by Laurel Veil
Neither Ty nor I spoke for I while and then I asked him, “So, you said you think you might know me?”
When he didn’t answer right away, I turned to look at him. He rubbed his face and raked his fingers through his dark, messy hair. He looked exhausted all of a sudden.
He squinted like he was having to strain to think. “What are you talking about?”
“You told me earlier that I seemed familiar to you.”
He shook his head. “I don’t remember saying that.”
I looked at him in disbelief. It was as if something were coming over him, making his brain hazy.
“Seriously? You don’t remember just saying that to me a few hours ago?”
He yawned. He was growing groggier by the second.
“Come on,” interrupted Brit. “You’re exhausted, and I still need to put some medicine on your scar.”
He didn’t resist this time. He grabbed onto her hand that she was extending and let her pull him to his unsteady feet. She drugged him. Who the hell did she think she was?
I decided not to say anything. Ty was out of it and I didn’t want to give her a heads up that I knew. There was no telling what she might do if she felt threatened.
I tried to keep my eyes fixed on the fire, but I couldn’t help but sneak glances to see what Brit was up to. Ty was lying down now, with his shirt open. She sat next to him and smeared what looked like grey mud on his chest. He flinched like it was cold. A few minutes later you could smell a hint of mint in the air.
A loud thud made me jump. Morris laughed at me. He had just dropped a stack of firewood. “This should get us through the night.”
I patted the blanket next to me. “Come and sit down. You need to rest.”
Morris smiled and accepted my offer. He sat down on the blanket and rested his back against a large rock. He shared the rock with me and we watched the fire well into the night.
◆◆◆
I was awakened by a firm nudge to my foot. I blinked as I attempted to make out my surroundings and remember where I was. I lifted my head quickly when I realized it was resting on Morris’s chest.
“Sleep well?” whispered Ty. He was standing over me, his brows furrowed in a disapproving scowl. What a hypocrite, I thought.
I looked around. Brit, like everyone else but the soldier who was standing guard, was still sleeping.
Ty placed a finger over his lips, telling me to be quiet as he extended his other hand and pulled me to my feet. He didn’t let go of my hand once I was up. Instead, he held it tightly and pulled me along until we reached the creek. My heart was pounding the entire way.
“What are we doing?” I whispered.
“I just wanted a minute alone with you before everyone else wakes up.”
He grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“What’s the matter?” I asked. “Do you feel OK?”
“I’m fine. I’ve got a headache.”
“Hangover is more like it,” I said. “I told you Brit put something in my water to knock me out. I’d bet money she did the same thing to you last night.”
“Why would she do that to me?”
“She didn’t like that you were talking to me, I guess. And, that’s not all she’s been up to. Yesterday, you told me that I seemed familiar to you. When I brought up what you had said later, you didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. Ty, I think she’s tampering with your memory.”
“Because I couldn’t remember a conversation that we had?” He scoffed.
“It’s not just that. Even though you should have easily remembered our conversation.” He was starting to frustrate me. I took a deep breath. “Ty, we used to know each other. Really well.”
He looked stunned, like I’d just slapped him across the face. I braced myself. I wasn’t sure if he was about to call me a liar or crazy.
When he still didn’t say anything, I realized it was because he was considering that what I’d just said, might actually be true.
Behind him, I noticed the others beginning to stir about the campsite. I knew it would only be seconds before Brit came looking for him.
“It looks like we're about to head out,” I said. Just then I saw that Brit had spotted us and she was storming our way. “I don’t know how to convince you. But if I were you, I wouldn’t eat or drink anything else Brit has to offer.”
Brit cut her eyes at me, then smiled at Ty. “Hey, here you are. I’ve been looking all over for you. Come on and let’s get you fed before we have to pack up and leave.”
I shot a knowing glance at Ty. As I turned to leave and head back to the campsite, I heard Ty explain that he wasn’t feeling well so he wouldn’t be eating that morning. She must have put up a fight because though I couldn’t make out what was being said, I could tell they were definitely arguing. I couldn’t stop myself from believing that Ty was going to remember me. I was so full of hope I could barely contain it.
“I’ve caught you smiling again,” said Morris.
I looked up into the sky, “Why not? It’s a beautiful day.”
It’s wasn’t long until the horses were saddled and we were ready to continue our journey. I barely had a chance to thank Morris for helping me up onto my horse when Ty rode up and snatched my reigns from Morris’s hands. We took off with a jerk and I had to quickly grab the horn of my saddle to keep from falling. Ty pulled my horse up even with his and then tied my horse’s reigns to the horn of his saddle. It made me think of the night we first came here. When our hands were tethered together with Jackson’s ribbon. Being this close to him made me feel both excited and relieved. Brit nor Morris was coming in between us today.
15.
We didn’t talk like I’d hoped we would. Ty was lost in his thoughts. I guessed he was trying to work things out for himself, and I was OK with that. I wanted him to remember without any help from me. I didn’t want to accidentally taint his memories with my interpretation of what had happened between us. I didn’t want an altered version of Ty, I wanted Ty—the way he was before we ever came here. We rode for hours in silence. The only sound came from our horses’ hooves.
“Here’s a good spot to rest,” said Zander. “Take your horses to the river for a drink first.”
Ty nudged his horse with his heels and we rode down the river to a more remote location.
“I think you were right about, Brit. I haven’t drunk or eaten anything she’s offered me today and I feel so much more alert. And, rapid-fire images keep shooting through my brain. I think they’re memories.”
“Do any of the images mean anything to you?” I asked hopefully.
“Not really, but they do seem familiar. Does that make sense?”
I nodded.
“Can you tell me anything that might help me to remember?”
“I want to help you, Ty. Really, I do. But, I think it would be best if you remembered on your own. That way, I’m not telling you what to think. Besides, you probably wouldn’t believe some of it anyway and you would think I was insane.”
“Will you answer a question for me?” The way he looked at me, through the wisps of bangs that were in his eyes, made me feel sorry for him. He looked so desperate.
“I’ll try” I said.
“Were you and I, together?”
Millions of butterflies suddenly took flight in my stomach. My face flushed, and I looked away.
When I finally worked up the courage to look at him, a corner of his mouth lifted into a confident grin. I opened my mouth but nothing came out.
He hopped off his horse and came over to me. My heart raced even faster as he raised his arms to help me slide down from my saddle. We never broke eye contact. Once my feet were firmly on the ground he stepped closer to me.
Nervously, I looked to see if anyone else was watching. “What are you doing?” I whispered.
He stepped even closer. “Trying to remember,” he said as he nuzzled my hair. He made me giggle. He was inhaling my scent like a bloodhound before it tracks.
He paused a moment as if he’d just sampled a glass of wine and was trying to savor the aftertaste. He then lowered his face to my ear. I could hear that he was breathing more heavily now. I closed my eyes when his face brushed against my neck and then my shoulder. His breath was warm on my skin, but it made me shiver.
Even though he looked like Ty, it was as if I was with a stranger. In frustration, I buried my face in his chest. When I realized that he still smelled like Ty, without thinking, I suddenly slid my hands around his neck. His muscles tensed, and I pulled him to me. When our lips touched, I was pleased to know, he still felt like Ty.
“That’s what I thought,” he said in a hushed voice.
“What?”
“We were together. I knew it.”
He still didn’t remember me though. My heart ached.
After our horses had their fill of water, we walked them back to where the others were gathered.
“I was thinking, we could rest here tonight and then ride into the kingdom in the morning,” said Ty to Zander.
“What in the world would we do that for?” said a man whose name I didn’t know.
Brit’s eyes were shooting daggers. “I think it’s ridiculous to extend our mission longer than necessary. We all know we can be there by tonight—easily.”
“Yeah!” piped in a few others.
“We need to drop her off, collect the reward and be on our way,” said Brit. “The sooner we’re no longer responsible for her well-being the better. After all, we wouldn’t want anything to happen to her.”
“She has a point,” agreed Morris completely missing her sarcasm. “But, I have to admit, I’m in no rush to get back home. We’ll just be put to work on the next assignment.”
Zander’s expression said he agreed with Morris. “We’ll camp here tonight,” said Zander. The finality in his voice told everyone he wasn’t willing to discuss his decision.
I was allowed to collect firewood this time. Ty trusted me not to runaway now. My arms were full, but I reached for one more limb that was laying under a huge bush. I was startled, and dropped everything when a large bird suddenly jetted out of the bush, into the sky. I flinched again, when Brit suddenly stepped into view.
“What do you want?” she sneered.
“Nothing. I—I was just gathering some firewood.”
“Well don’t waste your time getting too much.”
“What’s that supposed to me?”
She smirked. “Nothing, I just don’t think it’s going to be that chilly tonight. That’s all.” She raised her bow and drew back an arrow. It was aimed right at me. I didn’t know what to do. Everything around me seemed to stop when I watched her fingers release it. It hummed as it sailed past my head, reminding me of that terrible moment in the garden when Ty was shot. I spun around and saw a squirrel fall out of a tree. Brit laughed as she walked past me to retrieve it.
I looked away quickly and picked up the wood I’d dropped and went back to the others as fast as I could. I scanned the campground for Ty and felt myself begin to panic when I couldn’t find him. I was relieved when he stepped out from among the horses and helped me stack the wood. We then sat next to each other and watched as Morris made a fire.
After we ate, Brit went and stood guard for the night. It was a relief not having her around. I actually had fun. I felt like I was camping with a group of friends. We laughed and listened to stories. Morris even sang a couple of songs before we all dozed off.
◆◆◆
“Falon,” Ty whispered in my ear.
I smiled when I rolled over and saw him lying on the blanket next to me.
“I had a dream.”
“That’s great, Ty.” I laughed.
“No, I mean—I remember.”
Suddenly I was very alert. “You remember? Do you remember me?”
“I remember Ms. Alice and—”
My faced twisted with disgust, which made him chuckle.
“I never thought I would be happy to hear that witch’s name!” I reached over and hugged him.
“I remember you and I remember Jack.” My eyes started to well up with tears, when suddenly a herd of horses came barreling toward us. Everyone was instantly awake and on their feet with swords drawn.
“Put those away.” I recognized the voice. It was Dirk.
Ty stepped forward. “What’s going on?” He demanded.
“I’m Dirk. I am here on behalf of King Landon. We’ve come to bring Princess Falon home. We’ll be taking her the rest of the way so you and your men can return to Armorie. “Here.” He tossed a suede bag that clanked when Ty caught it. “That’s the reward that was promised. See to it, it gets to your king.”
Ty looked at the bag and then at me. When Dirk extended his hand, Ty stepped in front of me.
“Why does he want her? Why is he willing to pay such a large reward?”
Dirk made a menacing grin and motioned for me to come. I didn’t want to, but I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t risk Ty being killed. Dirk pulled me up and onto the back of his horse.
“It’s a small price for a king to pay for the safe return of his bride.”
“Bride?” Ty looked at me and then back at Dirk.
“The wedding will take place soon. All kingdoms will be invited. I’m sure that King Landon will have a special table reserved for the soldiers who returned his future wife.”
“We were actually planning to return Princess Falon in the morning,” said Morris. “How did you know we were here?”
Dirk furrowed his brows. “We got your message.”
“Message?” said Ty.
“One of you sent a hawk,” said Dirk with annoyance.
I looked at Brit. That’s what she had been doing when I came across her while I was collecting firewood.
“You sent the message,” I said.
All eyes turned to Brit. She smirked with delight. She had no remorse. She wanted me gone.
Dirk nudged his horse with his heels and we turned to go. I looked back at Ty. We locked eyes until the darkness swallowed me.
16.
I felt hollow. I was just getting Ty back, and now he’d slipped from my grasp once again. I felt sorry for myself until I realized how close we were to Landon’s castle. I needed a plan. I would try and reason with Landon first. I would tell him that I couldn’t marry him. How could I? I didn’t even know him, much less love him. My heart belonged to someone else. If he wouldn’t listen to me—I escaped once, I could escape again.
I was exhausted by the time we reached the drawbridge. It was still dark and the entire kingdom seemed to be sleeping. Dirk walked me inside and upstairs to the room I had stayed in before.
“Someone will be standing guard outside your door,” he said before shutting and locking it.
I ached from our long ride so I took a hot shower, slipped on a long nightgown and then crawled into bed. I thought about Ty the entire time and when I finally closed my eyes I dreamed about him too.
◆◆◆
I awoke to the smells of breakfast. I sat up as an older woman with graying hair set a tray on my bed.
“Thank you,” I said.
She ignored me and turned to go.
I was too hungry to be offended by her rudeness. I picked up my fork and shoveled scrambled eggs into my mouth as quickly as I could. I ate every last bite of the bacon and ham I was given too.
When I finished eating, I went to get dressed. I was relieved to see that someone had washed my clothes and laid them on a bench at the foot of the bed. I had been afraid I was going to be forced to wear a dress again.
As soon as I finished tying my shoes, the woman from earlier came back into my room and began making the bed.
“Everything was delicious,” I said as I helped straighten the comforter from the other side. “Thank you.”
She didn’t make eye contact with me, but she nodded. I decided to push my luck and attempted to start a conversation.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
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“Beatrice,” she said as she tossed decorative pillows onto the bed. She was about to take the tray she had served my breakfast on and leave.
“Wait,” I said. She stopped walking, but didn’t look at me. “Where’s Maggie?”
She paused and then slowly turned around. “May I speak freely?” she asked.
“Yes, of course, please,” I said.
“You may not look like a princess and you may not act like one either, but, you are a princess. And, you disappeared under Maggie’s watch. What do you think happened to her?” She practically spit her words at me she was so angry.
She took the tray and stormed off. I couldn’t move. Maggie was dead because I ran away? I stepped out onto the balcony. I was grateful for the wind. I could barely breathe.
“It’s beautiful up here.”
It was Landon’s voice. I couldn’t look at him. How could he do that to Maggie?
“Why did you run away?”
“This isn’t my home. I don’t belong here.”
“It was selfish and cruel of your father to take you like he did. This is your home and you do belong here…with me.”
“How can I marry you Landon? I don’t love you. I don’t know you.”
“I’ll give you time for that, to get to know me.”
I finally turned to face him. I wanted to make eye contact with him so that I knew he was really hearing me. “It wouldn’t matter if you gave me years to get to know you. There’s no guarantee that I will ever love you.” I was already in love with Ty. I didn’t dare tell him that for fear he would kill him.
“I’ve waited long enough to find you. If you’ve already made up your mind that you can never love me no matter how much time I give you, I’ll not wait any longer than it takes to prepare us a proper royal wedding.”
Was this really happening to me? I felt nauseated.
“I will not marry you,” I said. But it only came out as a whisper.
“You will. The Seers saw our kingdoms uniting. You and I are lone heirs and we were betrothed. Our kingdoms will unite when we marry. It will be amazing. The Seers said you will give birth to a baby that will have unusual talents, including time travel. Do you have any idea how rare that is—what I could do with that as a king?”