Dravyn assisted Emalyee and me onto our mounts before approaching his destrier, and I was still as lost as ever about where we were going with the procession of horses forming in front of my eyes. At Sébastien’s command, soldiers began to draw their horses into motion. I smiled briefly as I noticed Kateya riding up ahead next to the same guy she met the first day, who I had learned was Eryx.
Confused as to where we were headed, I looked around for someone to ask. Emalyee and Dravyn rode in front of me, deep in conversation, and I felt it rude to interrupt them. Glancing to the sides of me, I noticed there were soldiers all around me. Everyone was in a procession of sorts with four horses side by side, with the soldiers on the outside edges. Turning to the soldier to my right, I casually questioned, “Excuse-moi, could you tell me where we are headed?”
Continuing to scan the horizon, he distantly responded without so much as a glance in my direction. “Not my place to tell, miss.” I sighed before reluctantly giving up and just admiring the beauty of the nature around me.
The truth was, even as bizarre as this entire circumstance happened to be, this place was truly beautiful. Vibrant green trees proudly filled the grassy meadows, towering overhead as they surrounded us. The sun had come up a few hours ago and was now filling the meadows, dancing off the tips of everything it touched with a peaceful enchantment. The birds were singing to each other, and the wind was gently floating through my hair as our horses walked along. For a moment, I let myself forget the stress and fear of everything. I only thought about the nature around me, and I felt free. We continued our journey for the remainder of the day, pausing occasionally for the horses to drink and to eat.
As night approached, I noticed we began slowing down, my legs screaming in protest from the long day of horseback riding, even as I noticed that there didn’t appear to be any towns or signs of life nearby. We turned off the path we’d traveled along before stopping at a clear patch of land circled by trees that towered overhead, creating a shield of protection. I could not figure out what we were planning on doing here with this many guards and people.
I was just about to ask when a strong voice spoke out, breaking through the crisp night air. “We’ll stop here for the night, set up camp.”
I nearly laughed out loud at the absurdity of the idea, as my parents always warned us not to camp outside, not that I willingly would have with Seefers wandering the region, before I realized that they were serious.
Kateya ran up to me, bubbling with excitement at the idea of camping out in the forest. “Hear me out, Cass. I know we need to find a way home quickly. And as much as I’m worried about making it back, we’ve never gotten to camp outside. Like ever. Won’t this be so cool?”
Forcing a smile back toward my younger sister, I replied, “I can't wait either!”
“Imagine the stories we will have to tell,” she sing-songed as she headed off to watch the camp be set up.
The thing was though, even if the concern of Seefers was nonexistent, I wasn’t entirely into the whole camping thing. Don’t get me wrong, nature could be beautiful, and I was not afraid of the dark. I just didn’t camp willingly.
Before I knew it, tents had been set up, and a fire was slowly heating the surrounding area, a warm layer drifting into the tents. When I stopped to think about it, it’s quite astonishing how quickly Sébastien’s men could set up a campsite. The sun swiftly faded into the night, and dinner had been prepared. Dinner, as I learned, lacked delicacies, consisting of salted venison and warmed barley bread. A simple meal that somehow managed to lull one into feeling safe, cozy, and even relaxed.
As the meal ended, Kateya and I headed off to our assigned tent and began preparing for bed. Exhaustion coursed through my body after the day of traveling, and the little food and sleep I’d had in the past two days began to catch up to me. I would have to say that from experience, princes weren’t all that considerate of other people. Not to mention that I still had no idea where we were going or whether he believed me when I told him the truth.
My mind was running in circles as I laid down on the hard ground, sharp little jabs pricking through the mat from the stones underneath, and felt myself drifting off to sleep on the roughly woven bed mat. As I shifted to get comfortable, I rolled over before finding myself off the mat and lying with my face in the grass. Glancing to my right, I noticed Kateya was sound asleep beside me, snoring lightly. Rolling back onto the mat, I attempted to get comfortable again.
After a multitude of restless turns and more exhausted than I previously was from the day's ride, I decided to go and walk about for a few minutes, seeing as I couldn’t fall asleep. Gently pushing the woven fabric of the tent to the side, I slipped out into the night air, a welcoming chill settling against the bare skin of my arms. Dew-covered grass met my toes as I silently walked through the campsite toward the trees, praying I hadn't woken anyone. I felt safe as I wandered through the dark shadows of the trees before approaching the shoreline of a lake in the distance. The lake wasn't big in size, but it was enchanting, reflecting the dancing moonlight off its surface; it drew me in and reminded me of home.
Settling into the patch of dirt by the base of a large tree by the lake, my mind went back to a summer’s day years ago. My parents had taken us on an adventure a short drive inland from Estaire. We stayed a while, laughing and swimming in the river before having a picnic dinner by the river’s edge. The moon was slowly rising in the sky and stars were appearing, a rare sight for us living in the Capital. The moonlight's reflection on the water drew us in for a midnight swim. That memory was one of the last peaceful times we had in nature, before The Fall and the unknown creatures that began to roam the woods.
As I focused my thoughts back on the lake, I felt unwanted tears stream down my cheeks. I didn't recall when I started crying. The peace of the lake entwined with childhood memories brought them to the surface, but the longer I stared at the lake, the more tears appeared to violently stain my cheeks. Wrapping my arms around my legs, I hugged them close to me, shivering slightly from the nighttime chill as I took in the beauty and calm before me. It was a stark contrast to the overwhelming fear and concern that was the turmoil inside me.
Recognizing the risk I was taking by being outside the campsite border, a sigh broke my lips as I began to push myself off the ground to head back to the campsite, when a husky voice broke through the silence. “Can't sleep?”
I froze, every muscle in my body tensing in recognition before turning around at the sound of the commander’s voice and murmuring, “No, not really. Don’t worry. I’m not planning to escape. I was about to head back, I promise.”
He closed the distance between us with unspeakable speed, lowering himself to the ground beside me. His long limbs stretched out in front of him as he settled against the tree trunk next to me. I tensed as his knee brushed up against my leg, and silence once again took over the lake. After a few moments of deafening silence from the form to my right, I couldn’t take it anymore.
Slowly, I glanced over toward Sébastien, wondering why he was here, only to find him intently gazing at me, those icy blue eyes filled with a look of concern I hadn’t known he could feel. My breathing silently hitched, caught in my throat as I wondered why he was looking at me in such a way. My eyes traced the angles of his jaw before getting hooked on his lips. I hated that my mind drifted as I briefly imagined what those freckled lips would feel like controlling my own.
He broke the silence first, a concerned note in his voice as he stated, “You've been crying.”
The words no shit flew to the tip of my tongue even as I ducked my head, upset he could so easily observe I’d been crying. I had no intention of admitting I had been; even if it was obvious, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being right. I’d started to get up off the ground again rather than answer when a strong hand clamped around my arm, tugging me back down to the ground and holding me firmly in place. I couldn’t help but wonder what those hands could do; what they would feel like wrapped around my neck, even as frustration rose in me.
Shocked, I glared up at him in anger, as I attempted to pry my arm from his sturdy grasp, to no avail. “What would you like now?” I angrily mocked. “I don’t answer to you. Especially not after you locked me in a cell and when I give you a response, you storm off like an unhappy child.”
Sébastien simply chuckled, looking at me with those ice-blue eyes that danced with amusement as he replied, “An explanation. Preferably now.”
Angered by the fact that he thought he had the power to force me to answer him, I held my glare, my eyes narrowing at him in defiance. I could have told him what was wrong, but the truth is, I only know the reason why I started crying, not the reason I continued for so long.
Sébastien seemed unfazed by my evil glare, however, as he made himself comfortable, settling his long body further against the tree bark and said, “Well, princesse, we have all night.”
A deep groan slipped from my lips before I muttered under my breath, “Arrogant men,” as I resolved to remain silent, even if that meant sitting here in awkward silence for hours. I was angry. I was angry about the fact I was here; at the fact he was making me sit and talk to him when I didn’t want to; at the fact that my younger sister had been roped into all of this. To make matters worse, I was in some serious need of a solid night’s sleep at this point.
Apparently, the mixture of those feelings didn't go well together because, before I knew it, hot tears were streaming down my face again. I heard him mutter something under his breath before two muscular arms wrapped around me, guiding me into a solid chest. His grip tightened as my body shook, the scent of spice and pine lulling me into safety. A low voice whispered in my ear as my sobs began to fade. “Please, princesse, tell me what's wrong?”
I hiccupped as I realized I had completely drenched the front of his charcoal gray tunic with my sob fest. Slowly looking up, my gaze met Sébastien’s as he watched me, concern laced across his face. I got lost for a moment, those crystal blue eyes gently holding mine, the freckles splattered across high cheekbones scrunching, a wave of darkened hair draping past his eye. I noticed a tiny scar marring his skin, running from his forehead into his left eyebrow, making me wonder what had happened. The intensity of his gaze sweeping over my facial features sent a burst of heat coursing through me.
How could I tell him what was wrong? How could I tell him my entire life felt as if it was falling apart, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it? How could I tell him I felt like such an awful sister for still not being able to protect her, much like I hadn’t been able to the night the Seefers ransacked our house in the East Engles? How?
His icy blue eyes searched my face as though trying to uncover the questions I had on repeat through my mind. I honestly didn’t know what to do, so I did the only thing I could think to do. “Can we just forget about this and go back to the camp… please?” I quietly asked, nearly begging him to drop this. To forget this entire night.
I felt Sébastien stiffen, every muscle in his chest and abdomen rippled in frustration, even when he let out a sarcastic laugh. “You attempt to sneak out of my camp, avoid answering my questions, then cry all over my shirt, and have the audacity to ask me to drop it.”
Cringing at his words—because they made me come across as rude and shallow—I swallowed any remaining pride within me and begrudgingly mumbled, “Yes… please.”
His eyes swept over my face once more before he spoke, “Very well, we shall drop this topic. For tonight. However, in the morning, we will continue this conversation, and I will demand an answer by then, whether you feel it in you to give me one or not, princesse.”
Why does this man always need an answer? Doesn’t he have anything better to do with his life? And why does he keep calling me princesse? However, I managed to pull off a weak smile as he helped me up and escorted me back to the campsite. Crawling back into my tent silently so as not to wake my sister, I felt sleep reaching out to me once more, this time drifting over and taking me.
* * *
Sunlight peeked through the flaps of the cloth tent, tickling my cheek as it floated by, softly waking me up. As I sat up in the tent, I glanced over at Kateya and laughter bubbled, bursting through my lips. My sister was sprawled out on the grass, her blanket tangled around her feet and her bed mat lying on top of her stomach. She had her mouth half open with a patch of grass attempting to enter her mouth and a dandelion stuck on her forehead, leaving a yellow imprint.
As I began laughing at my sister's morning appearance, Emalyee stepped into the tent, took in my sisters’ appearance and was soon laughing alongside me. Kateya woke up at that exact moment to find us both nearly dying of laughter. She stood up and stretched, unaware of her sleep-enabled appearance, before asking, “What’s so funny?”
Sucking in air, struggling to regain breathing, neither Emalyee nor myself could respond, so we simply pointed toward the flower still stuck to her face. Kateya reached up, slowly pulled the dandelion off while scowling at us and then marched out of the tent, causing Emalyee and me to break out in laughter again.
After dressing, I followed Emalyee out of the tent and toward the dying embers of last night’s fire. We had a quick breakfast of piebread and soon after, the campsite was packed up. All thirty guards were ready, and we were off again to some mysterious location His Highness wouldn’t divulge to me. As we continued riding that morning, Emalyee and I sat side-by-side, talking about our lives, men, and making jokes. Talking with Emalyee during the journey helped me feel more at home. She reminded me of my best friend, Aerilyn, who I was supposed to be listening to gossip with in present-day Verastarr.
The tip of my nose was beginning to burn from the brutal force of the sun, and my legs were cramping, muscles spasming in unimaginable ways from the second day of nonstop riding. Emalyee and I had been laughing about fashion sense and the crazy outfits girls wore to impress men, a topic relevant in both time periods, it seemed. Even though I wasn’t familiar with every outfit style in Verastarr, I could relate because every Friday night I watched my roommate dress up in impossible skirts and eccentric tops to attract her next hookup at the bar downtown. As we were riding along, a soldier came riding up and said, “Commander Sébastien Capetian would like a word with you, miss.” We both grew silent for a moment.
As I turned to Emalyee, we both began speaking at the same time. “Why does Commander Sébastien want to see you?”
Realization dawned on our faces that neither of us had any idea which of us the soldier happened to be speaking to. We both glanced at the soldier again, who was regarding us with an amused expression. “I believe the commander was referring to you, miss; something about unfinished business,” he replied, directing his sentence to me.
Ah, so he thought that I would be interested in finishing last night’s conversation with him even after I had asked him to drop it. Well, jokes on him, I guess. That wouldn’t be happening.
“Please inform His Highness that I am currently engaged, and should he wish to speak with me, he may find another time to do so,” I responded.
“Miss, I am under orders to bring you to him,” the soldier pleaded. “Need I remind you that it was none other than Commander Sébastien Capetian, Prince of Verastarr, who took you in?”
I scoffed at his words, before shooting daggers back at him and reemphasizing, “Like I said, you can inform His Highness that I cannot merely be summoned like an animal, and if he wishes to speak with me, he may choose another time.”
The soldier began to ride off, and I turned my attention back to Emalyee, who in turn was looking at me with surprise and possibly pride. “You are aware that you just turned down a direct order from the Prince of Verastarr, non?”
Laughing softly, I explained to her, “Yes, I am aware and he will possibly murder me for it. But, if he thinks he can just summon me whenever he wants, well, he is wrong. And I know what he wishes to speak with me about, and as I told him previously, I really have no desire to continue the conversation with him. If he has an issue with that, well, he can get over it.”
Emalyee looked at me for a moment, before laughing and saying, “How very true—his ego is considerably large. He could stand to be taken down a bit.”