The Princess's Servant

23. The Answer

They walked for twenty minutes before either of them spoke. Holden had been using that time to give her a sense of security — and to figure out the weak points in her chain. Every so often, the princess knelt down to check some tracks or to look for signs, and Holden had determined that this would be the best time to attempt escape. Any force dealt to the chain would cause her to topple, giving Holden the extra precious seconds he needed to get away.

They came upon another set of tracks. On cue, the princess knelt to check their direction. Holden prepared to rip the chain as hard as he could and sprint off.

"Hey, come look at this," the princess said right as the prince's body began to tense. He exhaled and considered attempting anyways, but he did as she said. Holden leaned over. "There's two sets of boar tracks, here, you see?" The princess asked, pointing to the indents in the earth.

Holden furrowed his brow and wondered why he would care.

The princess twisted her lips. "You don't think my boar found a mate, do you? I don't want my precious boar mating with just any forest nobody. He has to be from high stock," the princess said.

Holden half-felt like he was in a dream. Did the princess really care who her boar mated with? Or had she caught him in his pre-attempt and now attempted to throw him off? "I... can't say," was all the prince could reply. He wondered if this was still his chance.

"We'd better hurry," the princess said. "Before the worst happens. Let's go."

The princess stood from her crouch and Holden knew his chance was over. A flash of disappointment crossed the prince's heart. He'd acted too cowardly
— he should have gone for it. Next time, he would. Next time, he would absolutely get away.

As he meandered down the path, a question arose in his mind. One he thought he might as well ask while they were still in the same space at the same time. "Princess?" He asked.

Sybil seemed surprised he'd spoken, but not perturbed. "Yes?" She replied, tossing a glance behind her as she trudged through the wood.

Holden looked down at her. "Is there anything I could have done to not have been hated by you?" He asked.

The princess stopped. The prince stopped too. She was silent for a moment, and for a moment he feared some terrible violence might befall him. But when the princess spoke again, it was only with slight annoyance.

"Wardian..." she began.

"I have a name, you know," he told her, taking one step towards her. "I would tell it to you if only you asked," he said. At one time, he would have done many things if only she'd asked, he thought. But she had never asked.

Sybil said nothing for another beat as she thought. She turned her head away from him, her brown hood shrouding most of her face. "There is actually something you could have done," she told him.

Holden watched the chain at her belt pivot. "And that is?" He asked her.

"You could have never met me," she said, facing him fully. "You could have stayed silent in that tavern and never have approached. Then, I think I wouldn't have hated you."

Holden furrowed his brow and took another step forward. "'Wouldn't have hated me?'" He asked. "You wouldn't have known me!"

"Precisely," she said. And she attempted to continue on her way.

She felt a tug at her hip when Holden didn't move. He stared at her with a strange anger that she didn't understand.

"Am I so detestable that you can't imagine a scenario — a world — that didn't lead to this?" He asked, pulling back his neck and yanking the chain.

The princess lowered her brow. "Actually, yes," she said. "You are. You are by far the worst person I've ever met, and that includes the emperor. Any other questions?" She asked.

"Why?" He pleaded. "What did I do to you to deserve any of this?"

"You still don't get it!" She replied. "It's not about actions or intentions or anything you did! It's natural law!" She took another step nearer. They were close, now. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath her heavy step. "Fire and water cannot exist in the same space — it's purely impossible. That's how it is with you and me!"

"But we're not fire and water," he said, a sadness entering his voice. "We're people. We could work something out." Holden could hardly believe the words he was saying as he was said them, but he continued anyway. "We could find a way to get along. We could... maybe be friends?" He wondered, rubbing the nape of his neck. Nothing was impossible, he supposed, as he proved to himself by saying something words he never thought he'd say.

The princess met his gaze with a strength that was starting to look more like weakness. "And what I'm saying is that we can't," she replied. "Now come on." The princess tugged on his chain.

Holden jerked his neck and tugged back.

"Come on," the princess insisted, pulling again.

Holden plopped himself down.

"Argh!" The princess moaned. She grabbed the chain and walked closer to him. "You understand that this is all still my kindness, don't you?" She was within striking distance now. Holden tried to not let that scare him. "That I can do things to you much worse than what you're experiencing right now?"

"I don't care," he said, wrapping his arms around his knees. "And frankly, I don't believe you. I think if you wanted to do something truly terrible to me, you would have done it by now. But here I am. And here you are," he said.

"Wardian," she said plainly, standing tall. "If you were given a sugared speckled plum from the highest reaches of the white mountains, would you eat it right away? Or would you save it for a special occasion, when you could truly savor it?"

Holden thought on this metaphor for a second before he stood with a startle. "Hey!" He said. "That's fucked up!"

"Well, it's true," Sybil said.

Holden shook his head rapidly and looked at her with disgust. "I'm done with this," he said, his voice hollow. He turned from her and faced the direction of the still-rising sun. "I'm done living like this. Let me go right now or I swear to the gods I will drag you with me back to Ward." He pulled on the chain.

"No," she said, pulling the chain back.

"Yes," he replied, tugging harder.

"No," she insisted, pulling so hard that she forced Holden to come within striking distance. She drew her short sword and she aimed it at his neck. "We're finishing this hunt."

Holden's cut from the last close call itched under the silver ring.

"If the rest of the trip has to be at knife point, then so be it," she said.

Holden narrowed his eyes in disgust. "Oh, you would just love that, wouldn't you?"

Sybil narrowed her shadowed eyes back. "Oh, how I would," she said in the most sarcastic voice she could conjure.

"Fine," he spat.

"Fine," she spat back. She pointed the tip of her blade at the Wardian's back and the two of them started down the path once more.

A/N: As always, please vote! :)