The Princess and Her Rogue

by Sheritta Bitikofer

  Kiara set the lantern down on the floor by the bed and tried to make the straw bed as comfortable as possible by kneading the hay beneath the sheet with her hands. Although there was a white sheet over the hay, the pointy ends protruded through the material, poking into Kiara’s skin, scratching and irritating her through most of the night. She would have laid down the cloak to sleep on, but despite the old innkeeper saying that the room was warm, Kiara was freezing and needed the cloak as a blanket. But, she tried to keep a positive attitude that it must have been a lot better than sleeping out on the ground where there would be bugs. Kiara was extremely grateful for Nate, even though he was a rogue and uncivilized. He seemed to know the difference between right and wrong and he was willing to protect her. Tonight gave evidence to his integrity and Kiara couldn’t help but smile at the thought that Nate would constantly use the excuse that she was “his girl” to defend her from any cad that crossed their path.

  Nate arrived back from the merchants’ tents and quietly slipped into the room where Kiara was sleeping to drop off the supplies he’d bought. Before he left, he eyed her sleeping figure sentimentally. She was a pain, but Nate knew he had the strength to withstand her on this journey. He smiled as he stepped out to guard the chamber.

  Chapter 5

  Nate quietly entered the room in which Kiara was still sleeping. The sun was already up and he was ready to go. He had everything packed and set up by the door. He even took longer to eat his breakfast for her sake. But, since it was already four hours past sunrise, Nate was growing impatient.

  He first glanced at the provisions he had bought last night, which consisted of a backpack, more arrows, two sleeping blankets, some flint stone for starting fires, a canteen and first aid supplies. His little sack of coins wasn’t as noisy as it was a few days ago and to that fact, he lamented. But, he assured himself that the king would pay much more handsomely once they arrived in Aleph.

  Then, Nate’s eyes fell upon Kiara’s sleeping figure. The window behind her illuminated her body very finely with the cloak only half covering her body. Her curves were more defined; her body resembled steep hills and slopping valleys. Despite her wearing boy clothes, she was still a voluptuous woman underneath. Though she was facing away from the door, with her back turned to Nate, he couldn’t help but let his eyes roam along such valleys and hills. He quickly shook it off and approached the princess with apathy.

  Nate crouched down next to the hay bed and violently shook her shoulder.

  “Princess, time to wake up,” he whispered staring down at her soft, porcelain-like face and silky black hair. She groaned in protest and pulled the cloak up to her chin.

  Nate frowned and quickly snatched the cloak from her fingers, whipping it around to uncover the rest of her. Kiara’s legs curled up to her stomach and she grumbled more, squeezing her eyes shut and hugging her arms to her chest for warmth.

  “We need to get going now. Get up.”

  Kiara wouldn’t budge. Nate forcefully nudged her shoulder again. “Get up!” he commanded, becoming increasingly irritated.

  Her arm flew up and hit Nate in the face, knocking him off his feet and flat onto his bottom on the hard wooden floor. He grunted on impact and once he was on the ground, checked his nose cautiously for any blood. The girl was a skinny little weakling, but she had one heck of an arm.

  Nate growled and rubbed his nose at the pain that continued to throb through his face. Kiara remained on the hay bed, now even more curled up than before, snoozing peacefully as if nothing happened. Nate had enough of this. He’d had enough of the whining, the complaining and her incompetence. One would think she’d never been out of doors in her whole life by the way she constantly gripped and moaned about every little thing. The day before, it took almost all of Nate’s will power not to smack her the way she had just done to him. Nate thought himself a pretty patient man, but Kiara was proving him wrong.

  He stood up, looming over the girl with an angry glare. He picked up his booted foot and held it grudgingly over her rib cage. But, something kept him from admitting that final blow. He tried to push his foot past that stopping point, but it just wouldn’t hit her. Then, he took a deep breath and tried to think clearly, pursing his lips together.

  If he brought back Malcolm a crippled or dead daughter, there certainly would be no reward. There would be no gold, no nothing. He sighed and placed his foot back on the floor, clutching his hands into tight fists. There wasn’t much he could do to this woman except maybe yell. But, even then, if he did yell and mentally abuse her, she would tell Malcolm and there would still be no reward. Why had he gotten himself into this mess in the first place? Was it really that worth the trouble and anguish? Well, with luck, the trip would only last them a week at the most.

  “Princess, we need to go now. The sun is up and we need to be making for the western border…” Nate began with tension in his voice. Then, seeing that she wouldn’t stir, he decided to speak a little louder. “Get up!” he shouted.

  Then, Kiara’s eyes cracked open and she squinted from the window, then up to the angry man standing behind her. She yawned, stretched and slowly sat up - all to Nate’s frustration.

  “What time is it?” she mumbled, running her fingers through her hair as if brushing the tangles out.

  “It’s time to go, come on.” Nate then stomped over to his backpack full of supplies, threw it over his shoulder along with the cloak and rushed out the door, not waiting for her. About half way down the hall, he could hear her stumbling out of the room and down the corridor, still trying to wake up.

  “Wait up! Can’t we eat breakfast first?” she asked brokenly, seeming very concerned as they made their way down the stairs and into the tavern on the ground floor. Nate slammed their room key on the innkeeper’s counter and marched out of the inn, not raising his eyes to anyone who was staring back at him.

  “No. You slept through breakfast. We have to get started now or we won’t get ten miles behind us for the day. Hurry up,” Nate replied as he determined which way was west, then heading towards the woods in that direction.

  “But, I need to eat something! I’m starving! Hey, slow down!” Kiara’s constant shouts and pleas weren’t enough to make Nate slow down or even look back.

  When they entered the woods and found the unmarked trail they were to take, Nate finally did lessen his pace. Kiara came up not too far behind him and for a while, she was quiet. But, that all changed as her consciousness caught up with her.

  “Well, the trees certainly haven’t changed. They all still look dead and decrepit. Do you think it’s something in the soil or rainwater that does it? I can’t decide which one. I assumed it was just poor, dry ground that maybe once was suitable for growth, but obviously isn’t now. Why does Deceiver bring so much death wherever he goes? It’s not like he’s some magic being or whatever. Although, I did hear that he has a wizard or some sort of sorcerer working for him in Tau. But, I also heard that he was a poor magician, so there should be no reason why the land would be fruitless on account of Deceiver’s presence. I guess it is the soil. What do you think?”

  Nate didn’t have the patience to give his two cents.

  “I also heard that Tau is almost as big as Aleph. I don’t want to believe that. Aleph is very large and I doubt that any city in the whole world could compare to it. It is a lovely city. Have you ever been there?”

  No response.

  “I’ll admit that I haven’t been to many cities or villages in my father’s kingdom. I stay at the castle a lot. I do so long for adventure and excitement, though. I guess I’m getting my full of it, aren’t I? I just hope I’ll come out alive.”

  Nate couldn’t guarantee that with how much she was getting on his nerves.

  “Ouch! Blasted shoes! These aren’t the best walking shoes in the world, I’ll admit. Barefoot, however, wouldn’t be much better. Ugh! My feet hurt every time I take a step. I can’t stand this for very much longer, Nate, I’ll tell you that much. You may h
ave to carry me the rest of the way.”

  There was no way he was going to carry her. Well, he might carry her over a cliff, but not back to Aleph. Nate remained silent as she continued to talk.

  “At least my outfit is better suited for this sort of walking. If the material tore, I wouldn’t care as much. Did you happen to buy any needle and threads while in town that I could use in case the clothes do rip?”

  “No,” he mumbled as he kicked a decaying log out of the path.

  “Oh… well, I guess I’ll have to deal with it then… It’s a bit cold though, would you mind letting me wear the cloak for a while?”

  Nate threw it over his shoulder to her, knowing she would catch it. She did and wrapped it around her shoulders comfortably.

  “Thank you very much. You know, you should probably talk more. I mean, it’s going to be a while before we get to Aleph and we might as well talk to one another. I know I’m kind of running my mouth a lot, but I can’t stand the sound of silence for very long. I’ve always needed music or talking to occupy my ears. I almost can’t function without some sort of sound unless I want to sleep… By the way, how did you sleep last night?”

  “Fine.” Nate knew clearly well that he didn’t sleep a wink the night before. He was too busy staring at a log on the wall, keeping watch over the room.

  “Well, that’s good. I slept like a baby. I had many nice dreams of back home. I do miss home. I miss my father, Justin, Eshean and all my siblings. I doubt any of them are missing me, though. They never really enjoyed my company - my siblings, I mean…”

  Nate couldn’t imagine why not.

  “But, my father, Justin and Eshean truly love being around me. I can’t imagine the kind of grief they must be going through. I couldn’t be missing for less than half a week now. My father must be very melancholy. Justin must be very lonely and Eshean might be dead for all I know. He’s a very old man and he once told me that my presence kept him alive sometimes. I do hope he’s not dead. I would miss him very much, more than I do now.”

  Nate couldn’t take anymore jabbering. He stopped, turned around to face her and tried to stay as calm as possible. Kiara almost ran straight into him, since she was paying more attention to her steps and surroundings. She looked up with a cheerful smile and Nate could automatically tell she was a morning person. He was not, which could have been why he was so grumpy.

  “Princess…” he was interrupted.

  “I told you to not call me that anymore. If you know my name, then use it.”

  Nate tightened his jaw and straightened his back before the little talk-box. “Alright. Kiara, how about we play a little game?” Nate didn’t like to say her real name. It was too painful, but something in his tone when he said it caught her attention and she tilted her head to the side in a cute fashion the way a little puppy might when it was confused.

  “What game?” she asked.

  “It’s a very fun game. It has to do with talking, so you might like it.”

  “Ok…” Kiara was beginning to look less than enthusiastic, even though Nate had donned a face filled with sarcastic excitement, hoping she would want to play this little game he’d just made up.

  “In this game, you can say anything you want, on any subject. The only rule is that you can’t say anything until the other person has said something first. Since you’ve been saying a lot, it’s my turn. So, you can’t talk until I say something first… Understand?”

  Kiara only nodded, still keeping her kind smile. Nate nodded once, then turned again and began walking. Nate didn’t intend to say anything for a very long time.

  A few moments passed by and Kiara spoke to Nate’s dismay.

  “Well, aren’t you going to say anything?” she shrilled.

  “Hey,” Nate looked over his shoulder and gave her a look of seriousness, “You’re already losing the game.”

  She gave him a pouted face and crossed her arms over her chest playfully.

  And, as they walked from that time on, Kiara abided by the game rules and didn’t even make a noise. Nate was more than thankful and it gave him more time to concentrate on navigating the trail. He could hardly think with all that talking.

  A good hour must have passed by and Kiara hadn’t said a word. Nate was beginning to feel bad for his cruel joke. Apparently Kiara didn’t take it as a joke. She was such an innocent little kid. She’d probably believe Nate if he said he was Deceiver himself. Occasionally, over that hour, he had to look back to see if she was still following him, and she was. Most of the time, she’d just be looking around at the ground, up at the trees or to her own feet.

  Nate checked on her one more time, sighed and rolled his eyes at the mistake he was about to make.

  “How are your feet?” he asked unwillingly, keeping his eyes on the trail ahead.

  Kiara sprang to life at hearing the sound of his voice. “Oh, they hurt so bad! They sting and burn and I think I may have bruised them somehow. I don’t know how much more I can walk,” she cried with such charisma and emotion that it almost made Nate concerned for her.

  “You seem to be doing ok.” She hadn’t shown a bit of pain in her walk or in her face the entire morning, so he was pretty confident that whatever torture she might have been going through wasn’t enough to make her express it in anything besides words.

  “But, they still hurt. I’ve never walked this much in my life. Maybe I’ve scarred my feet or worse.”

  “How are your ankles and knees?”

  “Oh, they’re fine, I suppose. It’s just my feet that hurt the most.”

  “You’re just not used to walking so much. You’ll be fine after a while.”

  “Can we at least stop soon?” she asked urgently. Nate didn’t reply. Those few lines were enough to make him feel less guilty. However, he was growing more conscious that a daily ten-mile goal might have been too much for her. After all, she wasn’t used to walking as much as he was. Ten miles was easy him. He could jog ten miles through Deceiver’s forest without being the least bit tired. Years of living in this part of the country, he had to learn how to do such rigorous activities easily. It was a hard life, but it was his life. It wasn’t hers.

  Another hour passed by in silence and the sun was high in the sky. Nate determined they had probably only mastered four miles at the most, out of the ten. They were making good timing and they could probably accomplish their goal by sundown. But, as they were making their way through a well-lit clearing, Nate heard an unfamiliar rustle of movement that didn’t sound like walking. It was the opposite of walking.

  He looked behind him and at eye level saw nothing. He looked down and saw Kiara sitting on the ground in the middle of the clear, her legs outstretched and head hanging with her hair shrouding her face almost completely.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked as he heard her whimper behind her hair that was damp with perspiration.

  “I can’t go a step further. My feet hurt so bad. Please, can’t we just rest for a while?” she pleaded, looking up with a sweaty, tear stained face. Kiara looked so pathetic, but Nate felt something stir in his heart for her. He glanced from her to her feet that were clothed in dress boots and sighed deeply.

  “Fine, but just for a little while. We can’t waste too much time.”

  Nate set down his backpack and sat on the ground opposite from her. And for the first time, Kiara said nothing in reaction to Nate speaking. She only sniffled and tried to take off her boots. But, as she did, she hissed and whimpered even more, as if it was a real challenge just to take off a pair of shoes.

  He watched her with amusement for a while, but as the seconds ticked by and she obviously couldn’t pull the boots off by her own strength without crying like a wounded child, he scooted forward.

  “Let me,” he said softly, taking out his dagger from its sheath and lowering it down onto the leather boots.

  “No!” Kiara shouted at seeing the blade, “No! My father had these boots especially made for me. Please, don’t destroy them?�
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  “I wasn’t going to cut the boots, I was going to cut your legs off from the knees down.”

  “What!” Kiara pulled her limbs away swiftly from Nate and hugged them to her chest in shock and fear. Nate couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction.

  “I’m just joking, girl. I won’t cut the boots or you legs, ok?” he said, putting the dagger away again and motioning for her to extend her feet again. Kiara scowled at his mean prank and put her feet back out in front of her for him to examine.

  Nate carefully picked up her leg, placing one hand firmly around the sole of the shoe and the other just under her knee joint. He could feel her muscles clench and shiver underneath his palm. Nate paused for a moment, letting his thoughts recollect.

  He knew this was going to hurt her, so he asked Kiara to brace herself. She did and with one quick motion, Nate yanked the boot clean from her foot to reveal the most grotesque sight.

  Besides cringing at Kiara’s muffled scream of pain, he had to get a good look at her bloody, blistered foot. Nate whistled at the countless broken blisters and sores that had developed on the bottom and sides of her feet. It was almost too much to bear to look at. Kiara was even surprised at what had been under her shoe all this time.

  “I told you my feet hurt,” she muttered with contempt.

  Nate didn’t respond, but only prepared to rip the other boot from her foot. When he had, the same results were shown. The bottoms of her feet were soaked and stained with blood.

  He took his backpack and placed it under her shins, advising her to keep her feet elevated. Nate dug through his bag at the same time, pulling out bits of old rags and bandage wraps. He had a feeling he would need those for either one of them on this trip.