Page 19 of Twin Crowns

She couldn’t sleep close to the bandit; it would be entirely improper. But she didn’t want to stray too far from him either. She couldn’t be alone in a cave that was covered in witch markings.

“I’ll go... right here.” She unfurled her bedroll on the other side of the boulder. Witch markings stared down at her from the wall. She shivered and sat up.

“Actually, I’ll go here.” She scooted back around to where she could see Shen but was still several feet away from him. She felt grateful for the cloak now. As smelly and rough as it was, it worked perfectly as a blanket.

“Sleep well, Princess,” said Shen with a yawn.

Rose had no intention of sleeping. She was going to wait until he fell asleep and then she would take his horse and return to Anadawn, leaving him to his stale bread and stringy mutton. She could see the map of Eana in her mind, the rolling Ganyeve wide and golden in its center. Rose didn’t know it the way the bandit did, but if she chose a direction and rode for long enough, she knew she would find her way out eventually.

She rolled onto her side and made a show of yawning and stretching. She would use this time to calm herself, she thought, as she closed her eyes and softly hummed the tune to her favorite Eana waltz, imagining herself dancing with her darling Ansel.Step, glide, twirl...She ignored Shen chuckling to himself across the cave. He’d be asleep in moments and then she’d be gone, back to her palace where she belonged. Her humming quieted....Step, glide, twirl... One more imaginary waltz and then surely Shen would be asleep....Step, glide, twirl...

Rose jerked awake. The cave was lit up in dusty pinks and oranges, which meant that somewhere outside the sun was setting.

Hours had passed.

Oh, crumbs!

She must have been more exhausted than she’d realized. But that was no excuse. She had almost squandered her only opportunity to escape....

Thankfully, Shen’s snores were rattling through the little cavern. The bandit was still fast asleep.

I’m a fool but a lucky one.

Rose scrabbled to her feet. As she crept past the slumbering bandit, she noticed he had taken his shoes off. Well. Only a fool would venture out into the desert without shoes. She bent down, and then paused midreach. She was already taking the horse. It would be cruel to leave him to wander the desert barefoot. It was the queenly thing to do, she decided, to leave him his shoes. And she’d spare his life as well. A fine trade for a fine horse.

Storm was sleeping near the cave entrance.

“Wake up,” Rose whispered in the horse’s ear.

Storm snorted, and kept sleeping. Rose prodded her in the side. Storm’s eyes flew open. She whinnied in alarm.

“Shush, shush, don’t be frightened!” hissed Rose. “You know me, remember? I’m your princess.”

Storm only whinnied louder.

“I watched you consider taking my shoes,” came a voice from behind her. Rose’s heart dropped. “I’ll admit I was surprised when you left them. Rather polite of you. You know what isn’t polite? Horse thievery.”

“Neither is kidnapping,” said Rose. “And you can hardly blame me for trying to escape.” She looked out at the desert, where the sands shifted like golden waves.

“So youwereattempting to steal my horse and run off while I was asleep.”

“You are mistaken on one crucial point.” Rose turned to glare at him. “I’m soon to be Queen of this land. I don’t need tostealanything.”

“You Valharts do have a tendency to just take what you want and claim it for your own.”

“I am Eana,” Rose reminded him. “And Eana is me. I could no moresteal from my own country than I could steal my own ear.”

“Yes, yes, so you’ve said. It all belongs to you. Except this horse. This horse belongs to me.” Shen whistled, and Storm was instantly on her feet. He leaped onto her back in one fluid motion and twisted to look down at Rose.

“Well? Are you coming?”

She scowled at him. They both knew if she stayed in this cave she’d die, and she couldn’t roam the desert on foot. “Where are you going?”

“I’ll tell you when we get there.”

“That’s hardly a compromise.”

Shen’s smile was lazy. “I’m the one on the horse. I don’t have to compromise.”

---