Summary: Plagued by another nightmare about the homecoming ball, Eva turns to Maxwell for advice. Leaving her room before having to return to the Beaumont Estate to have refresher lessons with Bertrand, she takes a walk through the palace grounds. After a conversation with Gideon, she decides she needs to get out of the palace. But who does she turn to for help and will she succeed?
“Drake! No!” she yells, as she shoots up, startling Maxwell. Her heart racing, a thin layer of sweat on her skin as she pants. Maxwell sits up from the sofa, blearily rubbing his eyes before he looks at her, eyes going wide in panic. He blinks, slowly waking up as he takes in the room around him. Standing up, he stretches and makes his way towards the bed. He climbs onto the bed beside her and places his hand gently on her arm, turning her towards him. Her eyes dart around the room before settling on Maxwell. Tears begin to stream down her face and wordlessly, he pulls her into his arms as she sobs. It had been a few days since she had the nightmare about the ball but this one was different. In it, Drake had blamed her for letting him die.
“Sh, it’s alright. I’ve got you” Maxwell whispers, running his hand in soothing circles on her back.
“I’m sorry…. I’m so sorry” she whispered back.
“You have nothing to be sorry for” he said, softly.
“It was all my fault. Drake’s dead because of me” she sobbed.
“Hey, now, come on. We’ve been through this. It’s not your fault. He chose to save you, Eva” he said.
Her sobs eventually subside and she glances at the clock on her bedside table showing it was 3am. Disentangling herself from the covers and Maxwell’s arms, she stands up and heads into her bathroom. Quickly filling her glass, she headed back to her bed, perching on the edge of it as she slowly drank her water. Maxwell remained sitting on the other side, watching her, just in case he needed to call the physician again.
“Max, I’m fine. Stop watching me like a hawk” she sighed, placing her glass down on her bedside table and settling back into bed. Maxwell shifted slightly to return back to the sofa but Eva grabbed his arm before he climbed off the bed.
“Will you sleep here with me? I don’t want to sleep alone” she tells him. He nods, climbing back on to the bed, remaining on top of the covers so no-one got the wrong idea. “Thanks, Max” she said, quietly, as she drifted back off to sleep.
She awoke the next morning to Maxwell’s arm across her stomach, as she slowly lifts his arm and edges out of the bed, trying not to wake him. He stirs a bit, mumbling something in his sleep. She watches him sleep, his chest rising and falling. Glancing at the small clock on her bedside table, she notices it was 10am. She walks into the bathroom, grabbing her little travel kettle as she did so. Filling it with water, she heads back into her bedroom and switches the kettle on. She never went anywhere without it and she had asked Gideon to keep a cupboard in her bedside table stocked with tea and coffee. Softly padding over to her table, she slowly opens the door and pulls out the basket holding an assortment of tea bags and coffee sachets and two mugs which she always kept in there. Placing them on her dresser, she puts coffee in her mug and a tea bag in Maxwell’s. He hated coffee and she had only seen him drink it once, and once he found out it was coffee in his mug, he promptly spat it out. She continued to watch him sleep, amazed he could sleep through the sound of the kettle.
As the water reaches boiling level and the kettle clicks off, she fills their mugs, pouring milk into Maxwell’s mug and fishes the tea bag out, depositing it in the bin. Once their drinks were ready, she opened the balcony doors and placed their mugs on the table outside. She preferred to drink her first cup of the day on the balcony, watching as the palace came to life around her. Walking back over towards her bed, she shakes Maxwell. He doesn’t move. “Max, it’s time to wake up” she said. He continued to sleep, light snoring now emitting from him. She shakes him again, calling his name a little louder this time. Letting out a puff of air, she pulls the cover off him as despite him going to sleep on top of it, he somehow ended up under it during the night. He mumbles as he rolls over. “Maxwell!” she yelled a little louder in frustration. Still nothing. She grabbed her pillow and hit him with it.
“I swear, Bertrand, I didn’t hide Gideon’s crown” he shouted in a daze as the pillow connected with his torso causing him to sit up instantly. There was a moment of silence before he cleared his throat, looking down and avoiding eye contact with her as a light blush formed on his cheeks. She continued to stare at him.
He slowly lifted his head to face her. “Did you hear that?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and glancing away. Her eyes twinkled in amusement as they bore into him. Her hand flew to her mouth, in an attempt to stifle her giggles. “Dreaming about Bertrand again?” she asked, her face briefly showing a deadpan expression before she burst out laughing. She couldn’t hold it in any longer. He glared at her.
“That’s the last time I stay because you’ve been having bad dreams!” he exclaimed, standing up and storming past her to the balcony, where he knew she took her morning cup of coffee. Following him, she gets to the balcony just in time to see him throw himself into a seat, looking out over the palace grounds, ignoring her.
“I’m sorry, Maxwell. I’m grateful that you stayed last night. Thank you” she told him. He sat in silence, his mouth set in a hard line as he glowered at her.
Eventually he spoke. “You’re welcome. Did you sleep well?”. She nodded.
“Better than I have in a long time” she responded.
“I’m glad. Now come on. Get that coffee down you. We’ve got a long day ahead of us” he told her. She groaned.
“What torture does Bertrand have in mind for me now?”. Maxwell turns his head to look at her.
“Well, he’s planned a full day on going over courtly protocol, similar to what you learned when you came back after the coronation ball” he replied.
“Ugh. Can’t I just skip it? I’m not going to mess up, you know”. Maxwell shakes his head.
“He said it’s of the utmost importance”. Her shoulders slump in defeat.
“Fine. I’ll meet you at the house in a little while. Tell Bertrand I’ll be there this afternoon. I need to take Rufus for a walk” she said, standing up and heading into her closet. After a few minutes, she heard her bedroom open and close. Sighing, she picked a pair of blue jeans and a plain t-shirt to wear. If she was going to be stuck in etiquette lessons all day she wanted something comfortable to wear.
Quickly getting changed, she walks back out to the balcony, finishes her coffee and takes hers and Maxwell’s mug back inside and places them on her dresser. A maid usually comes along and takes them to the kitchen to be washed but she would wash them when she came back from walking Rufus. Whistling for him, he comes trotting out from his bed and sits at her feet, looking at her expectantly. Grabbing his lead, she opens her bedroom door and heads down the hallway towards the stairs. Walking down the stairs, she turns right, walking towards the area of the palace that she is sure leads to the gardens. Making her way around the corner into another corridor, she curses. Sometimes she forgets just how big this place is and how many corridors you had to go down to get outside. After all, she hadn’t had much chance to explore other areas of the palace during the social season or the engagement tour as they hadn’t really spent much time in the palace and when they had, she had been too exhausted after the day’s activities to go exploring. She had been in the maze with Gideon but hadn’t had chance to visit the rest of the gardens.
Continuing down the corridor, she finally spots a door that leads out to the gardens. Throwing them open, Rufus runs out ahead of her, heading for the nearest patch of grass. The doors slam shut behind her. She strolls along behind him, enjoying the sunshine on her face. Maybe Maxwell was right. Maybe she shouldn’t have spent the last few days cooped up in her room. She knew Drake wouldn’t want that and if the roles were reversed she wouldn’t want him to be hiding from everyone. She would want him to live his life but whether that meant getting engaged to someone else the day after she had died was another story. She knew it was wrong, getting engaged to Gideon, but it was what she needed to do for Cordonia. To unite the country. She had thought about leaving but she knew that no matter how she was feeling she couldn’t abandon the country she had begun to think of as home.
Rounding a corner, not looking where she was going she walks into a solid frame. “Oof” she exclaims, the impact causing her to stumble and she loses her footing, going tumbling towards the ground. Arms shoot out to catch her, wrapping around her waist, before she can hit the ground. Raising her head, her brown eyes meet with his grey ones. “Bastien, why are you lurking around corners?” she questions.
“Apologies, Your Grace. His Majesty was looking for you and he told me to check the gardens” he replied.
“Well, you found me” she said, with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Although, you really should have a palace guard out here with you” he told her. She ignored his comment. She was within palace grounds so she didn’t feel the need to have one trailing behind her, especially when she wanted to be alone.
“Uh, Bastien, you can let go now” she informed him, gesturing at her waist. He looks down and his cheeks tinge pink in embarrassment as he realises he still has his arms wrapped around her. Standing her back up, he hastily drops his hands and places them behind his back.
“My apologies, Duchess. I’ll tell King Gideon where you are” he said, bowing before her and making a hasty retreat back into the palace. She chuckles and continues walking through the gardens.
Shortly after Bastien had departed, she heard footsteps rapidly approaching her. She didn’t need to look to know it was Gideon. She continued walking, calling for Rufus and heads towards the centre of the gardens, towards the fountain she had walked past with Gideon the night of the homecoming ball on their way towards the maze and the wishing well. Sitting down, she waits for him to join her. “Gideon” she said with a nod as he sat next to her.
“Eva. How are you this morning? Maxwell informed me you had a nightmare last night” he said, his brow creasing in worry.
“I’m fine, thank you for asking. Now what can I do for you? I assume you have something to discuss with me otherwise Bastien wouldn’t be seeking me out” she said.
“Perceptive, as ever. I do have something to discuss with you. I have sorted out your personal security. We have finally found someone suitable. Her name is Mara but she won’t be arriving for a few more days” he told her.
Eva remained silent, staring out over the gardens. She knew this was for her safety after what happened at the homecoming ball but that didn’t mean she was happy about it. It was one of the downsides of being engaged to the king. “Eva?” she heard from beside her. Shaking her head, she turns to look at him.
“Sorry, Gideon. I was thinking. So, how long exactly till she arrives?” she asks him.
“A few days. For now, you’ll be alright with the guard outside your room if you want to go anywhere” he informed her.
“And where am I going to go? I don’t want to be followed everywhere, Gideon. Why do you think I’ve been in my room since we returned to the palace? It’s the only place I can be truly alone. I hate that this is happening. Why a Unity Tour? I want what Madeleine had. Not to have to persuade nobles to come to our wedding” she told him.
“I know, Eva, but we can’t do a tour like I did with Madeleine. We need to show the citizens Cordonia is still united in the wake of the attack” he advised, taking her hand in his. She looked down at their joined hands, feeling nothing. She missed feeling his rough, calloused hands in hers. Gideon’s were too soft. It wasn’t the same.
“I…I need to go. I have plans with Maxwell. He’s waiting for me at the Beaumont Estate” she responds, pulling her hand from his grasp.
“Of course, Eva. Have a nice afternoon” he said.
Standing up, she makes her way back into the palace, Rufus trotting behind her, leaving Gideon sitting on the bench staring after her with a worried look on his face. She just needed to get away. Every time she looked at him, she felt nothing but disgust. Not for him, for herself. She was angry at the whole situation but mainly disgusted in herself for saying yes to Gideon’s proposal, even if it was what she had to do. She knew he still loved her and she felt like he was hoping she would fall back in love with him. She couldn’t keep pretending her feelings were the same. In front of the court was one thing but she felt she didn’t need to keep up the pretence while they were alone. Entering her room, she closes the door behind her before flopping down onto her bed once more. Her phone chimed but she ignored it. It would only be Maxwell. She needed to get out of the palace, even if it was just for the afternoon.
The only escape she could think of would be to climb over the balcony but she had nowhere to go. She knew though if she didn’t turn up at the Beaumont estate, Maxwell would come looking for her. Heading into the bathroom, she draws a bath. Sliding into the hot water once the bath was full, she feels the tension of the last few days leaving her body. Laying there, she slides further into the water, completely submerging her body so only her head remains visible above the water. From the bathroom, she can hear her phone chiming but she knows it will be Maxwell, checking when she will arrive at the estate. She leans her head back on the edge of the tub and the realisation hits her. There was someone who could help her and she can’t believe she didn’t think of it before. After all he has absconded from the palace more times than anyone cares to remember. Gideon wouldn’t be pleased and would probably track her down but she doesn’t care.
Hastily standing up, she grabs her towel wrapping it around herself as she steps out of the bath and walks back into her bedroom. Grabbing her phone from her nightstand, she goes into her messages. Composing a new message, she finds the contact she needs and begins to type.
Are you free? I need your help. I have to get away. You are the only person I know who can help me get out of here. Even just for a little while.
Placing her phone back down, she waits for a response. Eventually her phone beeps with a response. Picking it up, she reads the message.
Sure, anything for you 😉 just give me five minutes or so to finish dealing with something. Meet me in the garage in twenty.
Shaking her head, she heads into her closet to quickly throw a t-shirt and a pair of jeans on and puts her hair up into a messy ponytail. Making sure she has everything she needs, she waits until it’s time for her to go. She begins to think of how she can get the guard to leave her door so she can leave without being detected. She knew there was a passage that was rarely used so she could try and get the guard away from her door and escape down there. Drake had told her about various ways to get out of the palace undetected. He joked at the time that growing up with Leo and Gideon has its perks. He also told her that the hallway that leads to the garage is hardly ever used as the cars are always brought to the front of the palace when a royal family member is leaving. The other option she had was to climb over the balcony and make her way to the garage through the grounds.
Making her mind up, she shoves her feet into her trainers, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder as she made her way to her balcony doors. Glancing around, she checks for any guards that may be patrolling around the grounds. Seeing the coast is clear, she climbs over the railing of the balcony and makes her way down the trellis next to her room. Reaching the bottom, she silently makes her way towards the garages, pausing every few feet to check for guards. As she rounds the corner to the garage, she spots two guards walking towards her. “Shit” she mumbles. Looking around, she dashed behind a tree, hiding behind the thick trunk until they pass by. Ducking her head out from behind the tree, she sees the coast is clear and she runs towards the garage.
Wrenching the side door open when she gets there, she spots him parked behind all the other cars.
“Let’s go, little one” he called, using his nickname for her. Running to him, he places a helmet on her head and she hops on the bike, wrapping her arms around his middle. The angle of his bike indicated they were using the exit route from the palace that was only used by the royal family in case of an emergency and if access to the main exit was blocked. Checking she is secure, he starts the bike and speeds down the track, away from the palace.
Meanwhile, just as Eva was making her way to the garage, Gideon walked down the hallway towards her room. He was worried about her after their brief conversation earlier. He knew she didn’t like being confined to the palace but this was the only way he could ensure her safety until her security arrived. He also knew he had to get the idea of her saying one final goodbye to Drake out of her head. As he approaches her door, he nods to the guard who walks away to give them some privacy. Knocking on her door, he waits for her to answer. His brow furrows in confusion when she doesn’t answer. Maybe she left for the Beaumont estate already but he thought she wouldn’t leave without a guard, or without telling him. Opening her door, he looks around her room, spotting her phone lying on her bed. He picks it up, noticing the many missed calls and texts from Maxwell. He sighs in frustration. She obviously didn’t leave yet for the Beaumont estate. He checks her bathroom just in case she was in there. Seeing she is nowhere in sight, he storms out to the balcony to check the grounds for her. At first, he can’t see her but just as he turns to head back inside he spots movement out of the corner of his eye. He turns in that direction and watches as she heads towards the area of the palace where the garage is. Striding out of her room, he makes his way towards the front of the palace hoping to catch her. As he gets there, he heard the unmistakable roar of a motorbike as it sped away. Swivelling his head, he is unable to spot the bike. There’s no way she knows of the emergency exit from the palace unless…. “God damn it, Leo”.