Nate nodded and took the sack proudly like he had been given the mission of a lifetime and glanced from Kiara to the road he was intending to take on the other side of town. As Kiara turned to give her attention to the women of the family, she saw Mr. Forger pull Nate aside and give him another parcel.
“I’ll miss you, Miss Kyra,” piped in little Ashley, standing in front of Kiara sadly.
Kiara knelt down and hugged the girl tightly, wishing that her own younger siblings could have said the same. “I’ll miss you too, Ashley. Stay out of trouble.”
“You just stay warm, dear. The nights will be very cold for the next week or so, so bundle up as often as you can,” Mrs. Forger advised kindly, giving Kiara a sweet smile. She returned the smile with a nod and a tight hug.
“You promise to come back and visit with those books, right?” Leanne asked, stepping forward eagerly wringing her hands as if the answer would be less than what she hoped for.
“Of course! I’ll bring all my favorite novels.”
Leanne grinned from ear to ear and the two ladies embraced each other warmly, as if they had known each other for years.
Miranda didn’t say much, but Kiara encouraged her that the teenager would grow up into becoming a very fine lady. This brought a shy smile across Miranda’s face. Kiara could have sworn she saw a little glistening tear of joy in her eyes. They both hugged as well and told each other goodbye. Kiara silently vowed to herself to bring some of her prettiest dresses for these women. They may have been peasants, but in her eyes, they were as much of princesses as she was.
After a general farewell was spoken, Nate and Kiara walked to the eastern road, while the family began their errand of selling their crops in the market place. As they turned the corner, Kiara waved one last time to little Ashley, who was standing a top of the wagon, waving her own arms furiously with a bright smile.
“I’m going to miss them,” Kiara remarked as they walked closer to their destined road. It may have only been a little over a day that she had known them, but Kiara had grown very attached to the family. She wasn’t sure if it was because of her happy experiences with them, or the fact that they were good friends with Nate as well.
“Yeah… same here,” he replied with a sigh, readjusting his backpack to fit more comfortably.
“What did Mr. Forger give you earlier?” Kiara asked curiously, looking up into Nate’s focused eyes. He looked down to her with a puzzled expression.
“What do you mean?”
“Mr. Forger gave you a parcel before we left them. What was it?”
“Oh…” Nate’s face turned from confused to displeasure, “Nothing really. He just wants me to stop by an old friend’s place of his while we’re headed east. No big deal.”
Kiara wasn’t about to drop the subject there. She felt like they hadn’t gotten to talk hardly at all since yesterday morning. “Do you know what it is?”
“Uh…”
Nate never had time to answer. He stopped dead in his tracks and squinted down the road like he had just seen something strange or unfamiliar. Kiara turned her attention to the little side street and saw nothing in particular, just a bunch of people talking with merchants and walking about minding their own business. She saw none of Deceiver’s knights or evil bandits, so what was the matter?
“What is it?” Kiara asked, glancing between Nate and the street.
“I, uh… I think we better go back, quickly.” Nate grabbed her by the arm and forced her to turn around, back in the direction where they had come from. Kiara kept looking back over her shoulder, but she still couldn’t see what was wrong.
“Nate, what’s going on?”
“Nothing, let’s go,” he demanded in a rough whisper.
They were about to round that same corner again, when an ear-splintering cry omitted from the crowd they had just tried to escape from. “Nathan! Nathan, is that you?!” a young woman’s voice hollered out, followed by hasty footsteps.
Nate stopped and winced, wrinkling his face like the very mention of his name now caused him extreme pain. Kiara turned and looked at who had called him.
A lady, slender and beautiful, came running up to the two with bright blue eyes and long, curly, black hair bouncing all the way. Her hair was thick and smooth, half held back by a red headband. She was dressed very strangely, but Kiara recognized her immediately as a gypsy. From the looks of it, a gypsy who’s occupation involved dancing, ale and men. She was dressed rather suggestively in brown and red silk and with every step, gold change jingled at her side. Her white skirt and sleeves shone brilliantly in the sun, as did her low-cut collar, which bounced as much as her hair did. She had very tan skin, darker than Nate’s, but she was exquisitely beautiful and thin.
Nate turned around and tried to look not as surprised or regretful as he really was. Kiara was dumbstruck as she watched this strange woman throw her arms around Nate’s neck and kiss him on the lips with exuberant passion. Her jaw fell open and her heart was broken into millions of pieces as she saw that Nate didn’t even resist her. Kiara thought she would collapse, but luckily wooden barrels were there for her to lean against.
Suddenly, her whole world seemed to just fade away and nothing else mattered. Not even the sight of Nate leaving his arms motionless at his sides could comfort her.
The woman released her lips from Nate’s, but her hands only fell to his shoulders, still unwilling to let him go.
“I haven’t seen you in so long! Where have you been? Why haven’t you come to visit me? I have so much to tell you!” she exclaimed happily with a great big smiled across her lips.
“I, uh… I’ve just been busy…” Nate glanced to his side and saw the shocked condition of Kiara. He shook his head sharply and pushed down the lady’s arms. “Tasha, this is Kyra. Kyra, this is Tasha… she’s,”
Tasha looked over as if she had just noticed Kiara, but smiled anyway, unashamed. “I’m his lady,” she said with a giggle.
Kiara took deep, slow breaths to try and calm herself. Remembering that she was still supposed to be representing Malcolm, whether openly or secretively, she stood up straight, put on a brave smile and nodded in acknowledgment.
“His lady… It’s nice to meet you,” Kiara said shakily, not daring to look up at Nate, who was looking pathetically apologetic.
“Nice to meet you too. So, Nathan,” she said, turning her attention back to the other point of this love triangle, “My family is settled just outside of town. I came in to shop for some beads, but if you’re interested, do you think you’d want to have a drink or two at the inn? I’ll buy.” Tasha flashed a pair of flirty eyelashes his way and smiled coyly, as if there was something sinister about getting “a drink”.
“No, I don’t think so. I gave up drinking a long time ago,” Nate said sheepishly.
“Oh, well, that’s too bad. Maybe we could all have lunch together instead?” Tasha kept a hopeful grin on her pink lips.
“That sounds fine to me. Is that ok with you, Kyra?” Nate asked, looking to Kiara with a flat stare.
“Uh…” she found it hard to grasp the concept of dining with this woman, but she had to give the best answer, “Yeah, that sounds fine… You two sound like you have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Oh, you’re so right! Come, Nathan!” Tasha said excitedly, taking Nate’s hand in her own and practically dragging him towards the nearest inn. Kiara staggered along, trying to pretend she was just sleeping on the wagon and this was all some crazy nightmare. But, no matter how hard she tried to pinch herself, the horror wouldn’t stop.
The three sat down in the musty tavern in a far corner where they wouldn’t be disturbed. While Tasha talked of family affairs and certain mild adventures across Deceiver’s territory, Kiara stared dumbly down at her steak and potato meal with no emotion. She couldn’t bear to look up at either of them. All she could do was sit there, numb and in brutal pain.
To love someone who is already taken has got to be the worst feeling in the w
orld. She could hardly breathe, her stomach was all in knots and all she felt like doing was taking a knife to her own heart. She didn’t want to be there. Everything she thought was real seemed like fiction and everything fiction had finally been obliterated as nonsense. Romance didn’t seem real to her anymore. There was nothing left but a dull existence with Sir Claude. Kiara’s eyes fell shut as a tear trickled down and landed in her food. She wiped the moisture form her cheek before anyone noticed.
About half way through their meal, Kiara was thrown from her daze as she heard someone referencing to a pretty lady with black hair in a blue dress. She knew that whoever it was, was talking about her and was not from her table. She looked up and turned to her left to see a group of roguish, dirty, filthy men - who resembled hogs or boars to Kiara - pointing, snorting and smiling wickedly in her direction. She rolled her eyes and tried not to pay them any attention. She didn’t feel like dealing with them right now. She had too much on her mind.
But, it grew harder and harder as they began to talk about her in very inappropriate details. They described her bottom, he waist, her chest, her hair, eyes, lips, neck and anything that could have been described in sensual details. Nate took notice of this as well and began watching Kiara closely to make sure she didn’t do anything stupid. Kiara was most hurt by the fact that Nate didn’t even lift a finger to defend her as he did in Peh. And, of course, Tasha didn’t seem to care what was going on as long as Nate was sitting right in front of her. She just kept jabbering on about her family and journeys since they last met, oblivious that it was a one-sided conversation.
Finally, Kiara couldn’t take it anymore. While the men were laughing about an obscene joke about her potential “performance”, she bolted out of her chair.
“How dare you pigs talk about me this way! If you don’t shut your traps, I’m going to personally come over there and shut it for you!” she shouted, getting the whole tavern’s attention.
“And why don’t you do that, honey? We can stop up your mouth just as easily!” one man retorted out of the four.
Kiara cringed at the idea. “If you men had any decency at all, then maybe you wouldn’t be sitting there all by your lonesome. If you knew how to treat a woman right, then maybe you’d have one or two for yourselves!”
The tavern whistled coolly to that comment. The men at the table all stood up and approached her angrily, with evil intent in their eyes. Nate rubbed his hand over his face in irritation as Tasha looked on, wondering what Kiara’s problem was.
“Those are fighting words, miss. I’d be careful what you say in these parts,” one of the men said, who was the tallest and broadest out of them all. Kiara wasn’t afraid. She had nothing to lose, so she stood her ground with a proud stance and defiant glare.
“I could have each and every one of your tongues cut out for speaking such vial words about me. And where I come from, the way you men carry on would qualify you for the death sentence!” she said, and spat at their feet as a warning to them. The whole tavern was silent as they saw this bold young lady tell off the meanest guys in town.
“Oh yeah,” the big one said, folding his arms over his chest, “and who died to make you queen?”
Without thinking, Kiara replied. “For your information, I am a daughter of…”
Nate quickly stood up, covered the princess’s mouth and pulled her back from the thugs.
“She’s a daughter of a clergy man,” he interrupted, “She was brought up a lot more proper than most. Please excuse her outburst. We have to be going now. Come on, Tasha.” Nate picked up his bag wrapped his arm around Kiara’s waist and ushered her outside as swiftly as possible, still keeping her mouth covered to prevent anymore unneeded lecturing which was earnestly trying to seep through his fingers, but only came out in muffled noises.
Tasha followed behind them, still unsure of what was going on. When they all arrived outside, Nate instructed Tasha to wait for them across the street while he dragged Kiara into an alleyway in between two wooden buildings.
Once the two were sheltered from the rest of the world, Nate uncovered her mouth and stood back to let her rant if she wanted.
“Why did you do that?” Kiara shrieked, glaring at the man who had caused her so much pain. She wasn’t about to stand for this kind of treatment anymore.
“Why did I do that? I did it to save your precious skin, that’s why! I know what you were about to say and if you had said that, all those guys would have been on you in a heartbeat,” Nate said with just as much ferocity, gesturing towards the tavern.
“You heard what they were saying about me! Why didn’t you tell them off instead?” Kiara questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.
Nate didn’t seem to know the answer to that, so he just pursed his lips together and hung his head pitifully.
“I know exactly why,” Kiara said bitterly. “You didn’t want to give Tasha the impression that you had some kind of feelings for me.”
Nate looked back up into her scowl and tightened his jaw. “Is that why you’re being all sour, not eating and being so quiet? You think Tasha’s really my…?”
Kiara’s gaze softened, but she didn’t want to humiliate herself with a response, so she just turned her eyes to the busy street. Nate couldn’t help but laugh and run his fingers through his hair in disbelief.
“I don’t like Tasha, just so you know,” he continued.
Kiara looked back up to him, unconvinced as he explained. “I had a thing with her a few years back, but I left that. I left her and I thought she’d taken the hint I didn’t want anything to do with her anymore… I don’t want her… I…”
Nate sounded like he was going to say something else, but he stopped himself and sighed thoughtfully. Kiara was far from convinced.
“That kiss was a great way to show you don’t want her. I can’t blame you for liking her, though. She is beautiful and has a wonderfully shallow personality from the way she dresses and goes on and on about things…” Kiara was beginning to sound like a jealous lover. “And it still doesn’t explain why you’d want to give her the impression that you still like her when you really don’t,” Kiara said, looking between Nate and Tasha who was standing across the street, waiting for them patiently and flirting with any other man that passed her by. None seemed to take her offers.
“I don’t like her, but… I don’t know. I don’t exactly like hurting people’s feelings. That’s why I just left without any reason. I didn’t want to tell her I don’t love her or I don’t want her anymore. She’s really sensitive about that stuff and her father knows how to kill people, so I really don’t want to tick him off either.”
Kiara gazed up into Nate’s pleading blue eyes and tried to understand why he was acting this way, but it was just too hard. She didn’t believe him one bit and she really didn’t think that she would ever trust him again after this.
“I’m sorry for not defending you in there. But, if I did and used the same excuse I made last time in Peh, Tasha would have overreacted and I’d be in some big messy trouble… Will you please forgive me?” he asked, stepping forward apologetically. Kiara looked down to the ground and inhaled deeply, wishing those words could have patched up her heart. But, it didn’t.
“Fine, I forgive you,” she said curtly, then walked out of the alleyway, towards Tasha. Kiara wished she had a dagger concealed in her bosom that she could stab that sluttish gypsy with, but unfortunately, all the weapons were in Nate’s possession.
Nate and Kiara joined up with Tasha on the other side of the street and as soon as the gypsy caught sight of her friends, she gasped excitedly and ran towards them like something miraculous had happened.
“Oh, Nathan, I just got the most brilliant idea while you two were talking!” she exclaimed, “You know how you said you two were headed east?”
Nate nodded, not sure where this was going.
“What if you two came and traveled with me and my family? We’re traveling east as well! Everyone will be so hap
py to see you again, Nathan. And I’m sure they wouldn’t mind making a new acquaintance, Kyra. What do you say?” she asked, clasping her hands about Nate’s bicep happily.
“Uh… I guess I don’t have a problem with it. We may have to leave you guys after a day or two to go farther north, but it should work. What do you think, Kyra?” Nate said, looking down to the little bitter lady.
Kiara looked from Nate to Tasha, feeling wounded and left out. She shrugged and smirked. “I suppose it would be better than traveling alone.”
“Wonderful!” Tasha cried out. “Come along. We’re parked just outside of town off of the main road. Oh, wait till you see grandmother, Nathan. She’s missed you almost as much as I have.”
Tasha dragged Nate towards the eastern road and he grudgingly went along after looking over his shoulder to Kiara with a contrite expression. But, she didn’t care. There was nothing for him to be sorry about. He knew exactly what he had gotten himself into and he should have ended this affair a long time ago.
As they walked, Kiara dallied behind, feeling sorry for herself and wondering how they would get themselves out of this mess. If Tasha was the way Nate said she was, then there was no way she would let him go again. How would they travel back to Aleph? Kiara decided that it would be nearly impossible for Nate to leave her now - not like he would want to, either. She devised a plan that possibly that night she would sneak up and snatch Nate’s backpack, along with the map and whatever money he had and go off by herself. Perhaps if she stayed as close to the mountains as possible, then she would have a chance to get back home. The thought of leaving Nate like that was hard, but from the way he was toying with her emotions, it was a just recompense.
The Princess and Her Rogue Page 23