Chapter Eleven. Breaking rules.

Maria spent the rest of the day feeling a bit more at peace than before. She did everything she had to going along her daily basis as she let the maid's bath her and change her gown to silently and peacefully having her meals before she now quietly sat on the bed.

Time seemed to slow down when you are not allowed to move around but stay in one place as it seemed she had been sitting there doing nothing for so long since she had had her lunch and now she sat in the quiet chamber all alone. Trying to divert her mind, she got up and picked up another book from the small library in her personal chamber before she sat back down on the bed and engrossed herself in it.

By the time Darius made his way back to the chamber, the sun was just setting but he had decided to retire early today as he didn't want to risk anything happening to his wife no matter the time or place. So he had decided to come and show her around when there was still light blessing the day and now he stood right at the entrance of their Chambers watching her looking lost in the book in her hands.

Before long, she raised her slender hand to her mouth as she yawned. It seemed she really was tolerating a lot by staying inside the chamber and paying heed to his words. He could see she looked lonely and her skin would surely pale before long if she didn't get out to enjoy the sun but he had no other choice.

To ensure her safety,he had to put her somewhere he would always be sure to find her without delay of time in trying to locate her because in this palace,every single second counted. It seemed she had caught sight of him somewhere between his thoughts because he heard her voice before long after she had yawned.

"Darius! you are back". she asked and he thought he heard the slightest flicker of something like excitement in her voice but he stopped himself from imaging things and hoping for much more than she had to offer. To her earlier statement,he nodded and she got off the bed as though to welcome him back but just when she was a meter or so away from him, she posed as though suddenly not sure of what to do before she smiled at him and let him pass by her towards the bed. But that smile was still something for him but he didn't say it to her.

Darius then quickly changed his clothes into his riding clothes before he turned to look at her. "Are you ready?" he asked softly and she looked at her gown before she turned to look at his clothes and then nodded. He was certain she was wondering why he had changed his clothes but he didn't say anything to that as she didn't ask. He then led the way out of the chamber and off they went.

Darius made sure not to miss a single moment of his wife's excited expression as she looked fascinated by just everything right from outside their Chambers, just like an excited little girl on her way out for the first time. Much as he enjoyed her excited expressions,he couldn't help but feel a muscle tightening in his heart as he knew he had made her no better than a caged yet beautiful bird.

On their way to the stables, they came across a number of maids being whipped for some sort of reason he wasn't sure of when he walked for a good distance in front of her before he turned as he could not hear her footsteps following him. What he saw the moment he turned took him by surprise.

His wife had long way stopped walking and was now staring at the kneeling maids with pain as though she understood them and wanted to help them but couldn't. She looked so lost and pained he almost wondered whether she had been hurt herself and when he went back to fetch her, she looked at him with pleading in her eyes but he couldn't do anything to help them because he was sure it was the queen mother's doing and once he interfered,it would cause much more trouble than there already was.

"Let's go" he said softly and she hesitantly walked behind him just before all the liveliness and excitement in her eyes from earlier died down and she turned to following him around as though she was following orders. Darius noticed this and he did not like it any bit.

"Are you sad?" he asked her reducing on the silence between them but she shook her head at him denying it even as he could see she looked paler than earlier. He decided to let her be wondering how she was going to enjoy being taken out when her spirits were that down already but he continued to lead her.

By the time they reached the stables,it seemed she was even lost in thought than focussing on what was before her even as she maintained her composure and held her head high. Darius wondered whether he should try to comfort her and decided to do his best.

"Are you sure you are alright, Maria?" he asked her and she looked at him before she attempted to nod at him once again but he stopped her. "It's okay to be sad" he said and saw her look at him. "There are times when you have power but can't use it just to avoid arousing more trouble" he explained and she continued to blankly stare at him.

"You mean..."she started and he nodded knowing where her question was going.

"I can stop it now but not the next time. I am not the one who sentenced them to the punishment and me meddling in it will just bring more trouble not to me but to them" he did his best to explain and he finally saw her nod in understanding.

"I understand" she mouthed aloud and he nodded. Darius was a bit surprised at his wife's connection to the maids. Her heart was so tender and merciful basing on what he had learned and witnessed about her sofar which took him by surprise for a princess. Like a beautiful goddess she not only exuded beauty but also a pure heart which formed a soft spot in his heart for her.

"Shall we?" he then asked and she nodded looking in front of her and gasping as though she had just noticed the horses for the first time since they stood here.

"Rosie!" he could hear clear excitement back to her voice now and the horse bent her white head to let her pat her head while she smiled sweetly and hugged the horse as though the stallion was very dear to her. It seemed everything and everyone near his wife was dear to her,he thought in his mind.

"Rosie,let me introduce someone to you" she suddenly announced so happily before she came to him and drugged his hand towards the horse whose name he just registered was Rosie. "Rosie, this is Darius the great king and...my husband" she introduced before she turned to him with a beautiful smile and introduced the horse to him also. "Darius, this is Rosie. My sweet sweet sweet horse!" she introduced and Darius felt a slight twist in his heart as his wife regarded the horse as her sweet sweet sweet horse yet for him he was only her husband and not sweet husband. He didn't even know where he was harboring such thoughts from.

On impulse, his wife elegantly mounted the white stallion in one piece despite her gown and this left Darius speechless. He had already been sure she could ride more than just the average and considering her highlighted mood just now,he couldn't take that joy from her and he let her ride her horse. He hadn't planned to ride with her on the same horse anyway as he hadn't wanted to make her feel uncomfortable just in case and he was relieved her mood returned to excitement and joy once again.

"Let's go" he announced and she almost eagerly nodded to him before he pulled the reigns and kicked his horse to start moving making sure to let her catch up to him as he didn't leave her far behind him. Whilst in the process, breaking one of the rules of the kingdom but he would make sure to take care of that later.

For a short while, they rode in silence with him leading the way and Maria riding behind him before she leveled up with him making him loosen the reins for his horse to move more slowly as he sensed she wanted to tell him something.

"Where are we going?" she asked when she was sure he could hear her properly and he answered.

"There's a river on the farther right side of the road with a small waterfall" he said and she nodded unaware to him that she would catch him off guard by a whole two seconds later as she kicked her horse and pulled the reins before the horse galloped down the road and she spared a quick glance back at him before he followed suit as he watched as the wind swept her hair backwards exposing more of her beautiful features. He didn't know his wife would be cunning as well! and he smiled at that thought.