The Princess’s expression clearly showed her contempt for his sudden change of attitude. He could not blame her for feeling this way, for his actions would seem bizarre to anyone who did not know of the damned curse that ruled his life. And only moments ago he had been planning to take her life, so it only made sense that she would not want anything to do with him.<br/><br/>She was struggling to get away from him, but he would not release her from his grasp. Ambrose couldn’t let her go, not after what he had discovered.<br/><br/><i>Guards!</i><br/><br/>Ambrose knew what he had to do to take her away, but he was not pleased at the prospect of doing it. He was already going to have a difficult time convincing her to trust him, and this would certainly not help his case, but he had no choice. If she continued to yell, the guards would come running to aid her and that would make it difficult to slip away unnoticed.<br/><br/>He twisted her around and wrapped an arm tightly around her neck. “Forgive me.” he whispered before applying pressure to her throat as he pulled on the arm fastened around her neck with his other hand. When she eventually passed out, he lifted her in his arms and after returning the mask to his face, took off down the hall and then down the stairs. The main floor was empty, but he could hear voices nearing, some sounding worried. This caused him to pick up his pace and within seconds he had already reached the garden and crossed through it. The wall he had easily scaled before would be difficult to climb with the princess in his arms. Nevertheless, he pulled out his daggers and jammed them into the stone as he had before.<br/><br/>He had rope attached to his weapons belt that he used to bind her hands and feet and one piece to wrap around her waist and tie to his belt in case she slid from his grasp. After Ambrose did this he threw her over his shoulder and began to climb. It was very challenging as it required him to constantly maneuver her around and change positions. Not to mention that it took a great deal of muscle power to accomplish it. If he did not possess inhuman strength, he certainly would not have been able to get them both to the top. When they did reach the top, he was sweating profusely, but  had heard shouting from the castle and knew he could not slow down. The descent on the other side however, was far worse. He nearly dropped her several times and would have if he hadn’t secured her with the rope. He had let out a string of curses the whole way down until his feet hit the ground.<br/><br/>At the sound of hunting dogs barking in alarm, Ambrose whistled for his horse Mordecai. The large stallion came galloping out of the woods towards him moments later. His horse was excellently trained and listened to no one but his master. He had paid quite a fortune for the fine creature and had raised it from the time it was just a colt. It had a sleek black coat that blended in with the night and wore light metal armor for protection against Ambrose’s touch. There had been no need to tie the horse up for he was obedient and would stay as his owner had ordered.<br/><br/>Once Mordecai was in front of him, he removed the rope that was around the Princess’s waist and hoisted her onto the saddle. He lifted himself up after her and situated her so her legs were thrown over one side of the horse and her head was resting against his chest with his arms caged around her as he held the reins. The alarm bell sounded behind him and Ambrose wasted no time heading into the forest to make his escape. His advantage was that there were very few men guarding the castle and it would take time for support to come aid them in search of Princess Deidra. At first he pushed his horse forward at full speed trying to distance himself from the castle as much as possible. When he came across a stream though, he slowed down and had Mordecai trot through the water for some time to throw the dogs off of their scent.  This was when he used one arm to hold the princess more firmly against him since she had likely been jostled by the rough ride. He also removed his cloak and settled in around her instead to keep off the chill of the cold night air.<br/><br/>Ambrose would have to find her proper clothes in the next town he came across as he had not had time to grab any of her dresses and she only wore a light night-shift and a woolen shawl. He forced himself not to dwell on what her reaction would be when she awoke, and instead rejoiced in the fact that he could touch another after so many years without. Questions also plagued his mind as he did not understand why he could touch only her. He would like to think it was because she was made for him, but that seemed too hopeful. It was more likely that there was something else at work. What it was, he did not know, but he hoped that the discovery of her would provide him with some much needed answers.<br/><br/>The assassin did not regret stealing her away, but the impulsive plan he had formulated had its faults. For one, he did not carry out the order that had been assigned to him by the King of Brovaria. Granted, he had also not accepted payment ahead of time, but Ambrose knew it would only be a matter of time before the King sent other assassins after the princess when he learned of her disappearance. There was also the princess's father to deal with, who had the power to start a war to find his daughter if he wished to. He had dealt with enemies before, but never so many and even with his skills it would be difficult to get away unscathed.<br/><br/>These were the thoughts ran through his head as he continued to ride onwards. Soon he would have to find a place to take cover in and then he would decide what he would do next.