Chapter 43 - He Just... Left Her

The gladiator stood on the other side of Eleanor’s bed, looking as stone-faced and threatening as ever. But it brought her nothing but joy. He had actually come for her?

“You’re here?” Eleanor let out a sigh. “Are you real or am I dreaming?”

The intensity of his gaze had Eleanor melting. She had never been so happy to see his smoldering face. It seemed too good to be true.

“You’re not dreaming, Eleanor.”

Hearing him say her name again did something to Eleanor’s knees. She had actually swooned all because he said one sentence to her. They had not been apart for that long, but it felt that way. The days in the castle were long and that made her time there all the more painful. She spent most of her time in books. But sometimes it only seemed to slow time down.

Quickly recovering, Eleanor brushed her hands over her nightgown before rushing around the bed and walking up to Rowan. She could not keep the smile off of her face when she stood before him. “I know that it’s only been about a week since I’ve been here, but it has been torture. This place is so big and confusing and everyone is so weird. It’s like they don’t have personalities. Or souls. The Prince has been such a pain and only gets worse. He even shouted at me today because he was moody about something that was stressing him out.”

Rowan raised an eyebrow. “He did?”

“I know right? The audacity of that man. Demanding that we get married by the end of the week and then expecting me not to react in defiance. I mean the food is nice and the bathroom is probably straight out of heaven but still, it’s been miserable. The place is so depressing. I can kind of understand how Arthur is losing his mind. It sure did take a while.” Eleanor was sure she had never spoken so fast in her life, but her excitement in seeing Rowan had completely removed any filter and restraint that she had. She just wanted to jump into his arms and get carried away.

Something in Rowan’s eyes shifted when she mentioned marriage but she wasn’t sure if it was because of the fluttering candles in her room or not. He looked at her almost thoughtfully and Eleanor wanted to know every thought that was passing through his mind. She had decided that she would forget about Rowan and move on, but as soon as she saw him, all her past thoughts evaporated.

“Are you ok?” he asked, his voice gentle.

Eleanor stepped closer to him, his familiar musk surrounding her. “I’m ok. Nothing happened to me to make you worry.”

He tilted his chin down and Eleanor slowly placed her hands on his arms, gripping the fabric of his cloak.

“And maybe I missed you… but that’s not really a big deal.” Eleanor admitted, her cheeks heating up.

Rowan’s gaze softened and he smiled a fraction. “I missed you too.”

His arms moved forward and he pulled her into a deep hug. She was almost swallowed by his cloak but relished in the warmth it gave her. The castle was always drafty and cold. Another thing that added to the lifelessness of the place.

His arms settled on the small of her back and pressed her into his chest. Eleanor’s arms made their way around his neck and held onto him as if she really were dreaming about him. If there was one place that Eleanor would want to stay, it would be in Rowan’s arms. He was so perfectly comfortable for her, Eleanor would gladly spend eternity there.

“You did come to save me from this place like I’m a damsel in distress right? Because I’m definitely a damsel and I’m surely in distress.” Eleanor asked just to make sure.

Rowan’s body jumped slightly as if he let out a laugh. “Yes, I’ve come to save you.”

Eleanor hesitated for a fraction before opening her mouth. Her voice was barely a whisper. “What took you so long? I honestly thought you weren’t going to come for me.”

His arms tightened. “I'm sorry... I had things to do before I could get here.”

They hugged for a little while longer before Rowan decided to take her out of the castle. They had to drop down on some walls and climb over a lot more, but after half an hour, they were able to get out of the castle. Eleanor was still in her knee-length nightgown and had forgotten to grab shoes on the way out, but that was the least of her concerns, she was out of the castle and free.

Sure, the Prince would lose his mind and come looking for her, but she hoped that Rowan had planned ahead for that.

“Eleanor, when we enter the house, I want you to be calm. The rest of the guild is there, and you know how they feel about you.” Rowan told her when they were a couple of steps away from the front door.

Eleanor sighed. “Can't I ever get what I want? I had a completely different image as to the way the rest of the night would have gone.”

Rowan held onto her hand and then suddenly pulled her into a hug. His big arms wrapped around her body like a vise. His head was buried in her neck. The feeling of his breath on her skin had her heart skipping a beat. She felt his deep breathing against her chest.

“Rowan…” His actions surprised her but they weren’t unwelcome. But before Eleanor could hug him back, he pulled away.

“Ok, let’s go.” His voice was hard and when he pulled her toward the door, his grip was kind of harsh.

The house was overrun with commoners. Eleanor had to physically restrain herself from cringing, their smell was what hit her first. All of their eyes were trained on her when they walked into the main area and it was no surprise that they looked at her like she was the cause of all their problems.

“Great, she’s been rescued.” one of them commented, sarcasm deep in their tone.

“Now that that’s over with. Can we just get on with this already.” another said.

“There’s no way she should be able to escape with all of us here. She wouldn't even with one.”

Eleanor’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Were they talking about her?

“Aw look, she’s confused. Poor thing isn’t as smart as she thinks she is.” someone snapped viciously.

They were everywhere. On the stairs, in the kitchen, living room, tea room, and dining room. And they were all staring at her. Eleanor felt the same way she did on her Coming of Age Trials. She felt like a spectacle. A prize.

Suddenly Rowan let her go. The warmth of his hand disappeared from hers and he walked away from her. He just... left her. Eleanor's steps faltered and she took in the scene around her. Her stomach turned with anxiety and her breathing shallowed. Something was wrong here. The fear that slowly started to seep into her pores had her hyper-aware of the people around her.

“Rowan.” She called him back, but he kept on walking, and didn't look back. He walked toward the tea room and his back disappeared into the crowd of people. “Rowan?”

Eleanor’s stomach turned. Her hands began to shake and she soothed them over her dress to try and calm herself. Had Rowan just left her? Just like that? And at the mercy of the commoners who were looking at her with such malice.

“Someone tie her up.”

Those four words almost made Eleanor’s legs give out. Her knees shook and she took a step back. What was going on? Why did Rowan leave her? Why were all the Goldenshroud people in her house?

The blond girl who seemed to hate her the most stepped out of the group with a rope in her hands.

The air in her lungs disappeared. “What are you doing?” She forced out.

The girl sneered. “Something that should have been done five years ago.”

She reached out to grab Eleanor but she flinched back. Her arms folded against her chest. Desperately she looked for Rowan but she could not see him. She did see the older gentleman, Donn, but he was just looking at her as if she were some poor animal.

“Look at this bitch.” Eleanor barely looked back at the girl before she was struck in the face, the force of the hit sending her falling to the floor. “Still desperate for the help of the person who betrayed you.”