Caught In The Middle Ch 03

Maya's eyes fluttered open, revealing nothing more than a bright space full of blurry objects. She brought her fingertips to her cheeks, and felt a wet trail of tears. Even in her sleep, she was constantly aware of the fact that she'd been through quite the ordeal. She groaned as the details of her encounter with Michael came flooding back to her; the feeling of his lips and fingers invading her body, and the fear she felt as she was pinned under him, rendered helpless as he violated her. The last thing she recalled was that he was seconds away from taking her virginity, but was prevented from doing so. Despite passing out, which she really hoped wouldn't become a habit, Maya caught a brief glimpse of the person who had supposedly showed up to rescue her. She assumed the same person brought her to where ever she was now. Thinking back on it, the whole thing seemed so outrageous.

Maintaining faith that she was still wrapped up in the longest, weirdest dream she'd ever had, she closed her eyes again, praying that when she decided to open them this time, she would finally find herself back in her bed, and could go about her day as usual.

"I see you're finally awake," she heard from the bedside. She opened her eyes and slowly turned her head, and was greeted with a sympathetic look from the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.

"You were asleep for so long, I was getting worried," he said, kneeling beside her and taking her hand. "You're safe now, Michael won't be bothering you again, so you have nothing to worry about."

Maya looked into his pale, icy blue eyes, and furrowed her brow. "Are you the guy who rescued me?" Even though she knew that someone had shown up to save her, Maya had been, at the time, unable to see the person's face.

The man smiled and nodded, "My name is Prince Richard Emery Levasseur III," he said with an air of dignity and pride. "Initially, I should've been there to greet you when you arrived, but things didn't quite go according to plan and..."

Maya yanked her hand out from under his, and moved to jump off the bed. There was no way she was going to let herself be alone with him. She didn't care where she was or who she was with- she was determined to get out of there. She would risk being out on her own, if that meant she would no longer be vulnerable to sexual attacks.

Unfortunately, her body had taken more damage than she thought, and she struggled to run to the door, let alone stay steady on her feet. As her legs gave out, she felt two strong arms wrap themselves around her and hold her body up. Despite Maya's struggles and demands to be put down, Richard picked her up princess-style and carried her back to the bed. The second he put her down, she grabbed a pillow and hit him as hard as she could.

"Don't come near me!" she screamed. She brought her knees to her chest and buried her head. Richard noticed her back tremble as she cried. He was taken aback by her sudden outburst, but figured she was experiencing shock from what had happened.

"It's okay, you're safe now. I'm not going to hurt you." He awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder, doing his best to comfort her. His expression, however, went from concern to shock when she slapped his hand away and put as much distance as she could between them.

"I said to get away from me!" she yelled again, throwing another pillow, "please, just let me go. I don't know what you want with me, but I can't..." she broke down, sobbing, before she could finish her sentence.

After what had happened, just mere hours after she woke up in Esfalda, Maya was done trusting anyone. She didn't care if the man sitting in the same room with her had saved her. She had thought that Michael was her savior, that he was the one who would help her return, or, at the very least, help her find her way around the foreign country. She trusted him too easily, and the price she would've had to pay was too much for her to willingly trust anyone else.

He sighed, and ran a hand through his wavy, golden locks. Maya looked up at him, almost in disbelief, as she witnessed his caring, sympathetic demeanor instantly change to one of impatience and annoyance. "I only wanted to help you, but since it seems as though you are not in any condition to cooperate, I'll leave you alone for the time being" he said haughtily as he walked away from her. Maya jumped as she heard the door slam shut.

After a minute, when she was sure he'd be off somewhere else, she got off of the bed and eased her way towards the door, not wanting to end up flat on her face since there was no one to catch her this time. When she finally made it, she turned to door knob and pulled back excitedly, expecting it to swing open and grant her the freedom she so sorely desired. She felt her heart sink, however, when it wouldn't budge.

"What the..." she tried again and again until she heard a deep chucking from outside. "You asshole!" she screamed, "open the door, goddammit! This isn't funny!"

"I doubt you'll believe me, but this really is for your own good," he said without a hint of remorse. "When you're ready to discuss matters like a civilized young woman, then I'll let you out."

Maya glared at the door through red, puffy eyes, hoping to somehow convey the hatred she felt at that moment to the man on the other side of it. When she heard the sound of footsteps growing distant, she began to bang on the door as hard as she could. "LET! ME! OUT!" she yelled. Eventually, her hands were so beaten, and her throat was so raw that she was forced to give up her protests.

She slumped back down on the bed, and pulled the comforter over her head. Mentally and physically, she was exhausted, and the little back and forth she had with Richard only made her feel worse. She hesitated, still, to believe that he had actually saved her for the purpose of helping her. For all she knew, whatever he had in store for her could be just as bad, possibly worse, than what Michael had tried to do to her.

Fresh tears formed in her eyes, creating wet spots on the pillow case. Maya didn't know how long she'd been there, she guessed two- maybe three- days, but everything was far too much for her to handle. Whether she tried to fend for herself or rely on the help of others, she couldn't win.

There's no way I can give up. I can't let this place, or these people get to me,

she tried to convince herself. However, there was a little nagging voice in the back of her head, telling her that any efforts she made would be fruitless and a waste of her time. Maya was torn between the two thoughts, not wanting to allow herself to be at the mercy suspicious strangers, but also acknowledging that she had absolutely no leads as to how to get home.

+++++++++

Three days passed, all of which Maya spent cooped up in her room. Each morning, she found on her nightstand a pitcher of water and a plate of food, which she made last all day. She had no clue as to who brought it to her room each day, and she didn't care to find out.

She spent most of her time in bed, having fallen into a deep depression. It wasn't so much that Maya was moping around, defeated, as it was her being frustrated at herself for being so helpless. Occasionally, she felt content with just lying there until she died, but her sense of pride refused to this new world break her. She was stronger than that, smarter than that. But she couldn't help thinking that she really had come to a dead end, with no other option than to just give up. For days, these conflicting thoughts tormented her, rendering her able to do nothing more than eat and sleep.

Every morning, the man who had saved her, who waited by her bedside until she woke up, paced the hall outside her door for hours, wondering how long he would have to wait until he could approach her again. A small part of him felt guilty, for allowing Michael to get to her before he could, and for not being able to offer her the aid she sought, but he knew that she would have to build up a much stronger resolve if she wanted any chance at creating a somewhat normal life in Esfalda. He didn't want to be

too

strict with her, but he couldn't afford to coddle her, either. He figured it was just his luck that he'd end up with someone like her. He had known about her his whole life- not her specifically, but that some woman would come to the country under similar circumstances- and now that the time had finally come, it was the complete opposite of what he was expecting.

In his mind, ever since he was a small child, he had fantasized about stumbling upon beautiful, feminine woman, one who would be willing follow him. Someone obedient, and well mannered, who would easily perform her duties as instructed.

The only characteristic Maya had that was relatively parallel to his fantasies was her beauty, although even that was quite different than what he had envisioned. Everything else couldn't have been more off. He recalled the way she struggled in his arms, despite the fact that she couldn't even stand up, and how she threw pillows at him and screamed at him to leave her alone.

Reliving these events infuriated him. He felt like he was babysitting a rotten child. Never in his life would he have thought that anyone, let alone a woman whom he had rescued, would have the nerve to act so disrespectfully towards him. Had it been anyone else, the most lenient punishment would have involved something along the lines of a lifetime of hard labor.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, finally deciding that if she was able to act

so

grateful for his services and hospitality, surely giving her this much time alone was enough to let her think things over and come to terms with her situation.

He knocked on the door three times, to let her know that he'd be coming in. Once inside the room, Richard searched for her petite form amongst the comforters and cushions. He walked around to the side of the bed, where no more than the top part of her face, from the bridge of her nose up, was visible.

He looked down at her, displeased. She appeared unnaturally pale, with dark, sunken circles underneath her eyes. She looked straight ahead, right through him, as though he wasn't even there.

"I believe it's time for you to get out of bed. Why don't we get you cleaned up and have you eat a proper meal," he said, doing his best to sound as gentle as he could, but ultimately failing to mask his disdain towards her current state.

Maya slowly raised her eyes and looked up at him. She distinctly remembered the face of the man who had stood at the same spot three days ago when she first woke up. She remembered how kind his expression had been. It was difficult for her to believe that the man from then and the man next to her now were the same person. The way he looked down at her with his brows knit together and his lips pursed gave her chills.

"I swear, I want nothing more than to help you," he said, his words contradicting his expression. "You need to trust me."

Maya shot him a glare, "I don't believe you."

"If I truly wished to harm you, don't you think I would've done something by now? Do you think that I would've had your clothes changed and your wounds tended to?" he tried to reason.

She refused to answer him, not wanting to admit that his reasoning was very logical.

"You know, I find it odd that you've been here for four days, and I still don't know your name," he said, trying to change the subject to something that could lead to a more friendly conversation, without them attacking each other.

"Maya Evans."

"Maya...Evans," he repeated, looking as though saying her name left a bad taste in his mouth.

Maya sat up, throwing the covers off of her. "Do you have a problem?" she asked accusingly. He looked at her, surprised. "Do you not like my name or something? Is it not pleasing to your highness?"

He remained speechless, wondering where her sudden attitude came from. Her spontaneous display of antagonism towards him left him confused and angry. His patience with her was definitely thinning.

"I was merely wondering where such a name had originated from. But now that I think about it, you're right. I don't find it particularly appealing. But then again, I do suppose such a deviant name is perfectly suited for someone such as yourself," he smirked.

Deep down, Richard knew that acting this way was definitely beneath him and that, considering his relationship to Maya, he would most likely come to regret it later on. But he couldn't help it. There was something about her that made him want to fan the metaphorical fire between them. Maybe it was his sense of pride, not wanting to allow him to be talked down by her, or maybe it was something else. Either way, both parties remained unrelenting.

"Anyway, Maya Evans," he continued before she had a chance to retort, "don't you think you've stayed in this room for long enough? I'm sure you must be a little confused as to why you've been brought here, so if you wouldn't mind sacrificing a brief moment of your time and coming along with me-,"

"A little confused?" she stood, placing her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes. "Let's see, in less than 24 hours, I've found myself transported hundreds of years in the past, almost raped by some shady prince, and dragged, against my will, to yet another stranger's castle. So yeah, I guess you could say I'm just a

little

confused, but I really don't care why I've been brought here. Unless you know how to get me home, I'm not going anywhere with you."

Maya couldn't quite figure out why she constantly acted so harsh towards him. Some of it was due to the fact that she didn't want history repeating itself, but what he had said before was true. If he really was going to do something, surely he would've way before now. Even when they first spoke to each other, he didn't come off as hostile or rude. But there was something about him that Maya couldn't quite put her finger on. However, she was sure of the fact that his confidence and cockiness irritated her, and she found herself subconsciously wanting to push him away.

"Look, I know that you've been through a lot, and I know that you really want to get home, but I can promise you that you'll be safe here. You could have a good life here. My family and I, we believe that we have an explanation for your arrival, and if we are correct, we've dealt with your type for generations,"

"You've 'dealt with my type'?" she repeated, "what the hell am I? Some wild animal?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. But it really is of the upmost importance that we explain what's going on and why you're here, whether you want to know or not."

Maya stayed put where she was, but became conflicted as to what her next move should be.

"It is possible that what you learn could lead you to finding a way back. That's the kind of information you're looking for, correct? You can come with me, and my family and I can do our best to answer any questions you have, or I could send you back to Michael, if you would prefer that. He could probably give you the same answers, but I cannot be certain that he would be as nice about it. It's up to you."

Maya ran out of arguments. He was right, she would have to take every chance she got if she wanted to find a way back. Acting depressed and being stubborn wasn't going to get her anywhere. Besides, she was too tired to continue going back and forth with him. "Alright," she finally relented, "let's go."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Going through the halls of this particular estate, Maya noticed that everything about it seemed to be the complete antithesis of Michael's, almost comically so. Even he and Richard appeared to be exact opposites.

Everything was so bright and warm. Every wall was decked with portraits of people and country pastures, and everything was colored with gold, yellow, and peach hues, as opposed to the dark, depressing greys Maya had previously been exposed to.

Now that they had momentarily quelled their arguing, Maya was making a more thorough observation of Richard's features, and concluded he was essentially the textbook definition of Prince Charming. When she was younger, and her mother read fairy tales to her before bed time, he was the kind of Prince she had always envisioned. Yet, she held on to her belief that something seemed a little off about him. He came off as either very reserved, or extremely stuck up, with no in-between. His blue eyes, which were very cold, and somewhat unrelenting, didn't help with her overall impression of him. Michael's eyes had pulled her in, and trapped her, whereas this man's eyes shut her out, and pushed her as far away as possible.

Maya shook her head as they continued walking. She didn't want to think about Michael or his eyes. What she wanted was to forget everything that had happened with him, or better yet, to wake up in her bed and write off her experiences thus far as a very, very bad dream.

While following Michael through the castle, Maya accidently caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of a picture. To her immense relief, she didn't look nearly as bad as she thought she would. She noticed shortly after Richard left her alone that a simple cotton night gown had replaced the petticoat and chemise she previously wore. Someone, she assumed the same person who had changed her clothes, had put her hair in a neat bun -although stray hairs had come out over the course of the past few days- and changed the bandages around her head. The new clothes she sported also looked much more flattering than what she previously had on, even if they were just simple night clothes. The only thing that caught her attention in a bad way was her neck. There was a large, dark bruise to highlight where Michael's hand had been.

"Is there something wrong?" Richard asked.

"It's nothing," she said absentmindedly, gently tracing the mark.

He shifted his eyes away from her, and for a brief moment, his handsome face adorned a look of guilt. "I will protect you and see to it that what he did will never happen again. Although, there is no excuse for it happening in the first place." He cleared his throat and straightened his back in an attempt to regain his cool composure. "Anyway, it's best not to dwell on past events. We have more pressing matters to attend to."

Suddenly she felt like a nuisance. She didn't want to be someone who required protection, and she didn't want to be his responsibility. "Right," she quietly uttered, quickening her pace to catch up with him.

Maya stayed a couple paces behind Richard, taking note of the way he walked, and how he carried himself. It briefly dawned on her that he very much resembled a doll, as opposed to a handsome fairy tale prince. He was breathtakingly beautiful, but, like a doll, he came off as unemotional and uncaring. She was so sure that everything he kept telling her, like how she was safe, how he wanted to help her and protect her, was out of some sort of obligation, rather than a genuine desire to comfort her.

Eventually the pair arrived in front of a set of grand, ornately decorated doors.

"There are a few things I should explain to you before we go in there," Richard began. "You will be meeting my family- my father, mother, and great uncle. My father and mother, of course, are king and queen of this kingdom, while my great uncle serves as an advisor. They will explain to you your role here, and what your duties shall be from this day forward. Listen carefully, and try to refrain from speaking out of line. Understood?"

"Yes sir." Maya pretty much tuned out everything else after hearing "king and queen". The meeting was too sudden for her, and she briefly regretted pressing so hard for answers, but getting them had to remain her top priority. She took a deep breath and braced herself.