Page 68 of If The Crown Fits
“Goodnight, fair bandit.”
Chapter 18
Clan Fairfrith Camp
Cai
I woke up to unfamiliar sounds of chatter and rustling outside the cabin. As expected, my ribs ached in protest as I sat up from Lara’s bed, while purposely ignoring the fact that it smelled like her hair. I searched for her, but apart from me the room was empty of human life.
After proceeding to get dressed, I washed my face in the bowl using the vase of water on one of the small tables. There wasn’t much in the form of decoration in the cabin. Not that I would have expected it from Lara. Apart from a few objects lying around the room, there was nothing personal, nothing to tell you that anyone lived here. I listened carefully for the possibility of someone approaching the cabin, before I started looking through everything. Knowing what I did of Lara, it was impossible for her not to have a weapon lying around here somewhere. Even if I didn’t want to admit it, I was in enemy territory and I was completely unarmed. I reached under the mattress and my hand wrapped around the hilt of a knife. Good. I slid it into my pocket.
The smell of burnt-out fires filled the air as I stepped out of the cabin. Most of the activity seemed to be at the centre of the camp. Between the firepits were wooden tables and I spotted Ray seated at one. I sat down opposite him and he nodded in greeting. “So you’re still alive? Not bad.”
“Good morning to you as well.”
“Word of advice.” He tore off a piece of bread from a loaf that was in the middle of the table and placed it on a plate, which he pushed to me. “If you want to survive here, you’re going to have to stop talking and acting all royal. People here don’t appreciateit. I wouldn’t tell them I was a prince either. The less they know, the better.”
I took a bite from the bread. “Thank you.” It was practically stale, but I didn’t say anything. My eyes caught Lara prancing over, and she fell into the seat next to Ray.
“Good morning, boys.” She reached for bread herself.
“Good morning, Your Highness,” Ray teased her and she smiled, spreading some of the questionable-looking jam on her bread.
“What happens today?” I dared to ask and Lara looked up at me in surprise.
“You should be resting, with your wounds.”
“So should you.”
Lara bit her lip in the way she did when she got annoyed.
“Some of us are going hunting — we need meat for tonight’s feast,” Ray said.
“Feast?”
“Tonight is the summer solstice.” Lara took a big bite of the bread. “Around here, we usually celebrate it with a feast.”
“I hadn’t realised it was here already. Has it truly been that long since I arrived in Everness?”
“Afraid so.”
“When are you leaving?” Lara asked Ray.
“You probably shouldn’t come.” Ray chuckled. “You’re not a very good hunter. Even a kid could beat you with a bow and arrow.”
“Oh, so that wasn’t a lie?”
Lara met my eyes with a half-guilty expression.
“I am capable of telling the truth, you know,” she retorted.
“Really?” I lifted my cup of water to my lips. “I had no idea.”
She angrily took another bite of her bread and I couldn’t help but smile then.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You’ve got some jam on your face.” I grinned and she wiped it away in embarrassment. “Definitely not a princess.” She threw a berry at my face in response, which I dodged.
