Grooa's shock at catching the supposed cousins in such a state registered as clear as day despite the darkness of the night. With their clothes sprawled across the cell floor and their arms bound tightly around each other, their last act was undeniable.

The firewood tumbled from his hands and his face contorted from shock to pure fury. Fumbling for both the keys at his waist and the crude sword at his hip, he unlocked the cell door and stomped furiously inside. Adelaide and Iolas sat violently up, but before either could scramble to their feet, the big, burly barbarian had his sword aimed at the exposed neck of the prince.

"You incestuous filth!"
He emitted a low growl.
"Please don't kill him, it's not what it loo...."
Adelaide began to beg, tears welling in her eyes.
"Silence whore! What you have done will drown us all!"
He screeched, grabbing Iolas by a fistful of his red hair, and further pressing the blade to his neck.
Spitting and cursing in his native tongue, he dragged the prince out of the larger cell and threw him unceremoniously into the cell beside it.
"I should just slit both your throats and toss you over the side for the God of the sea to consume!"
He seethed.
"But your fates are not mine to make. I shall alert the captain of your vile actions and it shall be upon him to deal with the wretched thing you have done!"
Groaa promised darkly before locking both the doors and storming away.

When the door shut, Iolas turned to the queen with the most incredulous look of apology on his face.
"Adelaide. Oh God. I did not mean to bring this upon you. I should have been more..."

"Shhh. Don't worry about that now."
She cut him off, jumping to her feet and scrambling to gather his clothes.
"We have just moments until they come back. This could be our last chance." She passed his clothes through the bar and nodded to the lock on his cell door.

They both dressed hurriedly and Iolas took the pick from his pocket.
With a soft click, the lock on the door gave.
"I got it.”
He whispered to Adelaide, pulling the lock from its place and setting it down on the floor, before opening his cell door and stepping out.
“Now I’m going to have to figure out how to pick the lock on your door.” The momentary happiness faded from her face and Adelaide shook her head.
“You can’t pick that lock, Iolas. You said so yourself, and even if you could, I doubt you'd have the time, they will be back any moment.”   

As if on cue, the sound of the heavy upper deck hatch could be heard as it was opened, for a moment the pair froze, soon it would be followed by footsteps coming down the stairs.
Their time had run out.
Without a moment to lose, Iolas bolted toward the door and braced it with a nearby chair.
"That should spare us a few minutes."
He told her as he ran back.
He reached for the lock, but Adelaide grabbed his hands and pulled them away from it, taking them tenderly into own.

“There’s no time.” said Adelaide with tears in her eyes. She spoke l calmly, despite the barraging of fists and kicks as the Vikings began trying to break down the door.
“They will kill you. This is your only chance to escape. You need to go without me.”
Iolas shook his head.
“No. I can’t leave you here with them. Who knows what they shall do to you, especially now!”
He swore.
"I wont do it."

"This is not a request." She tightened her grip, giving his hands a sharp squeeze.
"This is an order Prince. I am Queen. I outrank you. Now go!"

"Pshh. As if rank matters now. How will you punish my insubordination? Beheading? I think they will beat you too it." He nodded towards the door, which had began to crack, and Adelaide knew she didnt have much time remaining.
“Iolas, Please? Go on white knight. Come back with an army and save me!” She pleaded desperately.

"Alright."
Iolas gave in, but hated himself to do it.
He turned to leave, but Adelaide pulled him back, yanking him back to the bar she kissed him roughly and quickly before shoving him away.
“What was that for?”
Asked Iolas, stunned. 
“To give you a reason to come back."
Her voice was desperate, but held something so much deeper, promising, it felt as if it were the answer to the last thing he had said to her before they had fallen asleep.
"Now go!" She exclaimed.

He ran for the small window, and like a miracle, it opened, and the cold night air hit in the face with it's full force.  After giving her one last glance, he pulled himself onto the frame to squeeze and shimmy his body through it. The pounding and cracking of the door reminding him how he now only had the fewest of moments to make his escape. He made it through the window, and spotted a landing raft about hanging off the side of the ship about 20 yards away, and about 10 feet up. Clinging to the side of the ship, which was already damp and icy, he forced his fingers and toes into any crevice he could find and worked his way towards it.

Adelaide, now alone in the cell, could hear that the thick door was now finally about to give way, and the brutes would soon come pouring in. Despite that, and despite how damp and cold it was in the cell, Adelaide’s body was now alive with energy and overflowing with warmth.
Her lips tingled like mad from their last kiss, and her body felt like fire, not fear.
She could only pray Iolas felt something similar, perhaps it would help him to escape.

Adelaide heard a bell toll, followed by the sound of chaos erupting above deck. Those who had been sleeping aboard the ship were sleeping no more.
The sounds of feet pounding on the deck told her that the Barbarians were now realizing something was amiss, and now scrambled to deal with it.
She held her breath and closed her eyes, willing Iolas to get through it. She was rewarded with the sound of a boat hitting the water.
He’d taken a landing boat.

What was left of the main door burst open, and in barged the Captain, his face contorted in anger.
He stomped over towards the bars, but stopped dead in his tracks when he realized only one prisoner remained.
“Where is the boy?” He asked, not of her, but of the others, flecks of spit flying through the bars.
Before anyone could answer another man ran into the room and approached, the Captain with a panicked look.
"The other prisoner..." he told the Captain through heavy breaths.
"He stole a landing boat. He's escaped!"

The Captain narrowed his eyes, and you could all but see his rage as it steamed off of him.
"Shall I send others after him? Or mount the cannons and swing the ship around to give chase?"
Another barbarian asked the Captain, and from his tone, Adelaide guessed him to be the second in command.
"No..." The Captain growled.
"Its to dark to risk men in the small boats, and we cant risk turning the ship and getting stuck back in the ice. Anyways it matters not. That boy will never make it to any land, he will freeze to death before morning."

The Captain slammed his hand onto the bars in an attempt to scare the girl, but it had the opposite effect. Adelaide was about to smirk and brag about how he’d tricked the enemy, and that Iolas was going to come back with the brute force of an army, but she stopped to think. She summoned up some realistic tears and turned to the captain.
“He left me!” She wailed. Her fake tears were rolling down her cheeks. “He left me here to rot with you cretins!”

"What shall we do with her Captain?"
Groaa asked after the third man returned up stairs.
"Is it true woman. Have you lain with your own blood?"
The Captain growled, gripping the bars and peering in at her as if she were some animal.
"Wouldnt matter if I had or had not." She began through a sniffle, projecting false bitterness.
"Did you honesty think me a virgin Captain? My honor has been stolen from me several times over by your kind already in this wretched war, long before my true identity was discovered!"
She lied.

For a moment she saw the Captains eyes soften in pity, and that is when she realized that he was not entirely like the others.
"What shall we do with her?"
Groaa asked again, growing a little impatient.

"Nothing."
Grumbled the Captain quietly.
"But Captain, I don't understand..."
Groaa began to counter.
"I said nothing!" He turned to bark at his insolent insubordinate.
"You will remain silent of what transpired here Groaa. No good shall come of it if our leader learns we allowed his prize to be defiled by her own cousin. Run your mouth and I shall cut your tongue out."
He warned.
"Allow anyone to touch her again, and I shall cut off other things."
He turned back again towards Adelaide, wagging a finger at her.
"Keep your silence as well little bird, at least if you wish to make your union to the great one a little more bearable."
This act of small kindness took her by slight surprise, but she nodded in agreement.

After checking the lock, they both left.

She was glad she hadn’t given away Iolas’ true identity, because if she had he wouldn’t have gotten away without chase. No, it was best that she stay behind, as no doubt there would’ve been a more vicious and bloody chase if she were too accompany him. She shuddered at the thought of what the captain would do. Most likely she’d have had to watch him die in front of her, and it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that he would have met a slow and painful ending. But luckily for them both, no one wants to waste their ammunition firing blindly at a useless escaped prisoner in a cold Aelford winter. Adelaide prepared herself for the dreams of Simon, and maybe of her brother. The dreams were bad, but they had lessened. A small spark of hope lit up Adelaide’s heart, driving away some of the darkness. Yes, the pain was still there, hacking away at her like a poorly trained butcher at a carcass. What surprised her most was the fact that the least likely person ever had provided her with this hope. Prince Iolas. The kisses they shared helped ignite the flame, and Adelaide felt like it wouldn’t be extinguished as quickly as usual.
As she fell asleep, it wasn’t just the blankets keeping her from freezing, it was the smell of him that still lingered upon them, and the warm, hopeful feeling in her heart.

______________________

A/N: Good news. Whooooo update!
Bad news, because of the Coronavirus I've just been laid off for a minimum of 6 weeks and must to return back to America until this whole thing blows over... FML.
Pray for me guys, as I am about to be broke af.
-QueenOfGeeks