Page 27 of Quest for her Knights
Four sets of surprised eyes snap to my face, but it’s Ranger who answers.
“We took care of him.”
“Yes, but how?”
“Princess, you don’t need to know that,” he says, turning back to the fire.
“But I do. I want to know if I need to worry about him coming back,” I explain, trying to keep my voice steady.
“He won’t be coming back.”
I drop my head into my hands. That is so not helpful, but it’s clear I won’t be getting an explanation, hence my current state of mind.
I eat numbly, my thoughts spiraling with all the possibilities behind Ranger’s vague words. Eventually, I’m shown to my bed, which is a pile of blankets on the ground near the fire. Blaze and Ranger settle around the campfire as well, preparing to sleep, while Arrow and Draven remain sitting. They must be standing guard.
The thought should comfort me. It doesn’t.
Instead, my imagination runs wild with all the dangers lurking out here. I lie awake for hours, growing more and more anxious as the night drags on. At one point, I feel Arrow’s gaze on me, so I roll over to face away from everyone. The problem is that the dark forest is now directly in my view.
My wide eyes stare into the shadows, every sound and flicker of movement sending my heart pounding in my chest. At some point, I hear the knights switch shifts as Ranger and Blaze get up to take their turn. I wish I could sleep. But I can’t even keep my eyes closed for more than a few seconds. Every tiny noisemakes them shoot open, terrified I’ll see a man charging out of the forest toward me.
Eventually, the sky starts to lighten, and I hear hushed whispers as Arrow and Draven begin to stir.
“Is she still sleeping?” Arrow asks.
“Yes. She hasn’t moved once. She must have been exhausted,” Blaze replies.
If he only knew how exhausted I really am.
“She was quiet yesterday,” Arrow says softly.
“We all were. Can’t fault her for it.”
“I know. I’m just worried about her,” Arrow murmurs, the concern in his voice unmistakable.
He’s worried about me?
“She’s fine. She slept the whole night without a nightmare, I’d say that shows how resilient she is,” Ranger says, making me feel both pleased and crappy all at once. He thinks I’m strong, but he’s wrong. I didn’t sleep a wink. If he knew that, he’d think I’m weak. Frail. And I don’t want him to see me that way.
So, I put on my best acting face, stretch loudly, and let out a yawn as I roll over and sit up.
“Good morning,” I say, pretending to blink my eyes like they hadn’t been wide open the entire night. Given how sleep-deprived I am, I’m probably pulling off the tired look without even trying.
“Morning, princess. Sleep well?” Blaze asks.
“Mmm-hmm,” I hum, nodding as I move to stand.
“I’ll get your trunk down so you can change,” Draven offers, already rising to help.
“Oh, don’t bother with that. If we’re going to be on the road, I’d rather not get multiple dresses dirty.”
He frowns, but it’s Ranger who speaks up. “You don’t want to wear a different dress every day?”
“Ah—is that wrong? I mean, I’ll definitely do that when we’re staying at someone’s home, but while we’re on the road, it just seems wasteful. Doesn’t it?”
“It’s not wrong… just unheard of for someone of your wealth.”
I shrug and glance back at the fire, unsure if that was meant to be a compliment or an insult.
