by Lisa Daneils
One of the men took a few steps closer. “Don’t do that! I’m not afraid to use this!” The sword in his hands was old and rusty. From the way he held it, she knew that he was probably untrained.
She held up her hands. “It’s okay. I’m just getting my coins.”
Beside her, Ethan hissed, “What do you think you are doing?”
“Look at them,” she hissed back. “They are mostly children. Most of them don’t look like they are more than 16 years old.”
“But they are threatening to hurt you.”
“So? Imagine what they have been through to be this desperate at their age.”
“It would be easy to fix that by just—”
“What are you two talking about?” The leader took another step toward them.
Ethan sighed and rolled his eyes as the sword was pointed at him. Before anyone could do anything, he pulled the sword out of the leader’s hand and flung it far into the woods. “We are discussing what to do with you. Now, let the adults talk.”
“How dare you insult us!” One of the younger men was visibly shaken, but was desperately trying to sound calm.
“Look—” Ethan began to take a step forward.
Nissa grabbed him. “No. I will take care of this. I don’t want any of them to get hurt, let alone killed.”
“But do you think they would care if—”
“If any of them were to hurt me, I know that they would feel guilty for it. And not just for the obvious reasons.” Nissa still had her hands up.
“Alright, but think of this. If you let them get away with money after holding you up, do you not think that they will be emboldened to take from others? This poor decision unchecked will lead to worse crimes later.”
“So, you are saying, teach them a lesson?”
“I could do that with minimal harm to them.”
“No. This is my home, so I will handle them.” As soon as she spoke, Nissa removed the sword and leveled it at the remaining boys. She watched as a couple of them charged her from different angles, and she knew that she was in a weak position. Her sword moved quickly, but not fast enough as she felt a pain shoot through her arm. When she turned to face the assailant, the princess realized that Ethan had picked him up by the back of his shirt and was dangling the young boy off the ground.
“Let me go!” His voice cracked as he tried to demand his freedom.
Ethan looked at Nissa. “Alright, you are now hurt, and only half of them are disarmed. If you don’t want me to do anything, then you know what you need to do to resolve this without further harm.”
Nissa gritted her teeth. Her sword tip lowered, and she took a deep breath. Annoyed, she reached up and pulled her hood off, shaking her long, black hair free.
There were gasps around them. A couple of the boys dropped to the ground and cowered, a few others ran. Ethan clicked his tongue, “I’ll retrieve them. And don’t let me find any of you off the ground when I return.”
He moved so quickly that Nissa almost forgot about her current predicament. All of the would-be thieves were disarmed, many out of fear. “Look, I know that it has been a very hard few years. I bear you no ill will for your actions because I know that you were desperate. But I cannot have you continue in this vein.”
“But Your Majesty, we have nowhere to go. No one will hire us. Would you have us willingly starve to death?”
“No.” She pulled her purse from her belt. “Can any of you read?”
A couple of hands went up.
“Good. I’ll give you an address where you can find work, if you are willing to live near the capital.”
There were some scared looks between them. “We have no way to get there.”
Nissa scratched her head. “Well, there is an inn nearby. Hire yourselves a carriage.” She threw the gold to one of the older boys. “Go to the address. Those of you who are too young to work will be found good families. I dare say that is only a couple of you. For the rest of you, there are some jobs for orphans and people displaced by misfortune. My father cares about his kingdom, and he would be most disappointed to learn that you are out here threatening others. It would seem there is still a lot of work to be done.” She looked around at the boys, “I assume that some of you have other siblings, maybe sisters and mothers whom you wish to protect. This is not the way to do it. Take them to the city with you, and I swear they will be taken care of, if I have to see to it myself.”
The boys and young men looked around nervously. Finally one spoke up, “How do we know this isn’t a trick?”
Around that time, Ethan strode back into view, four people dangling from his hands as he chastised them.
Nissa pointed at him, “Because if I wanted you harmed, I have much easier options than to give you my money and send you to work. Besides…” She looked around at them, wondering if she should say what she was considering admitting. Deciding it was the best way to win them over, she said, “I’ve run away from home. If you don’t tell them back at the capital that you encountered me, you won’t have any trouble.”
This was definitely news that had not reached so far from the palace. One of the younger boys asked, “Why would you leave home? You live in a palace with servants, don’t you?”
“I did. But my father was trying to force me to marry Prince Oscar.”
This got a gasp out of a couple of the young men. “But he’s so old!” one of them shouted out.
“I know. So I ran away instead of being forced to live with a man that old.”
Ethan cut in, “Can we wrap this up? We do have our own plans.”
“Have some compassion, Ethan. Most of them are little more than kids.”
One of the boys looked surprised by Nissa’s words, and his eyes darted to Ethan.
After a few more questions, Nissa wrote a small map for them to follow to the closest inn that would take them to the capital, with Ethan giving a few extra pointers and correcting the princess when she was wrong. Soon after, the group dispersed to get their relatives or to head to the inn. Ethan gave them a few extra gold coins when it became clear that some of them would need more for the number of people they had.
Once the rest were gone, a boy of about seven stepped forward. “Excuse me.” His voice was hushed.
Nissa crouched down. “Why did you not go with the others?”
He looked up at Ethan, “I was wondering if His Highness could help me.”
Nissa laughed, “Oh, you don’t have to call him that. He’s not a prince.”
She turned, thinking she was going to make fun of him, and she noticed him pulling his finger away from his lips as he took a step closer. The princess turned to look at the boy, who had closed his lips as if to say he was going to keep a secret. Before she could say anything, Ethan crouched down, “Are you having trouble with the transition?”
Nissa looked between them. “What do you mean?”
“Do you remember how I told you that it is more likely that bear shifters will marry humans?”
“Yes…”
“This is a child from one such relationship. And this is exactly why they are supposed to live with shifters. His abilities are stunted.” Ethan reached out a hand and pushed the kid’s sleeve up. There was a huge gash on his arm, and Nissa covered her mouth at the sight and the smell. Ethan nodded, “I’m afraid that I cannot help you as you need, but I can teach you to call for help. It hasn’t been that long since we saw Adrik and Lyosha.”
“You met the princes here!” The boy’s eyes were wide.
“Not too far from here. Let’s get this pretty lady somewhere safe, then I’ll help you. Will that be alright?”
The child nodded.
Ethan lifted him off the ground. “Divines! How many days has it been since you last ate? You are all bone!”
“We don’t believe in the divines. We believe in the gods!” The kid’s voice was so forceful it was shocking that he could manage it given his condition.
Ethan nodded, “Yes, I know. It’
s just a saying, though. You have your gods. This pretty lady and her people have their divines.”
“And you have yourselves!” The kid seemed to be reciting something, though it was not something Nissa had ever heard.
She frowned, “It’s nice that you have some compassion, but it seems to only extend to bear shifters.”
“Not at all. I wouldn’t have hurt any of the other boys either. But none of the rest of them were in nearly as much danger as this boy either. Do you know what happens to lost bear shifters in the… kingdoms this side of the mountains?”
“Without their parents, I’m sure the same thing that happens to every other orphan,” Nissa said, annoyed that Ethan was showing more care for another species than he had for the humans.
Ethan patted the boy, “What’s your name?”
“Byron,” he said, hiding his face from Ethan.
“Come on, Byron, I can’t ask you questions if you hide. Could you tell the pretty lady what happened to your parents?” His voice was soft.
“My mommy was killed trying to protect my daddy.”
Nissa frowned, “Don’t you mean your—”
Byron shook his head, “My momma was the shifter. Daddy tried to stop hunters from killing her. She tried to protect him when they caught up to us. They both died, and they took my momma to skin her.”
Ethan rubbed his back. “I’m sorry, Byron. You will go home soon, and I’m sure someone will give you a good home where you don’t have to worry anymore. And they will fix your arm.”
Nissa watched them, mortified. “So, humans hunted your mother knowing she was a shifter?”
Ethan put Byron’s head on his shoulder. “It’s okay. I’ll handle this.” Byron seemed to be crying as Ethan spoke quietly to Nissa. “Put it together, Nissa. There are shape shifters attacking. Some people are afraid of shifters because they don’t know the difference. Others know that their skins go for more. Shifters should live among their own, even if they are not fully shifter. Even if Byron can’t shift, he will be better living with shifters so that whatever talents he has he can use without worry.”
“I don’t think that shifters should feel they have to live—”
Ethan shook his head, “It’s best this way. The shape shifters are a threat that will never fully die off. To protect humans and shifters, it is best for them to live in their own realms.”
The problems of that morning were completely gone as the trio made their way silently to the third town on the princess’s list—Fairway Falls.
Chapter 9
The Reality of Secret Love
Before they reached the town, the trio passed through a small settlement that had an inn and a few homes around it. Ethan ordered them meals, but he had to keep Byron’s portion to a minimum because of how emaciated the boy was. He fussed over the boy in a way that the princess had never seen. She watched them in awe, barely touching her own food.
“Are you feeling better, Byron?”
He nodded, his eyes clearly getting heavy.
“That’s my little bear. Are you ready to start your trip home?”
Byron tried to nod as he clearly had a hard time staying awake.
Ethan had a sweet look on his face as he shook his head. “You are going to make this a difficult trip, aren’t you?” Byron responded by flopping forward, his head resting on Ethan’s shoulder. The man tried to stifle his laugh as he picked the boy up. He turned to look at Nissa, “I’ve got us a room upstairs. When you finish eating,” he looked down at her plate as if to point out that he had noticed she hadn’t eaten, “go upstairs.”
She waved, “I’ll be fine right here until you return.”
“Humor me?” He gave her a look, and suddenly she felt guilty. She gave him a small nod, and Ethan reached out a hand and patted her on the head. “That’s a good girl.”
Nissa knocked it away. “I’m not a child. Keep it up and there will be no humoring you.”
Ethan beamed down at her, “Alright. Be careful. And go upstairs when you finish. As afraid as I am to leave you, I feel more confident in your abilities after seeing you fight. Just… don’t put yourself at risk again. Okay?”
“I’m not about to fight in an inn.”
“I don’t know—”
Nissa gave him a push. “Stop procrastinating and get little Byron some help. I won’t be able to forgive you if he dies because you stayed around me, worrying and fretting.”
“Point taken, but remember, the last time I took my eyes off you…” He gave her a meaningful look.
“I will be fine. Go, you fool. Go.” She gave him another push in the small of his back.
She watched him disappear out the door. Looking down at her plate, Nissa wasn’t sure exactly what to make of her thoughts. Well, this trip has turned out nothing like I had expected.
Some time passed, with the princess picking at her food. Her mind wondered how Ethan planned to help Byron. Clearly the boy wasn’t going to be put in a carriage and sent anywhere. Her mind pondered the recent events when a noise from the door caught her attention.
Looking up, Nissa was startled by the person who strolled into the inn. The initial shock wore off and she began to stand up, a huge smile on her face.
Standing in the door was Nicolas, grinning widely. He looked as handsome as he had the last time she saw him, from his impeccable clothing to his tidy mustache.
Nissa began to stand up when a woman entered through the door behind him. “Oh, Nicolas. Here I thought you cared about me. Then you left me to talk to that crass man about the horses.”
“Of course I did, my dear Destiny.” He slipped an arm around her waist.
Nissa was frozen in place as she watched him kiss the strange woman.
Nicolas nuzzled into the woman’s neck. “If you didn’t use your charm, I would have to pay for everything.”
“Sometimes I think that you are just using me.” The woman pouted at him.
He caught her lower lip between his lips and sucked on it. Nissa began to feel nauseous as she watched their display of affection. She was reminded of the way he had treated her, and suddenly she realized that all of the words of love he had spouted were never real.
She had been so stupid.
Nissa stood up, her hand on the hilt of her sword. As soon as she reached them, the princess paused, her hand twitching as she fought the urge to cut him down. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she was grateful that her hood covered her face. Looking away, she exited the inn and began walking away.
The princess had no idea how far she had walked before she slumped against a tree and cried.
Time had no meaning as she let the tears flow. What happened next no longer mattered because there was no obvious path forward.
“How stupid to be so upset because of a man.” She slammed her fist into the ground, creating a small puff of dirt. Her hand began to circle the dirt, bringing it into a small pile. Slowly, she picked it up and let it run through her fingers. She ignored the sounds of someone approaching because she really didn’t care what happened. If the person was hostile, she had no discernable purpose. She had no home to return to because she would not marry the prince. It had already been made blatantly clear that there was no future with Nicolas. And her lifespan without Ethan was about the same as a mayfly’s. She just kept letting the dirt sift through her fingers as she tried to work out how her life could have gone so far off course.
“Nissa!” A panicked voice startled her for a second, but she didn’t respond. A face appeared in front of her. “You scared me. After you promised—”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Ethan looked at her, “What do you mean? We have to find—”
“No, we don’t.”
“What do you mean? You left home to find your lover.”
“Yeah, I did. Because I’m a fool. A stupid, stupid girl who can be swayed by pretty words and a sincere tone. I’ve found what I need, so you can go on and do what you need to do now.”
&n
bsp; Ethan grabbed her hand holding the dirt. “What happened?”
Nissa looked at him, the tears still running down her face. “Oh, please, I may be a fool, I may be stupid when it comes to things like love. But I’m not a moron. Go home, Prince Ethan. You’ve got no more business with me.”
Ethan stopped for a moment. “My title has nothing to do with this.”
“Oh really? Yeah, you know what, you aren’t an expert on shifters any more than I’m an expert on humans. It’s a nice dodge, but it’s also a bit of a lie.”
Ethan watched Nissa for a moment. “I wasn’t trying to lie. What was your reaction when I told you about shifters?”
“It seemed impossible,” Nissa mumbled.
“Yeah, because no one told you anything about what was going on. If I had told you that I was a prince who was here to fulfill an agreement between my parents and the other rulers of our kingdoms and humans, would you have allowed me to help you? Or would you have thought I had ulterior motives?”
“I don’t understand why you helped me. You really could not have made it more obvious during our time together that you look down on humans.”
“Yes, we all do, because we are kept from humans. Most shifters are taught to avoid humans because of the kinds of things that happen when humans and shifters interact. Keeping us apart has made it easier to live without one side trying to wipe out the other.”
Nissa shrugged. “You thought I was an idiot.”
He gave her a feeble smile, “And you let me.”
She gently beat her fists against her knees. “It seemed to make you happy thinking that you had fooled another stupid human.”
“That wasn’t what made me happy.”
“Whatever.” She pushed herself up off the ground. “I’m going to clear my head.”
“I’m not leaving you alone until you tell me what happened.”
“It’s really not your problem.”
“After all this time, you know that is not true.”
“Then I don’t want it to be your problem anymore.”
“Still not your decision.” He grabbed her hand, then pushed back her hood so that he could see her face clearly. As soon as he saw her, he dropped her hand and pulled out a silk cloth. Gently, he brushed her tears from her face.
