~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 4
Rules are made to be broken
"Miss, you should really be in bed."
"Plum it!" Sapphire whipped around with a mischievous glint in her green eyes, "I was hoping that I could sneak out without waking you up."
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_11-03-05nbspPM_zps51fs4lys.png
"You aren't meant to wander the halls at night Miss," The maid said frowning.
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_11-03-19nbspPM_zpsffzluspm.png
"Yeah - but I really want to see what this place is like. We've been cooped up inside all day, every day! All I've seen is the dining hall and the women's room. I want to know what this place is like." Sapphire commented and reached for the door handle.
"Miss I can't let you leave. Please," the maid begged rushing over, her hand hovering just above Sapphires. She would never touch her, not without permission but the maid's eyes were begging Sapphire to do as she was asking.
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_11-03-57nbspPM_zps9c4qjeno.png
"Of course you can..." Sapphire quipped, grinning warmly at her maid. Arabella was a timid thing, to afraid to deviate even the slightest bit from whatever plan someone had given her but she still liked her. They were complete and utter opposites. As far as Sapphire was concerned, rules were made to be broken and limits made to be tested"..just go back to your chair and pretend I didn't wake you up." Sapphire winked at her maid and slid through the door.
"Miss!" Arabella whispered desperately, hesitating in the doorway, "Please come back to bed. I-I'm meant to let the prince know if you get out of bed. It's not safe!"
"Arabella its fine!" Sapphire promised, rolling her eyes, "I'll be back in an hour and if I'm not you can tell the prince then."
Arabella huffed, pulling her eyebrows together. She clearly did not like this.
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_11-12-31nbspPM_zpsibyuzh8q.png
~*~
Man, how BIG was this place? Sapphire wasn't even sure if she was in the same city anymore, I mean how many rooms full of puffed up couches, fireplaces and dusty books did one need? What was she in? The west wing of the west wing? It was insane to her that anyone would need this much space. Her whole house fit into one of the drawing room at least three times.
Turning down another corridor Sapphire spotted a double wooden door at the end of the hall. Light flickered beneath the door and danced across the marble floor. Sapphire stood for a moment. It was obvious to her that someone was in there and the chances of being caught out of bed were pretty high. It was clearly disproved of. A few of the servants had already shot her accusatory glares.
"Ah plum it!" Sapphire rolled her eyes at herself. What was she? Arabella. Surely a little peak wouldn't hurt!
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_11-08-08nbspPM_zpsgwcopa4o.png
The handle moved soundlessly and she grinned to herself. This was too easy! All she had to do was lean over, peak around the corner and...
...find herself staring directly at the prince.
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_9-40-30nbspAM_zpsxknzzwpq.png
Well oops!
He stared at her in shock his mouth hunging open until his brain caught up to his eyes and his mouth caught up to his brain.
"Oops! Sorry!" Sapphire said and offered the prince what she hoped was an innocent smile and not the kind of impish grin that kids offered their mother's when they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Time to make a speedy exit! "I'll just be going then." She coughed out trying to stifle a giggle.
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_9-42-43nbspAM_zps9pefm0sg.png
"Hang on," he called after her, "What are you doing?"
Plum! Sapphire thought and wheeled around. She was this close to making it out the door - when your understanding of 'this close' was about five feet and no hope in plum.
"Wait, where is your maid?" he asked leaning around her and staring out into the hall way.
"Eh," Sapphire considered, "Probably having a heart attack right about now."
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_9-43-39nbspAM_zpsqfdwsosw.png
The prince raised his eyebrows.
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_9-44-07nbspAM_zpshrurbyxt.png
"Okay," Sapphire dragged out the words and crossed her arms, "I left her behind. I was getting bored. The women's room is mind-numbing and I really wanted to check the place out. All we've seen is our bedrooms and the dining hall." Sapphire wasn't necessarily inclined towards blatant honesty, but she had a feeling that being honest with the prince was her best bet. At least that's what she hoped, because otherwise her plum was grass and he'd be kicking her out for not playing by the rules.
The prince seemed to consider her words and after what felt like an eternity to Sapphire he nodded his head. "Alright," he said and pushed back in his chair, "I can't let you go back to your room alone so I will take you... but I wonder if you would indulge me for a moment."
Sapphire furrowed her eyebrows. Intrigued but not following.
"Come with me," The Prince said, offering her an encouraging smile and nodding behind himself, "I want to show you something."
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_9-43-28nbspAM_zpskrwckjmc.png
Books? He wanted to show her books?
"Um," she started but stopped just as quickly when she realised what he was doing. The prince had wandered over to the bookcase, pulled a book backwards and then pushed it back in, making the whole bookcase swinging inwards like a door.
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_9-46-33nbspAM_zpse1vt8tpx.png
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_9-46-23nbspAM_zpsepvweqgj.png
The palace had a freaking secret passage! Ok, that was cool.
"No way!" Sapphire said following him up a flight of stairs, "I thought that this stuff only existed in movies!"
"It gets better," he promised leading her up another flight of stairs.
Sapphire emerged into a dimly lit and dusty room. It's shelves were filled with books and scrolls and Sapphire was sure that she would be going banana's if books were her thing.
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_9-52-34nbspAM_zpsffbkgmsb.png
"Wow!" she said. Just because she wasn't into books didn't mean that she couldn't appreciate the history and intrigue that this place represented.
"Hang on!" the Prince waggled his eyebrows at her, suddenly giddy like a school boy about to reveal his biggest secret, "You haven't seen the best part yet."
Sapphire watched as the Prince pulled on a thin chain dangling from the roof. A hatch door fell open and a ladder slid down revealing the night sky. Sapphire didn't even realised that she had drifted beneath it to stared up at the stars in amazement. There were so many of them! Sapphire had never seen anything like it! Sapphire knew that the lights of the city drowned out the lights of the stars, but this was beyond anything she could have imagined.
"Wow," she breathed. The prince watched the way her eyes glittered with wonder and he took hold of her hand. Sapphire looked away from the stars at his touch, surprise colouring her face.
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_11-20-27nbspPM_zpsaikdaygb.png
"Do you want to come up?" he asked. Sapphire blushed. Where on earth did that come from? Words failed the normally confident girl and she nodded instead. The Prince smiled at Sapphire only letting go of her hand so that he could climb the ladder.
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_9-56-03nbspAM_zpsbw8rsyap.png
"This is amazing!"
"I know," The prince agreed, turning back to look at her. They were standing at the edge of a balcony overlooking the bluffs of Windenburg island. You could hear the roar of the ocean from up here and see the glittering lights of a distant city across the water.
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_9-56-20nbspAM_zps1l1c8nq4.png
"You have to let the other girls see this."
"Yeah. One of the maids told me that you girls had gotten into a bit of an argument when I organised to spend some time with Ella. I haven't really gone out of my way to organise anything interesting for the rest of you. I've been so caught up with the New Asia peace treaty. Do you think something different like a garden party or games on the grounds would help you all get along better?"
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_9-59-06nbspAM_zps9raxxuyr.png
"Yeah. I think a lot of the girls would really like it."
"What about you?" the Prince asked. Sapphire felt her confidence falter under his gaze. How on earth could he do that?
"Well," she joked, trying to throw off an air of ease, "I have been dying for a chance to work on my tan."
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee441/SwiftyT/04-29-16_9-59-32nbspAM_zpsuatrldsq.png
