"Sure. If you want," Taylor said.
"See you tomorrow then." I turned and headed toward Leif.
"Wait, you forgot your pack," Taylor said. He ran up to me and handed me my bag.
Before he could go, and before Leif reached us, I said, "You know, sometimes believing in something, even though you haven't yet seen it, is not a bad thing. People need a little faith, a little hope."
I took my bag and left Taylor standing there before he could reply. Maybe what I should have done was told him who I was, but I was wondering if my people needed more than just my presence. I was beginning to think that I was not up for the job. Maybe I never would be. They needed a strong leader, a confident one. I was honest enough with myself to realize that I wasn't either of those things.
Chapter Nine
Rebels
"You're awful quiet. Are you still upset with me?" Leif asked. We walked through camp on our way to the tent that had been set up for us. Night was falling and fires were being lit in little pits all around us. There seemed to be one for each tent. The tents themselves glowed from within.
"I was just thinking," I replied. "Leif, do you know that most of these people don't even believe in me? They think of the story of the lost princess as a fairy tale."
"Don't worry about that. We have the proof now. They will believe once they see you."
"That's not the point. You led me to believe that there was this army of people that have been searching for me, and who needed me. That's not how it appears at all. These people don't need me. I don't even think they really want me."
"They don't know what they want or need right now. They are so focused on surviving every day that they can't. You are needed here more than you can imagine. You are the key to our freedom."
"I don't know what you expect from me, Leif. I'm just a kid. I'm not prepared for this. I'm not ready for this. I'm afraid I am going to let you down. Let all these people down."
"You have time to get ready. You have time to prepare. You'll see. We'll get through this."
"How much time," I mumbled to myself. I was beginning to think I would need fifty years to get prepared and ready. I wasn't even entirely certain what that would entail. What was I supposed to be preparing for? A war? A revolution? What?
"Well, this is it. What do you think?" Leif asked.
We stood before a small but brightly lit yellow tent with small orange stripes on it. "Oh it's yellow. You got me my favorite color." How sweet was that?
"Hmm, I didn't even realize the color until you pointed it out," he said.
"Oh."
"Over there is Leigha and Gavin's tent." He pointed at the red tent next to mine. "Austin is next to theirs in the white and green striped one, and I am across from you, in the green one."
"Wait, you aren't sharing with me?" I asked.
"No, of course not," he said. "I can't be seen with you like that. You are the queen and I am just a warrior. What would people think?"
"So what? They would think that you and I are together. Leif, I don't want to be alone in there."
"Sunny, don't make a scene," he said.
I looked around us. "What are you talking about? There's no one around."
"Don't be a baby. Come on, I'll show you the inside."
He was all calm and parental sounding. It was annoying. Ever since we had stepped into Acadia he had been acting funny. Cold, distant, and just plain weird.
He stepped through the open doorway of the tent and motioned for me to follow him. I thought about refusing to follow, but then I figured standing there all night wouldn't get me anywhere but tired.
I heaved a loud sigh, but in the end, followed him inside. I ducked in and saw that tent life wouldn't be too bad.
The floor was covered with a brown woven mat that went wall to wall. On top of that were colorful little rugs and floor pillows. There was a hammock-like cot in the back. It had posts at each of the four corners but still swung up off the ground. Other than the cot, the only other pieces of furniture were two white wood chests. One was next to the entryway and one was next to the cot. On each of the chests was a small lantern. Everything was colored to match in yellows, oranges and gray-green. It was a lovely effect.
It was warm and homey. Nope, not too shabby for a tent.
I had just set down my bag next to the front chest when I was wrenched around and devoured by Leif. His lips pressed desperately against mine. That was exactly what I needed, just a quick moment of contact, a small reaffirmation of his feelings.
I wrapped my arms around his neck as he wrapped his around my waist. He pulled me in tight against him. The warmth from his body, the press of his lips against mine, softened me more than any words could have done.
"God, I was so worried about you!" he said, then buried his face against my neck and squeezed me tight again.
I giggled. "So I see."
"Seriously, what happened to you?" he asked. He pulled us down to the ground where we sprawled out on the big floor pillows.
I hesitated a moment. I didn't want to tell him that I had again lost control of the energy and caused my horse to panic and run. I didn't want to lie, so I decided to share only the most pertinent parts, like being shot with an arrow, the Shadow Guard, and then just traveling with Gabriel until he came to get me.
"Yeah, I saw the bandage. How's it feel?" he asked. But he barely gave my leg a second look. He didn't seem concerned over it so I didn't make a big deal about it.
"It feels pretty good," I replied. "Gabriel put this mossy stuff in it this morning and that stuff really works."
"Good."
"Do you know the Douglas guy?" I asked.
"Yeah," Leif said. "He's pretty big in the Shadow Guard. I don't think he really thought you were a boy either. I think he was just trying to throw off the other men, in case they came upon you in the forest."
I nodded. That's what I had thought too. "Gabriel said he knew my mother."
Leif shrugged. "He may have. Who really knows? I wouldn't buy into too much of what he says. He refuses to pick sides so I don't trust him. He's either with us or he's with the King."
"Is that the only options here?" I asked. I was thinking of both Gabriel's group and Taylor. Was it really all or nothing?
"It is to me," he said.
I wasn't sure what I thought about that yet. I changed the subject. "What took you so long to find me?"
"We were outnumbered," he said. "When you burst through the Shadow Guard, we thought they had you. I didn't want to waste time trying to fight them off so we raced back to the camp. I got fresh men and horses and went right back out after you. We went after the guard first. We had to wait until nightfall. Our plan was to sneak in under cover of the night and steal you back, but you weren't there. We wasted a lot of time doing that."
"After that, we caught a few hours sleep then started back out before sunrise. We came upon the camp and found you. I thought we would have a real fight there, but thankfully, after the little snafu at the beginning, you came with us without a problem."
Was I the 'snafu'? It was just another reminder of my lack of control. "I don't remember it quite that way, Leif," I said.
He brushed off my words and said, "We were all really tense."
"Did your guys know who I was? It didn't seem like they did," I asked. I remembered their gasps of shock.
"They knew, but they didn't believe it," Leif said. "Having the traitor say it out loud seemed to make it more real to them. After all these years of searching and coming up empty, time and time again, it's a little overwhelming to have you here with us. Finally."
"I hate it that you call Gabriel a traitor. He saved me from the Shadow Guard. I owe him my life. You could be a little kinder to him," I said.
Leif chose not to reply. Instead he said, "I'm hungry. I'll go see what I can round up."
Then, before I could respond, he was gone. He didn't ask me if I was hungry. I was, but he didn't even ask. All the same, I hoped it wa
sn't squirrel.
While he was gone, I decided to get settled into my tent. I lifted the lantern from the wooden chest by the bed and set it on the floor. I opened up the chest and found nothing inside it. It was empty. I grabbed my pack, dropped it inside, closed the lid, and returned the lantern to the top.
"There, all unpacked," I said.
I looked around the tent and sighed. "Now what?"
I stepped outside. Night had set in completely. With all the little campfires and the tents lit from within, the camp was almost bright. I decided to go for a little walk, look around a bit. I headed down the lane my tent was part of.
With the tents and campfires, I felt like I was at a Renaissance Fair. All I needed was a turkey leg vendor and I would have been set. The low murmur of voices from inside the tents seemed so normal. The night was peaceful. Warm, even though the sun had set. The stars weren't as bright in the camp as they had been in the forest, but there were just as many.
As I passed by a multi-colored striped tent, a cherub face poked out.
I stopped and said, "Hello."
A small girl with long blond hair stepped outside. She wore a little white dress that was belted around her waist. Her little feet were bare. "Hi," she said. Not in the least bit shy. A big smile brightened her face.
I smiled. "I'm Sunny. What's your name?"
"Carrie," she said with a hop.
"That's a lovely name," I said.
"You new?" she asked.
"Yes. I just got here today."
"Will you stay?"
I was surprised by that question. Carrie seemed to be maybe five years old, why was she worried about that of all things? "I'll stay for a few days, but then I have to go home."
"I knew it. No one ever stays here," she said.
"Why not?" I asked. Was it wrong to interrogate a child?
Carrie shrugged her shoulders. "Just don't."
So much for getting answers. "I'll be back though," I said, "in a few months."
She shrugged again.
"Have you been here long?"
"Yeah, for as long as I can remember we been here," she said.
"So you know where the bathrooms and wash area is?" I asked.
"Yeah, everybody knows that," she said.
Well, no one bothered to tell me and I had been there for a few hours now. I politely asked, "Can you tell me how to get there?"
~ * ~
The wash area was basic, to put it mildly. It was also dark. No one told me that I needed to bring a lantern with me. So after I had trekked back and forth, once again, with the lantern finally in hand, I was able to check out the place.
It was another solid construction building. No tent for the wash area. It had walls and stalls and a roof. The works. It was, however, horribly ick. The shower was set up in a stall with wooden privacy walls around it. The floor was just dirt with the same type of mat that was on the floor of my tent thrown down. The water came down when you pulled a chain thing. I had a feeling that any showering would not be a heated event.
The toilets. Oh God, the toilets. How could anyone claim that was modern. I tried, unconvincingly, to reason with myself. "It's only for eight more days, Sunny. You can deal with this."
But then I also remembered it was only eight more days for this trip, what about the next one when I came for the summer. "Oh God."
Lantern in hand, I headed back to my tent, all the while making a list of things to bring for my next visit, which included huge quantities of hand sanitizer.
When I arrived back at my tent, I found Leif there waiting for me. "Where did you go?" he asked.
"No one bothered to show me where the restroom area was," I said
"Oh, I hadn't even thought about that."
"Yeah, just like you hadn't thought to tell me about horses and medieval times here. Just like you didn't bother to mention a lot of stuff," I said, my voice rose on each point until I was almost at a screech. "And if you think that restroom is modern, you are out of your mind. You said it wasn't like a hole in the ground. It's not much better. What the heck, Leif!"
Leif sat still on the ground where I had found him upon entering. I towered over him at that point. Furious.
"Oh," he said.
"Oh?" I replied. "Oh!"
I looked at his face and realized, "You lied to me. On purpose."
"No, I didn't lie," Leif said. "I just didn't tell you everything. We didn't want to give you an excuse to not come."
"That's the same as lying. You know how I feel about that. Why would you do it to me again?"
Leif slowly got to his feet and stood before me. His face pleaded for me to understand. "We all decided it was best not to scare you. We did it for you," he said.
"Who's we?"
"The counsel."
"This counsel, they don't know me. You do, but you didn't care how I felt," I said. I turned my back to him and stared outside the tent flaps at the night, at nothing. I just didn't want to look at him right then.
He put his hands on my shoulders and leaned his chin against my head. I always loved it when he did that. It had always made me feel loved and cherished. It didn't that time. Instead, all it made me feel was closed in. Bound.
Leif tried to explain, "I have to do what they say. It was what was agreed upon and decided. It wasn't up to me."
Nothing was ever his fault, was it? "Whatever."
Chapter Ten
Understanding
My first thought the next morning, when the bright sun woke me, was that a hammock bed is actually quite comfortable. My next was dismay, when I realized my first stop of the morning was the dreaded restroom. Great.
I tossed back my covers, swung my legs over the side, and stood up. Pain. Agony was what I was blessed with. It shot right into my thigh. I hissed in pain and quickly sat back down.
I un-did the bandage around my leg and saw that my wound from the arrow was still as open and sore as it had been the morning before. It was that same dark angry red, and it was still oozing gunk. It wasn't healing. In fact, it looked like it was getting worse.
I grabbed my pack from the chest, pulled out a pair of flip-flops to wear and limped my way back to the restroom. It took a bit of working up but I did manage to take a freezing cold shower where I scrubbed my hair and body as fast as I could.
All in all, at least I was clean and so were my clothes. It may be shorts again and another tank, but it was a start, anyway. I didn't have a dry wrap for my leg so I left my wound open until I could figure what to do with it, or until the one I had washed was dry, at the very least. I decided not to mess with my hair right then and just left it down.
After dropping my pack back at the tent, I went over to the barn to see to Poppy. Taylor was already there himself and from the sweat already showing through his gray shirt, he had been there a while.
"Morning," he said. He stopped long enough to smile my way before getting back to work.
"Morning," I said back. I limped past him and went directly to Poppy. The short walk from my tent to the barn had worn me out. I laid my head against her back for a moment and soaked in her warmth.
"I didn't think you would actually come," Taylor said from behind me. "Hey, you alright?"
My head still against Poppy, I said, "Yeah."
"Geez, that's looks gross," he said.
I caught his gaze and saw that he meant my leg. "I know, but I don't know what to do for it. It just seems to get worse and worse. I was given this green moss yesterday and that helped, but I don't have any more of it."
He nodded his head and said, "I have some. Give me a sec."
Then he was gone. By the time he made it back, I had brushed down Poppy and had accomplished wearing myself out completely. I sat outside in a patch of sunlight, warm and lovely on my face.
"Here. I got you a handful, plus some extra bandages," Taylor said. He squatted down next to me.
"Thank you. So much," I said. For some reason, that act of kindness overwhelmed me
and my eyes misted right up. I claim having a fever as my excuse.
"You're not going to cry are you?" he asked. His eyes were wide and tinged with an uncomfortable fear.
I laughed a huffy sound and he smiled.
"I'll try not to," I replied.
"You know how to use it?" he asked, indicating the moss.
"Yes, just scrub it in until it hurts and then bandage it back up. Right?" I replied.
"Yeah, but you need to do it now and then again before you go to bed," he said. "If you run out, let me know, I have a good supply."
"How do you know all this?" I asked him, and I set to work on my leg.
"My mom. She taught me," he said. "She knew everything you could possibly want to know."
"What happened to her," I asked gently.
"She died, in a raid. Both her and my father," he said. Then he got to his feet. "I got to get back to work."
"Thank you!" I yelled out to him, but he didn't turn back around. He got back to work and tuned me right out.
Great, me and my nosey questions. I finished re-wrapping my leg then sat in the sun for a little while longer before I headed back to my tent.
I sat on the bed and was munching on a granola bar when Leif stopped in with Leigha. I smiled a big smile at Leigha and said, "Well, hello stranger."
She looked at me, confused by my choice of words, apparently. Leigha never understood my humor. "Hello."
"Leigha has offered to take you around camp today," Leif said. "Have you get to know some of the people here. What do you think?"
"Who am I supposed to be?" I asked him. There was a touch of sarcasm in my words. I couldn't seem to help it.
"Just meet them as you today. We can introduce you as the heir to the throne later," he replied.
"Why? Why wait?" I asked.
"We think it would be easier for you to get to know people if they think you are just a regular person," he said.
"I am just a regular person," I snapped.
"Of course you are," Leigha interjected. "But this way, the people you meet won't feel uncomfortable. This is a good idea."
It made sense. I agreed with them, it just felt like I was hiding. If these people had been searching and hoping to find the heir, wouldn't they be happy to finally know she had been found? Relieved even?
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