Abby's POV
(A month ago)
That hand steadied me
I was a little winded and it took me a few seconds to get over the shock enough to thank my savior when I heard him speak.
"Are you hurt, milady?" he asked.
He made sure I was steady before he took his hands away and it gave me time to bluntly stare at him.
I stared like I was no lady and I was raised by a bunch of wolves who taught me that it was proper for a young girl to stare at a man without shame or any semblance of propriety.
His sea blue eyes stared back at me like he could see my very soul. He simply stood there with a smile showcasing a beautiful set of teeth.
Come on! Abby, he is not cattle therefore don't check his teeth but good god, his golden hair looked like it glowed more under the sun we were standing and his dimples were so pronounced they looked man made. His nose and half-dome cheek bones sat above an oaken jaw.
He didn't have a wrestler's or warrior's body, he was lean and he stood upright and when I stared hard enough at his body, I could almost see his lean muscle and athletic body.
He was the most beautiful boy…I mean man I have ever seen. He was simply dressed in a black tunic and a loose white shirt layered by a tight-fitting jacket.
The only piece of jewelry on him was a gemstone on his index finger.
"Oh my, you are beautiful" he proclaimed before I could get over the shock of staring at him like an object on display.
Hearing him call me beautiful all but made me blush. I was normal looking…apart from my fire-colored hair nothing really set me aside from everyone else but hearing him call me that made me incredibly happy and I even believed him.
He chuckled. I loved the sound of it.
"I am sorry, I made you uncomfortable. It had to be said, milady and I must apologize for the actions of the royal guards. They shouldn't have made a lady walk as fast as they were making you. Zurich treats her guest with more dignity and I must see to it that they are punished for their sins"
Oh my
My knight in shining armor…finally!
Screw the raven seal and the prince…if this noble knight asked for my permission to wed me, I most definitely will be saying yes.
I wanted to tell him my name and asked him for his but I was a high-class titled girl, I could never be so bold.
It was sacrilegious and so, I smiled before I remembered he was going to punish the guards for my sake.
He must really hold some sway over his majesty's guards.
"Please, I beg of you sir, do not punish them for my sake. I am sure it was a mistake"
"Very well but only if you tell me your name, milady"
I smiled.
Yes!
Of course, yes!
"I am the honorable Abigail Spencer, daughter of Baron Baltimore of house Spencer"
I took my eyes off of him for a second and looked at the guards, their heads lowered. I didn't understand why.
I was about to return my gaze to him when something fell from his hand to the floor and it was a folded piece of silky linen.
I reached out instinctively to pick it up and I almost touched it when I felt a sword near my neck.
"Step away from the first prince!" the sword came out of nowhere and I froze.
Wait? Did he say first prince? Like the heir to the throne of Zurich and the seven kingdoms of the south?
The very heir I am supposed to wed?
Bloody hell and hades! There is a god, after all!
"George! Take the sword away before you hurt her" the prince yelled at the man I am yet to see his face that was holding my delicate neck hostage. Slowly, the sword moved away from my neck and I picked up the folded piece of clothing.
"I must apologize for Sir George, it is his duty to protect me from harm and sometimes, he overdoes it, don't you, George?" he asked the man that came out of thin air.
"My apologies, your royal highness"
"Thank you, George" Markle tried to dismiss him but he wouldn't go.
" You are needed"
"Where?" the first prince asked.
"His majesty's court, sir"
He turned and he looked at me. "Where is your chaperone, milady?" he looked around like he was looking for the invincible older lady that was supposed to accompany me everywhere.
Well, I forgot about that!
I didn't exactly have a cultured upbringing, my parents did as little as possible to adhere to the rules of the society and when I say little, I mean they didn't adhere to any.
I never went anywhere in bluestone with a chaperone or have a governess or go to a finishing school.
I had nanny Josie to make sure I didn't break my neck climbing a tree or swallow a penny. She kept me alive and that was good enough for my parents.
I tried to come up with a good excuse for traveling alone and I only came up with one.
"My chaperone vanished…into thin air" I murmured before I could stop myself or understand how truly ridiculous my excuse was, thankfully, it made the first prince smile.
"I am here to see his majesty…your father?" I wasn't sure.
"Grandfather, actually…come, I will walk with you"
He led the way and I followed him.
We walked side by side in a comfortable silence until we started ascending the stairs when he offered me his hand for support and I took it.
We barely made it to the hallway when we heard grunts. Like someone was groaning in pain.
Sir George walked in front of us shielding the first prince until we turned a corner and saw the source of the sound.
A guard's hand had been impaled to one of the curtains and a man stood there staring at him while he wriggled in pain, he had his back to us but judging by his outfit, he was a knight of some sort.
His attire was different from the other knight that was casually leaning against a wall unbothered and eating an apple.
Six guards stood by the corner looking as terrified as I was when I was attacked by my uncle's men.
It dawned on me that they were terrified of the knight that impaled the hand of their follow guard.
When the knight that was eating an apple saw the first prince, he lowered his head in salutations but only briefly unlike the terrified guards by the corner.
"Why am I not astonished?" The first prince murmured causing the knight to turn around.
He didn't lower his head, instead he looked at the first prince like he was the most irritating person in Dakar without a word.
I watched him. Everything about him sent a shiver down my spine.
It was the first time. It was the first time I met my...Abbott.