Chapter 2

When Ruma woke up again, she was on the bed again. The only difference seemed to be that her arms and legs were now bound to the bed. Briefly she wondered if she could somehow try to escape again.

That thought was immediately dashed upon hearing the drunken shriek of laughter followed by the clumsy clattering of furniture outside the dimly lit outline of her door. There was no way in the world that she would be getting out of here with a group of thugs outside her door.

Ruma looked up at dark ceiling, contemplating her situation.

It was obvious she had been kidnapped, but why? And by who? Or rather who hired these dimwitted brutes to take her.

It was obvious that whoever was behind this was in it for leverage and money. She was a Princess for goodness sake!

It couldn't have been anyone who wanted something from the royals of Mordid, they burned down their estate after all.

So either her kidnappers were just stupid enough to think that they would get something for her after their arson escapade and her 'breakdown' earlier, or they were after something from Deloria. Out of all the people in her life, the only one left who truly cared for her, was her brother.

Huffing, Ruma jerked at her binds causing them to grind against her skins, leaving definite bruises "I have to get out of here"

Closing her eyes, Ruma focused on the very fire that her mother told her to keep hidden all these years.

Just as the heat began to build the door burst in revealing a bulky ogre of a man. Ruma stilled, keeping her face emotionless to try and hide her growing panic. She closed her eyes and breathed as the giant approached her bed. She felt his presence near and then 'click' she opened her eyes in surprise to see that her shackles had been removed.

Re-composing her face, she sat up in the bed, resisting the urge to rub her bruised wrists. The beastly man turned and gestured for her to follow him as he walked through the bright doorway. Swallowing down her nerves, Ruma carefully stood and followed him, as poised as any queen.

As she walked into the room, the men quieted. She fought to keep her eyes on course, looking straight ahead as she tip toed towards a seat and sat down elegantly.

"Oh cut the shit Princessa, and stop acting all high and mighty"

She ignored the deep gravelly voice of the man she recognized as her captor from the field.

She swallowed as she heard him cross the room. As he grabbed her chin and forced her to look coldly at his ruggedly beautiful face, covered in stubble, she sucked in her breath and tried to banish the way his touch set her skin on fire.

Why didn't she feel this when she was with Xavier, or maybe even Kent! Things would've been so much easier, if all she felt was the disgust and hurt that she felt when she was with the Princes.

Her hazel eyed captor smirked "I know you want to ask, so why don't you just get it over with?"

She collected herself and sent a glare his way "What makes you think I don't know who hired you and your little gang to kidnap me and why?"

The handsome man burst into laughter, his grin memorizing, he let go and watched her stiff form in amusement "Do enlighten us hermosa"

Her eyes flashed, something not gone unnoticed by her captor "Its obvious that unless you are all as stupid as you seem, that one of my brother's enemies hired you lot to capture me and cause a distraction so you could use me for ransom."

Her tall captor laughed along with the rest of the men "Is it obvious?"

Ruma adjusted her posture, straightening her small body "It is... Although it is the plan of an idiot. My brother might break to his feelings and hope to save me but my Father is still King and would have the sense to see through such a plot."

The man cocked his dark brow "Is that so?"

Ruma nodded "In the end we all know that you are just going to try to kill me or ransom me off to the highest bidder, so might as well get it over with"

She closed her eyes and sat still in her chair as silence took over the small room.

Suddenly the silence of the room was bowled over by the deep hearty laughter of the group of thugs.

She opened her eyes to see the man wiping the tears from his hazel eyes with one large hand "Ah Princessa, you are good for a laugh that is for sure! Don't you think guys?" It was clear by their laughter that they agreed.

She fiddled with her fingers in an attempt to distract from her confusion and keep her face indifferent.

The man knelt in front of her and took her blue skirts, she breathed in as a new feeling crept into her belly "Tell me Princessa..." He said in a husky voice that fed the knots forming in her stomach "Where did these come from?" Her eyes widened and her composure finally cracked as he showed her the small handprints burned into her thin skirt.

She swallowed, her fear now building to new heights "I...I have no idea what you are speaking of"

"Not that that's what you're here for" He smiled standing up to his full height "But you might find that you are more wanted and accepted here than in any court."

She breathed, enraged with how muddled her feelings were. His touch made her sense go haywire, while his words both confused and enraged her. The truth in his words hit her hard while her situation became blurrier and blurrier.

"What is it, I am here for then" She seethed, her eyes conveying the angry fire growing within her while her face stayed cold as ice.

He smirked "What's the fun in telling you?"

She was ready to explode

He grabbed her hand, yanking her to her feet, and dragged her over to the rest of the men and the table of cards.

"Wen can you get the princess something to eat? Ike deal us in"

Warily she took her food from the smiling blonde and spent the rest of the night playing cards with her captors, thinking that they were the biggest idiots the world had possibly seen.

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"PANCAKES!"

Ruma grumbled from beneath her covers, huddling in her warm cocoon. Suddenly her blissful hiding spot was torn away from her as a certain someone ripped away her covers.

"Fuck off" She growled, attempting to crawl deeper into her single pillow.

Her assailant chuckled "And I mistook you for a Princess"

She sat up abruptly, glaring at those hazel eyes "And I was right in thinking you were an ass"

He laughed, clutching his hand to his heart "Oh how you have wounded me Princessa"

She rolled her eyes and haughtily brushed by him, making her way through the door. She took a seat at the round table soon followed by her captor. As Ike placed a pile of steaming, fluffy pancakes in front of her she nodded in her thanks and began eating. "So have you figured out what you're going to be doing with me yet oh so gracious captor?"

The man across from her scoffed and smiled up at her "What's it matter to you Princessa, is our humble abode and Ike's pancakes not enough for royalty?"

She huffed, "A week held hostage in the same house as an ass like you gets old fast"

The men milling around the small space let out a series of chuckles as her captor simply looked at her with amused contempt "I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience Princessa but we had to give that royal family of yours time to miss your oh so pleasant demeanor"

Ruma scoffed "To which royal family are you speaking of, the one whose estate you stupidly burned to the ground or my blood whom I have not seen or heard from in six years?"

Her captor ignored her and continued devouring his own plate of drowned pancakes. Ruma leaned forward "I told you before, the Michaelson won't want anything to do with me after that stunt, I'm not a valuable enough asset. And my father won't allow my brother to bother himself with my misfortunes. You won't receive a penny from either."

Ruma looked down "Also the amount of syrup on those poor pancakes is disgusting"

The hazel-eyed man sat back with a smug look on his face "Oh dear one, you have no idea what you're talking about" He leaned forwards, his sweet breath fanning over her face causing her heart to stumble for unknown reasons "On either account"

He stood up from his chair and brushed by her on his way to join the other men "Do hurry Princessa, for the first time this week you will be making an appearance."

She coughed in her drink, "Excuse me?"

He ignored her, already deep in conversation with one of the bigger men called Seth. As she ate the rest of her breakfast, she couldn't help the thoughts that ran through her mind. He had basically called her naive, although she was fairly sure of her Father's priorities. On top of that, he had casually slipped in that she would be going out today.

Were they going to release her? Had her family actually paid these brutes off? Her brother could be compelling, but he held no weight against their father.

Would they actually let her go? She had seen their faces but technically, she'd never learned her captor's name. She only knew those who seemed to be lower-level thugs. But her captor seemed...

Like he actually held some weight.

Once she was done, she thanked Ike and retired to her room. She sighed and stretched after she closed the door to the room. This was the only place in which she was allowed privacy. The rest of the house was filled with thugs and other men who were either guarding the different entrances, involved in daily meetings or simply fooling around.

It was one of the reasons she had not attempted to escape.

Sure she had made them feel comfortable with her presence, but it was clear they would never relax enough to not follow her movements around the small, crowded house.

Her room may have been the size of one of her closets in the castle, but it had no windows, which meant no guards.

Rubbing her eyes, she turned to see a dress carefully laid out on her wrinkled sheets.

The dress was similar to the one that she had been wearing when she was captured a week ago. The sheer sleeves draped over her shoulders, caressing their curve gently. The bodice and skirt were made of silky, thin material, that was light and airy. The pastel green skirts were layered gently on top of one another while the darker green corset clung to Ruma's body, accentuating the curves of her body and breasts. While the top of the bodice dipped lower than she would've liked, the sheer material accenting the top of the dress protected her skin from exposure as her neckline plunged.

She twisted her untamable hair into a careful black knot on the top of her head save for the few curls that escaped and curled in front of her eyes. Spotting the elegant comb showcasing small jeweled flowers, she gently took the comb and tucked it into her hair beside the knot.

Sighing, she ran her fingers over the silky skirts of her dress and closed her eyes. She hated dresses in court, they were scratchy, tight, and uncomfortable, clearly for the pleasure of men. A select few; however, Ruma considered an exception. Dresses such as these, that were soft and free.

Her daydream was quickly interrupted by a certain hazel-eyed brute bursting through the door "We realize that you don't have all of your 'attendants' helping you dress but we are on a -"

Ruma turned, her soft grey eyes meeting his darkened hazel ones. She watched with amusement as his thin lips moved in an attempt to create a sentence while his eyes flitted from her to her form. The rest of his stature was rigid, frozen in place, aside from his fists clenching and unclenching.

"I'm ready," Ruma said softly, attempting to calm the fire the man had set to her nerves.

Her captor swallowed, then turned and walked quickly through the door, gruffly telling her to follow him.

For once, she did as she was told and followed the confusing man through the door. To her surprise, he was headed towards the entrance of the small house. When he saw she wasn't following him, he opened the door to reveal the blue of an afternoon sky and turned back to her. "Are you coming? Or do I have to carry you like last time?"

She shook herself and walked forward, taking in the sky with a blank expression in an attempt to hide the overwhelming sense of happiness she felt as she entered the freedom of her prison.

Once they were out, the man grabbed her arm and helped her into the cart a few feet away. He climbed up to join her, seating himself directly beside her so his legs brushed up against hers. She took a breath, desperately trying to contain her confusing and overwhelming feelings.

While her sparks spread through her body, her head swam with fleeting thoughts, while her heart soared at the sight of trees along the path.

They spent the entire journey in silence, with the man surveilling their surroundings and the woman taking in everything that she could before she was assaulted with the reality of her situation once again. Ruma was so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that they'd reached their destination until the cart jolted to a stop.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that the man had covered his unruly black hair with a dark hood. His hands were wrapped with cloth and his weapons were brandished openly. On his face, he had also smeared dirt along his stubbled jawline and cheeks.

He stood on the ground with his hand extended, to help her down "Well Princessa, do you need me to come up there and grab you?"

Collecting herself, she rolled her eyes, grabbed the edge of the cart, and jumped down to the ground herself.

Her hooded captor laughed "Very well then"

They stood there for a moment as she took in their surroundings. They were standing in front of a crumbled stone building, something that could've been mistaken as a fort from a distance, but was obviously out of use. Around it, there was almost a forest of overgrown trees and grasses that intruded on the stone and crept over the path. In the overgrowth, the light of the midday sun seemed dim and the air seemed thicker.

"What now?" She asked

Her captor smirked "Now you give me your hands"

She narrowed her eyes "I have to bind you. You are a prisoner, after all, don't let the pancakes and fancy dresses fool you"

She sighed and did as she was told, hoping that everything would be over with soon.

Once he had gently bound her hands, she looked at him "And now?"

He grabbed her roughly, startling her as he dragged her forwards into the darkness of the overgrown fortress "Now, you shut up"