The Princess and Her Rogue

by Sheritta Bitikofer

  “Come with me, Kyra. I’ll take you to the guest room and get you some blankets,” Leanne said as Mrs. Forger came back from the hallway with another little box filled with sewing tools and materials.

  “No, I’d like to stay down here with Nate,” Kiara said nervously as Leanne tried to pull her up from the hearth. She stood up, but unwillingly.

  “I think it’s best if you get some sleep, Kyra. You need your rest. Nathan will be fine down here for the rest of the night. We get up bright and early in the morning for breakfast and that’s not too long away,” Mrs. Forger reassured lovingly, helping to escort Kiara towards the stairs that were settled right at the mouth of the hallway.

  It wasn’t until then that Kiara noticed that Nate had been staring at her the entire time. She couldn’t help but blush and look away as the three of them passed by the arm chair. Nate’s eyes followed after them and just as Kiara was about to take her first step upstairs with the Forger ladies, she looked over her shoulder.

  There was a look of peace and kindness in his eyes, as if he were sympathetic to Kiara instead of mad or apathetic. Kiara liked that look. It made her lips curl into a gentle smile and her eyes sparkle with hope. There must have been a reason why he came back if he had intended to abandon her. He may refuse to tell her why he left, but there had to be a reason why he came back to her.

  Twice this rogue had fought for Kiara’s safety. And twice he had been injured. Kiara couldn’t help but feel guilty for causing him that kind of pain. But, at the same time, she thought it unabashedly romantic. Whether he knew it or not, he was wooing her day by day.

  Meanwhile, back in Aleph, Justin awoke extremely early in the morning. It was so early that the sun had not yet risen to shine over the capital. This was unlike him, but something was drawing him out of bed; a feeling that he could not explain.

  He rose from his enormous, elaborate bed and made his way towards his balcony to look out into the dawn. He clutched his upper arms in an attempt to shield out the cold, but it was still unbearably chilly. Justin thought nothing strange about the fading stars and purple horizon, so he was about to turn back into his warm room to stoke the embers in his fireplace. But, something caught his eye down in the courtyard. It was Sir Claude, sitting on one of the stone benches underneath an apple blossom tree, holding something in between his fingers.

  Justin knew there was something peculiar going on, so he immediately robed himself and slipped on his boots to investigate. When he arrived to the edge of the courtyard, he could see Sir Claude more clearly. The man was obviously in a state of misery, his head hanging low with a fallen countenance. How could such a proud man seem so sad? The prince approached the knight with caution, not wanting to startle the poor fellow.

  “Sir Claude, what on earth are you doing out at this time of the morning? At banquet you told my father and I that you’d depart for Lameda at daybreak, but it’s still far too early for that. Is something wrong?” Justin inquired, stepping up to Claude’s side to see what he was holding.

  Between the knight’s hands was a wilted rose, its petals had long lost their red hue to be replaced by a deep violet that looked almost black in the dim light.

  “Everything is wrong. I’ve searched all over, in every town, down every road and still no sign of her. No one has even see her or knows anything of her whereabouts. I have half a mind to go into Deceiver’s territory to search for her,” Sir Claude answered, frustration laced in his tone.

  Justin knew instantly that he spoke of Kiara. The prince bowed his head in understanding. He was just as distraught about her disappearance as Claude must have been. But, from the way he carried himself recently, it seemed the knight was still feeling the aching pain of her absence that Justin had felt at first. He crossed his arms over his chest and took a contemplative breath.

  “I understand how you feel. I want to go after her myself. But, you know that if you step one foot into Deceiver’s territory he would have you executed…”

  “I wouldn’t care,” Claude interrupted as he burst up from the bench. “I just need to get her back here, where it’s safe. I’d climb the highest peak of the Shin Mountains just to find her.”

  Justin watched him twirl the rose by its stem, looking to the south as if he was ready to scale the mountains at that very moment. It was then that Justin realized what was going on. All along he had thought that Sir Claude was only interested in marrying Kiara because she was a daughter of the king. Justin had known Claude for many years and he knew the knight to be daring and very loyal. He was known for wanting none but the best. Kiara was undoubtedly the most precious of all of Justin’s sisters, so Claude would obviously want her. But now, he understood that Sir Claude’s motives were much deeper, much more sentimental than that.

  “You really do love her, don’t you?” Justin asked, taking a step toward the warrior.

  Sir Claude sighed and hung his head to peer at the rose. He didn’t have to say a word for Justin to know the answer.

  “I was going to give this to her on our wedding day… They grow wild in Lameda and I know how much she loves flowers…” Claude was stopped by his own feelings and he was forced to squeeze his eyes shut to fight back tears. Justin bit his lip and looked up to the sky, trying to think of something to say that would soothe this man’s tortured soul, but nothing could come to mind.

  “Do you think…” Claude began mournfully, “she ran away because of me?”

  Justin had toyed with that idea at first, but he denied it as much as possible. “Kiara isn’t one to run away. She knows better that she has nowhere to go. And she would have missed us all far too much to leave… I doubt she left because of you. It must have had something to do with Deceiver, but until proof can be produce to solidify that theory, Malcolm can only mope around the castle and wait.”

  The two men stood in silence until Claude finally looked up to Justin with a serious stare. “Do you think she wanted to accept my proposal? Be honest.”

  “You know me better than to assume I would lie to you or anyone else…” Justin inhaled, knowing he was about to break this man’s heart further. “But, I also know Kiara very well. Her goal in life is to please her father. She wants more than anything to make him happy and if a marriage to someone she doesn’t love would accomplish that goal; she would do it whether or not she liked it. She is very loyal to her king, just like you.”

  Claude lowered his hands to his side and puffed up his chest, trying to appear strong when Justin knew very well that the man must have been falling apart. “Is there anyway she could learn to love me?” he asked with a glimmer of hope in his expression.

  “I’m not sure. You are a noble man; both her and I know that. You can provide for her in many ways and I’m sure that when she becomes more acclimated to that lifestyle, she will grow to appreciate you… I cannot say whether she would love you or not. She hardly knows you, after all. And who can love someone without knowing them?”

  Claude turned his head to looked off towards the open corridors that led to the great hall. “What do you suggest I do? If she comes back, that is.”

  Justin looked up to the apple blossom tree and saw that its buds were just now beginning to grow on its barren branches. “Wait until spring when it’s warmer and the flowers bloom. Don’t move too hastily into the marriage. Just give it time. Love needs time. And just like a flower, it will blossom and flourish beautifully,” he advised with a smile.

  Claude simply held up his dead rose and stiffened his jaw. “But, just like a flower, it could die, too…”

  “But, only if not given the proper care to grow.” Justin laid a reassuring hand on Claude’s shoulder and the men exchanged glances of hope and mutual respect.

  Chapter 11

  It was still very early in the morning when Kiara finally decided to crawl out from under the covers. The sun had yet to come up, but she couldn’t stand the waiting any longer.

  The guest room was very comfortable, especially the warm bed, which
is all the room consisted of. But, despite the familiar comforts that she loved, Kiara was unable to sleep well after she was left alone in the room. The walls in this wooden house were like paper. She could hear everything from the creaking of floorboards in the bedrooms to Nate and Mr. Forger talking in the parlor. She couldn’t understand what they were saying, but just hearing Nate’s voice drove her to stay awake. Unfortunately, she heard the occasional grunting from Nate as he was being sewn back up at the shoulder. Kiara wondered if Nate would have his side bound up as well.

  The rest of the night, after Nate and Mr. Forger stopped talking, she was plagued by nightmares of wolves. One particular nightmare drove her mad with grief, as she would witness Nate being eaten alive by wolves or dying in the armchair downstairs.

  So, Kiara slid out of bed and tiptoed downstairs. Thankfully, she was no longer wearing those awful boy’s clothes. Leanne was kind enough to lend her a pale blue dress to wear.

  As she quietly made her way to the living room she found Nate still sitting up in the red chair. He had his eyes closed and head drooping to one side, so he was obviously asleep. Kiara smiled as she heard him snore softly. This was probably very inappropriate for her to do, sneaking around the house unescorted and without anyone’s permission. But, she was worried about Nate. Last night, it hurt to be parted from his side. Kiara knew Nate would do just fine without her, but she wasn’t so sure how she would survive without him. The last half of her night seemed so endless and tormenting that she couldn’t bear to be parted from him for another moment if she could help it.

  So, throwing caution to the wind, Kiara walked softly towards the chair and knelt down by his side. She settled her hands on top of one of the arms of the chair and gazed up at him like a love-crossed adolescent. She never knelt like this before anyone but her father or Justin. To be in this position in front of a practical stranger seemed odd, but she didn’t mind.

  Kiara watched him for a few moments, then reached over in the dim light of the living room and shook his arm gently; half hoping he wouldn’t wake up. She only needed to know if he was alright.

  Nate was apparently a very light sleeper - contrary to what he had told her earlier -, because as soon as his arm was touched, his eyes flickered open. He peered around, took a deep breath and stretching out his legs. Kiara resisted a grin and waited until his blue eyes fell upon her. He seemed less than pleased to see that she had awoken him so early.

  “Hey,” she whispered with a little smile.

  “Hi,” he replied gruffly, extending out his legs as far as they could go, then slumping in the chair with a sigh.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “Like I’ve been trampled on by a team of horses… Are you ok?” Nate let his head settle against the back of the chair, looking straight at her.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just worried about you.”

  “Why would you worry about me? I’m fine.”

  “Well, I just know that you’ve been enduring a lot on my behalf and I’m afraid by the end of this trip, you’ll be reduced down to nothing,” Kiara said, resting her chin on her hands, gazing up at him pitifully.

  Nate only chuckled, staring at her plainly as if memorizing her features. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m tough, I can take a few little scratches every now and then.”

  “Those two wounds aren’t little scratches. You bled a lot last night. I practically had to carry you a whole mile to get here because you were going in and out of consciousness. I don’t want you getting hurt anymore.” Kiara suddenly felt very aggressive, wishing that Nate would take this seriously. He was putting himself in danger for her sake way too often. It wasn’t that she was unappreciative, but she wanted him to be in one piece when they arrived back in Aleph.

  “Relax, stop worrying about me and shut up every once and a while and this trip will be over before you know it,” Nate said bluntly, still staring at her with tired eyes. But, Kiara saw a hint of sadness in his countenance. Maybe he was dreading the end as much as she was.

  She sighed and let her eyes fall to the floor for a moment. “Did you hear what Mr. Forger said last night about Mem’s Pass?” she asked, looking back up to Nate to see his eyes had fallen shut. When he didn’t respond to her question, she shook his arm once more.

  Nate grunted and cracked his eyes open. “What? I’m awake.”

  “Sure you are… Did you hear what Mr. Forger said last night about Mem’s Pass?” Kiara repeated, slightly amused.

  Nate grimaced and nodded drearily, letting his eyes fall shut again. “Yeah, I did. We’re going to have to follow around the edge of Deceiver’s border to get to the other side. Luckily…” he interrupted himself with a yawn, “luckily, there’s not many people who live along the base of the mountain range, so we should be safe as long as we stay off the roads and out of sight.”

  “But, what about Deceiver? Won’t he have guards patrolling around his borders looking for us?” Kiara asked frantically. There was no answer again. She frowned when she heard Nate begin to snore again.

  Kiara reached up and patted him on the cheek to awaken him again. He moaned in protest, grabbing her hand before she had a chance to recoil it and setting it back down on the arm of the chair.

  “Hey, hey, none of that. I’m awake,” he groaned, shifting his head a little, then looking back down to their joined hands. Kiara looked down as well and spotted the little off-white bandages that covered her finger. She remembered the kiss he laid on that finger, too, and pursed her lips. She could feel herself blush, so she pulled her hand out from under his and sat back on her heels.

  “So, what name did you tell them?” Nate asked after an awkward pause of silence.

  Kiara focused her gaze back up to him. “Kyra, I think. I just picked something… Do you think they’d know who I am?”

  Nate shook his head. “No, not really. They’ve lived out here for a long time. They’ve probably only been to Aleph a few times and I doubt they saw you or have heard of you.”

  “Well, you knew who I was and we’ve never met before, so they could know.”

  When Kiara said that, Nate looked as if he’d been caught in a lie. He scrunched up his nose and looked towards the fire, seeming fully awake now. “Yeah, but… I still don’t think they’d know you.”

  Kiara readjusted her feet so they would cause her less discomfort and stretched out her shoulder blades a little, feeling sleepiness catch up with her. Behind Nate was the kitchen and dining room, which was now just being lit up by bright orange rays of morning sunshine. It was peaceful to hear the little birds chirping outside and the horses stirring in the stables off in the distance.

  “So, these people know you?” she asked, letting her eyes wander around the kitchen, looking at all the little meager peasant pantries, wash bowls, stove and odd-looking contraptions.

  “Yeah. They’re old friends of my father. Leanne and me sort of grew up together for a few years. Our fathers worked together as blacksmith and carpenter.”

  Kiara snapped her head up to look at Nate at the mention of Leanne. She had forgotten the feelings of jealousy that burned against the girl last night. But now, they were rekindled.

  “Were you and Leanne like childhood sweethearts?” she asked, hoping Nate wouldn’t notice her distress.

  He looked down at her, confused at the sudden change in mood. “No way. She’s too much of a ditz. She never liked playing outside. I only say we grew up together because we all ate dinner together most nights and played games as a family, that’s all… What’s wrong with you?” he asked, struggling to keep his eyes open.

  Kiara looked back off towards the kitchen, not the least bit consoled by his answer. She was still jealous that Leanne probably knew more about him that she did. “Nothing… So, why were you missing last night? I mean, really? You were gone for four hours as far as I knew. You couldn’t have gone to the bathroom or gathered firewood… So, where did you go?” Kiara gazed back up to him, longing to know th
e truth.

  “I was… I was just off thinking about stuff,” he answered, his eye lids falling again.

  “Thinking about what? Why couldn’t you have stayed at the camp and thought?”

  “I was just thinking about things I needed to think about and I wanted to be alone for a while. Is that ok with you?”

  Kiara could sense the irritability in his voice, so she gave up to the fact that she most likely would never know what he was thinking about that night.

  “Yeah… I just thought you had left me,” she said sadly, letting her gaze fall to the floor.

  Then, Nate did something unexpected. He gently lifted her chin up with his calloused fingers, making her look into his half shut, sleepy eyes. Her breath was caught in her chest as he gave her a look of total seriousness.

  “Why would you think something like that?” he asked thoughtfully.

  “Because you were gone for so long and the sack was gone and you had been angry at me so much that it only made sense that you would just abandon me like that. You would have gotten tired of me and just left…” Kiara had to stop as tears strangled her throat. Nate seemed to understand how she felt and he only shook his head at her with a smirk.

  “If you ever listen to me about anything, listen to this: I will never leave you like that… Do you understand?”

  Kiara nodded and sniffled a bit before continuing. “Will you forgive me for putting you through so much trouble? I never meant to make you get hurt, honest.”

  Nate smiled. “Yes, I forgive you. Don’t worry about it, kid,” he teased, taking the hand that had been holding her chin and ruffling the hair on top of her head. She giggled and batted his hand away.

  “Hey, I’m not a kid. I’m just a few years younger than you,” she exclaimed. Nate laughed and turned his head to face the fireplace for a while.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know…”

  Kiara grinned and watched him with stars in her eyes. He had a far-away, dreary look on his face like he was thinking about something meaningful. Kiara wondered what about.