CHAPTER 13
When she opened her eyes again and tried to move, a stabbing pain shot through her head and traveled all the way down to her eyeballs. She groaned, then was still again, trying to make the throbbing subside. It was now day. The sun had just risen above the horizon with the muted light that hinted of very early morning. She tried to look around at her surroundings, hoping to remember where she was and what had happened. She remembered being chased and jumping into the river. The throbbing in her head was from the cut she obtained from hitting her head on the rock. But that was all she remembered.
She was in a campsite. There was a bedroll off to the side that looked recently slept in, and a fire crackled a few feet in front of her, a pot with deliciously smelling food cooked on top of it. She could hear the nickering of horses somewhere to her left, then noticed her sword, leaning up against a log, off to her right. She could hear its whisper from where she sat, almost as if it were admonishing her for abandoning it. She told it that soon they would never again be parted and the humming stopped. She thought she could crawl over and get it, to cut through the bindings, but her feet were tied as well as her hands. She cursed under her breath. She had gotten so far, then got sloppy. Over what? A warm meal and fresh supplies. She should’ve stayed hidden, then she wouldn’t be in this predicament.
She tried moving, but the pain stabbed behind her eyes again, and she was bound too tight to get very far. She gave up and stopped moving. She was just breathing deeply in and out, to dull the throbbing in her head, when she heard a sound behind her. Footsteps. Heavy ones. She closed her eyes again, pretending to be asleep, and waited for whomever was there to show himself. When she heard the footsteps pass, she opened her eyes just slightly, to see his features now that it was light.
He came out from the trees, strolling into the campsite, carrying an armful of kindling. He dropped the pile next to the fire, broke a couple of the thin sticks in half and threw them on the flames. The fire crackled again, and a spray of sparks flew into the air on the light morning breeze. The smoke from it hit her nostrils, along with the smell of food as he stirred whatever was in the pot. She watched him stir the contents and heard her stomach growl. He sat down on a log. She was starting to recall the events that led to this. They were fuzzy, but they would become clear soon enough she was sure.
“Hungry are we?”
She opened her eyes large now and looked in his direction. He was staring at her. He was tall, around six foot two, if she were to guess, with long blond hair that was tied in a tail down his back. He had a beard the same color of his hair, and it was trimmed neatly. He had broad shoulders and large arms, the muscles bulging from under his sleeves. He wore simple riding clothes; sleeveless leather hauberk laced down the front over linen shirt, wool riding pants. When he moved she could see the bulkiness of mail ripple underneath his shirt. He wore tall black boots and had a sword sheathed in leather on his hip. The same one, she remembered, that she threatened him with last night. He had hazel eyes which watched her, but he said nothing else. She decided it was time to get out of here.
“Why have you tied me up? You have no right to hold me.”
“You were trespassing on my campsite, remember? I wasn’t going to have you stealing from me and get away.”
“I wasn’t going to steal anything. I was just hungry.”
“I don’t know, my horse is quite valuable.”
“I have my own horse,” She realized at that moment that she had left hers behind when she jumped into the river. “At least I did.”
“Yes, and now you don’t and mine would fetch a hefty price in any town.” He had found her horse, and it was tied alongside his, but he wanted to rile her a bit, to see just how feisty she really was.
“I was not going to steal your horse. I simply wanted to share the warmth of your fire and perhaps get a bite to eat. I would’ve caused no harm and would’ve been on my way promptly.”
“These woods are full of wolves and bandits. I couldn’t be sure of anything.”
“Well now that you know that I am neither, release me and I will leave you be.”
“Mmm, well I’m afraid I can’t do that. See I’ve been looking for you for awhile and was about to give up, when you fell right into my lap. I must say, Princess, you have given me the run around indeed.”
She snapped her head to look at him, and in doing so, felt dizzy from the pain of her wound. She breathed in deep to settle her again queasy stomach, then looked more intently at him.
“You know who I am?”
“Cutting your hair and dressing like a man was a valiant attempt, but anyone looking close enough would have seen right through your disguise. Your eyes give you away.”