"Come in." Zofia called as she sat down on the bed. She had almost thought that it was Draegon, despite there being no chance of him getting out of the bed on his own. She wondered if he would come after her, or if he knew how much she was hurt at his words. They were married for their third day and he was already kicking her out of his bed. 

It was Niklaus at the door. 

He walked in, looking cleaner than he had before. He sat on the bed next to Zofia and stared down at her. She was trying to avoid eye contact. How can she tell another man that her man was being a pain in her nether regions? She kicked her feet against the floor and tried to think of something to say. 

"They are all right, when they say that he is not pleasant." She told him. "I know him now and he's as stubborn as a mule, and so inconsiderate to my feelings. Not to mention the women." She voiced her upset at him, frowning and crossing her arms. "They think I'm a witch, Niklaus."

"You don't have to be stuck here, just because he's the king." Nik told her. He moved his hand into her lap, just to rest on her knee. 

"I think he will kill me if I try to leave." She admitted to him, her eyes falling to the hand he had on her. 

"Not if he doesn't find you." He said softly, as if someone could hear them. "What nerve he has to think you're a witch. I've known you all my life." he added in a hiss. 

"It's too dangerous. Besides, I won't be able to slip Garison again. And you are being very forward. How can you think it's alright to climb on to a married woman's bed." She playfully questioned him. He was still her best friend. She earned a smile from him, but Zofia was feeling like she had forgotten how to smile. The two dragons were taking her happiness from her and it left an ache in her heart. 

"Have you thought about me taking you away?" he asked her as he took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles. 

"I told you, Nik, I don't think it's a good idea. I have to do my duty by my husband." She averted her eyes. His flirts were making her shy, and she found herself wishing that Draegon gave her this kind of attention. 

"What duty does he do by you? Does he entertain you like your books do? Does he know your favorite color or your deepest secrets and desires?" He prodded, raising his brows. "I do. Don't I?" he squeezed her hands. 

"You do Nik, but I thought you were going to ask me. Not him." She glanced at the wall, as if Draegon was standing right there. 

"I was waiting till your birthday." he told her, frowning and leaning in." He gave a sigh and shook his head. Zofia wanted to tear up. If only that stupid virgin mate scent of hers had stayed hidden till after her birthday. She would have been with Nik instead of the man who didn't even want to share his bed with her. 

"I will think about it. I will tell you tomorrow, when you come back to make sure that no one here had died in their sleep." She said the last part bitterly, as if she was hoping for them to just leave her alone or back of, perhaps for something bad to happen for putting her through so much. 

Zofia sat at the foot of Draegon's bed when he woke up. She wished that the thinking hadn't kept her up the whole night, and she really wished that it was easier to decide to stay with Draegon, but he was making it hard for her, hard for her to breathe or even find the will to live with him for the rest of her life. 

She felt him moving, then sitting up. He rubbed his eyes and looked at Zofia. He stared at her and the black dress she wore, how it clung to her and showed her light hair off. 

"Did you sleep in here?" He asked. She looked over her shoulder at him. 

"No, I respected your wishes to be separate." She answered plainly. 

"Did you sleep at all?" He asked her, but she ignored him. 

"I brought you tea." She answered, her eyes moving to the cup she left next to his bed. He picked it up and sipped at the liquid. Zofia was surprised that he was bold enough to drink something a supposed witch brought for him. "I thought I could convince you that this is not my doing." She cleared her throat. Zofia felt weak while speaking to him. She couldn't stand up to him and get her point across. 

"Zofia, I don't think that this witch thing is just going to go away without proof." He said to her. Zofia knew that her efforts were futile. She sighed and fiddled with her fingers, examining them as if they were odd apendages. 

"Can't I prove it then?" She asked stupidly. 

"Maybe. Then I want you to speak to someone, maybe a priest who is more equipped to deal with this than I am." He told her, looking over his teacup at her. Zofia didn't want to talk to someone. She wanted to talk to him. It was why she was there, why she had dressed up and brought him tea. Could he not see that? She wanted to hurt him, get his attention somehow. She looked at him, trying to remain sweet and calm. 

"Do I not have enough people here to speak to if I feel uneasy about something?" She asked, hoping he would remember that he had told her to talk to him when he banned her from seeing Nik. "What are you trying to achieve with me talking to someone?" She wanted to know, looking down at her hands in her lap again. This time she was wringing them like Juniper always would, as if she could pull those strange appendages right off. 

Draegon sighed, feeling rather defeated. "I don't know what will happen. Maybe just to put my mind at ease. I'm responsible for this kingdom and I cannot willingly risk it." He tried to appeal to her. She understood, she really did, but he was supposed to love and trust her. "You are not human, and until we find out what's wrong with you, I don't want you out of your room." He kept going. It was a punch to Zofia's delicate heart.She slumped a little as if the impact was real.

"Very well." Zofia said as she got up. She turned to face him. She had decided, she would leave. There was nothing between them but whatever the hell that scent had dragged in. "If that is the way you wish to proceed, then I respect your ruling." Zofia told him coldly. She was very much treating him like he was the king, in a sorry last minute attempt to let him know that he did wrong in treating her like a king would, distancing her in their own relationship. She had wanted him to perhaps feel, to trust her and to trust himself. Instead, she was asked to leave and to be tested. She felt like a doll, dressed up and forced to play a role written for someone else. Zofia pinched her dress and gave him a big, dramatic bow. Without another word, she left him to his tea. 

Nik arrived some time later, after Zofia had angrily stuffed a few things into a satchel and hid it under the bed for safekeeping. He checked up on her first, finding her on her bed with tears on her cheeks. He moved over and knelt before her, taking her hands once again. 

"I have a carriage ready." he told her as if it was an urgent matter. "Are you coming with me?" He finally asked her. 

"Yes." Zofia answered. She nearly choked speaking the word. She wanted so badly to tell him no, for him to come there and hear good news about how Draegon was apologetic and forgiving. That was not going to happen. Nik was so happy that he had a grin on his face. 

"Alright, good. Good. The plan is for me to go in there and distract him, then I will call Garison in and while he's got you out of his sight, you run for it. Make them look right while you go left. Meet me at my parent's estate. I will get to you as soon as I can." He grinned, still. He listened to Zofia's heart  to make sure it wouldn't fail her again before he squeezed her hand. He left her as he went to see how the dragon king was fairing. 

Zofia waited in anticipation. She would be free. It felt unreal while it had her feeling like she was filled chalk full of bricks and being dragged down to the bottom of her favorite lake. Zofia slung the bag over her shoulder and cracked her door open. She heard Nik calling for Garison. He darted out of sight, then Zofia took her turn and made her escape. 

As soon as she hit the fresh outside air, Zofia pulled her cloak's hood over her head. She thought about it for a moment. How will she get to Nik's place? It then dawned on her that she did not want to go anywhere with Nik, she just wanted to get away from the castle. She wanted to be anywhere but there. Zofia started running again, taking a turn for the stables. She grabbed the closest, saddled horse and jumped on his back. The horse reared and she nearly went flying to the ground, but Zofia clung on for her freedom. 

"Wait, your grace, he's crazed!" The stable boy said as he came running in with a bucket of food. Zofia looked at the leather in her hands. Crazed was good. The crazier the better. Maybe he would run till he fell over or maybe he would throw her off and trample her to death. Zofia was determined to either get out of there or die. She kicked the horse in the ribs, so hard that he reared again. The stable boy dropped the bucket of food and dove out of the way as the black stallion started racing with Zofia on his back, out of the barn, down the worn grass path, and out of the castle's gates. 

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