Lane swatted it away, stood on his own, and shook out his long brown hair, while Will continued to roll on the ground.
“Humorous, Will.” Lane dug his boot into Will’s side. “It was your idea to sneak up on him, and he knocked you down, too.”
“But his fist was aimed at your face, not mine!”
“All right, Will. That is enough,” Nathan said, relieved that he hadn’t let his fist fly into his cousin’s beard. “Why are you not with the others beyond the town as you should be?”
“Oh,” Will panted, still not quite in control of his giggles, “we heard a commotion and decided to go back to see that you were all right. Lane was about to search out the village saloon, afraid you had gotten thirsty and started a brawl.”
Nathan rolled his eyes. None of the men in his group were heavy drinkers—which was one reason he had chosen them—and he never touched the drink.
“Will, I did not—” Lane’s voice faded.
Nathan noticed his gaze shift to the wall and his mouth drop open. Nathan followed Lane’s gaze and saw Princess Dannilynn who rested with her back against the wall. Her auburn hair shined in the sunlight and her eyes sparkled like dancing emeralds. She was unmistakable, and he knew both Lane and Will recognized her.
“Nate…how…?” Even Will, it seemed, was rendered speechless by her appearance.
Nathan stepped toward her, took her gloved hand, and brought her to her feet. She stood straight and elegant, though she did not even reach his shoulder. The jewels that adorned the bodice of her blue velvet dress and her metalwork belt attested to her royalty, and no one needed to tell them who she was. “Will, Lane, I found her. Princess, meet Will Longwood, my good friend, and Lane Peters, my cousin.”
Chapter 7
Nathan watched Dannilynn curtsy, and though her hand shook within his and her cheeks still had not regained their full color, she showed no other sign of weakness.
Lane and Will continued to stare at her until a blush crept up her cheeks.
Nathan cleared his throat.
Lane blinked. “Your Highness.” He took her hand, then drew it to his lips and kissed the top of her glove.
“Uh…” Will stumbled forward after Lane, but did not take her hand. His blue eyes held a question and he stared at her covered fingers. “Um…your ring…it won’t burn me, will it?”
She glanced from Will to Nathan and back again. “Er…no. That is why I wear gloves.”
“Oh. Yes. My apologies.” He kissed her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you. We have sought you for weeks.”
“Thank you.”
“Should we join the others?” Nathan asked.
“Yes.” She released his hand, straightened her cloak over her gown, and pulled her hood over her head.
They continued together and chatted amiably for a mile, then Nathan searched for his other men.
“Nate!” Colter approached on horseback followed by his brother Peter.
At first glance they could have been twins. They had the same light brown eyes, pointed noses, and unshaved chins; however, Peter grew his sandy hair long while Colter cut his to a medium length. Peter had a slight limp from an accident in his youth when a wagon wheel had crushed his leg. He was the eldest and showed it by his maturity, whereas Colter teased along with Will and made light of serious matters.
They reined in the horses, then Colter dismounted when he saw Princess Dannilynn. “Who is this?”
“Colter, Peter, meet Princess Dannilynn.” Nathan pulled on the back of her hood and it slid off, revealing her hair and allowing the light through the trees to reflect from her emerald eyes.
Colter gaped at her and Peter slipped from his horse and sank down on one knee.
“Please.” Rosy circles again appeared on her cheeks. “You needn’t…”
“The pleasure is ours, Princess,” Peter said.
Colter turned to Nathan. “Where did you find her?”
“I will explain when we are all together. Where are the others?”
“This way.” Colter pulled on the horse’s reins and led them on a deer path for about ten minutes. The vegetation opened up into a small clearing circled about by trees where Doc, Edward, and Garin busily set up camp.
“Doc,” Nathan called. All three men turned toward him. “I have found the princess.”
Doc, by far the oldest in the group, stepped toward her. “I am so grateful that we have found you well, child. We have all been so worried.” He opened his arms to her and she accepted his embrace. He held her for several moments.
She patted his arm. “You remind me of my own father who has passed away.”
Edward approached her next and inclined his head, causing his black hair to fall across his chest. Nathan saw her eyes linger on the birthmark that streaked from his forehead to below his left eye. It may have gone all the way to his chin, but if it did, his thick facial hair masked it.
Garin took her hand then, and inclined his head. Though the shortest of his men, Nathan noted that he was still nearly two handwidths taller than Dannilynn.
Nathan introduced them, then took a deep breath of the pleasant aroma wafting from the fire. “It smells wonderful. Let us eat and I will tell you about my eventful trip through the city.”
They all sat down around the fire and Edward and Garin dished up the meal. Nathan watched Dannilynn gobble hers up hungrily, eating far more than he expected. It seemed her experience with the ruby ring had taken its toll on her.
As they ate, he explained everything about his travel through the city, Lord Donavan’s men, finding the princess, their miraculous escape in the run down building, and nearly attacking Lane and Will when they fled the city.
“That isn’t possible,” Lane turned to Dannilynn, his gray eyes askance and his forehead wrinkled in thought. “How could you have held the building up?”
“I am afraid I have no answer,” she replied. “I have never done anything such as that before, nor have I seen it happen. My father told me the ruby ring once gave our ancestors strength and protection. I assume that is what happened.”
The men stared at the soft leather glove on her hand, which covered the ring.
“Could we see it?” Will asked.
She glanced at Nathan, who shrugged. “That decision must be yours, Your Highness.”
“Please, you needn’t be so formal.”
Her words must have been a token of trust, for she pulled the glove off and showed them a magnificent ruby ring on the middle finger of her right hand. The ruby was an oval nearly as large as Nathan’s thumbnail. Sparkling diamonds circled round it, one row on the top and two on the bottom, set on a solid gold band. The last rays of the evening sunset caught the ruby and it burned like hot coals.
The men sat in stunned silence.
Finally Will let out a low whistle. “My! Is it true that it burns like fire if touched?”
A slow smile appeared on Dannilynn’s face. She held her hand out to Will. “I am not sure. Touch it to find out for us.”
Will pulled away from her hand so quickly that he fell off the rock he sat upon.
Dannilynn laughed, and the others laughed, too. Even Will, who came up red-faced, his blond hair tousled from his fall, wore a grin.
When Nathan saw Dannilynn laugh, he felt his stomach flutter in a peculiar manner, and he turned away.
The laughter died and she truthfully answered Will’s question. “Yes, it does burn. Ask James. He held my hand one day when I was without gloves, and I do not believe he will make that mistake again. He jumped about as high as Nathan stands and still has an angry red mark from it!”
The men laughed again.
“I bet he hollered loud enough to wake the entire castle,” Will teased.
“And threw a royal tantrum,” added Lane.
Nathan shook his head and remembered times when each of his friends had thrown quite a fit, but in their youth, James had been the worst. Accustomed to getting everything he wanted, James had been a bi
t selfish, but as he matured into a noble and caring young man, he had grown out of it.
“He was quite upset,” Dannilynn said, “though I have never seen him throw a tantrum.”
“James is a good man.” Nathan placed a hand on Will’s shoulder. “We have all grown up from the little boys we once were…well, all except Will.”
“Excuse me!” Will turned and slugged him and Nathan pushed him playfully away.
Dannilynn giggled, and Nathan noticed her eyes linger on him before she returned her attention to the group. Then she yawned. She continued to listen to the conversations, but he could tell she longed to sleep.
He wondered at the ring and how using it had weakened her. He did not recall that part from his bedtime stories.
“Well,” he interrupted a conversation that had grown playfully heated with some longstanding argument be-tween the brothers, “this day has worn me out. Perhaps we should retire early.”
Dannilynn yawned again. “Yes, I am quite exhausted.”
“Peter, Colter,” Nathan chose to distract them, “please set up the tent for Princess Dannilynn.”
They had one canvass tent, meant as the leader’s quarters, but Nathan was never one to lift himself above others, so the tent hadn’t been used.
“Perhaps I’ll set it up alone.” Colter winked at Peter. “Peter’s crippled old body can’t keep up with me anymore.”
Showing no sign of his limp, Peter jumped at Colter and caught him around the neck. “I will always outwork you, little brother.” They scurried away together to set up the tent.
Nathan gathered what extra blankets he could find.
“Princess.” He took her by the elbow and directed her toward the tent. “This is where you will sleep.”
She gazed into his eyes and he thought she must have seen straight into his soul. “Thank you, Nathan…for everything. It was…I mean…” She glanced at her boots. “Well good night.”
“Good night.” Nathan watched her enter the tent and heard her nestle down in the bedding without even removing her cloak.
He imagined her dark lashes closing over her brilliant eyes, then he shook his head at his unfitting thoughts. He couldn’t think beyond his duty to protect her. He respected James’s feelings for her and so wouldn’t allow himself to think on her again, for even a moment.
Chapter 8
Danni heard the men arise outside her tent, but allowed her eyes to remain closed a moment longer. Over an hour later she realized she had fallen back asleep and her eyes flew wide open.
She scrambled from her blankets, combed her long, matted hair, removed the cloak she had slept in, and did her best to straighten her dress. Feeling more presentable, she emerged from her tent. To her embarrassment, the men had finished eating and cleaned up breakfast. She should not have slept so long, but hadn’t been in comfortable bedding since she fled Tier.
“Good morning.” Nathan glanced at the sun that had risen quite a ways into the sky. He carried a bowl to her. “We saved breakfast for you. I fear it has become rather cold.”
She flushed. “Thank you. You must think me a pampered child. You should have woken me.”
“Who am I to disturb the princess’s dreams?” One dark eyebrow rose, but whether out of annoyance or playfulness she couldn’t tell.
“Perhaps they were nightmares and you should have disturbed them.” She winked at him, but his expression remained passive. Feeling rather uncomfortable under his unreadable gaze, she took the bowl he offered, then sat on a fallen log to eat.
She watched Garin douse the fire and Edward wash the dishes, but could see no one else.
“Where are the others?” she asked Nathan when he moved away.
He stopped and turned in a circle as though searching for his men. “Doc is gathering medicinal herbs. I sent Peter and Colter on the horses to discover the whereabouts of Lord Donavan’s army. Lane tires of our company and only remains in his right mind by spending a few moments each morning alone pondering the world’s greatest ills, and I know not where Will is. Perhaps he is throwing stones at Lane.”
Danni laughed at the thought. Then the leaves rustled behind her and she stiffened. The many strange noises that had surrounded her when she had been alone still haunted her.
Nathan glanced beyond her and frowned.
“Good morning, Princess!” Will jumped from the bushes so quickly that she startled and sloshed half her meal onto her boots.
“Will!” Nathan scolded. “Let her eat in peace.”
“Forgive me, Princess.” Will inclined his head. “I should not have startled you so. If Nate will hand me that rag by the fire, I will clean your boots.”
Will held out his hand.
“You needn’t worry, Will, and please, call me Dannilynn.” She shifted her gaze from his lanky figure to Nathan’s tall and broad one. “Or even Danni, which is what my father called me.”
Nathan glanced at her, and though she wouldn’t have minded his attention remaining there, he turned away. His attention shifted to Peter and Colter who returned to the camp at that moment.
“Nate.” Peter dismounted and hurried toward them. Danni noticed his limp for the first time.
“What did you learn?” Nathan asked.
“The soldiers have taken the west road and are searching cities along there.” Peter raised his canteen to his lips and took a drink, then wiped at the residue left below his pointed nose.
“That is good news,” Nathan replied. “Our journey takes us down the south road. We should begin right away.”
Danni took her dishes to Edward. She thanked him for the meal and tried not to stare at his prominent birthmark.
Not two minutes later, Doc and Lane returned to camp engrossed in a conversation about plants that Danni did not understand.
When the last of the company’s belongings were packed and loaded onto the horses, Nathan gave the order to begin their travels.
They followed the road through thick poplar trees that allowed a splash of filtered light to wash down on them. After about a mile, they emerged from the forest. Danni shaded her eyes from the sun’s glare in a cloudless sky, and scanned the landscape. The land lay flat for quite some distance, but off to the horizon, she saw a village tucked up against rolling hills. Her stomach knotted.
She worked her way to Nathan’s side and touched his arm. “You do not plan to travel through that village, do you?” Her recent adventure in a town left her quite hesitant to enter another.
“No, Princess. With the enemy so near, I do not wish for people to know you are traveling with us.”
She let out a relieved breath. “Thank you.” She removed her hand from his arm, but remained by his side. “Would you do something for me, Nathan?”
“I am at your command.” He did not look at her, and his tone implied that perhaps he did not appreciate her asking favors.
“Would you call me Danni as I have asked?”
He let out a huff of air and glanced at her. “It is far more appropriate to speak formally to you. I am sure that is what James would desire.”
“You are a faithful man.”
“I strive to be. Nothing good comes from shirking your duty.”
She could think of no reply, so she continued on in silence. He had seemed much friendlier the previous day. Perhaps she had done something to offend him.
After several awkward moments of silence, Nathan cocked his head sideways as though he desired to say something more, then turned away. He glanced at her again and finally spoke. “Where are the guards that James sent with you? And why did you not make our rendezvous?”
The abrupt questions startled her, and she stopped. Memories of her beloved guards and that terrible day overwhelmed her. Her heart, still tender from the loss, felt it might rend in two.
She sniffled, unsure if she could tell him all that had happened. Surely he already thought her cossetted, and her blubbering before him again could not improve his opinion. She chewed on her lips, then ris
ked a glance at him. He stared back with an incomprehensible gaze.
“We were unable to maintain the schedule James set for our travels.” She rubbed her gloved hands together and resumed walking. “I realized at the first village that I had not reached the people. They did not wish to see me flaunt my ring, they wanted to see who I really was. So I stayed with them, worked with them, and learned to love them.”
Nathan nodded as though he agreed with the villagers.
“In one town I found a little girl crying in the streets.” Danni relaxed and let the memory take her to a happier place than the night she lost her guards. “Her face was smudged and her body thinner than a young child’s ought to be. I knelt beside her and through her sobs learned that she had a special locket that had been her mothers who had died. It meant everything to her. She had been playing with her friends and lost it. I dried her tears and we searched the street until we found it.”
She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “As I helped and worked beside the people, I believe they grew to trust me.”
“I think you were wise to stay.”
“Do you really?” she asked with an impish grin. “I thought you would say I had shirked my duty.”
His eyes softened and she wondered if he held back his own smile. “Sometimes one duty must supersede the other.”
“I thought so, too but it took too long.” She swallowed, unsure if she could keep her voice steady. “We had to skip several towns, though I hated to. The time arrived for us to meet you in Anderon, but I insisted we go to Tier before finishing our tour. We never should have gone.”
She slowed her pace and felt sorrow swell within her.
“What happened?” Nathan prompted.
“We were ambushed. One of Donavan’s armies felled a tree in the road. When we stopped to move it, they attacked.” She paused, unsure if she could retell the horrific story. “My driver was killed and my carriage dragged by the spooked horses. My head guard, Tyrone, came to protect me.” Her voice cracked at the memory. “There were too many men for my guards to fight off. Tyrone told me to run and find you. He said their hope rested in me.”
The Power of The Ruby Ring Page 4
