The Princess and Her Rogue

by Sheritta Bitikofer

  “Because,” Nate began plainly, “I made you a promise when we were kids.”

  Kiara searched her memories and the sky for that particular moment when he had made any promise at all, but she could find no occasion. “What promise is that?” she asked, looking back down to his saddened face.

  He looked up with a sparkle in his eye that she had seen before. In that moment, it was like he was a child once more. “I promised that I’d always come to rescue you… Remember the one time we played knights and dragons? You were standing atop one of the stable walls where the horses were and I was fighting a imaginary dragon with that silly stick?”

  They both broke into nostalgic smiles and Kiara nodded.

  “Then,” he continued, “all of the sudden, you screamed and almost fell down into a pile of hay. So, I ran over and caught you just before you hit the hay and we rolled around together, laughing.”

  Kiara couldn’t resist a childish giggle as she remembered that game. “Yes, I recall something like that.”

  “Well, I made a promise right afterwards when you climbed back up so we could pick up where we left off. You were scared that you would fall again, but I promised that I would always come to rescue you.”

  The two grinned and Kiara felt suddenly romanced.

  “You have a good memory. But, you do know that saving me from bandits, wolves and lava is a little more extreme than just catching me when I fall, right?” Kiara said, unable to hold back her random giggling.

  Nate chuckled, but only shook his head. “It’s all the same to me.” His eyes twinkled as some of the stars did in the sky, but Kiara looked away, holding herself tighter as a cold wind blew along the shore. Without even having to ask, Nate reached into his pack. He dug through its contents for a moment, and then pulled out his blanket to drape over Kiara’s shoulders with a kind smile.

  Kiara didn’t know what to say. She only nodded a thank you and wrapped the warm cloth tightly around herself.

  “I still remember the day I first met you. It was your first day at the castle, too, wasn’t it?”

  Kiara liked reminiscing about the good ole’ times, but now they were entering into a darker part of the past she wished would stay locked away. But, she supposed that facing this head on would help mend some pain. She bit her lip and nodded.

  “How old were you at that time? I think I was maybe seven, so you were…”

  “Four… I was four.”

  Nate could sense the tension in her voice. “Should I not talk about that?” he asked with more questions and concerns lying behind his eyes as he watched her shiver.

  Kiara took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders under the cloak. “It’s not that big of a deal… Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, looking to him with painful anticipation.

  “Only if you’re willing. I’m still not completely sure about all the details myself, so it would be nice to hear about it first hand from you.” Nate tried to choose his words as wisely as possible.

  “To be honest, I didn’t remember much,” she turned her head away to stare at the rippling waters of the river, as if it were a mirror into the past. “I only remember being scared, but happy at the same time when I arrived at the castle for the first time to stay. My father and Eshean filled in the gaps later.”

  Nate waited patiently as Kiara gathered the strength to tell the story.

  “My father, Malcolm, came to Aleph’s orphanage with Eshean one day in late summer. Eshean told me that when Malcolm entered the room, all the children were told to kneel before the king. Even the lady who ran the orphanage, Miss Mary, was kneeling to Malcolm. He came there for one purpose: to adopt a child. He doesn’t even know why anymore. I’ve heard different stories that maybe Justin persuaded him to do it, but I don’t know… Anyway, when he came and everyone knelt down, I was the last one to come in, so no one told me what was going on. I didn’t even know he was the king. He was dressed in his full metal armor, no doubt made by your father. I didn’t even curtsy to Malcolm. Eshean said I immediately ran over and looked at my reflection in his leg armor and played with his cloak.” Kiara giggled a bit, trying to imagine herself doing that at four years old.

  “And Malcolm wasn’t the least bit mad that I didn’t show him respect as the king like everyone else. According to Eshean, he just smiled and picked me up into his arms. He asked me my name and how old I was, I told him and then asked to hold his helmet, which Eshean was holding at the time. So, he let me hold it and play with it while Miss Mary was trying to apologize for my behavior. He said it was all right and that he would like to adopt me. He didn’t even look at the other children. He told me that the reason he wanted me was because I was bold and unafraid. All the other kids were shaking and obviously terrified because they knew who he was. I didn’t know, so I acted carelessly, treating him like a new friend instead of a stranger.” Kiara smiled to herself, while Nate waited to hear more.

  “So, he adopted me and took me back with him to the castle. The first person I met was you and your father when you two came out to take Malcolm and Eshean’s horses to the stables. I thought you were going to be my new brother, so I wanted to play with you, but Malcolm corrected me, promising I could play with you later…

  “I was taken up to meet my new brothers and sisters in the great hall. At first, they all loved me and wanted to play games and they welcomed me warmly like one of their own. But, that’s not the case anymore. They caught onto the fact that I really wasn’t apart of their family and they shunned me for most of my life. When you left, I had no one to play with, so that’s when I started spending all my time in the library.” Kiara’s smile faded and she hugged herself tighter, wishing the memory of her sibling’s cold glances could be kept out as easily as the wind could. Kiara had tried to forget over the years of her dreadful past. But, every now and again, it would show its ugly head in her memory and taunt her with feelings of unworthiness. Whenever she did become forlorn over her misfortunes, she usually ran to her father, Eshean or Justin for comfort. They seemed to be the only ones who accepted her in this cruel world anymore.

  “Oh… I’m sorry,” Nate muttered.

  “No, it’s not your fault. It was a good thing, I guess.” Kiara glanced up to him briefly, seeing that he was captivated by her story. “If you never left, I would never have learned to read or gone on so many adventures from the comfort of my bedchamber.”

  Both Nate and Kiara smiled and nodded in agreement.

  “But, this adventure may be a little too much for you, huh?” Nate asked, obviously trying to be amusing.

  Kiara laughed and nodded. “Oh, yes. Too much excitement for me.”

  “Well, we’ve got one more stop to make, then we can go straight to back to Aleph, I promise,” Nate said, pulling out another rolled up blanket from his pack and standing up to prepare it as a sleeping place, right by the shore.

  “What stop is that?” Kiara asked, standing up to give him room.

  “You’ll find out in the morning. It’s too late to explain right now.”

  So, Nate unrolled the blanket and laid it out over the soft grass before laying himself down for the night. Kiara did the same, settling herself in on the other side of the blanket, away from Nate.

  They bid each other goodnight, but it wasn’t long before Nate had to ask one last question. “May I ask you something?” he said, rolling over and sitting up to face her.

  “What?” she asked, sitting up onto her elbow, her eyes heavy with sleep.

  “Do you know who your real parents are?” Nate wanted to regret those very words, but Kiara didn’t blame him for asking. She had asked herself for years before she came to Eshean for the answer. It wasn’t pretty.

  “No one knows who my real father is… My mother was a prostitute. She left me to die in the streets when I was an infant. That’s when Miss Mary found me and took me to the orphanage.” Kiara tried to let no emotion show, but she made herself lie back down and roll over, turning her back to him to hi
de a tear or two. She never wanted to remember her history again.

  Nate spoke no more of the past for that night and he vowed to himself never to speak of it again until she was ready.

  Back at the gypsy camp, a hooded figure stood afar off from the wagons with a falcon patiently waiting on a low-lying branch. The figure carefully rolled up a tiny scroll and wrapped it with red twine. The figure called over the falcon, which then flew straight to its master’s outstretched arm. He tied the scroll around the bird’s leg, whispered a few enchanted words to the falcon, then released it into the air. The bird was flying straight into the east towards Tau, Deceiver’s city.

  Chapter 14

  The following morning, Kiara awoke to movement in their camp. She cracked her eyes open to see the dawn was just arriving through the thick trees that surrounded her. It couldn’t have been more than a few hours since they had fallen asleep on the wool blanket, but already, Nate was packing up and getting ready to leave.

  Kiara sat up sleepily, rubbing one of her eyes to wipe away the drowsiness. “What are you doing?” she asked with a scratchy voice.

  Nate turned to her with slight surprise, eyebrows raised as he was stuffing the contents of his pack back in it. “We have to move out soon,” he replied, kneeling down before the opposite edge of the blanket from Kiara and slowly rolling it up. Kiara took the hint and scooted herself lazy onto the grass to get out of his way.

  Kiara sighed sleepily and hugged the blanket that had been wrapped around her in the middle of the night. “Can’t we sleep for another hour or two?” she whined.

  “Nope. The caravan will be moving this way soon and we’ve got to get across the Tsadde Creek before they do.” Nate snatched the blanket from her and shoved it deep into the pack.

  Kiara only groaned in protest, laid down onto the damp grass and covered herself her arms, unwilling to move. “I’m sleepy, though.”

  “I know, but we’ve got to get moving… Come on, once you start walking you’ll wake up,” he said, standing near Kiara with his sack in hand, waiting for her to get up.

  “The only way I’m moving is if you carry me,” Kiara groaned. She closed her eyes and tried to fall back asleep. But, before she could, Nate swept her up onto his back and began to literally carry her eastward.

  Kiara was startled at first and dreadfully uncomfortable, but once she had wrapped her limp arms around his neck and shoulders, letting him cradle her legs on either side of his hips, she found herself ready to fall asleep again. Although this was far from ladylike, to be riding on the back of a man, Kiara thought it terribly romantic. So, she forgot all etiquette and manners and just leaned her head sleepily against him, his scent wafting in her nostrils like an intoxicating aroma.

  Nate marched on through the forest, Kiara practically strapped to his back. Kiara dozed off every now and again, but with the slightly bumpy ride, it was impossible to fall into a deep sleep like she would have preferred. After a while, she just stayed awake, staring blankly at the forest floor and breathing deeply. Although her mind was still clouded by drowsiness, Kiara could only think of one thing: “I love this man and I don’t know why.”

  Half an hour of walking later, Nate stopped upon the shore of a small creek.

  “Hey, are you awake now?” he whispered softly, turning his head to glance to Kiara, their faces just inches from each other. Her heart skipped a beat.

  “I’ve been awake for the last mile,” she mumbled, slowly releasing her hold upon Nate’s neck. He let her down gently, and then scanned the shore for a way to get across.

  Kiara stood there, rubbing her eyes as she watched him. He had no idea how much she wanted to run up and hold him tight once more. A smile spread across her face and she sighed happily.

  “Do you think you can walk from here on?” he asked, glancing back to her briefly. Kiara nodded and walked up beside him to look across the little creek. Unlike the last one, there were no stepping stones to help them hop across and it was too deep and cold to wade through. Kiara pondered how they would get to the other side, while Nate began trudging off upriver to the north.

  “Where are you going?” she called out, hustling to keep up with him.

  Nate didn’t have to answer the question. Kiara saw the large log that had been conveniently placed across the creek, connecting the two shores like a bridge. Nate only looked to her with a smirk and stepped onto the unsteady log to begin his dangerous trek across the ever-quickening current below. The snow up in the mountains was melting even more everyday, sending bone-chilling water down its ridges to feed the rivers and creeks.

  Kiara stood on the western shore, while Nate finally hopped down with ease onto the eastern shore. She pursed her lips together and stared down at the water nervously.

  “What’s wrong?” he shouted to her.

  “Uh… Is this safe?” Kiara examined the log’s thick bark and aging grains, unconvinced that walking upon it was the best idea in the world.

  “Sure it is. Didn’t you just see me walk across without a problem?”

  “Yeah, but what if I fall in?” she questioned. She was scared more than anything of drowning. Almost more than burning alive. It must have been the worst way to die that she could imagine. What’s worse is that she didn’t know how to swim.

  “You won’t fall in. Come on.”

  Kiara stared frightened at the water and the log, picturing herself plunging into the river and never coming out. “No,” she finally declared, backing away from the less than sturdy log and looking for another way to get across.

  Nate sighed and walked easily back across the makeshift bridge to her side. “Come on, it’ll be ok. I won’t let you fall in,” he said comfortingly. If only his reassurance was enough. Kiara bit her lip and looked to his outstretched hands that he offered to her.

  “You won’t let me fall?” she asked nervously, looking up into Nate’s compassionate eyes.

  “Why would I ever let you fall?” he asked coyly with a smile. Kiara took a deep breath and realized that there was no way Nate would abandon her like that. He didn’t ditch her when she ran away, he didn’t let her be devoured by the wolves, he didn’t leave her to die with the bandits, so why would he start acting hateful towards her now?

  She placed her trembling hands into his and allowed herself to be escorted onto the log. Her feet quivered against the wood, trying to balance on the quaking log. Nate gracefully walked backwards along the log bridge, holding Kiara’s hands tightly. With every step, she glanced down at the log that shook and rattled against the weight of the two travelers.

  “It would help if you didn’t look down,” Nate advised. Kiara looked up and focused in on his bright, happy eyes that stared back at her. He was right, it did help, but not enough to save her from her foot slipping, scrapping a bit of bark off the edge of the log. She watched as the bark drifted to the water and was washed away by the swift waves.

  Kiara let out a terrified screech. She placed her foot firmly back onto the top of the log and stopped dead in her tracks, wanting nothing more than to turn back to the shore. But, at this point, they had reached half way across the bridge and there was no point in turning back.

  “Hey, hey, you’re ok. I’ve got you. I won’t let you go,” Nate said softly, gripping her hands tighter as Kiara glancing behind her, below her and ahead of her as tears formed in her eyes. Her breathing hastened and for a moment, her mind went blank on what to do, she was so paralyzed with fear. “Kiara, look at me,” Nate demanded sharply.

  Kiara immediately looked up into his eyes once more and found peace.

  “Relax. I’m right here. I won’t let you go. Just put one foot in front of the other. You can do this. If I can do it backwards, you can do it forwards… Come on, we’re half way there.”

  Kiara pushed back her fears and took step after shaky step, Nate coaxing her along like she were a child. The only relief that Kiara found was the dazzling pair of eyes that shined like diamonds, looking back at her.

&nb
sp; When they leapt down from the log, Kiara let herself fall into Nate’s welcoming embrace. She buried her head deep into his chest and tried to catch her breath, while he lost his own. Kiara squeezed her arms around his torso and listened to his rapid heartbeat.

  After a while, Nate rubbed her back gently and cleared his throat awkwardly. “Are you ok?” he asked with a broken voice. Kiara nodded her head and slowly let her arms fall down, sensing that Nate wanted to get moving. He did the same and stepped casually away to turn and continue their journey to the east.

  Kiara glanced back to the creek and followed after him, being sure to give him some distance as she did before. Through observation, she could see something was wrong. He seemed fidgety, nervous and out of sorts. Nate ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck several times over the course of only a few moments. If she could only see the distraught, anxious look on his face, then she would have been even more worried.

  “Are you alright?” she asked after walking half a mile in silence.

  “Hmm?” Nate turned to look over his shoulder, as if he had hardly noticed her there. As a result, he slowed his own walking so they could be side-by-side for the impending conversation that he seemed to be waiting for.

  “Are you ok? You seem upset about something.”

  “Upset?” Nate chuckled to hide the truth. “Why would I be upset? I’m fine.”

  Kiara raised an eyebrow at him and looked down to the path. “I’m sorry if I seemed like such a baby back there. I’m just deathly afraid of drowning. Forgive me?”

  “Oh, it’s ok, I understand. There’s no reason for you to be sorry.”

  More silence passed between them and Kiara could tell he had something on his mind.

  “So, why were you being so cold and mean to me whenever Tasha was around?” Nate asked curiously.