Paying the Price

by Julia P. Lynde

  "Is loving me that horrible?"

  "Unrequited love, so much fun," I said. "And knowing you are the architect of my demise. That makes it especially sweet. Knowing you don't care about me as anything other than someone to lead to her execution, well, that just adds additional spice. The ultimate in dangerous sex play."

  She didn't say anything. Once I was full, I cut the trunk to length, trying to match the other one as much as I could, then removed the branches from the section we were going to use.

  I looked around. "Tide is coming in."

  "This will be wet in another ten minutes," she said.

  I looked at the trunk, then began hollowing it out, using little slivers of magic, as best I could. Still, I hadn't gotten very far when I turned to Dareena. "Got more for me?"

  She nodded and filled me up. She had to do it twice more before I had the trunk hollow. One more trunk to go.

  "How are you doing?" I asked her.

  "Once, maybe twice more, and I'm out," she said. She was holding her head.

  "Keep going or go replenish? We won't finish without rest."

  "Do as much as we can," she said. She topped me up, but I could tell it was an effort for her.

  I got a start on the second trunk, but it was just a start, before we were both too low on magic to go further. Together we stumbled back to the beach. Dareena gave her men some orders. I collapsed in the sand.

  "They have more fish," she said. One of the men brought us both plates and the mug with several swallows of water each.

  We ate, drank, and collapsed together inside the lean to. She didn't remember the collar. I didn't remind her. We fell asleep.

  When I woke next, it was dusk. I held Dareena in my arms. I let go of her, rolled over, and went back to sleep. I woke again later with Dareena shaking me gently. It was full dark.

  "What? Sleep."

  "I forgot the amulet and collar."

  "And I didn't run off."

  She slipped the amulet over my neck anyway, then attached the collar in place. I sighed. She recited what she wanted me to say, I repeated it, and the magic settled in. Then she repeated all the orders designed to keep me her docile prisoner.

  "I hate you," I told her.

  "No you don't. I am sorry."

  "It was nice holding you while we slept. One of us needs to sleep somewhere else now. I vote for it to be you."

  She crawled out of the shelter. I rolled over and went to sleep.

  I didn't wake again until the morning. Dareena was shaking me gently. I rolled over and was amazingly stiff. My neck creaked.

  "It's daylight," she said. "Please get up."

  I crawled out of the shelter. The sun wasn't even up yet. "Will you accept the amulet and collar when you are done?"

  "Yes."

  She stepped up to me and removed them both, then pointed to the tree trunk.

  "A little water first, please." She nodded, poured from the jug, and gave me a few swallows. I drank it then turned to the tree trunk. I stepped up to it and began hollowing it out further. Dareena came over and watched. When I started to lag, she stepped up to me and replenished my magic.

  "Are you full?"

  "No. I hope you don't need more than two more refills."

  I looked into the tree. "I'll do my best."

  It was rough, but when I was done, the trunk was hollowed out. It probably wasn't remotely as thin as it could have been, but it was as thin as I could make it without punching all the way through.

  "Anything else?" I asked Dareena.

  "Yes, but not much. Just a few timbers cut to proper lengths. We have them marked."

  She showed me. I ran out of magic just as I finished. She was out as well. "I guess that was good timing. I am going back to sleep."

  "Collar."

  I sighed. "Do you have enough magic left to bind my legs?"

  "You want me to bind your legs?"

  "No collar until I've had a few more hours of sleep. Then switch."

  She thought about it and nodded. We walked back to the shelter. She slipped the amulet over my head, but not the collar, then let me crawl into the shelter. She found something to wrap around my legs, then did something, and the bonds became tight.

  "Thank you," I said. I crawled into the shelter and fell asleep.

  I woke a few times, but each time I rolled over and went back to sleep.

  It was mid afternoon when Dareena knelt over me, shaking me lightly. I rolled over and looked at her.

  "It's done. Collar."

  I nodded. She slipped the collar on me, I repeated what she told me to say, and then she gave me her standard orders. After that she released my legs.

  "Meorie, thank you."

  "Does it even float?"

  "Yes. We tested it. It's a bitch to sail, but it works." She paused. "There isn't room for everyone."

  I stared at her. "What are you going to do? It would take another two days to make a second one."

  "Four men volunteered to be left behind."

  "They will die."

  "They are going to try heading to Norinia. Swimming."

  "Ten, maybe twenty miles?"

  "They can take advantage of the tide. They might make it."

  "Brave men."

  "Everyone knows what is at stake." She paused. "Everyone knows you could have escaped. They saw your magic."

  "I promised. I keep my promises."

  "So do I."

  "Not all of them."

  "I am sorry. I have human weaknesses." She paused. "Please come now. We're going to leave."

  "Not going to wait until morning?"

  "We're almost out of water."

  I nodded and crawled from the shelter.

  The boat was pulled up on the beach a few yards away. It looked terrible. It was truly ugly. I had done a poor job shaping the logs. I told Dareena that.

  "You were rushed, and you did something no one else could have. You didn't have to offer."

  "Make sure you have the treaty."

  She patted her chest. "Right here."

  We walked together to the boat. There were two hulls with timbers dropped across them and lashed into place. Across the timbers was a pile of gear, including my chest. There was a sail and I saw they had fashioned dagger boards and crude rudders.

  I stared at it dubiously. "It really floats? I was working off bravado when I suggested it."

  "It floats. It actually sails in the direction pointed. We can even steer it."

  I looked at her. "All right, tell me what you want me to do."

  Dareena called to the men. She hugged four of them, the ones who would be staying behind, and talked briefly. Then she gave orders to the others. They started pushing the boat into the water. It was clearly heavy, and the light surf coming in didn't help. The men got the boat fully floated. It did indeed float. Dareena turned to me. "I want you in the front left. I will be in the front right. Lie as low as you can and hang on. Please forgive the contact with anyone else in the boat with you."

  I nodded then took off my boots and waded out to the boat. A wave splashed over me, soaking me to my breasts. I tossed the boots into the boat then tried to climb aboard. One of the men came over and helped me get in. He was kind and gentle about it.

  I settled into the bottom of the boat. It was lumpy and not at all comfortable. I felt the boat rocking too and fro as other people climbed in. Then we were moving.

  I poked my nose over the edge and watched the beach go slowly past. Dareena looked over at me from her hull and grinned. Our camp site retreated behind us with four men watching us as we slowly sailed away from them.

  I made myself as comfortable as I could. The seas were gentle here, but still I occasionally got wet. I looked over to Dareena. "Will you find a way for me to clean up before you deliver me to my final doom?"

  "Yes," she said. "I promise."

  "I would prefer arriving at the palace looking like a princess, not a drowned rat."

  She laughed. "So would I.
"

  "Do you know where we are?"

  "The coast along here looks all the same. No. And we're slow. We're only doing about three knots."

  "Sail all night or pull up in a few hours."

  "Pull up when we see somewhere."

  I nodded and wondered if I could nap. A wave slapped me letting me know the answer.

  We sailed that way for about four hours before Dareena pointed to a narrow slip of sand. The men grounded the front of the boat on the beach, everyone jumped out, and we pulled the boat up onto the shore.

  The men set up a camp. I collapsed and was soon asleep.

  Dareena woke me sometime later. A fire was going. There was a small amount of fish and she gave me a little water.

  I found myself clutching at her, hating myself for it. She settled down next to me and let me hold her.

  "Meorie," she said after a while. "It's not entirely unrequited."

  "So that's like saying you're fond of me?"

  "That's like saying I will do what I can to help you."

  I let go of her and moved away from her. We all stared at the fire for a while. The men appeared to be telling stories to each other. I didn't bother asking for translations.

  After a while I moved away from the fire and settled back into my nest to sleep. Dareena left me alone.

  * * *

  In the morning, we were out of water. The men tied everything back aboard our boat. Together we launched the boat and climbed aboard.

  The weather was fair. The wind had shifted, and it was choppier, but the boat behaved properly and we continued southward along the coast.

  We didn't stop for any breaks. The water grew rougher, and the men and Dareena consulted with each other. I didn't ask for an explanation. We kept sailing south.

  I tried to settle into the bottom of the boat and sleep. I kept getting splashed, which was hard to ignore, especially as I was lying in a puddle of water. After a while I gave up and poked my nose over the edge of the hull. "Dareena," I said. She turned to look at me. "You sure do show a girl a good time."

  She began laughing, then translated it for the men. They joined in the laughter.

  I zoned out, as uncomfortable as I was. The next time I was paying attention and looked towards shore, there was no more mangrove swamp.

  "Dareena?"

  "Welcome to Tendaria, Princess Meorie."

  "I wonder if this visit will turn out better than the last one."

  She turned to face me. "Was that a joke?"

  "Laughing in the face of my own death. What else am I to do? Are you going to cut the condemned a little slack?"

  "You're not condemned yet."

  "Let's not lie to each other. Haven't we been through enough, we can agree to be honest?"

  "I am being honest."

  "What are the chances I will be alive in two weeks?"

  "I honestly don't know."

  "What are the chances I will be back in Norinia in a few weeks, screaming at my sister?"

  "Almost certainly no chance at all," Dareena said.

  "What are the chances I will be treated in a manner befitting a princess?"

  "I promise it."

  I sighed. "You aren't the queen."

  "You will be treated befitting your station."

  "I will be abused, and you are delusional if you believe otherwise."

  She didn't respond.

  I watched the coast past slowly by for a while. "What is your plan now?"

  "We're making for Terini. We should see it in another hour."

  "Before or after that storm arrives?"

  She looked around wildly. "What storm?" Then she looked at me and caught me grinning at her. "Is that the game you want to play?"

  "I thought perhaps you would allow me a little fun."

  She looked at me and nodded.

  I watched the coast. It was rocky cliffs here, but looking ahead, I saw the land slope down to the sea, and there was something that looked like an inlet.

  "Terini?" I asked. Dareena nodded. "I won't live five steps if you tell anyone who I am."

  "I thought you wanted to die."

  "If my trial will bring peace, then I'd rather die for peace than die to a mob."

  We sailed closer to Terini. As we approached the mouth of the inlet, Dareena turned to me. "You need to remain silent. You are my girlfriend. We will be holding hands. If you open your mouth, it could get ugly. I will pull you wherever you need to go. Do not leave my side."

  I nodded.

  Dareena talked to the men and I watched them all nod.

  "How far to Rendarin?"

  "Two hundred miles down the coast."

  "A little far for our fine boat."

  She laughed. "Yes."

  We pulled into the inlet, came around a corner, and the port town of Terini was laid out in front of us. The town was about a quarter the size of Darlor, the capital of Norinia, but it was still a healthy size. There was a wharf with a large merchant shipped tied up. I saw no major military vessels. The town extended up away from the waterfront.

  Dareena pointed, and we sailed slowly to a narrow beach where there were a number of small fishing boats pulled up. The boat grounded on the beach and we all got out. The men pulled the boat to shore. Dareena came over to stand by my side, grabbing my hand in a tight grip.

  "Remember," she said. "Not a single word."

  I nodded.

  We waited on the beach. I wondered why. I looked over at Dareena and raised an eyebrow.

  "The guard is coming," she said quietly, nodding. Sure enough, two men in uniform were walking along the walkway from the wharfs to our location. We waited for them.

  They carried themselves like city guard anywhere. They had swords at their hips and carried truncheons. In keeping with the warm weather, they were lightly dressed. One was tall and slender. The other was somewhat shorter and stocky. They approached, and I didn't understand more than a few words, but I heard "Princess Dareena."

  At that they perked up. They looked at her suspiciously, then examined me. I stared into the eyes of the one in front of me, but when he addressed me, I didn't say anything. Dareena answered for me.

  The tall one then turned around and began walking briskly away.

  Dareena continued arguing with the stocky one and pointing, but I had no idea where she was pointing. The stocky one shook his head and argued back. Eventually the disagreement wound down with us staying exactly where we were.

  The collar liked that we were holding hands. The contact was sending tiny tendrils of pleasure through me. It was small, nothing that would have me crying out in pleasure, but it felt good. I tried to keep my emotions in check but realized it was good the travel would be over soon and I would be rid of the collar.

  I was half in love with Dareena, and the idea sickened me.

  We stood there for ten minutes before the tall one returned with more guards and an older man, perhaps fifty years old, bald, with sharp features. He was well dressed in civilian clothing. I gathered he was important. He stepped up to us eying us distrustfully, then walked straight to Dareena. He looked at her, looked at her again, then fell to his knee in front of her. The only word I recognized was her name.

  Identity confirmed. Now it would be interesting to see how much power she held in her own country.

  Dareena dropped my hand, stepped forward a half step, and helped the man to his feet again. She greeted him warmly, then stepped back and took my hand again.

  The two of them talked for several minutes. At one point he looked at me again. I smiled but didn't say anything even when he addressed me. Dareena said something, drawing his attention back to her. I didn't hear my name, and no one's expression turned particularly nasty while facing me.

  Eventually the man turned to the guards and spoke, gesturing. Several of the guards peeled away, disappearing into town. Dareena and the man continued to talk, Dareena doing most of the talking.

  One of the guards returned from the town and stepped
up to Dareena and the man. Dareena finished talking and the two turned to the guard. He spoke two sentences, and then the old man gestured towards the town. Dareena stepped forward, pulling me with her.

  I tugged twice on her hand. She turned to me and I pointed back to the sailboat. Or, more exactly, my chest of clothing. Dareena tugged me towards town, but I snaked my hand out of hers and ran back to the sailboat and started untying my chest from where it sat on the boat.

  Dareena spoke sharply to me, but of course I didn't understand what she was saying, so I continued to unlash my chest.

  Then two of the sailors were next to me. One of them patted my hand and pointed back to Dareena, then the two of them took over unlashing my chest. I smiled and nodded, then backed off the boat and squished my way back up to Dareena. She took my hand and smiled, but the look in her eyes expressed displeasure. After that, I found myself tugged towards the town.

  Dareena didn't let go of my hand after that, but she continued to talk to the old man. He led us to an inn, the sailors following behind us while the guards provided an escort. I looked back, and the two sailors were hurrying to catch up, carrying my chest between them.

  Dareena, the sailors and I were all soggy and salt encrusted. The sailors were barefoot. Dareena and I both were wearing our boots, significantly much the worse for wear, and we squished as we walked. I had gotten more water in my boots while attempting to retrieve my chest, and I hoped we could dry out before walking much further. I was pretty sure I had blisters.

  The man spoke, and one of the guardsmen entered the inn, returning shortly with another man I presumed to be the innkeeper. The old man spoke and the innkeeper fell to a knee in front of Dareena. She spoke and he rose to his feet again. More words went back and forth, the innkeeper smiling the entire time. Dareena turned to me, smiled, then lowered herself to her knees in front of me, reaching for one of my boots. She tugged at my foot.

  I gave her the foot, and she began pulling my boot off. I almost fell over, but one of the sailors stepped up and steadied me. Dareena pulled off the boot and I put my foot down on the cobblestones of the street. I gave her the other foot, and she removed that boot. She set both boots on the ground, then stood up and looked at me pointedly, then down at her feet.

  I knelt down in front of her and helped her remove her boots, then picked up both pairs of boots before standing up. One of the sailors stepped forward and took both pairs from me, and Dareena took my hand again, pulling me into the inn. We left wet footprints behind.