In Another Era

Chapter 4: Wishful Dreaming

Chapter 4: Wishful Dreaming

"I fetched some more water, it should last us a while," Kenric said. Archie rubbed his eyes as he got up. He looked adorable, with his hair tousled and his brown eyes blinking rapidly as they adjusted to the light. There was a soft frown on his lips, the kind of confused one that you have right after waking up. Kenric could not help but smile at the sight.

Now that they were near the border, Kenric did not get much sleep during the night. Years of sleeping at battle camps had prepared him to always be on guard, to wake up and be ready to fight at the slightest sound. And with Archie there, he could not risk their enemies getting the drop on them.

Usually, when he was with his knights they would all take turns keeping watch at night. But Archie was not trained for that. He never even left the stables, so Kenric knew the journey would surely be tiring for him even though he was used to doing a lot of hard labor. The least Kenric could do was make sure he got enough sleep.

"I could have done that, sire." Archie frowned. "In fact, I should have done that. That's what I'm here for."

"I told you that you're here to keep me company, Archie," Kenric replied.

"And also to make sure you're fed and not thirsty," Archie added.

"Well, how about you help me hunt, then?" Kenric asked.

"Hunt?" Archie repeated. "I don't have any experience in hunting, sire."

"I'll teach you." Kenric smiled. "You never know when you might need the skill."

"You don't mind?"

"Of course not," Kenric assured.

Archie was a quick learner.

He was surprisingly good with the bow, hitting the perfect aim each time when they were practicing. Kenric was not expecting that, but he was pleasantly surprised with the man’s skill in the area. However, when it came to the actual hunting, Archie kept missing. His aim would be way off or he would step on a branch and alert the animals of their whereabouts. Kenric wondered if that was intentional, whether Archie simply did not like harming animals.

Missing such easy targets should have annoyed Kenric, especially when he knew the stable boy was more than capable now. But a part of Kenric’s heart warmed at Archie’s hesitation in harming an innocent creature. Kenric did not want to push Archie, so he taught him how to track animals and set traps instead. And when it came to the killing, he did it himself.

Archie took the rabbit and lit the fire once more to start cooking. He really was not the most talented when it came to the art of making food, but it was edible and Kenric could not have cared less. Despite his privileged life at the castle, he had eaten worse and even gone days without food during the hard times. Especially when they were behind enemy lines.

Archie carefully wrapped up everything that was left, and the two set off on their journey once again. They rode mostly in silence, only talking when Kenric was telling Archie about the area they were in. Kenric had surveyed most, if not all their land in the past thirteen years. He remembered still being a young prince, riding with the knights that guarded him like he was a porcelain doll. Now those same men rode behind him as Kenric led them all.

After a few hours of riding, they stopped by a river so that the horses could drink water and relax for a bit before continuing. Archie and Kenric got down too and sat next to the river bank after stretching their muscles. Kenric noticed that Archie had his hand massaging his shoulder, a slightly pained look on his face.

"Does it hurt?" Kenric asked. Archie looked at him in confusion, so the prince continued, "your shoulder. Does it hurt?"

"I am just not used to being on a horse for so long. But it’s okay, it is just a slight ache that will go away," Archie replied.