Fan Fiction ❯ Unknown ❯ Her betrothed ( Chapter 3 )

Recap:

 

Evette reluctantly pulled her hands out of his and left the chamber. I should have just stayed there. She thought as she headed towards the blaring trumpets. I would have been hidden in that little nook, not to mention I would have been with him, in his arms, maybe until we died. But in Evette's heart she knew she had done the right thing. Had the men found him, her father would have him executed, thinking he had kidnapped the princess.

Before too long she was in plain sight of the King's men. “Princess!” the general exclaimed “It's good to see you looking so well. We were afraid you had been killed. Who was your kidnapper, and how the devil did you escape him!?”

“There was no kidnapper,” Evette replied coolly “I left the palace on my own free will.” The general stared at her for a moment before saying, “Well, we better get you back to the castle. The King's worried sick.”

I'll bet he is. Thought Evette bitterly.

 

End Chapter 2

 

 

Chapter 3:

 

“Princess? Princess!”

Evette awoke to find her personal maid leaning over her.

“Please, Clara, can I just sleep for five more minutes, just five?”

“No. The King wants you down in an hour so you can leave for the parade.”

“Parade? What Parade?”

“Why, His Excellency Lord Edward's, of course! He's arriving today, and your father wants him to have a royal welcome.”

“Oh, joy. Words cannot express my excitement.”

“Enough with the sarcasm, it's not attractive. Now get up before I force you to!”

Clara was a year younger than Evette, but no one else would believe it. She was the only person Evette listened to and respected, and although she was older than Clara, she looked up to her as if she were her mother. They were good friends, and often confided in each other's company.

Clara went to work getting Evette ready. She washed her, combed her hair, buried her in a sea of petticoats, and dressed her in a dark green dress with ornate gold trim.

“There,” said Clara backing up to admire her work. “You look beautiful!”

Evette turned around and stared into the mirror. She wished she wasn't so beautiful, maybe then His Excellency Lord Edward would be so appalled by her grotesque appearance he would want nothing to do with her. But alas, Evette was beautiful. All of France knew it and was convinced she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

“Princess, stop admiring yourself in the mirror and go downstairs. Your father's waiting.”

 

-At the Parade-

 

Everyone in France had shown up for the arrival of His Excellency. The streets were lined with rich aristocrats and poverty stricken peasants. King Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette thought they had all come to support their beloved King and Queen, but it was not so. For hidden in the crowd were a group of unwanted visitors: outlaws led by the most famous of all, Jaque Bautmau. Jaque was feared by every aristocrat and monarch in France. He had been causing havoc for five years, and would not stop until the French peasants were treated with more respect. He and his band of outlaws planned to wreck the parade, and steal as much as they possibly could.

Evette stared out the window of her carriage, wondering why so many peasants had come. She knew her family was not adored by the peasants, so she was surprised to see more of them than aristocrats at the parade. All of a sudden, there was a whistle from the crowd, and twenty men leapt from the crowd and attacked the carriages. There was utter chaos as horses bucked, women screamed, and guards began shouting orders. A horse kicked Evette's carriage, causing it to roll over. Evette fished out a sword hidden beneath her petticoats which she had been saving for her fiancé, and kicked the carriage door open. A few feet in front of her, a man was kneeling over a woman's corpse, looking for any jewelry she might have on her. Evette walked up to the man, placed the tip of her sword against his neck and said, “I'd put that back if I were you.”

The man stopped searching the dead woman, and with a swift flick of his wrist, used his sword to knock hers out of her hand. As she dove down to retrieve her weapon, the man jumped on her and pinned her to the ground with one hand and help his sword against her left breast with the other. His wavy blonde hair fell gently about his perfect head, and his deep blue eyes flashed angrily as he glared into Evette's eyes. The man from the chamber...He's...one of them? Thought Evette. The man seemed to be thinking the same thing, for his angry glare quickly turned to horror. Out of no where, he grabbed Evette's arm, pulled her off the ground, and led her away from the chaotic street. “Where are you taking me?” asked Evette. He replied, “Don't ask questions. Follow me if you don't want to be killed.”

 

End Chapter 3