"T-there's nothing here," Thomas stuttered.
She grinned in the dark. The air in the house was thick with dust and mold, but she was too excited to care.
"Do you think Barry made it this far?" she asked, excitedly.
Thomas snorted. "H-he wouldn't t-tell if he didn't."
That was true. Barry was older than both of them and he thought he had to prove himself by doing everything better than them. When she had suggested sneaking into the old shack in the forest that surrounded the kingdom, Barry had boasted of doing just that a year before. She had prodded him for details, but he wouldn't give any. Instead, he had made her promise not to go venturing off alone to investigate herself.
So she brought Thomas with her.
"I d-dont like this."
Ignoring Thomas, she focused on climbing over the fallen logs in the middle of the room. Just as she had crossed over one, there was a loud 'snap' and something hard knocked her off her feet.
A large section of the ceiling crumbled over where she had been standing moments before. Her eyes adjusted as moonlight streamed in through the gaping hole in the ceiling.
"Thomas!"
"Over h-here," he coughed, waving from under the rubble.
She climbed to her feet and hurried over to him. His legs looked pinned beneath the debris, but with her help, he managed to wiggle free.
"Oh, Thomas are you hurt? I'm so sorry, I should have listened to you," she cried, helping him dust off his shoes.
"It's okay, Em, I'm okay," he assured, waving aside her hands.
She looked at the boy through the tears brimming her eyes. "You saved me. If it weren't for you, I would have died."
"It's nothing." His cheeks grew red beneath the faint moonlight.
"No, it's not." She leaned over and kissed him square on the mouth. Being only eleven, she had never kissed a boy, but she had seen numerous ladies kiss the winning knights in the tournaments.
When she leaned back, the red on his cheeks had spread to the tops of his ears and his eyes were as wide as the full moon hovering above them.
"Now, I knight you, Sir Thomas," she said with a smile, though she didn't have a sword to knight him with. They'd have to sneak one out of the castle's weaponry when they returned.
He blinked. "Knight m-me? W-why?"
"Because I can only kiss the man I marry, my daddy says," she explained, matter-of-factly.
With a start, Thomas leapt to his feet and bolted for the door.
"Hey! You can't run away! We're getting married!" she called out after him, following after him through the rubble and out the door, albeit carefully.
_
Thomas stared at the door. The impenetrable barrier made it impossible for him to watch the exchange taking place within the room, but he knew the prince was probably busy trying to convince the king to grant him his daughter's hand.
Not that the king needed convincing.
Through the years, the king had made it blatantly clear that he wished Barry to marry Em.
Thomas's heart sank as the door opened and the two men came out wearing satisfied smiles.
"Thank you, Barry," said the king, slapping him on his back. "I'll see you tonight at dinner."
Barry nodded, but stopped walking when he noticed Thomas. The king didn't look back as he started down the castle corridor, not seeing Thomas as he went. Not that he cared, he preferred to remain invisible. He was just a stable boy with a stutter.
"Thomas," greeted Barry. He grinned. "How are the horses?"
He diverted his gaze, holding the bouquet of roses he had brought for Em behind his back. It had been his intention to find her and give them to her, but that was before he had seen Barry and the king. Now he wished he hadn't come at all.
"Still as talkative as ever." Barry chortled at his own joke. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find the princess."
He waited until Barry was out of sight before he dropped the bouquet on the floor. He'd been foolish to believe a princess would marry him, even if she had at one time proposed.
_
Ember leaned against the chestnut mare as the horse nestled its nose against her neck.
"Oh, Gingerbread, everything is falling apart. I don't know what to do." The horse regarded her with eyes filled with dark-brown warmth.
A sob choked her as she buried her face into her hands. Everything was falling apart. It had come to no surprise that Barry persisted in asking her to marry him, despite after several times of her denying him. What had come as a surprise was her father accepting his offer on her account.
Her pity was interrupted by the crunching of sticks and hay as someone entered the stable. She swiped at the tears with the back of her hands, keeping her head down as she stood to her feet.
"Excuse me," she murmured, but a gentle hand on her forearm stopped her from leaving.
"Em?" Thomas's eyes swept over her. "W-what's wrong? Are y-you hurt?"
She was relieved when she saw that it had been Thomas and not one of the other servants. The other servants liked to gossip, but that wasn't the reason why her heart leapt at his sudden appearance.
"Thomas," she whispered, breathless. Speaking low wasn't necessary since no one else was around to hear them, but their close proximity to one another seemed to warrant it. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."
Another sob wracked her body. Without hesitating, Thomas pulled her to himself and held her as she wept.
After a few moments, she regained control of her emotions and forced herself to step out of his embrace, albeit not completely.
"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't be so given to pity."
"It's not pitiful to mourn occasionally," Thomas assured, though his words came slow and broken as always.
Not that she ever minded his stuttering. He was often made fun of by the other workers in the castle and even by Barry at times, though he had learned not to do so in her company.
Thomas was everything to her, even if no one knew.
She glanced away, lest her expression convey her emotions.
"You make me sound more honorable than I am," she replied, clearing her throat.
He shook his head with a small smile. "N-no."
"Father has ordered me to marry Prince Barry," she blurted out, fighting another onslaught of tears. "I have no choice."
Thomas's brow wrinkled as he frowned. "He ordered y-you?"
She nodded. "Yes. In two weeks I'll have to leave and live in his kingdom. I'll be his wife and bear his children."
She shuddered at the thought. Thomas appeared conflicted, but she knew there was nothing he could say or do to change it. Still, part of her wished he could.
"M-marry me," he murmured. His eyes bore into hers intently.
She blinked. "What?"
With calloused hands, he reached out and held hers. "I love y-you. Marry m-me. We c-can run away and s-start a new life somewhere else."
Her heart soaked his words. He loved her! The thought of running away and marrying Thomas was enticing. What more could she ask for? But could she give up her kingdom for the man she loved?"
"Thomas, I-..."
He saw the denial in her eyes before she could speak it. Releasing her hands, he took a step back. "Is it b-because I stutter?"
"What? Of course not!"
"Because I'm not a p-prince?"
"Thomas, stop, you know I don't care about such things. If I leave, who will take care of the kingdom? My dad has no other heir," she reasoned.
"F-fine," he snapped, turning his back to leave.
"Thomas, please don't do this."
_
He could hear the tears in her voice, but he had to escape before he crumbled in front of her. However, a figure blocked his path as he neared the exit.
A sinister smile crept over Barry's lips as he crossed over the threshold of the stable. "Just what I hoped to find. T-thomas and Ember snuggling in the stable."
The sword in his grasp flashed vehemently as he strode forward, forcing Thomas back.
"Barry, how dare you tease him," Em admonished, coming up behind him. "What are you doing? Put your weapon up before you poke an eye out."
Barry fixed her with a glare and pointed his sword at her. "I'm afraid I can't do that, my dear. You see, Thomas here is about to kill the princess in a fit of rage after finding out that she accepted my proposal. Or so that's what I will tell everyone. With no other living heirs, your father will grant me your kingdom when I tell him how I heroically fought off the ignorant stable boy, but was too late in rescuing you."
Thomas clenched his hands into fists. There had always been something dark behind his eyes, but he would have never guessed Barry was capable of murder.
Ember gasped. "You can't!"
"Oh I can. You should have just married me, Ember."
Thomas had little time to react as the prince swung the sword, missing them by mere inches as they dodged the attack. He snapped his head around to look at Ember.
"Run, I'll h-hold him off."
Defiantly, she shook her head. "I'm not leaving you."
He didn't get a chance to argue. Barry plunged the sword, striking his side as he tried to jump out of the way. Pain radiated from the spot. Again, Barry swung, this time hitting open air as Thomas dodged to the side and caught his extended arm. Despite his speech defect, Thomas was much stronger than Barry after years of physical labor. In seconds, he had overpowered him and rendered him unconscious.
Ember ran to his side. "Thomas, you're hurt."
But they were given no time to inspect his wound. Several guards and her father rushed in.
"What is all the commotion?" the king demanded, entering the stable.
Ember indicated Barry with a nod of her head, then explained everything. After she was finished, the king stared intently at Thomas.
"You have saved my daughter and my lineage and quite possibly the kingdom. How can I ever repay you?" the king asked.
Thomas's eyes widened at the king's offer. Only one thing came to mind. "With y-your permission, I'd like to m-marry Ember."
The king raised a bushy, white brow and glanced at his daughter. "I'm afraid my judgement has failed me before, so I can't speak for her. But if she agrees, you have my blessing."
Thomas gazed down at Ember and removed a wisp of hair that had strayed from her auburn braid.
"Will you-"
"Yes!" she said, interrupting him before he could complete the question.
"I was going to ask if you w-would finish c-cleaning the stables," he said playfully.
With an exasperated breath and a smile, she stood on her tiptoes as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.
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