Chapter Text
I am climbing up the castle wall, waiting for the perfect chance to actually swing my leg over the ledge to my balcony. Shit! I can't do it.
This stupid dress.
I just keep trying. It's 8:30. So I either wait here until Rory or Jax can get to me, or... I really don't want one of the guards accidentally looking up my dress.
"Elle? Are you up yet?" I hear Rory ask.
"Yeah... help please," I whisper.
Rory grabs Jax to help pull me up, and just like that, I'm being pulled up just as my foot slips on the wall. "Shit! Help, help, help, hurry please!" I whisper-shout to the two.
"Jax, pull her! She's slipping!" Rory says. "I'm working on it! I wouldn't need to if a certain princess stayed in the palace," Jax responds. Once they pull me up, I dust off my dress and slip off my shoes that were mostly definitely not made for climbing palace walls. "Why do you keep doing this, Elle? You're only hurting yourself," Jax says, letting go of my side so I can catch my breath before responding.
"If I stop, the people will think I abandoned them. Every Monday and Thursday I will continue going. They have faith in their future queen."
Jax just rolls his eyes. Rory walks out; her curfew (like the maids) is 9 PM unless they are called to service. But Jax stays. He is allowed for another 20 minutes because the Guard Quarters are closer than the maids'. I go to my closet and get a set of comfy sweatpants and a tank top, letting my hair down before going back to Jax.
"So?"
"So what?"
"You told me you have a crush on a fellow guard in training!"
"It's nothing, Elle."
"Nothing my ASS! Spill!"
"No chance."
"But—"
"I gotta go, Elle. My dorm is closing."
"Goodnight."
"Night."