A Lost Princess (Belles & Bullets Book 2)

by Caylen McQueen

  “I should have gone with Roderick,” Kitt muttered to herself as she followed Doon down the hall and up to the deck. “When you grabbed me in the arena, I should have clobbered you over the head and fought my way back to him! Roderick would have never sent me back to castle if I didn't want to go back!”

  “Aww. Dear, old Roddy Rick is such a saint, isn't he? Hey... maybe you'll cross paths with him in the castle and you can tell him you love him too!”

  “Ugggh.” Kitt groaned. There was so much more she wanted to say, and she was tempted to pummel him, but she clenched her fists and kept her rage to herself. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how much she was upset, so she stayed silent. Even when they were standing in front of Queen Loreina again, Kitt was silent.

  Loreina, whose hair was at least two feet tall, was holding a stick with a pair of spectacles on the end of it. When Doon and Kitt entered the audience chamber, she raised the spectacles to her eyes and quietly observed the scene. She could sense the dissension between them. It was as if they had carried a thundercloud into the room.

  “So... Captain Doon!” The queen addressed him with casual cordiality. “You've brought my daughter to me yet again! Goodness! At this point, I should just put a leash on her neck and let you carry her everywhere!”

  Doon chuckled nervously. “She is a bit... skittish, I suppose,” he agreed.

  “Skittish is putting it lightly! It's almost impossible to keep her from running off! Next time, I will have to think of a way to... restrain her.” Loreina was still peering out of the spectacles when she turned to Kitt. “As I understand it, the knight Sir Roderick Kelp was the one who helped you escape?”

  Kitt didn't say a word. Even if Loreina already knew, she didn't want to incriminate him further.

  “It was Roderick, dear. I already know it was Roderick. You can try to hold your tongue, but that won't save him from punishment!” Loreina exclaimed. “And when Roderick does return, you can rest assured... he will be punished. Severely.”

  Kitt closed her eyes and sighed. She was the one who had gotten Roderick into trouble—and it was all for Francis Doon. In hindsight, none of it was worth it. She had gotten Roderick into trouble for nothing.

  “As for Doon, he will be rewarded very handsomely. Not only did you find my daughter again... you also killed that bastard Rory McCray?”

  “Aye,” Doon answered quietly. “And the princess can confirm that.”

  “Lyneah, dear!” Loreina flashed her best fake smile at her daughter. “Is this true? Is Rory McCray dead?”

  Kitt was fuming. She had half a mind to tell Doon to shove his reward somewhere unpleasant and storm out of the room. But in reality, she didn't hate Doon, and she didn't want Loreina to accuse him of lying. “Yes...” Kitt answered solemnly. “Rory's dead.”

  “And he was killed by the hand of Captain Doon?”

  “Yes.”

  “Very good, Doon. Very good. As always, I knew I could rely on you to get the job done!”

  “You honor me, Your Majesty.” Doon laid a hand over his heart as he bowed to her. “The mission was fraught with... complications. But in the end, I got it done.”

  “As I knew you would!” Loreina was licking her lips as she studied her privateer. Kitt assumed she was undressing him with her eyes. “When you left, I promised you a reward that would be better than ever, yes? And I never lie. In addition to a very large sum of money, I've decided to give you a title.”

  “A title, Your Majesty?” Doon's eyes lit up. He was just a lowborn son of a slave and a pirate. A title was beyond anything he ever fathomed.

  “Yes. From now on, you are more than Captain Doon. You are Lord Francis Doon, the new Duke of Suffick! All of the former duke's holdings and riches will be transferred to you,” Loreina told him. “Congratulations.”

  “Again, you honor me.” Doon bowed again. Kitt was secretly disgusted by his subservience to the queen. How long would it be before he was on his knees, graciously kissing her feet?

  “As for you, Lyneah... I won't punish you, although I'm very tempted to,” Loreina coldly stated. “I do, however, have some very important news for you.”

  Kitt shook her head and murmured, “Oh great.”

  Loreina lowered her spectacles and picked up a fan. As she fluttered it beneath her cheeks, she raised her chin and announced, “Prince Malik has just returned.” The queen's burgundy lips were pulled into a tight, chilling smile. “Your wedding is tomorrow.”

  34

  “Where the bloody hell have you been?” Lucky blew reams of cigar smoke in Tobias' face as he asked the question. “I said you could leave for a few days. A few. I know a few is relative, but you've been gone for a week!”

  “I know. And I'm s-s-sorry,” Tobey stammered. He kept hoping Lucky would be lenient on him. After all, it wasn't easy to find work in the slums, and he needed the money to survive. “I'll try to make it up to you somehow. I'll work some extra shifts.”

  “Ehh... it's alright, boy. You're usually punctual enough that I can forgive you. But if you miss even one more day, then I ain't gonna be very happy wit' you!” Lucky tapped on his cigar, scattering a pile of ashes to the ground. “Just so you know, some girls came by looking for you the other day. Took me awhile to figure out they was talkin' bout you. They was asking me, where is the cute bartender and I was like who? And then they explained that you stuttered all the time, and I was like, but he ain't even cute! But anyway, my point is, if the girls like you, I might as well keep you.”

  “Th-thanks.” Tobey was wincing as he stuttered again. Every time he thought his stammer was improving, his old habit returned without mercy.

  When Tobey started mixing drinks and making sandwiches, he kept checking his pocket watch. It felt strange to return to work after his many days in Dovyr, and time moved at a snail's pace. At least his first day back at work was fairly uneventful. The patrons of Lucky's were as loud and raucous as ever, but at least nothing unusual occurred.

  After work, he rode the train alone, which was more than a bit disheartening. For almost a year, he and Kitt rode the train every single day: back and forth, back and forth. As he walked home, Tobias felt sickened by the smell of steam and smoke. The fishy fragrances of Dovyr weren't much better, but at least he didn't feel strangled by it.

  In his tiny flat, Tobias made himself a sandwich and ate it alone. He tried to focus on reading a book, but his mind wouldn't let him. His thoughts kept wandering to places he didn't want them to go. Lyneah and Roderick. Lyneah and Rory. Lyneah and Kieran. Lyneah and Anyone But Him. He rubbed his temples and tried to make the unpleasant thoughts go away.

  The next morning, Tobias rode the train back to work—alone, of course. Unfortunately, Mr. Dobbs had returned, which made him think of Lyneah yet again. When he thought about the princess pushing the senile octogenarian through the front door, he shook his head and chuckled. Nearly everything made him think of Lyneah in one way or another. She pervaded his thoughts like a sickness, and Tobey wasn't sure he wanted a cure.

  Without Kitt or Lyneah around, Tobey had to deal with Dobbs himself. He sat the man down, gave him an ice cold lemonade and a blueberry muffin, and prayed he wouldn't scare the other customers too much.

  The next day, after another lonely train ride, Tobias returned to Lucky's and saw an unfamiliar face.

  “This is Gloria,” Lucky introduced him. “And Gloria, this is Tobias, my least favorite bartender.”

  Lucky's insult had him so rattled, Tobias stuttered worse than usual. “I-I-I-It's nice to m-meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you too,” Gloria quietly replied. She looked timid and tiny, and she wore a pink ribbon on top of her short black hair. Judging from her appearance alone, Tobey doubted she'd be able to handle her new job.

  “The boy stutters a lot, but he's really not a fool, I swear!” Lucky clapped a hand on Tobey's back and shoved him closer to Gloria. “You teach her what to do, alright? I got better things to do!”


  Lucky never told him what she'd actually been hired to do, so he had to ask, “So what did you want to learn, Gloria? Cooking? Waiting tables? Mixing drinks?”

  “I don't know,” the small girl shrugged. “All of it, I guess.”

  “Alright then. I think I'll start you off on waiting tables. One of our best servers is still gone, so you've got some big shoes to fill.” Tobey smiled at the thought of Kitt, barefoot in the pub. Wherever she was, he hoped she was having the adventure of her life. For as long as he could remember, Kitt had always wanted more out of life. He, on the other hand, was usually content with a steady income and a good book.

  He spent over an hour with Gloria, telling her everything she needed to know to survive the day. His lessons came to an end when a fight broke out between two drunk patrons. Tobey tried to break it up, but he ended up getting punched in the face. Lucky, who was much larger and twice as intimidating, had to rush to his defense. Tobias' mammoth boss grabbed both of the brawlers by their collars and tossed them outside.

  When Tobey returned to Gloria, she looked horrified by the ordeal.

  With a whimper, she asked, “Um... does that usually happen?”

  “Not often... but you do see a scuffle from time to time,” Tobey told her. “We just deal with it as it happens.”

  “Your face looks puffy,” Gloria said, pointing at the cheek where Tobey was punched.

  “I'll probably have a black eye. But it could be worse, right? Maybe I'll actually look tough for a day.”

  Tobias returned to the bar and got back to mixing drinks, which was what he did best. At the day's end, when he looked for Gloria, she was in tears. According to one of the other waitresses, a foul-mouthed sailor had slapped her on the bum—which was hardly uncommon, unfortunately. All of this was too much for Gloria, who decided to quit after a single day on the job.

  Tobey rode the train alone, walked home in the dark, and prepared himself a hot meal. And the next morning, he would wake up and do it all over again. Morning. Breakfast. Train. Lucky's. Dinner. Book. Sleep. The routine never changed.

  Except it did change. When he entered Lucky's the next morning, Tobias saw Lyneah wiping down one of the tables. He had to rub his eyes several times to make sure he wasn't imagining her there.

  Tobias went to the table, stood behind her, and gently whispered her name. “Lyneah.”

  The princess spun around. As soon as she saw Tobias' face, she flung her arms around him and squeezed him so hard, it was a wonder he could breathe. “Tobey... I tried! I really did!” Lyneah whimpered. “I tried to live without you, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. I just... I needed to see you again. I'm sorry.”

  Tobey was smiling from ear-to-ear when their embrace finally ended. He was beyond relieved to see her. Unfortunately, he knew he couldn't put his relief into words without sounding like a stuttering idiot.

  “Three whole days!” Lyneah continued. “I lasted three whole days without you! And honestly, that was more than enough.”

  “Why are you s-scrubbing tables?” Tobias asked. “And what have you been up to?”

  Lyneah shrugged as she tossed the rag on the table. “Lucky gave me my job back. Well... he gave Kitt her job. I'm just... borrowing it. As for what I've been doing, well... at first, Kieran and I went to Rockchester, where we spoke to a few of his mercenary friends. They agreed to help me, as long as I promised payment later. But three men don't make an army. I needed more. A lot more. So we decided to go back to Dovyr to see if we could scrape together some of Rory's old army. Well... we got halfway to Dovyr before I decided to turn around and go back to Lundun.” Lyneah looked down at the ground, where her foot was timidly tapping the floor. “I needed to see you again. Are you... angry with me?”

  “No! God, no. Why would I be angry? I've been d-d-dying to see you again. I've missed you a lot.” Tobey's confession had him blushing an entire spectrum of reds.

  “Good. And now, if it's alright with you, I'm going to work with you for awhile. And... I'm afraid I'm going to have to live with you too.” Lyneah was wincing as she spoke. “And before you say no, I should probably tell you I'm almost completely out of money. Kieran's cost me the bulk of it... and he's not even worth it... although he is looking into a few different things for me. Leads, you know. And I... I'm rambling, aren't I? I was just so nervous about seeing you again. I'm so afraid you're going to tell me I can't live with you, and that I'm being ridiculous, and that you wish I would just... leave you alone.”

  When Tobias saw Lyneah blushing with him, he felt relieved. She was just as nervous as he was. “You are being ridiculous,” he started. The princess suddenly looked like she was on the verge of tears, so he quickly added, “You're being ridiculous because I would never ask you to leave me alone! I'm only ever happy to see you. And, of course, you can stay with me as long as you want.” All of what he said was a massive understatement. When Lyneah said she wanted to live with him, he seriously considered running a victory lap around the pub. “I should warn you, though, my flat is rather small. There's barely enough space for me, let alone--”

  Lyneah suddenly stood on the tips of her toes, lightly kissing him on the lips. It was just a small kiss, but it nearly had him swooning. Tobias never thought he'd be lucky enough to have her lips on his, not even for a second.

  Lyneah held his hand as she spoke. “I don't care if it's small, as long as I'm with you. I really don't. I just want to be near you... because I really was lost without you. As soon as I saw your face again, I felt a lot less lost.”

  Tobias wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. He held her as long as he could—or at least until Lucky yelled, “Oi! Lovebirds! Get yer asses back to work!” Not wanting to test their boss' patience, Lyneah quickly grabbed her rag, and Tobey rushed to the bar.

  Being the pampered princess that she was, Lyneah wasn't accustomed to hard work. In fact, she hated to work, but at least she could look up and see Tobias' face any time she felt the need. Throughout the rest of the day, she caught Tobias' gaze several times, and every time she did, he was smiling at her.

  After work, Tobey reunited with Lyneah and led her to the station. As they waited for their train to arrive, she unabashedly cuddled him. Tobias, her Tobias, was truly something special. And she would never leave him again. Being near him had immediately turned her misery into joy.

  For Tobias, sitting across from Lyneah on the train was almost like a dream. He was so busy staring at her, he didn't see the headline on the nearby newspaper: KING NIKOLAI IS DEAD; PRINCESS LYNEAH TO MARRY TOMORROW.

  “I was so afraid I w-w-wouldn't see you again.” Tobias reached across the table to hold her hand. “I'm really glad you came back to me.”

  “Me too,” Lyneah agreed. “I should have never left.”

  The steam train whistled sharply as it roared away from the platform. Tobias looked down at Lyneah's hand: at her fingers, her knuckles, her small fingernails. He couldn't believe she was real, and he couldn't believe he was taking her home with him.

  “I really do care about you, Lyneah.” Tobias told her. “I would do anything for you. Anything. I mean it.”

  By some miracle, he managed to express his feelings without stuttering once.

  Maybe one day, he would even have the courage to tell her he loved her.