Two days had passed since Caspian set out in the middle of the night to secure his kingdom. During those days, Elena spent most of her time planning their wedding and exploring the castle and it's grounds. She ventured out and about without fear of running into Caspian, as Henry had explained in his letter that he was no longer allowed to reside within the castle walls without direct invitation from Henry or herself.
Elena tried to keep the wedding on a small scale, but it seemed that the staff in charge of the event would hear nothing of it, everything had to be grand and over the top. Even her wedding gown, the part that she thought that she'd have the most input, was quickly becoming the most extravagant dress she'd ever worn. Weighed down by layers upon layers of the finest hand woven lace and confined tightly within the whale-bone corset, Elena felt quite claustrophobic.
One evening, Elena was sitting at the window of her bedroom, reading a book of poetry that she found on one of the shelves in Henry's study. After finishing a very complex verse, she looked out the window, pondering it's meaning. However, before long her thoughts drifted elsewhere, to Henry and his books. Elena wondered if he had read the book of poetry clutched in her hands, or was it merely an act, to impress those who by some chance read the spine while standing in Henry's study.
Elena sighed, the uncertainty of her pending marriage weighing deeply on her mind. She had barely eaten in the last few days, a fact that the seamstress who was making her wedding dress, had chalked up to wedding nerves. Along with the loss of appetite, there was the lack of sleep- Elena hadn't slept well since the last time she was in Henry's arms. Such conflicting emotions were driving her to feel extremely jumpy and on edge, and when Elena saw shifting, dark shadows in the castle grounds, she thought at first it was just her overactive imagination.
However, as she squinted and focused more on the dark shapes, she realised that they were actually the figures of two tall men. Elena followed their progress from her window high above them, until they came to an abrupt halt before the flickering flames of a wall mounted torch.
One of the men removed his cloak, revealing him to be one of Henry's soldiers -the one with the scar on his face. Elena's stomach clenched as it always did when she saw him, the captain who tried to choke her. The other figure, taller than the soldier, remained hidden, as he drew out from within the folds of his cloak a leather pouch and handed it to the captain. Elena watched as the captain emptied the pouch into his hand, revealing numerous golden coins that glittered in the flickering torchlight. He returned the money to the pouch quickly and tucked it safely into the folds of his clothing before nodding curtly to the taller figure. He walked away, the other man stood as still as a statue, watching his quick departure. Elena sat on the window's edge, her skin prickling uncomfortably for reasons she could not fathom, as she stared out at the hooded figure below. The tall man lifted his gaze, and it seemed to Elena that he was looking directly at her. Even though she couldn't see his face, she felt a shiver go down her spine as he continued to stare in her direction.
A sudden flash of lightning, illuminated the castle grounds and threw the man's face into sharp relief. Elena gasped as Caspian's cruel features were revealed briefly, before they were swallowed by the previous darkness of the night.
The book Elena was holding clattered to the floor, her shaking hands grasped the sharps edges of the window as she peered out into the night, her hair billowing around her. Elena searched the grounds quickly, her heart pounding painfully against her chest, but she couldn't find Caspian, hooded or otherwise, anywhere below.
Elena closed her eyes as she leaned against the cool stone wall and tried to calm herself. Maybe it wasn't Caspian, she told herself. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her- after all, it was very late and she was under an unusual amount of emotional stress.
Elena tried in vain to dismiss what she saw, but there was no way around it. Lord Caspian, was standing just moments ago, down in the castle grounds, staring at her. Henry had promised her in his letter, that Caspian and his infatuation had been dealt with in a proper manner and Elena could rest easily, for he was no longer allowed within the grounds without their permission. Yet there he stood, defiantly, within the castle grounds.
Her heart pounding, Elena started to pace before the fireplace, trying to gather her thoughts- but it felt as though her mind was one large sieve- her thoughts slipping right through even though she tried desperately to hold them together.
A knock on the door broke into Elena's reverie. It was around the usual time when one of Henry's men would inform her that the guards were changing, that a fresh eyed soldier would be shortly taking up the post for the remainder of the evening. She walked over to the door and opened it, thinking to alert the soldier on the other side of the of the infamous trespasser. When she did open the door however, she hastily stifled a gasp, for the soldier that stood before her was the same scar-faced man who just minutes earlier had been conversing with Caspian.
"Good evening Princess," he said silkily, his casual manner causing her hair to stand on end.
"Good - Good evening Captain," she stammered, gripping the door handle tightly for support.
"Is everything alright Princess? You seem a little pale." he said, his bright eyes sweeping her enticing figure.
"No... I mean yes, all is well. Are you to be my guard this evening?" she asked, hoping that he would contradict her.
"In a way Princess," he said with a slight chuckle. Elena could swear that she heard the slight jingling of coins as he laughed, but he quickly adopted a somber appearance, quelling the laughter that brought on the tinkling of coins within his cloak. "King Henry sent word, Princess, that you are to join him at once at the Castle of Grayveren."
Elena raised her eyebrows in surprise and held out her hand, her palm open. The captain looked from her face to her hand and back again, a confused look on his face.
"Well?" Elena asked, her hand still outstretched.
"I beg your pardon Princess, but I don't understand."
"Where is the letter? I want to read these directives myself," she said, injecting a little haughtiness into her tone for good measure.
"The King sent word by way of rider, there was no letter," he said, avoiding her gaze by feigning a respectful bow.
"I'm sorry Captain, I mean no disrespect, but I question such a directive when in fact I have received contrary instructions from the King himself about leaving the protection of this castle," Elena said, folding her arms over her chest.
A fleeting look of annoyance showed on the captain's face, however as quickly as it appeared it was gone. He stepped forward causing Elena to take a step back. "I'm sorry Princess, but I must insist. I have my orders and disobeying a direct order from the King would mean my certain death."
Elena noticed his hand travel to the sword strapped to his belt. She was sure that it was not meant to be a threat and he may not have even been aware that he had even done it, but Elena's eyes noticed the movement nonetheless and it was clear that he was not going to take 'no' for an answer.
"Alright Captain, I'll accompany you to the Castle of Grayveren, per the King's request. However you must permit me a few minutes to prepare myself for the journey."
The captain frowned but shrugged his shoulders, as long as she was cooperating- what did a few extra minutes mean? "I'll be right outside Princess. Please be ready in five minutes," he said, stepping back into the hall, allowing her to close the heavy door.
Immediately, Elena's mind went into a full blown panic. All her instincts were screaming at her that something was not right, that leaving with this man was dangerous and smelled of a trap. Henry's words echoed in her mind, that she was safer in the castle than anywhere else - he said explicitly that his journey was not safe.
She looked around the room again, thinking that maybe Henry had left a sword or something that could help her, however the only thing she saw was that sculpture of the archer. That was no match against a professional soldier wielding a sword.
A sharp knock on the door. "Princess," the captain's muffled voice called through the oak. "Is everything alright? Are you ready to leave?"
"Just a minute Captain," Elena called back, as she hurried to the closet and pulled on one of Henry's travelling cloaks, the black material was heavy, with a warm lining and a fur-lined hood. She wished that she had more practical footwear, but all she had were short leather boots, designed for fashion and not for comfort.
"Princess," he called through the door. "I must insist that we depart at once, my orders are considered quite urgent!"
"Alright Captain, I'm coming, please have patience" she said, as she pulled the door open. He stood back, allowing her to walk in front of him, his hand on his hilt again.
They walked at a brisk pace, their footsteps echoing loudly on the flagstone. Elena looked around, noticing the conspicuous lack of servants - she had hoped to encounter someone, anyone, that could help her. However, the castle was eerily empty - the only person who would realise that she had gone would be Catherine, when she came to help her prepare in the morning, and by then it would be too late - she would be long gone.
"Over here Princess," the captain directed her to a single horse, which was pawing the ground nervously, it's breath billowing out in steamy clouds against the cold night.
Elena stopped short. "Captain," she said haughtily. "Where is my steed? Where is the rest of the guard?" she asked, looking around.
