I stepped closer, drawn to the heat of his body and the utter safety I felt in his presence. Who knew how far I was from the palace, but I wasn't afraid. Not with him.
The river had taken my shoes and ripped the shawl from my shoulders. The remains of my dress was plastered to my body and too much of me was revealed before this guard. But he never looked below my eyes, his gaze steady and unwavering just like his nature.
“You lost your mother's sword,” he said, his brows stitching together as if that pained him to say.
I sighed, the tug of that loss pulling apart my heart for a moment. But there were other swords in the world and I was sure she'd rather I was still alive than armed in a watery grave.
“You kept yours.” I nodded to the scimitar sheathed at his hip.
“Yes well...this isn't mine exactly.” A slim crease formed on his brow as he drew it and I studied it for a moment. Cassian pointed out a Forken signature just beneath the hilt then held the sword out to me. “It belongs to your family.”
I folded my arms with an amused smile as that crease on his forehead burrowed deeper. He loved that sword; it was written all over his face. “Keep it,” I said firmly, pushing it back toward him and his eyes lit up like two lanterns.
“But-”
“No buts.” I grinned. “You deserve more than a sword for how much you've sacrificed for the kingdom, Cassian. I'm eternally in your debt.”
He ran a hand down the back of his neck, a boyish expression passing over his face that revealed how young he really was. I glanced away, my cheeks suddenly hot. “Do you know where we are?” I asked hopefully.
He surveyed the area for a moment. “Looks like we're out north somewhere.” His expression became grave. “We need to be on high alert.”
I looked up and down the river, hoping to spot Kyra and Aladdin but there was no such luck. “Do you think they're okay?”
“Kyra is a magical genie who can wish for anything Aladdin wants. So they're probably more than okay. They're no doubt resting in a palace made of solid gold right about now.” His tone told me he didn't really believe that. And I sensed wherever they were, they were looking for us too.
He glanced at my attire for half a second then back to the street ahead. “For now, we have to move, get out of these clothes before we're noticed ”
“I think we'll be more noticeable if we're running around the streets naked,” I teased and he snorted a laugh, evidently caught off-guard by my joke.
“Very true, Rapunzel.” He took the lead and I was left in the wake of my name on his lips. The way he said it with absolute confidence. It intrigued me as to why he'd dropped the your majesties but I didn't want to point it out in case he stopped.
I crept onto the road with him, keeping close, missing my mother's sword like a severed limb. I hated feeling so vulnerable, but if there was one person I was more than happy to put my faith in, it was Cassian.
“If we're going to survive in this place we must become like the people who live here,” Cassian said in a low tone. He glanced at me with a mischievous glint in his gaze. “It's time to become thieves.”
My pulse quickened as I nodded, following him into a shadowy alleyway that smelt of something foul. We continued winding through the narrow passages and I sensed Cassian was looking for something. Occasionally he'd pause, listen, then gaze into people's backyards through their fences.
“What are you looking for?” I whispered as he halted before a low metal gate. A run-down garden was visible beyond it but before I could notice anything more about it, Cassian thrust me behind a bush hugging the nearest wall and vaulted the gate.
I cursed as he left me there, his footfalls pounding away beyond the fence. I pressed myself back against the wall and willed my heart beat to settle. The cool stone against my back was a welcome relief from the heat of the night which hung suffocatingly thick in the air.
A low whistle caught my ear somewhere off to the right and I stilled, trying to make myself as small as possible. Shadows shifted out in the street and my mind played tricks on me as I thought I could make out a huge man standing in the alley opposite.
Stay still.
Stay calm.
It’s nothing.
Where the hell is Cassian dammit?!
My fingers itched for a blade as my spine tingled with unease.
A thump made my heart nearly leap out of my throat but my whole body sagged as Cassian reappeared with a bundle of clothes in his hands.
He moved cautiously, glancing up and down the street before gesturing for me to come out of my hiding place.
He handed me a brown frock that resembled a sack but I accepted it without complaint. He took my arm and my veins buzzed with energy as he guided me along the road, moving at an almost jog as we sped away from the scene of the crime.
I glanced over my shoulder, wondering if I should mention what I thought I'd seen. But I was almost certainly overreacting.
Still...
“I think there might have been men back there...in the shadows,” I said, feeling a little foolish.
Cassian gave me a firm nod, his jaw tightening as he responded to those words without an ounce of dismissal.
He started pulling me along at a faster pace until we were practically running, turning down narrow streets, left, right, back, forth.
Finally, we slowed to a stop but our surroundings didn't inject me with any reassurance. A hollowed out wreck of a house stood beside us, the door broken and moss climbing the walls. Cassian headed inside and I fought away the creeping feeling in my body as I followed.
I was so out of my depth outside of the palace, that all I could really do was breathe and keep moving.
Sand had blown inside from years of storms and created a bed of it across the floor. Cassian waited for me to step past him before moving back to the doorway and standing guard. “Get changed,” he urged, facing away from me.
I didn't waste a second to get out of my ruined clothes, discarding them on the floor before tugging the dress over my head. It was long and unflattering, but felt miles better than the wet one I'd been in.
“Your turn,” I said, moving to Cassian's side and drawing the scimitar from his hip. His eyebrow quirked up as I weighed it in my palms, but he didn't move. “Don't you trust me to guard you while you take your clothes off?” I asked, my heart jolting as I reheard those words after they left my lips.
Cassian's eyes danced with mischief for a moment. “I trust you,” he said with a grin, heading deeper into the room.
I turned my back, gazing resolutely out into the street as the sound of him undressing reached my ears.
Don't look don't look don't look.
I looked.
The glance over my shoulder lasted one fleeting second but I got a whole eyeful of rippling muscles that made a lump swell in my throat. I cleared my throat, I swallowed hard, but nothing I did would shift it.
I'd seen the guards shirtless plenty of times during their training, and I couldn't deny that I'd enjoyed watching them all running around with their bodies gleaming under the midday sun. But seeing Cassian suddenly felt different. Like he wasn't a guard and I wasn't a princess. But I didn't know what that made us instead.
“Ready,” he said, moving to the opposite side of the door and leaning his shoulder against it. His clothes were much too snug and I couldn't fight a giggle as I looked him over.
He glanced at my expression with a smile hooking up one corner of his mouth. “Well I'm a specific kind of size. What were the chances of me finding a good fit?”
“Pretty slim,” I agreed, my grin growing wider.
His gaze slid down to my lips for a moment then he turned his head sharply to look at the road.
“We should look for Aladdin and Kyra,” I breathed and he didn't reply for a long beat.
“Aladdin knows this part of the city like the back of his hand. He's practically an alley cat here. We on the other hand, are royally screwed if we make one wrong move in
this place.”
“So what are you suggesting?” I asked, digging the tip of his sword into the sand by my feet.
“We wait here until daylight,” he replied. “I don't like the idea of wandering these streets in the dark any longer. I've met The Forty and if they're anything to go by, the scoundrels in this Quarter are not people you want to meet after sundown.”
“So we stay here...” I looked into the space distastefully. It wasn't just that it was a crumbled down ruin of a building. It was the way the wind made a rattling noise and the sand shifted around the place like a ghost was floating across it.
Don't be ridiculous. You want to be the Queen of Osaria, don’t you? Then start acting like a woman and not an infant.
I straightened my spine, determined not to be spooked by a bunch of shifting shadows.
“You should rest, I'll remain on guard,” Cassian instructed, reaching out to take the sword from me. “Bury our old clothes in the sand. If we're found here, hopefully we'll pass as a couple of poor fools looking for shelter.”
I frowned, eyeing the Forken sword in his grip and the huge set of muscles that spoke of several meals a day and vigorous training. Let's hope that all goes unnoticed.
I studied him for far too long while heat surged through my veins and swirled deeply in my stomach.
Oh no.
I muttered a goodnight as I turned away and dropped down onto the sand.
It's just because he saved me, that's all. I've grown a few feelings, so what? It's an extreme situation. I've read plenty of books where adventures cause unbidden affection towards heroes.
I curled up in the sand, finding it pleasantly cool against my burning skin.
I'll feel more like myself again by the morning.
***
“Get up – run!” Cassian's bellowing shout forced me from sleep and I was on my feet in a heartbeat. He was at the door, battling off four men who had hold of him. His scimitar lay at his feet beside a huge man who was clutching his face and swearing loudly.
I am the Princess of Osaria and I don't run from anyone.
I lunged for the sword, snatching the hilt into my grip and the four men holding Cassian looked down at me in surprise.
“Let him go,” I demanded in the most powerful tone I could muster, aiming my sword at the head of their wounded friend.
“Or what?” one of them spat a laugh.
“I'll kill him,” I snarled, pressing the tip of the blade against his neck as my pulse thumped erratically under my skin.
“Who cares?” another one chortled, locking his meaty arm around Cassian's neck. “Do you know how much Egos will give us if we bring this traitor back to the den? It's worth a couple of lives, sweetheart.”
I gauged the situation with a pounding heart.
“Get out of here,” Cassian growled at me, but there was no way I was leaving him to the mercy of these oafs.
The man beneath my blade suddenly sank his teeth into my foot and I screamed, kicking him in the face. The second I looked away from the other men, one of them ran at me.
I swung my sword with a yell of fury, but the man on his knees flipped me off of my feet. I hit the sand with an oomph and the second brute clambered on top of me, pinning me to the ground. I kept my hand locked around the sword as he tried to prise it free, his scarred features an inch from my face.
“Get off of her!” Cassian yelled and the sound of a scuffle broke out once more.
My vile attacker smelt like blood and his rancid breath mixed with the coppery tang of it. My nose wrinkled as he leaned closer. “Gimme it, sweetheart.”
I held on with all my might but he finally tugged the blade free from my hand and smiled triumphantly, revealing the gaps in his teeth. “I wonder what Egos will do with Cassian Lazar's pet mouse?” He glanced over his shoulder and I locked eyes with Cassian who'd been brought to his knees. “Didn't the boss say he'll gut your family if you ever betray him?”
Cassian's eyes flared with pure, bloody murder and I knew he'd kill every single one of these bastards if he got the chance.
“You hurt her and I'll break every bone in your body,” he spoke directly to the guy pressing me into the sand and the men started laughing.
“Every bone, huh?” the guy purred. “Let's see if you get the chance.”
Aladdin stayed close to me as we wound our way through the slums, trying to track down Cassian and Rapunzel. It was slow going; our way was constantly blocked by ramshackle shelters which had been erected between buildings where people were sleeping. Aladdin had warned against us disturbing any of them by trying to force a way through unless we wanted to end up with a knife to the gut. And even though I’d offered to make him knife-proof again, he’d decided against it in favour of remaining inconspicuous.
He was on edge, alert, and though I knew he’d never admit it, nervous too. He didn’t like being back here. He was afraid of being discovered by the man who’d once owned him. And if someone was scary enough to frighten Aladdin, then I was sure as hell going to be wary of them too.
The leader of The Forty Thieves sounded even more brutal than the reputation that preceded him. I could see the look in Aladdin’s eye when he spoke of the man who ran his former gang. He was afraid of him. And I could tell the last place he wanted to find himself was back here. It was more than just fear of Egos trying to snare him back into this world. It was something less tangible than that. Like with each step Aladdin took, a mask slipped further into place which I wasn’t sure he wanted to wear anymore.
When he’d lived out here he’d been forced to hide any and all weaknesses. To live up to the reputation that disguised him and fight daily for the respect he needed to survive. Without those things, he’d have to let them see more of who he truly was and I could tell he had no intention of doing that.
I kept in Aladdin’s shadow as we headed deeper and deeper into the slums. My lips were still tingling from the passion of his kiss and I couldn’t help but touch my fingers to them, a smile lighting me up from the inside out.
You should ask him if he’s still going to marry the Princess.
My inner self had been talking a lot less since I'd destroyed the Emperor for the second time back in the catacombs and my memories had returned to me. And when she did speak her voice was softer somehow, more like my own and less like an invader in my skull. But she still liked to jibe me with unwelcome thoughts which made me squirm with discomfort.
My lips parted to reply but I was afraid to disturb the silence and put my master in danger. The moon was sinking out of the sky and the distant horizon was starting to pale but it would still be a few hours before the sun rose fully. The silence stretched as we walked but my other self wasn’t done with me yet.
Perhaps he thinks he can have both of you. Jump from one bed to the other, night after night. Or maybe you'll share him at once, all three of you together...
I frowned at that idea. I didn’t want to share him. But I wasn’t sure if he felt the same about me. Maybe I was just like all the other girls he liked to kiss. Though something deep within me bucked against that idea. I’d felt the depth of that kiss, I’d seen the way he’d looked at me. Kyra: the crazy girl who lost herself in the magic of the lamp. But somehow he’d seen more than just that. I was sure of it.
What can you offer him anyway? Sure, he might like you now but what about in ten years? Twenty? Will he like growing old while you never change? Will he mind not having children? He’ll want a woman who can offer him a life. You’re nothing but a moment in time, stuck this way forever.
I dipped my eyes to my feet as those words sunk in. This time my lack of reply wasn’t because I was afraid of the noise my voice would make. It was because I was starting to make too much sense to myself and I wasn’t sure I even had an argument to voice.
We rounded a dark corner and Aladdin fell still at the entrance to a wide square with a bell tower on the far side of it.
“Two dark cloaks please, Kyra,” he breathed,
boxing me in against the wall to hide my magic from any prying eyes.
I handed him one of them and draped the second around my shoulders as he put his on. Aladdin reached out to draw my hood up for me, locking me in his gaze with his dark eyes, his expression deadly serious for once.
“If we come across any of my old crew, you can’t let them find out what you are,” he breathed.
“Okay,” I replied but my soft response obviously wasn't enough for him and he pulled me a little closer by the material of my hood.
“Swear it to me, Kyra. If Egos found out about you, he’d stop at nothing to steal the lamp from me and claim you for his own. I can’t imagine a worse man to hold that power over you,” he growled.
“I promise,” I said, my heart thundering with surprise at the concern in his gaze.
“Good. And I promise I’ll keep him away from you and your lamp with everything I’ve got. I’d die before I let him claim you.”
Aladdin released me and stalked out into the square before I could fully comprehend the weight of what he’d just sworn to me.
I stumbled after him, jogging several steps before I caught up to him again. His long stride was hard for me to match at the best of times and as he increased his speed again, I found myself almost running just to stay at his side.
For a moment, a chill passed along my spine and I could have sworn I saw a shadow shift to our right.
Aladdin cast a glance in that direction too, making my suspicions sharpen.
“Are we being followed?” I asked, my voice barely more than a breath.
“Possibly. Definitely watched. Keep your wits about you, they might be sizing us up as a mark if we’re lucky.”
“That would be lucky?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
“Luckier than it being one of The Forty.”
I swallowed down the fear his words summoned and caught his fingers in mine.
Aladdin glanced down at the point of contact between us before offering me a warm smile and tightening his grip to make sure I didn’t let go again.
Forbidden Fairytales- The Complete Series Page 57