Princess of hearts, p.13
Princess of Hearts, page 13
Rafe peered at her like he thought she had lost any sense she ever might’ve had. “All right then. I think we should prepare to get going then. We’ve got quite a long ride to make today. I hope to get to the base of Mt. Crighton by nightfall.”
“Mt. Crighton?” Kaylee repeated. “Is that the mountain you say the fortress is located on?”
“Yes, it’s the same.” Rafe kept his eyes on her for a moment, as if he needed to gauge her reaction to that information. Kaylee only nodded. “It would be possible to make it further along than that, I believe, but I don’t think it would be in our best interest to go on ahead up the mountain without resting and assessing the situation.”
“Wouldn’t it be more prudent to attack at nightfall, though?” Kaylee asked. “That is, under cover of darkness?”
“Well, yes. It would be. However, I’m not sure it will be attacking exactly that we shall be doing. Likewise, we will have time to rest and then wait for darkness on the morrow.”
“We can’t wait that long,” Kaylee tried to keep herself calm, but her hands were fists at her side.
“Let’s just get to the mountain, and then we can determine what is best for all of us, all right?”
Kaylee took a deep breath. “Very well,” she said.
“Now, I’m off to find a tree that needs watering, and I suggest you do the same, though not with a tree. That might hurt. Perhaps a flower. At any rate, we need to be heading off, so make haste.”
At times like this, she wished she was a man so she didn’t have to pull her pantaloons down completely to relieve herself, but God simply hadn’t given her that capability, so Kaylee headed off in the opposite direction as Rafe to do as he’d suggested, trying not to think about her pants being down at the same time as his fountain was watering the trees.
It was ridiculous for her to let any sort of romantic feelings for Rafe come to mind anyway. After all, he had all but given up his throne, and she’d be compelled to marry someone who could benefit her kingdom in some way. Not that her parents had ever said that such a marriage was a necessity. Indeed, they’d said just the opposite, that she was free to marry whomever she wished. At one point, her mother had hinted she thought that that person might be Gregory.
Gregory had hinted that he might want it to be him. But Kaylee didn’t think of him that way. He was only a friend.
And that’s all Rafe was--if that. Perhaps it was better to think of him as an acquaintance, someone who was lending her a hand and would be repaid later in whichever way he deemed fitting--money, allegiance, whatever it might be.
Once she was finished, Kaylee wandered back to the horses to see that Rafe had the blankets put away and was preparing their rides. “We’ll need to water them before we head up the mountain. It would be smart to fill our canteens as well.”
“Do you think there’s any chance of us finding a bite to eat?” she asked, her stomach rumbling.
Rafe tossed her a piece of fruit, which she managed to catch. His eyes went a bit wide as if he expected her not to grab it out of the air. “Thank you,” Kaylee said, taking a bite of what turned out to be a plum.
Rafe nodded. “I’d ask if you need help getting in the saddle, but I suppose if you can steal a horse, you can mount one.”
Something about that chosen word, mount, made her stomach muscles contract in a way she wasn’t used to. Kaylee felt her face go red. “I can get in the saddle by myself,” she assured him. Holding the plum with her teeth, she put her right foot in the stirrup and swung her left over the back of the horse.
Once she was on the horse, Kaylee pulled the plum from her teeth and took the reins in her free hand. “I’m ready when you are, sir.”
Rafe stared at her for a long moment before he turned his horse and pointed it in the direction they’d come from the evening before.
Eventually, they made their way out to the road that they’d been riding along for hours the day prior. It was too narrow for the two of them to ride side by side, so it didn’t lend itself to conversation. Kaylee didn’t feel bad about this since she didn’t know what to say to Rafe anyway.
Not that she didn’t have questions. She did. Many of them. But he didn’t seem to be the talkative sort, and she didn’t want to be a pain in the behind of someone who was going far out of his way to help her despite that it was not in his best interest to do so.
The road led up into the mountains. She could feel the ground beginning to incline the further along they rode. Trees were scarcer the more the ground became rocky. The grass turned into scraggly scrub brush. Shrubs grew around rocky crags, and the wind began to blow sharply into their faces.
Her stomach settled into one twisted knot. Despite the fact that her cousin was in desperate need of assistance, the higher into the mountains they climbed, the more the idea that they were making a huge mistake continued to echo in Kaylee’s head. She wasn’t a fool, yet she was doing something ridiculously irresponsible, and, well, stupid. Hadn’t she already done enough foolish things in the last few days to satisfy a lifetime of idiotic behavior?
Why in the world had Rafe agreed to this? He had to know they were marching to their deaths, that these horses were unwittingly taking them up a mountain they would never return from, unless, of course, the marauders tossed them over the side.
She needed to say something. She needed to admit to Rafe that she was having second thoughts, that trepidations were spinning around in her brain, and she wasn’t going to let the threat of being made fun of for being wrong keep her on this path of demise.
He hadn’t said a word to her about the fact that she’d given in and come to lie with him, to keep warm, so why would he say anything about how he was right and she was wrong now?
He wouldn't. In fact, he’d probably be relieved. Perhaps he would even have a better plan, one that involved soldiers from his kingdom. Soldiers with swords and bows and arrows and not just two people, virtually unarmed, with nothing on their side except for a wish and a prayer.
Deciding that she’d say something as soon as they stopped to let the horses have a break, Kaylee continued to ride along behind Rafe until the sun was straight overhead, and then, she thought perhaps he wasn’t planning on resting the horses, though she didn’t know why he wouldn’t. It had to be difficult for them to climb higher into the mountains with every step. The ground wasn’t too steep just yet, but it was easy to see how far they’d risen by looking behind them, an activity Kaylee told herself she would not do twice.
The wind began to blow even stronger, and a chill became noticeable, making her cheeks sting. The sun was starting to descend, though it was still relatively high above her. She needed to say something.
“Rafe?” His name came out of her mouth before she even knew what was going to come next.
“Yes, Princess?” he said without even turning to look at her.
“Could we stop for a moment?”
“Stop?” Now, he turned to look at her. “Why? If we keep on schedule, we’ll be in position to launch our attack at nightfall. Or we can simply sleep tonight and assault the castle tomorrow night, if you wish.’
It had become clear by his choice in words he was poking fun at her, which almost made her more determined than ever to press ahead with her foolish plan.
“If we could pause for a moment and speak, I have some concerns I’d like to mention to you,” Kaylee explained, hoping he’d be civilized and not impossible to communicate with.
Rafe sighed and turned to look at her again before pulling his horse to a stop and getting off it. Kaylee did the same, dismounting and holding onto the reins as he closed the gap between them, his horse loose but standing exactly where he left him.
“What is it, Princess?”
She cleared her throat. “I think… that perhaps… we should… rethink… our decision.”
“Our decision?” he asked, leaning in far too close to her for her comfort.
“My decision,” she corrected. “I’ll own up to the fact that this was entirely my decision.”
“What is it that you think we should do differently?” Rafe leaned away from her and folded his arms over his muscular chest.
“I think… we should find an army to help us,” she said, trying to be assertive.
“An army?” Rafe looked around, his arms spread wide. “I don’t see any armies. Do you know where we might be able to find one? Other than Arteria--which is precisely where I was trying to send you just yesterday.”
“Well, yes, Arteria does have an army, that’s true. And going there might’ve allowed us--me--to return with that army. But… what about… Norterly?”
“Norterly?” Rafe repeated. “You want to go back to Norterly and ask their army to assist you in rescuing a princess from a kingdom that is not even an ally?”
“Isn’t that something that you can easily do, what with you being the king and all?” Kaylee asked, starting to get a little offended at his attitude.
“No!” Rafe replied. “No, I can’t just go back to Norterly, appearing out of nowhere, and demand the army help in a situation that they have absolutely no interest in.”
Kaylee swallowed hard and rubbed the spot between her eyebrows. Her head was beginning to ache, and she didn’t think it was entirely because she was hungry. “I’m sorry, Rafe,” she finally said. “I made a mistake. I made several mistakes. But I don’t know what else to do. I need to help my cousin--as soon as possible.”
“And you want the soldiers from Norterly to put themselves in danger to save your cousin?”
“I suppose that’s what I’m asking,” she admitted. “But… there’s no guarantee that anyone will perish.”
“Again, clearly you haven’t seen the mountain or the fortress we’re attempting to infiltrate, Princess. It would be impossible for the army to attack that castle without anyone dying. Period.”
Defeated, Kaylee sank down on a rock near the horse, still holding the reins. Once again, she found herself near tears, but she didn’t want to let them fall. She didn’t want him to see just how weak she was feeling at the moment.
Rafe seemed to realize just how unhelpful he was being. He sat down next to her on the rock so that their legs were touching. “Why don’t we find a place to camp for the night, out of the way, and then, in the morning, we can determine our best course of action. But I will tell you this, Princess Kaylee, we are not asking Norterly to help in any way, shape, or form. That is not an option.”
“Very well,” Kaylee said. The sun wasn’t low in the sky yet, but if it meant they’d need to camp for the night in order to avoid the slow march to their deaths, then that’s what she wanted to do.
“The ground here is much different than where we slept last night. We’re going to need to do a bit more preparation.”
“What sort of preparation?” she asked.
Rafe stood. “We’ll need to find a suitable place first, where the ground is a bit flatter and there’s more grass than rocks or shrubs.”
Kaylee nodded, thinking if she tried to speak again, she’d start crying, and she didn’t want to hazard spilling her emotions.
Rafe stood and offered her his hand to pull her up. She took it, and he gently tugged her to her feet.
“We may as well give the horses a break and walk,” Rafe said as he caught up to his stallion and took the reins.
Kaylee agreed and followed along behind him, wondering how their two positions had suddenly changed. How was it that she was now begging Rafe to call off the attack, and he was the one leading her higher up the mountain?
CHAPTER 24
Hiding the horses was more difficult than Kaylee could’ve imagined. There simply weren’t a lot of options along this trail. The face of the mountain was steep, and the vegetation was scarce. Eventually, they reached a flat enough surface that they decided it would have to do. Rafe led the horses over behind a copse of trees and tied them up, giving them a bit of fresh water they’d found in a stream from a small container he’d had on his saddle.
“They won’t like the grass here,” Rafe mumbled as he came back to where he’d left Kaylee standing a little ways off the road. “But it will have to do. It’s either that or go without.”
Kaylee’s stomach rumbled at the thought of going without. She imagined Rafe didn’t have much food left in his saddlebags, and she’d found nothing useful in hers. He was carrying the two blankets when he came back.
The sun had dropped below the horizon, but it wasn’t completely dark yet. Still, after a day of riding along the steep mountainside, worried about what she should or shouldn’t do, Kaylee was tired. Her back still ached a little from the night before, and this ground wasn’t going to be any more pleasant.
“We won’t be getting much sleep tonight,” Rafe said as he directed her to a smaller tree standing alone behind some tall bushes about twenty paces off the road. “Not only will we be fairly visible to anyone riding by, I believe it’s about to rain.”
“Rain?” Kaylee repeated, looking at the sky. It was hard to tell in the dark, but she hadn’t noticed any storm clouds before the sun went down.
“Yes. It’ll come from the other side of the mountain. Probably in an hour or so.”
Now, her eyes went to the mountainside around them. “Is there a cave or an overhang or something we can use to take shelter?”
“No,” he said, placing one blanket on the ground and sitting on it, the other one still in his hands. “This is all we’ve got, love.”
Love? What was that all about? Did he think he was being cute? Swearing under her breath, Kaylee marched over and joined him. “Nowhere?”
“Not within two hours’ ride of here,” he said.
She sat down with her back against the tree trunk but it was narrow, and with the two of them attempting to lean against it, not very comfortable. “How do you know?” she asked. “Have you spent a lot of time in these mountains?”
He didn’t answer right away, which she thought was odd. When Kaylee looked at his face, she saw that shadow she’d seen the other day when he’d been talking about secrets, and before that a few times when he’d mentioned her having more than heirlooms stolen, and some other time… though she couldn’t remember precisely what they’d been discussing then. She was about to tell him he didn’t have to answer the question when he said, “I have.”
“Oh. Well, then, I guess you’d know better than me.”
Rafe turned and looked at her, one eyebrow raised. Staring at the back of the man’s head all day, she’d nearly forgotten how alluring those eyes were. Even in the near darkness, they had a depth to them that seemed to suck her in. She found herself leaning toward him and had to purposely pull herself back. Rafe shook his head and looked away.
“What is it?” Kaylee asked. “What was that look for?”
“Nothing,” Rafe said. “Only, I am having trouble believing that you are going to let an argument go so easily.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked. “I don’t argue when I know that I am wrong.”
He laughed. “You must never know that you’re wrong then.”
“I beg your pardon!” He scoffed again, and she narrowed her eyes. “That’s not true. I am willing to admit my mistakes. Do you not recall just a while ago when I realized that what we were doing was… foolhardy?” That term seemed like an understatement.
“While I will concede, Princess, that it was rather generous of you to admit that perhaps this most recent scheme of yours was not quite the most intelligent plan one could enact, the fact that it took you this long--and this many failed attempts--to realize that does not attest to your ability to see reason when you want something so desperately you’re unwilling to use common sense.”
Kaylee didn’t know what to say to that. The comment was harsh. But she supposed, if she was honest with herself, she deserved it. She had gone to an awful lot of trouble recently to inconvenience everyone in her life. Inconvenience and endanger.
Rafe must’ve realized that what he said wasn’t particularly flattering. “I apologize, Kaylee. I didn’t mean to be offensive. I’m a bit rattled, that’s all.”
“No, no, you’re right. I have been acting impulsively and putting everyone’s safety in jeopardy. Whatever happens to my cousins or my friend--or even to the pair of us--it’s all on my head now.”
A loud sigh from the man next to her had Kaylee assuming she was about to be lectured again, but when the king spoke, his voice was softer than it had been in a while. “Don’t put all of it completely on your shoulders. The people who went along with you on these grand schemes are all consenting adults, are they not?”
Kaylee turned to look at him as a gust of wind let her know the storm was coming. A chill went down her spine. It was going to be another long night. “Yes, they are as old as I am or older, but I don’t feel that I can blame them. I can be quite persuasive when I want to be.”
“I’m sure that’s true.” He took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair. Kaylee wanted to do the same, to reach over and feel what it would be like to have the strands slipping through her fingers. She fisted her hands at her sides instead. “At any rate, it’s all said and done now. It’s time to take a different approach. We’ll go back to Norterly tomorrow and sort that out. I cannot ask the army to liberate your cousin. But I can ask them to send a courier to your father’s kingdom.”
“Thank you,” Kaylee said, resting her head back on the rough bark behind her as small sprinkles hit her face and began to wet her clothes. She pulled the blanket up over her shoulder, knowing if it rained hard enough, they’d both be soaked in a matter of minutes.
“It shouldn’t storm too long,” Rafe assured her. “It tends to be a short, violent blast of weather here in the mountains, and then it’s gone.”
“May I ask what you were doing here?” she said. “When you were up in these mountains?”
Rafe’s eyes lingered on hers for a long moment, that shadow she’d observed so many times back in place. Whatever it was, it was clear the secret he was holding onto was painful. “You don’t have to tell me. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry. I was just making conversation.” That wasn’t exactly true. She did want to know more about him. She wanted to find out why he was the way that he was--why wasn’t he in his kingdom, on his throne, instead of running around the woods with a band of strange men?
