Princess Kaylee could hardly believe her ears. She stared at Rafe in stunned silence for a long moment before she asked, “What was that?”
King Rafe took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “It seems to me that you will stop at nothing to get yourself killed by the marauders who took your cousin, and since you refuse to listen to any sense or logic, I may as well let you go ahead and get it over with. You clearly care nothing for your own safety.”
“After what I’ve done, sir, I’m afraid I can’t afford to care about my own safety. If it weren’t for me, my cousins and my friend Gregory would all be back at the castle now, sitting in the library, drinking wine and eating grapes. Now, two of them are lost in the woods, possibly in grave danger or already dead, and my poor cousin Jenna is likely already been grievously injured.”
“I understand all of that, Princess. I truly do. But I wish that you would take into account the other harm you could cause, not just to yourself but to others, with your insistence in pursuing this impossible task that is almost certain to end in your demise and anyone else’s who is foolish enough to help you.”
Swallowing hard, Kaylee looked into his eyes and said, “Thankfully, no one else is foolish enough to help me, then.”
Rafe scoffed and ran a hand through his hair. “You’re right. No one should be that ridiculously daft. It’s just a matter of time before you are either caught and killed by the Ketchilians or come across the very group of wild kidnappers that you are looking for and they make short work of you or take you with them, which is likely what they intended in the first place. I’m sure you’ve realized that they were in your kingdom looking for a princess--not Jenna’s.”
“Yes, of course I realize that!” Kaylee practically spat at him. “Where do you think the root of my guilt lies?”
Rafe let go of the reins of her horse, her stolen horse, but the sorrel stayed still, not trying to skitter off again. Jenna didn’t spirit him on either. It seemed that the king still had more to say. She may as well hear him out before she took off.
“What exactly do you intend to do when you find her? If you find her?”
“I haven’t the foggiest,” Kaylee admitted. “I’m hoping inspiration will come to me when I see the circumstances. Initially, I had planned for my cousin and Gregory to be with me. If that were the case, our chances would be greater.”
“They would still be abysmal,” Rafe concluded.
“Perhaps.” Kaylee shrugged. “Doing nothing simply isn’t an option, sir.”
“No one is asking you to do nothing, Princess. What I’m proposing is that you ride back to Arteria and let your father know what’s transpired. Chances are, he’s already out looking for Jenna, and he will find her and free her.”
“Everything you’re saying makes perfect sense, King Rafe--”
“Just Rafe will do,” he interrupted.
“Very well, Rafe. But just because something makes sense, that doesn’t mean one can compel themselves to do it.”
“I don’t know when I will learn that there is simply no way to convince you not to do this,” he muttered, looking up at the sky as his horse shifted restlessly on his feet.
There was nothing else to say; so she said nothing.
“All right, then. Let us get onto it and get to our deaths quickly,” Rafe said, turning his horse around so that it was faced the same way as the sorrel.
“What’s that then?” Kaylee asked, confusion washing over her.
“I set… let us get on with it.”
“But… you’re surely not proposing that you’re coming with me, are you?” Why in the world would this man who was practically a stranger decide that now was as good a time as ever to meet his maker?
“That is precisely what I’m saying,” Rafe said.
“Why?” Kaylee asked, her horse taking a few steps forward so that they were even.
“Why? I can’t let you go off to die alone.”
“So you’re simply going to join me?” She couldn’t fathom why he would be willing to do that.
Rafe shrugged. “I’m involved now, Princess. If I let you go off to your death by yourself without even trying to help you, your blood will be on my hands. And I’ve already had enough blood on my hands, thank you.” That shadow passed over his face, his eyes darkening for a moment, and Kaylee understood that there were other secrets this man had not revealed to her.
Taking a deep breath, Kaylee kept her voice calm as she said, “I appreciate the sentiment, Your Majesty, I honestly do. But I am a grown woman, capable of making my own choices. I assure you, there’s no need for you to trouble yourself with me any further. Feel free to go on about your business, and I will continue on my mission. Whatever may become of me, it is not a burden you should bear.”
“Please, don’t refer to me by that term. I’m telling you, I am not a royal. Not anymore. Regardless of what Frederick may have said earlier, I have walked away from that part of my life. I am only Rafe now. And I will not allow you to go on without me, Princess. So you may as well stop trying to convince me.”
It was quite clear to Kaylee that she wouldn’t be able to change his mind, so she only studied his face for a long moment, not sure what else to say.
Rafe continued. “For that matter, if I were to let you go on without me, you do realize I’d want my horse back, don’t you?”
“Your horse?” she said, looking down at the sorrel stallion she was sitting astride. “Aren’t you riding your horse?”
“All of the horses my men ride are mine, Princess. Including that one. So… you can accept that I’m coming along with you, or you can hop off my steed and be on your way--on foot.”
The idea of having to walk after her cousin not only seemed exhausting, it seemed impossible. The chances of her catching up to the marauders on horseback were slim; on foot… it was simply not going to happen.
“Very well, then. If you insist.” Kaylee was too tired to argue.
“I insist.”
“Which way do you suggest we go?” Kaylee asked, surveying the area around them. The little trail she’d taken in an attempt to lose Rafe didn’t appear to be much of a trail, at least not for much further.
“This way,” Rafe said, leading his horse back toward the road she’d been on when he’d come from nowhere to take her by surprise and make her change courses to outrun him.
Her horse naturally followed his as they headed back at a much more leisurely pace than the one she’d been traveling when she’d initially come this way.
“So I was going the right way,” Kaylee muttered under her breath.
Rafe turned and looked at her, an amused expression on his face. “Yes, you were going the right way--if you were attempting to ride toward your certain death.”
Kaylee scoffed but she knew deep down, he was right. The chances that she could save her cousin with Rafe’s help were slim; the chances she could’ve done it on her own were zero. Maybe what they were doing was still an awful idea, but at least she didn’t have to do it all by herself
* * *
The princess and the king rode along for hours, winding through the forest, Rafe always slightly in the lead since he seemed to know where to go. At one point, they stopped to let the horses graze and drink some cool water from a river. They ate what food was in the saddlebags, but even while they tore hunks of bread and cheese off for one another, they hardly spoke at all. Kaylee tried a few times to get him to carry on a conversation, but it was quite clear that Rafe was not in a chatting mood, and who was she to insist he do anything he didn’t want to do under the circumstances? After all, he was already doing the last thing he hadn’t wanted to do for her.
Back on their horses, they found themselves headed uphill. As the sun began to dip down beyond the horizon, the ground grew rockier, and the incline became more drastic. Kaylee’s eyes grew heavy, and she found herself nodding off a few times. The mountains in the distance were beautiful, so she tried to focus on them, imagining what it would be like to see the world from up there. She had a feeling she’d find out soon enough.
“These mountains don’t look as frightening as I’ve heard,” she remarked, fully expecting him to ignore her comment as he had everything else she’d said in the last several hours.
“They get uglier the further north one goes,” Rafe answered. “These are pretty. We are still in Norterly. We will be for another hour or so, and then we will cross over into a land claimed by only bandits and outlaws, people like King Leopold, formerly of Gradenia. That’s where the ground becomes gnarled, the trees darken, and the rocks are jagged and steep.”
Sort of like Ketchel. “And that’s where we are headed?” Kaylee asked, trying not to let the fear in her voice give away her true feelings about the situation.
Rafe nodded. “I believe we’ll find your cousin in an abandoned palace that sits in the far reaches of that mountain chain I have just described to you, yes.”
Kaylee swallowed hard, trying not to think about the situation they were riding into. How in the world were they supposed to get her cousin out of a fortified castle in the mountains? There had to only be one way in and one way out. Wouldn’t it be guarded? Unless… they went a different route, a more treacherous one. Picturing herself clinging to the side of a mountain as she slid along, one foot and then the other, her fingers digging into the face as she prayed for her life didn’t seem too appealing.
Perhaps he was only bringing her there so that she would see what they were up against and decide not to go after all.
Rafe didn’t know her well if he thought she’d lose her bravery. Once she’d determined she was doing something, Kaylee didn’t back down--even when she knew moving forward was dangerous--and foolish.
Not long after their short conversation, Rafe led his horse off the path into a thicket where the ground was semi-flat. “Where are we going?” Kaylee asked.
“We are still in my lands here. I think it would be safest if we stayed here for the night. It’s not that late yet, but the sun is gone, and going into enemy territory in the dark, when one knows they are vastly outnumbered, is a good way to end up dead.”
Kaylee couldn’t argue with that, so she followed him. They tied the horses up off the road near a patch of grass, one of only a few, and Rafe produced a bit of meat and a couple of apples from his saddlebag.
Kaylee thanked him and sat down beneath a tree, glad to see he still had some water in his canteen that he had filled up back at the stream.
Exhaustion washed over her as she leaned back against the rough bark of the tree, mindlessly eating the food he’d given her, only sipping the water Rafe had set between them occasionally so as not to run out.
“You look tired, Princess. You should try to sleep,” Rafe suggested, wiping his hands on his pants as he chewed his last bite of meat.
“Sleep?” Kaylee repeated. “I don’t think that’s possible.” It was true that she was exhausted. Having slept on the horrific cot the night before, it would have been easy for her to stretch out on the soft grass and close her eyes. But the fact that they were in a dangerous location, she still had no idea where her cousin was, and she was with a man she didn’t know for sure she could trust since he’d been lying to her for the last two days, closing her eyes for more than a blink seemed like a dangerous endeavor.
“I suggest you try. You’re going to need your strength tomorrow.”
“And what about you?” Kaylee asked. “You slept on a filthy floor last night. You have to be more tired than I am.”
“It isn’t a contest,” Rafe said, rolling his eyes.
“I’m not trying to compete with you, sir. I’m simply stating facts. I think it would be quite selfish of me to try and sleep while you’re just as tired as I am, and I’m assuming that you are planning to stay awake, at least for a bit, until I awake and can take over keeping watch. I’m simply stating that perhaps you should sleep first while I keep an eye out.”
“While I appreciate your candor, the fact of the matter is, I don’t intend to stay awake and keep watch because there’s not much point to that. We are so far off the beaten path, I don’t believe anyone will find us here, but I guarantee if anyone approaches, I will hear them, and I will awaken.”
“Well then, if that’s the case,” Kaylee said, “I suppose I shall just have to trust your innate ability to sense danger.”
Kaylee slid over to the other side of the tree and lay down flat on her back, staring up at the tree branches, thinking perhaps this wasn’t any more comfortable than the bed she’d slept on the night before. At least that had had a blanket of some sort. The chill was beginning to get to her, and the grass wasn’t quite as soft now that she was lying on it.
She heard Rafe swear beneath his breath before he got up and moved over to the horses. For a moment, Kaylee thought perhaps he was going to take the horses and leave her there. She flew up off the ground and looked around.
He wasn’t mounting his horse. Instead, he was digging in the saddlebags. A few moments later, he came back to her with a rolled-up blanket and tossed it at her. He had another in his hands. “This should help, but it will get chilly out here without a fire.”
Kaylee was glad to have the blanket. She thanked him and then unrolled it, draping it over herself. “We can’t have a fire because of the smoke, correct?”
“That’s right,” he said. “If you get too cold, though, we could use body heat to keep each other warm.”
Kaylee’s mouth fell open. “I beg your pardon, sir! I assure you, that won’t be necessary.”
Rafe held up his free hand as if to say that he meant no offense. “Very well then. I hope that you stay warm enough, Princess.”
Kaylee pulled the thin blanket up to her shoulders and rolled so that her back was to Rafe, even though he was on the other side of the tree from her. The idea that she would want to curl up next to him, just to stay warm, was ridiculous. She’d be fine just where she was.
She’d never slept outside before, though. The thought that there might be bugs crawling on the ground, that they might crawl into her ears or her nose while she was asleep, made her want to pull the blanket up over her head. But then… she was lying on the ground, and she couldn’t wrap the blanket entirely around her, so there was always a chance that a creepy crawly could make its way up her body.
Kaylee reminded herself that there were bugs inside as well, so she may as well stop thinking about all of the awful things that could happen and just go to sleep. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
Bears. There might be bears out here. Or wolves. There were most definitely wolves, especially this close to the mountains. It wasn’t the cold that had her opening her eyes; it was the idea that she might end up as some wild creature’s dinner.
Eventually, tiredness overcame her, despite the ridiculous thoughts her mind kept dwelling on. Kaylee drifted off, dreaming of all of the awful things that could eat her while she was out in the woods with a strange man she didn’t know.
She woke up later, with the moon still high in the sky, shivering. She couldn’t remember ever being so cold in her life. Kaylee sat up, noting that her blanket was damp from dew. The grass was wet, too. Everything was wet--and cold.
She looked over at Rafe. He seemed to be sleeping just fine. Maybe his blanket was thicker than hers, or maybe he was used to sleeping outside in this awful weather. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was go and lie next to him, the way he’d suggested she might want to. Who did he think he was, anyway?
No, instead, Kaylee lay back down, curling herself into a ball, wishing she was anywhere in the world but right there.
Maybe she should get back on the horse. It would keep her warm. But then… she might fall asleep again and fall off.
Could she build a pile of leaves up and sleep on that? She looked around but didn’t see any leaves lying around that she could use. Frustrated, she reminded herself that the sun would be up soon enough, and then she would be warm.
“Are you all right, Princess?”
Rafe’s voice was groggy as it cut through the night air.
Kaylee froze, shocked that he had heard her moving around. “I’m just fine,” she assured him.
“You don’t sound fine. Are you cold?”
“Cold! No, that’s rubbish. Of course, I’m not cold.”
“I am,” Rafe said. “I figured if I’m cold, and I'm used to sleeping outside, you certainly must be cold.”
“Well, I suppose you figured wrong, then. I’m perfectly comfortable.”
“Very well, then. I’ll just roll over and go back to sleep then.” She heard a soft rustling as he turned to face the other direction.
“I mean… really… it’s not all that cold.” Kaylee was trying to convince herself more than him, she realized. “It’s just a bit chilly. Nothing fatal.”
“That’s good to know,” Rafe said without rolling back over.
“I’m certain people have suffered worse and lived to tell about it,” she continued.
“I’m certain they have as well.”
“The sun will be up soon enough.”
“Yes, it will. In four or five hours.”
“Four or five hours!” Kaylee shot up to sitting again. “No, it can’t be that long. Surely, it’ll be up in an hour or two.”
“I’m afraid not, Princess. Look at where the moon is hanging in the sky. I track it nightly, and I can tell you right now, it’s just past midnight, which means the sun will not be up for four or five more hours.”
She swore under her breath. Why was there dew already then? What was this strange land? She thought she might be able to last an hour or two in her freezing, wet, shivering straight, but not for four or five.
“Princess, I assure you, no one needs to know that the two of us used our body warmth to help one another find some sleep on a night when we would otherwise be cold and miserable.”
Sucking in a deep breath, Kaylee decided she truly had no other choice. As much as she hated to admit that he was right, she didn’t want to lie in the cold any longer. With the small blanket in her hands, Kaylee moved over to where Rafe was lying.
“Hold on a moment,” he said before she laid down. It made her nervous, wondering what in the world he might be doing in the dark at her feet.
Rafe stood too, taking the blanket from her hands. He spread it on the ground and then gestured for her to lay down. Kaylee didn’t like any of this, but she did as he directed. Then, Rafe lay down beside her, taking his blanket, which was thicker and longer than the one she’d been using, and spreading it over both of them. Kaylee turned so that her back was to him, and he draped his arm around her.
Letting out a growl, she said, “I believe your blanket is better than mine.”
“I believe they are both my blankets,” Rafe reminded her.
“Nevertheless, I have no doubt, if I’d had the thicker of the blankets to begin with, I wouldn’t have needed to move over here. I should’ve been warm enough on my own.”
“Whatever you say, Princess,” Rafe said. “Now, shut your mouth and go to sleep, please.”
“Gladly,” Kaylee said. “It’s not as if I want to speak to you anymore anyway, Your Highness.”
“And yet… you’re still speaking.” He sounded groggy himself as if he was beginning to fall asleep himself.
“I’m not still speaking,” Kaylee continued. “I mean, I am still speaking, but I’ve got nothing more to say.”
“Good. Then go to sleep.”
Kaylee knew he was right, and she needed to just shut her mouth and go to sleep, but the feeling of his strong arm draped around her middle felt different than she had expected it to. It felt nice in a way she didn’t want to recognize. She’d had men’s arms around her before, lots of times, when she was dancing, for example. But this… this was not something she’d experienced before. Lying next to a man, one who smelled unexpectedly good, like the woods themselves with a touch of musk that was uniquely his, with her back to his strong chest and his arm around her waist…. She simply didn’t know what to make of the feelings this was causing to bubble up inside of her.
The sounds of the forest began to put her to sleep, despite the uneasiness she felt about the situation. Kaylee didn’t fight it anymore. Rafe was correct in his assessment that lying next to each other would make them warmer. She could feel her toes beginning to uncurl and her muscles starting to relax as the heat from the two of them and the blanket beneath them protecting them from the cold earth thawed her body and allowed her mind to finally drift back into oblivion.