Chapter 13

Before dawn could stretch its first rays into the sky, Ransom and Annabeth were once again traveling.

Annabeth still rode in front of Ransom as they kept up a fast pace, but neither spoke—there was too much at stake. As the afternoon grew late, Ransom grew restless and broke the silence.

“Why did you laugh yesterday?”

“When?”

“When you were running.”

Annabeth grew silent for a long moment before she spoke. “I never thought I could run from such a place. Once you are in, you are there forever, but for the first time, I was running away and knew that he had no hold on me. I knew that I could get away. Thank you for coming back for me when my horse fell.”

“Why would I do otherwise?”

Annabeth shrugged off the question.

Suddenly, his arms tightened around her. “I would never do anything else.”

She blushed uncomfortably, and their ride continued in silence.

Just as the sun was setting, they approached the crossroads where they were supposed to meet. The sound of familiar voices met their ears. All were well and waiting.

“Anna!” squealed Christina.

In a moment, Annabeth had slipped from underneath Ransom’s arm and onto the ground, where she met Christina’s headlong embrace.

“Don’t the pair of you make a funny looking lot,” laughed the prince.

Annabeth laughed and Christina tried not to look offended.

“You’d look funny in a dress, if you had to wear one,” retorted Christina, holding her chin up high.

Annabeth looked at the prince’s strong six-foot figure and held back a laugh.

The prince, however, came to his own defense. “They’d have to find one to fit me first, and I don’t think it would be a bit flattering.”

They all laughed except Christina; Ransom kindly changed the subject.

“Well, standing here talking will only get us caught, so I suggest we get a move on.”

Both girls looked gratefully at him and Annabeth came back to his side to mount again.

“Where is your horse, Annabeth?” asked Song Lark.

“He went down two days ago in a hare’s hole when we were running, and Ransom came back for me,” she answered softly.

“Your horse must be weary from carrying both of you. Anna, why don’t you ride behind me? I’d take Christina but she is mad at me. Aren’t you, Christina?” asked Alf.

Christina didn’t deem it necessary to reply.

“Song Lark, will you be so kind to help me up?” she asked, turning to him, her mouth held in a prim manner.

Song Lark laughed and offered her his hand, sliding his foot from his stirrup.

Annabeth looked up at Ransom, asking for his opinion. He nodded her forward and a moment later Alf was by her side offering her his hand. Taking it, she leapt up behind him. The prince took the lead with Song Lark following, leaving Ransom to bring up the rear.

As the sky grew darker, the stars came out, and the moon rose, Song Lark ran his fingers over his lute, humming a few lines of a new refrain he was making up in his mind.

Ransom watched as the music slowly relaxed Christina. Her head came to rest on Song Lark’s shoulder, her body became limp, her breathing rhythmic and deep as she fell asleep. His eyes passed Song Lark to Prince Alfred and Annabeth. They were silent, and Annabeth seemed more interested in the dark silhouette of passing trees than anything else. When the moon began to set in the sky, they searched for a place to make camp.

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THE NEXT MORNING, ANNABETH dragged her eyes open. That was the one thing she hated about living on the run—late nights and early mornings. Stretching, she felt the chill of the early morning gnaw at her stiff and weary body; her back ached from the hard ground. Reluctantly, she pushed herself up to a sitting position. Looking to her right, she noticed that Christina was still out to the world, her entire body limp with weariness. Song Lark was seated against a tree, his eyes still firmly shut, while Alf was building a fire.

“Alf, where is Ransom?”

“He went fishing,” he answered with a nod toward the river. “Now go back to sleep.”

“Can’t; I am too cold.”

“Come get warm by the fire, then.”

Annabeth came to the fire, still wrapped in her cloak, and held her hands out over the ambitious orange and yellow flames as they began to grow.

In a little while, Christina joined them, cold having awakened her. In a few minutes she had fallen asleep again—exhausted, her head resting on Annabeth’s cloak.

The wood popped restlessly; the logs shifted. She looked up to see Prince Alfred looking at her across the fire.

“What?” she asked.

“Why haven’t you asked me?”

“I guess I am scared of what you will say, and sometimes not knowing is...”

He nodded. “Better than knowing. It leaves you to imagine the worst and best possible, without being tied to the facts.”

Annabeth nodded and looked down at the fire.

“I’ve seen him; he’s holding his own, Annabeth.” Prince Alfred came to her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “He is holding his own very bravely, despite Lord Raburn and his torture,” he said in a quiet voice.

Annabeth bit her lower lip hard.

“You knew that would happen, didn’t you?”

She nodded. “It’s just so difficult to hear it...” She sighed.

“Actually said?”

She nodded.

“But you know Raburn. He does everything in style and likes even his enemies to live as long as possible. He has been treated well, if you can call living in a dungeon that. But he hasn’t laid his hand against him for the last two months. Your father wouldn’t budge, and he knows it is useless to try and make him. I told him about everything you are doing out here, and he is proud of you, Annabeth. Prouder than a peacock. His daughter is thwarting one of the most powerful men this country has ever known, and every day that you are free is a day he lives free in his soul.”

“Oh, Alf.” Annabeth laid her head against his shoulder.

“It’s going to come out right in the end, Anna. Everything will come right; don’t cry now,” he said, pressing a brotherly kiss to her temple.

“Thank you, Alf.”

“Thank you, Anna. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”

Annabeth only smiled and sighed, resting her chin against her closely drawn knee. Alf reached for another stick to lay on the fire and glanced over his shoulder.

“Hello, Ransom. You are back soon.”

“Fishing was good,” he said, holding up the catch he had already cleaned.

In a few minutes the three of them were roasting fish over the fire.

When the food was ready, they awoke Lady Christina, then Song Lark, and they all feasted.

“You certainly know how to roast good fish,” commented Song Lark to Ransom as his last piece disappeared.

“By the way, Song Lark, where are the rest of the supplies that were supposed to be in your saddlebags? I couldn’t find them this morning,” said Ransom.

“Oh, that,” pulled out Song Lark with a long breath.

Prince Alf’s face twisted with a mixed expression of amusement and pain. “I am afraid that we were all rather hungry on our first night out of prison.”

“Is that so. Well, that means we won’t be able to eat until we reach the border, for Annabeth and I only had dried food and that is all gone, too,” said Ransom with a long sigh, glancing accusingly around the group.

“I woke up in the middle of the night and was hungry. Since these two ate me out of house and home, I had to raid your saddlebags,” protested Song Lark in his defense.

“I don’t know why you keep dragging me into your trouble,” said Christina, a pout pulling at her lips.

“What is wrong with her, Annabeth? She hasn’t said a civil word to me all day,” said Prince Alfred teasingly.

At this, Christina burst into tears and, rising to her feet, ran to the edge of camp, not daring to go a step further.

Annabeth glared at him. “Did you need to be so insensitive? She isn’t used to this lifestyle. She has never had a day of rough riding or living in her life. Christina is exhausted and she needs your kindness and not your criticism, even if it is in fun.”

Annabeth sighed and put down her fish, getting ready to stand up and go talk to Christina, when Alf’s hand stayed her.

“I’ll go talk to her. I am the one who caused the problem.”

Annabeth watched as he approached her. His shoulders hunched to Christina’s level, he stood just a little behind, whispering in her ear.

In a minute she had turned and was crying into his shirt; in a few minutes more they were sitting on a log talking.

Annabeth turned around.

“Where is Song Lark?”

“He went for supplies; he says the two of them could talk all morning, and I am pretty sure that we have lost Raburn. We all need a rest; we’ve been driving hard, and if we keep up a pace like we have been the horses will go lame. We’ll take the morning easy and be to the border well before sundown.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am sure of it.”

Letting out a long sigh, she glanced over her shoulder. They were still talking in earnest, the tears had ceased to flow, and Christina was now beaming smiles and laughs.

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QUIETLY, THEY BOTH worked around their camp until Ransom noticed Annabeth slipping off into the woods.

He watched her go; then, glancing at Christina and Alf, who were still talking, he decided to follow her.

She was leaning against a tree, looking up into the pale, blue sky of late summer between an interweaving of green leaves. The sun danced on them as the wind gently ruffled the uppermost leaves.

He took the tree across from her. Bending his knee, he leaned one foot against the trunk and folded his arms across his chest. For a long time there was silence; then Annabeth spoke.

“It’s so quiet out here. I long for peace like this.”

“Unlike the two birds back at camp.”

“I think they could talk forever, and that is a good thing.”

“Are you jealous?” asked Ransom softly.

“Jealous? Why would I be jealous?”

“I saw you and Prince Alfred this morning.”

Annabeth’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “I don’t think I know what you mean.”

Ransom leaned over and kissed Annabeth on the temple.

Blushing, she looked down, afraid to meet his eyes. “Oh, that. That was nothing. Alf is a very good friend, but he is no more than a brother to me. A few years ago, when I was ten and he was twelve, people teased that we were sweet on each other. One day, while we were sitting by the river...

“He asked me if I wanted to marry him, and I said no, and he answered, ‘Good, ‘cause I don’t want to marry you, either.’ So we took a vow then and there that no matter what happened, we wouldn’t marry one another. Then he said, because we vowed, it was now impossible, because if a young man swore something it couldn’t be retracted; but if a young lady swore something it could be retracted by her father or brother—but since we had both sworn it, it was now entirely impossible. But just in case, he took my thumb and cut it, and then cut his own, and put them together, making us blood siblings. I still have the scar.” She turned over her right thumb and Ransom saw the hairline white scar across it.

Ransom took her small hand in his and examined it.

Suddenly, Alf was coming towards them and Ransom gently let go of her hand.

“Was Anna here just telling you about our vow?” he asked, coming up, leaning his shoulder against Annabeth’s tree.

“She was,” said Ransom, leaning back against the tree, his arms folded across his chest.

“Just because I have taken a vow not to love her doesn’t mean I don’t dote on her,” he said, curling one of her stray hairs around his fingers.

Annabeth didn’t back away from him but looked confidently up into his face. “Where is Christina?”

“Song Lark brought back a dress with him from his excursion and she is putting it on, so I decided to get lost.”

“Very wise of you. I wonder if she needs help.”

“Probably does,” Alf said, pulling her hair slightly.

“Then I better go.”

Ransom watched Annabeth leave, then suddenly felt the prince’s eyes on him. He had pushed away from the tree, his stance was wide, and his eyes were serious and studious, his mouth screwing slightly to the side.

“What do you want with my sister?”

“What?”

“What are your intentions towards Annabeth?”

“Why should it concern you?”

“She is practically my sister. She has no one else to look after her.”

“I have been doing a pretty good job of that.”

Alfred tilted his head to one side and examined Ransom, his eyes seeking to pierce anything he didn’t like. “You have, but if you hurt her, you will have to answer to me.”

Ransom smiled. “The same goes for you.” His foot pushed away from the tree and he stepped forward; they stood shoulder to shoulder. Turning, their eyes met, measuring each other, man to man. Ransom walked towards camp, leaving the prince to think. He arrived back at camp just as the girls appeared from the thick forest, both newly clad in dresses.

“Thank you, Lark. I haven’t had a new dress in ages,” said Annabeth, impulsively throwing her arms around Song Lark’s neck.

“My pleasure, my dear. Now, let’s see how you look,” he said, holding her at arm’s length. Annabeth twirled, and suddenly Ransom remembered their first fight. It was the same whirl, the whirl of a girl in a pretty new dress.

Annabeth stopped in front of him with a smile and looked up into his face.

“Do you like it?” she asked, almost too pleased with it herself to really care what he thought.

Ransom put his best foot forward and made her a sweeping bow. “You look beautiful. May I have this dance?”

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ANNABETH BLUSHED AT the praise, covering her face with her hands shyly.

Suddenly, Song Lark strummed the strings of his lute with fervor.

“Lark, you aren’t indulging him!”

To that he only laughed, and suddenly Annabeth found her hands in Ransom’s and he was whirling her around, faster and faster until the world around her was a muted blur except for Ransom’s face.

When at last he stopped, neither could walk a straight step and Annabeth dropped to the ground, holding her sides as she laughed. Ransom sat up and looked at her; she had laughed so hard tears had come into her eyes. Sitting up, she wiped them away.

“Well, if we are ever going to elude that horrible Raburn, I suppose we better get a move on,” she sighed, rising on wobbling feet.

In a matter of minutes, they were mounting and Prince Alfred had taken up Christina behind himself, Song Lark the supplies, and Ransom, Annabeth.