JC was lying in his bed once again. His body was sore and he was exhausted. Last night he’d spend the night in a very small room with nothing more than the cold floor to lie on. It had been his punishment for talking and eyeing the future queen. His bed was uncomfortable, it wasn’t even a bed it was more like a ledge with a thin blanket but it definitely beat the cold stone floor of the tiny room he’d been locked up in for a night. He’d had a lot of time to think about why he was there and what he needed to change to prevent himself from spending another night in the small damp and dark room.

“If you don’t get your act together boy you will have a very troubled life here. It’s up to you” Mr. Norton had said to him after Mr. Morris had informed him by the day’s events.

“No it’s not” JC had mumbled in return.

“What did you say?!” Mr. Norton had asked angrily this boy had the nerve to reply.

“Nothing sir” JC had responded quickly when he noticed he’d said that out loud.

“Good” JC didn’t know what he did to upset Mr. Morris since it looked like he was out to get him from the first moment that they’d met but Mr. Norton seemed fair. He was prejudiced because he heard only one side of the story from Mr. Morris and JC was sure he made it sound much worse.

JC shifted onto his stomach in his bed trying to spare his back which hurt like hell from the beating he got from Mr. Morris. He moaned softly when the blanket brushed against his back and he slowly sank on his bed, smiling when he thought of Sam, the future queen. ‘Ooh my God’ he thought. ‘That had to happen to me’ He was happy he met her. Well sort of anyway. She was so beautiful, her long blond hair, her big blue eyes and the enormous smile she gave when he finally looked her in the eyes.

That had caused the pain he was feeling now but in some way it was worth it. He fell asleep with a smile on his face thinking about the beautiful girl he saw yesterday and had been on his mind ever since.

“Tu tu tu tu” Trumpets could be heard from a distance, today had been a day off for all the slaves. Not because they were so generous but because they didn’t want to have any slaves inside the palace right now. Today was the day of the ball; the King had organized for his eldest daughter. Prince William would be here today and the ball would give them a chance to meet each other, slaves would be the last thing they needed inside the palace.

JC spend the day wandering around town, watching all the different people who lived in the town. He didn’t have any money to buy the merchandise which several merchants offered. He just walked around as free as possible for a slave.

He had learned he couldn’t run anyway. The town had a huge stone wall around it to prevent people who weren’t welcome from coming in and to stop people who weren’t allowed to leave from going out. The palace had a stone wall of its own, in his turn protecting the palace from the people in their town. He went back to the slaves building when it was time for diner, it was the only place he would get food and he needed to be on time. If you weren’t on time you didn’t get any so he hurried his way back.

“Samantha? Are you ready?” the King called from outside her door. Impatiently tapping his foot on the floor, she was 30 minutes late and although a princess could do what she wanted it wasn’t good to leave her future husband waiting.

“Yes father” she called back opening the door after she spoke. Samantha was gorgeous, he’d always known that of course but the dress she was wearing, with the jewelry and the natural make up made her a sight for sore eyes. He couldn’t believe how much she looked like her mother.

“Daddy?” she asked smiling nervously as she noticed her father was staring at her.

“Sorry sweetie, you look absolutely beautiful” he said taking her hand.

“I’m sure Prince William will say the same” he assured her, knowing she was a bit nervous. That was understandable though but he didn’t know she didn’t want to be married at all, she thought she was far too young and she didn’t want to marry someone she didn’t love. She knew she didn’t have a choice though. She was the future queen and she needed to be married, she just wished it didn’t have to be so soon and with someone she didn’t know.

She smiled looking down at her hand in her father’s wishing she could be a kid again but knowing she had to go downstairs as an adult, a young woman ready for marriage at least she needed to act that way. She took a deep breath as she followed her father downstairs where Prince William would be waiting for her arrival.

JC walked around the town for the second time that day, heading in a different direction this time. He heard the music coming from the palace as he walked by. They had a ball there tonight for the future king and queen, he’d heard everyone talk about it. He shoved his hands in his pockets and quickly walked away from the palace not knowing what was going on inside.

“Excuse me” Samantha said to William and pulled herself out of his embrace. She didn’t like the man. He was about 5 years older than her and there was just something about him she didn’t like. She couldn’t say what that exact thing was. She just knew she didn’t want to marry him but her opinion didn’t count, she knew that so she fled away. She fled away to the only place that ever made her feel safe and peaceful: the lake.

“Wow this place is beautiful” JC said to himself in awe. He stood on the edge of the water, the tiny waves crashing silently at his feet. He sat down in the grass with the stars above him watching over him. He felt free; a clear, open sky always had that affect on him and he didn’t have that the past week. Everywhere he was there was a roof over his head and JC never was the type of man who enjoyed that. Other men felt safe once they knew they had a roof over their head but with JC it was just the opposite. The last week everywhere he went, people looked at him like a slave, nothing more than that. They looked at him strangely, a man who had chains on his wrists which made him a slave. Here, sitting in the grass he felt free, nature didn’t care about the things around his wrists; it accepted him and he had always felt that way. Free as long as he didn’t have people around him or buildings who made him a slave. Nature allowed him to be the man he was, the free man who still existed in his heart.

“JC?” a voice asked in the distance.

“Who is it?” he asked a little fearful since it was late and he probably should have been back in the slaves building by now. When the shadowy figure approached he recognized the woman as Samantha, the future queen. The woman he’d met earlier that week, not knowing he’d been on her mind ever since.

“Samantha? I mean princess… I mean… I’m sorry I’ll leave” JC hurried, getting up.

“No!” Samantha stopped him and JC turned surprised.

“Please stay. I could use some company” she said a little shy not sure how JC would react to it.

“Is that an order?” he asked smiling a little.

“No,” she smiled back.

“If you want” she added.

“Ok” he agreed while he sat down again. Sam sat down beside him. Silence fell between them as they both stared out in front of them over the lake. The water was perfectly still, it was a clear night with a lot of stars and the moon provided the light for the two people on the edge of the lake.

“I um… I hope I didn’t get you in trouble last time” Sam broke the ice.

“Ooh no it was fine” he lied remembering the punishment he got anyway but he didn’t want to tell her that. JC looked at the water, he couldn’t resist the urge any longer, he wanted to look at her and finally he did. When she saw he was looking at her he immediately lowered his eyes, feeling caught.

“You don’t have to keep your eyes lowered” she reassured him when she noticed he blushed because she’d caught him.

“I think I do” he mumbled, thinking about last time he looked her in the eye.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing” JC dismissed, he didn’t want to think about that.

“So what are you doing here?” Sam asked curiously.

“I um… was just walking around and I found this” he explained gesturing to the lake in his explanation.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” she asked looking around the lake.

“Yeah, yes it is,” he agreed.

“How did you get here?” he asked curiously, knowing there was a huge wall around the palace.

“I um I have a secret passage,” she admitted smiling shyly.

“I always come here when I feel sad or something. It calms me”

“Do you um feel sad now... or something?” he asked carefully. She didn’t answer right away and he took that as a sign that he shouldn’t have asked this.

“I’m sorry I asked” he apologized quickly.

“Ooh no that’s ok,” she reassured him. “I feel sad yes and I just needed to be alone”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to leave?”

“Ooh no! I meant alone as in away from the people in the palace”

“Why aren’t you at the ball?”

“I um... kind of fled away” she confessed.

“Why? From what?” he asked incredulously. She told him the whole story and actually felt relieved she could finally share her fears and anger with someone who was really listening to her. JC really listened, he was interested and not because he had to, she could see it in his eyes. She felt a connection with him.

“So why are you here?” she asked him once she finished talking about her problems.

“Same reason pretty much” he shrugged staring in front of him.

“You’re sad too?” He nodded in response, “Yes”

“Why?”

“Because um…” he trailed off not really intending on continuing.

“You can tell me I promise I won’t bite,” she teased him, while smiling reassuringly, after a couple moments of silence.

“Besides I just burdened you with my problems the least I can do is listen to yours” she said still smiling. ‘How could he resist that smile?’ He returned the smile before he looked down at his hands.

“I um… I wasn’t always a slave,” he started a little nervous about telling the princess about his problems.

“I um have been on my own since I was 16. My parents had a huge farm and I always helped them. I was their only child and I was happy to help them. I loved to help them but…. when they died they… um they took the farm away from me”

“Who did?”

“The rich people in town”

“Why?”

“They were convinced I couldn’t take care of a farm at 16…. I could have you know. I really could have but they didn’t believe me so I ran away. They would have taken me to their house, you know like some charity case who couldn’t take care of himself and they would have made me their servant…” he told her sadly.

“Big difference from what I am now” he said sarcastically, chuckling although he felt sad. JC was watching the water surface as the memories of his childhood came back to him, unconsciously fidgeting with the shackle around his right wrist.

He couldn’t believe he just told her this, he’d never told anyone about it and now he was telling this girl he’d only known for a week everything. Sam noticed the discomfort of his shackles and reassuringly put her hand over his. He looked down at the hand, then up to her eyes. He lowered his eyes once again when he spoke, staring at the shackle around his wrist.

“They say you get used to it but you don’t” he said softly.

“It’s a symbol of slavery and that will always bother me” he said letting her in on his anger and fear as well, just like she had done with hers.

“I’m sorry,” she said looking down at her hand still over his.

“For your slavery”

“It’s not your fault” he dismissed.

“But it’s my father’s”

“It’s ok” he said looking into her eyes while putting his other hand over their two hands twined together. He had no idea what was going through his mind when he slowly leaned in closer and then kissed her lips gently. She returned the kiss till his surprise but he didn’t stop. They didn’t know however that they had an audience when Sam slowly unbuttoned his blouse and caressed him with her lips.

‘She will NOT have him’ the figure in the bush thought before it slowly retrieved, away from the pair who where showing their love for one another in the safe darkness of the night.