do not like me then why do you want to kiss me?"
"I do not know what you are talking about," Merrick lied, trying to look away from her but she ran her hands through his hair, keeping his gaze on hers, before she pulled him in for a kiss.
She captured his lower lip and gently nibbled on it before fully capturing his lips in hers and as much as he tried to resist, he couldn't so he unclasped his hands and pulled her body closer to his. Their tongues explored each other's mouths and Shayla let out a surprised moan when he switched positions with her, pushing her against the wall. The pair of them continued kissing until she reached for his jacket, stripped him of it and threw it on the ground. Merrick broke the kiss and proceeded to leave a trail of kisses down her neck, reaching her collar bone and getting dangerously close to her chest. Shayla dug her hands into his shoulders as he kissed the sensitive spot in between her breasts. He stopped what he was doing to take her pink lips in his once again. She pulled him closer and soon they were both breathing heavily after they broke their kiss.
Suddenly Merrick backed away from Shayla and ran his fingers through his hair, unable to believe what he almost just did. Sitting on the end of his bed, he tried to breathe normally and heard her speak.
"So you do not feel anything towards me but you can kiss me like that?"
Merrick was angry with himself for letting it get that far and he knew in how much trouble she would be because of him. There were guards posted throughout the whole castle and there were definitely some near his chamber. He knew that guards didn't have the guts nor authority to tell the King what their superiors did in their spare time but that didn't stop them from spreading rumours which eventually got back to the King.
"This is what a man does. I would react like this with any woman who did what you just did," he answered in a harsh tone.
Once again, Merrick expected Shayla to start crying, be dramatic or even leave but instead she sauntered towards him, the fabric of her dress clinging dangerously to her curves.
"Really?" she asked, stopping right in front of him.
"Yes really," he responded, his eyes piercing into hers. "I think you should retire to your chamber. There must be a maid waiting for you."
"No, I do not think so. I dismissed them all, including your servants," the Princess retorted, picking up her dress with her right hand (as far as it would go) and placing her left hand on his shoulder.
Before her protector could ask her what she was doing, she sat on his lap, straddling him and placing both of her hands on his shoulders. Shayla lightly kissed Merrick's lips and moved her hands down to grab one of his, bringing it back up and placing it on her heart. He felt how quick her heart beat for him so he wrapped his free arm around her waist and brought her closer. She was flush against his chest making her breath catch in her throat. As her legs tightened around him, he felt his braies tighten as well... it wasn't a good sign.
"It looks like your body does not agree with your mind," Shayla whispered and her lover could not help but chuckle. She fiddled with his tunic but he stopped her.
"I do not think this is a good idea," Merrick told her but all he wanted to do was switch positions and make love to her. "You and I can never be."
"I think that you should be the only man to touch me," she said, ignoring him as she ripped his belt off and tossed it on the floor. "I do not want to bear someone else's child. If I bear anyone's child, I want it to be yours Merrick."
"We cannot do this," he forced himself to say. It took every fibre of his being to say that, especially after hearing how she wanted to have his child not the Grand Duke's. She took advantage of his internal struggles by pushing his hands out of the way and working on the tunic again. "You are engaged."
Shayla stopped tugging at his tunic and got off him.
Merrick breathed a sigh of choked relief. It wasn't much of a relief though because all he wanted to do was rip off her dress and make her his.
"Before I go, I am going to ask you one last time. Are you sure you have nothing to say to me?"
"Yes," he choked out, in a hoarse voice.
"Very well," Shayla agreed, before leaning in and whispering. "Then why do you remember the words to a song I only sung once six years ago?"
The Princess half smiled and stared at him a second longer. She then turned around and headed for the door. Shayla hadn't even gotten 15ft away from Merrick when he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a possessive embrace. Some of her curls got in front of her eyes; he gently reached up and removed them from her face. He cupped the right side of her face, his left hand still strongly holding her by the waist.
"Why are you making this more difficult than it should be?" he implored.
"It is not difficult," her eyes got even bigger as she gazed into his eyes. "It is a simple question."
Merrick closed his eyes and breathed out very slowly. She had effectively cornered him; he had no choice but to give the honest answer. The truth she was dying to hear. "Because it was you who sung it."
Even though Shayla blushed at his comment she remained calm and whispered back to him, "So then what is stopping you?" She paused for effect. "I am all yours."
Merrick knew he shouldn't have; he knew that is was a bad idea. But in spite of everything, there was something in her eyes that made him feel like it was all going to be okay, like no matter what she was always going to be there. She was the purest thing in his life and there was no one in the world he loved more than her.
So when his Princess kissed him again, he didn't resist.
He immediately returned the kiss as she opened her lips for him and their tongues met like a fire burning into infinity. Shayla felt a tingling sensation down her spine as Merrick continued to kiss her until they ran out of breath. He rested his head on hers and they both breathed heavily before she kissed him again; wanting him, longing for him, wanting to kiss him like that all night. Shayla's hands trembled as she finally got rid of his tunic and threw it somewhere far away. The soft thud of the tunic landing on the floor was confirmation that this night was going to be different.
"Are you scared, my love?" he whispered.
She looked up into those honest hazel-green eyes which were half lidded in apprehension.
"I am, are you Merrick?" His hands nestled on her hips, her body shaking under his fingertips.
"Yes," he admitted.
He was just as much a virgin as she was. Ever since he was 15, silly maids blatantly offered themselves to him but he always rejected them for no apparent reason. When he was 18, he knew. It was because he loved the Princess and thought that even though he could never have her, he could at least remain faithful to her.
A moment later, Merrick decided to take her dress off while kissing her. Or at least try... He plucked at the bottom lace, making her shudder. He knew she was scared so he attempted to be strong. He prayed to God that this would be quick and easy.
Unfortunately, he pulled and found that one of the threads had snagged. He pulled again, and again, still kissing her in an attempt to distract her from his clumsiness. He finally became frustrated and ripped the garment. Oh dear…
"Merrick!" Shayla screamed in surprise. He moved away from her, his hands in the air, her dress ripped up the side. She was going to kill him, the look of murder evident in her eyes. He remembered her telling him how beautiful her engagement dress was, how much she loved it…and he had just ripped it.
"Princess…I am…oh…really I am…"
For a moment, he just stared at her angry face, her cheeks red, her brow creased. She looked…adorable, and he couldn't help but smile. He then started to chuckle and she found herself joining in.
"I'm sorry Princess," he apologised between laughs.
She smiled looking down and playing with the tear on her side.
"At least you did not break the necklace you gifted me. It is my most prized possession," Shayla told him.
"Oh yes. I should probably take that off for you," Merrick said, remembering the necklace. He moved Shayla's hair to one side and gently unclasped her necklace, his fingers brushing against her skin. She bit her lip, stirring something inside of Merrick. He nervously set the necklace down on his desk.
"I apologise... I just…" Merrick started, upon noticing Shayla's somewhat frustrated face.
"You have never done this before either?" Shayla finished uncertainly.
She was shocked. It was common knowledge that almost all of the maids in the castle wanted to sleep with Merrick. The thought had always made her a little jealous, especially after the whole Siobhan thing. It was the norm for knights and nobles to sleep around with castle maids before (and even during) marriage.
"Yes," he responded, blushing as he remembered his lie.
"But what about Siobhan?"
"Nothing happened. Not when you were - and always are - on my mind," he admitted. Her heart lifted considerably at these words. He was a virgin. She was a virgin. And now they were giving themselves to each other.
"I think…I think I would like you to help me with my dress now," Shayla managed to say, turning her back to him.
She was quiet, shy. He nodded dumbly and stepped forward to help with the torn garment. He stood behind her, his fingers gentle with the laces now. He pushed the garment over her shoulders and it fell to the floor in a heap. She turned around in her shift, her hands in front of her chest feeling very exposed. It was made of the whitest silks and hugged her perfectly, even more so than the dress.
"You are so beautiful," Merrick commented.
She bit her lip again. She was driving him mad with that. He watched as she moved her leg up, and pushed her shift high, his eyes hyper focused on the material. It came to rest at her hips. He gulped as she took one of her stockings off and wondered what it would be like to lick the exposed skin. She repeated the action with the other leg.
He pulled her close to his body and kissed her hungrily with every fibre of his being, feeling his courage start to come back. He gently picked her up and sat her on the edge of his bed as she broke the kiss and ran her hands over his sculpted body. He gazed into her eyes and he knew she was ready for this but he still needed to ask.
"Princess," he said, his voice full of want for her, for need for her, "Are you sure about this?"
Instead of saying anything, she just nodded and pulled him down onto the bed. She crawled towards him, the shift hanging low, exposing her cleavage. Merrick licked his lips, desperate to taste her. Shayla nestled next to him on her back, the shift still around the tops of her thighs. He touched the material. It was so soft against his fingertips. He took a deep breath and wrapped his hands around her thighs, his thumb making small circles on her skin.
She touched his face before her eyes fluttered shut in sensation. He pushed the shift higher, exposing her drawers and then her navel. He saw her eyes shut and daringly licked her belly button. She gasped, making her eyes open in wonder.
Merrick gulped and pushed her shift up over her chest and head. She was half naked in front of him, and he held the material in his hand, breathless again. She covered herself, her hands clenched into fists while her arms protected her under his gaze, her cheeks burning. He tossed the garment to the side and brought his arms around her, his lips connecting with hers.
"Please don't cover yourself Shayla…you are breathtaking," he whispered.
Shayla teared up; he used her name. He had never done that before. For once in her life, she felt like a normal 23 year old woman who was in love. Not a princess with forbidden desires.
She deepened the kiss and pulled him closer to her body, his bare chest pushing against her breasts felt like heaven on earth. He reached down and left a trail of kisses down her belly and finally reached her breasts, making her arch her back in response.
"Merrick!" the Princess moaned, making him harder.
He continued kissing her breasts as she held onto his hair tighter with every kiss he placed on her body. He picked her up and gently placed her higher on his bed making sure she was comfortable. She reached for his belt and carefully undid his braies removing them before he lay down on top of her and she moaned with just the weight of his body on her sensitive body. He kissed her lips as his hand sneakily made it's way down her waist and past her hips to where she had never been touched before.
He gently grazed the top of her drawers and felt how wet she was. Since it was her first time he wanted her to feel every sense of pleasure possible so his fingers made their way inside her and her back arched immediately.
As his fingers explored her she said, "Merrick, please, I need you." He kissed her belly all the way up to her collarbone and back down to her breasts as she pulled his hair and said, "Oh my God, Merrick, please, please."
Merrick felt his body harden with every begging breath she let out.
"Are you ready Shayla?"
His hands smoothed over her forehead. She nodded, her eyes looking deep into his soul.
"I am Merrick."
"Listen, this is going to hurt a bit," he told her, holding her gaze and preparing her for the hardest part of this. She nodded, unprepared for how much this was going to hurt.
Merrick removed their drawers and gently opened her legs for him. His hands left her body as he steadied himself on the headrest. He positioned himself and tried to go as slowly as possible but it was almost better to go all in and let her adjust to his size. He felt her grab a hand full of his hair as he entered her but she was silent.
Shayla tried not to whimper as she felt an immense amount of pain that she didn't really expect but Merrick's comforting words and demeanour helped to dull the initial pain.
For Merrick, it was indescribable. The heat of her warmth felt like hot oil all around him. He ground his teeth; she was so tight. He looked down and saw her face scrunch up, an uncomfortable look adorning her features.
"Shayla!" he hissed out, wanting to move desperately. "Are you okay?"
"Merrick, ah!" He had bucked into her without meaning to. "Umm, yes."
The Princess felt her body expand for him as he fit her perfectly but challenging her body as well and she knew at that moment that she want this forever, she wanted him to be hers forever because they fit together like pieces to an unsolvable puzzle. Slowly, he started moving and she followed along in the rhythm. Their hearts were beating out of their chests and into that moment they were sharing together. There were so many emotions and feelings running through their bodies, the whole room was captured in a euphoria of emotions and for that split second nobody else existed, their problems did not exist and it was just the two of them creating something that would last forever.
After a while, the young couple were completely spent, breathing heavily and waiting for their hearts to stop racing. Merrick lazily kissed Shayla as they lay facing each other, muscles slack, a sheen of sweat covering their skin.
"Are you sure you are okay?" he questioned and she nodded, cuddling up next to him as their legs intertwined.
The Princess's smile was wide and satisfied, her eyes full of wonder at this new discovery. His were concerned.
'What have I done?' he asked himself dismally. 'I deflowered her and then I released my seed inside her.'
The severity of what he had done hit him with full force. He had broken his oath and by doing so, he had committed treason. He had betrayed the King.
