The Game

Chapter Six

We sat looking out at the stream before us. Our breathing still heavy from laughing. 

I'd only known of Tobias' existence and importance to my life for a month now, but I don't know how I had ever gone through everything without him. He was such a huge part of my days now, it was almost like we were attached by the hip. 

"You're so funny Wren." 

"I'm not doing anything." I giggled, throwing the reed I had been fumbling with at him. We had spent the morning practicing, had a long lunch, a short dip of our bare feet in the ice cold water, more fighting and now we were just sat, enjoying the first taste of summer warmth. "If you think I'm funny now, wait until I've got a sword at your throat again." He shook his head the slightest roll of his eyes as he moved beside me. 

"Put your shoes on." 

"Why? I was just going to walk home barefoot." 

"Fine but if you get bitten by a snake, I'm not fixing it." I grumbled which just made him laugh at me. "Want me to do it?" 

"I can put my own boots on thank you very much." I snatched it back from him, lifting the skirt of my dress and pulling it on, fastening it quickly. "See!" He stood up, holding out his hand to help me like he always did now. Always offering a hand like a gentleman. Grabbing my sword from my side, I took it, allowing him to pull me up and support me as I lost my footing, tumbling into his chest slightly. I looked up at him, my hand flat on his chest, feeling him beating below it as fast as my own heart was. 

"Watch your footing." I blinked slowly as his quiet voice stayed focused on me. His green eyes piercing into mine as we stared at each other, neither of us wanting to move. This wasn't the first time in the past week we had both been stuck like this. Neither of us wanting to be the one to pull away first. We had to. I couldn't be this close to him. "Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are Wren?" I swallowed hard. "Not even just your face. Just the whole of you. Your mind, your spirit. Everything." 

My grip in the sword was slipping, causing me to grasp it tighter through sweaty palms. The feeling of his arm around my waist was making my stomach flip continuously. Just like every single touch of his, I didn't know how to respond. My mind seemed to stop connecting every single time he got this close.

"We should probably go back right?" I spoke quietly, looking over my shoulder and quickly back to him. In the same space of time, he'd brought his head down, meaning his lips were against mine when I turned back around. 

He held me tighter as I lost my footing again in the shock, gripping onto his shirt tightly. But like a shot of lightening, straight through me, I stopped. He pulled back quickly letting go and stepping back. 

"Somethings not right." I lowered my eyes, trying to work out what it was. 

"Sorry I-" 

"No, not that. Not-" I looked up at him. "Not you kissing me, that was fine." 

"I mean I was going for better than fin-" 

"No seriously Toby, something's not right." I put my finger over my lips, telling him to be quiet. "Can you hear that?" 

"What the horses?" We locked eyes, both of us filling with instant panic, turning on our feet and grabbing our things, running back towards the house where the noises were coming from.

We weren't that far away. With the pace we were running, it would only take us 5 minutes to reach home. But we didn't need to. I knew what had happened. I could see if already, smell the smoke, my skin was already burning as we stood on the treeline, Toby holding me back. 

"You can't Wren." 

"They're still in there Tobias. Let me fucking go." 

"Ad, I can't let you do that and you know it. If they set it alight, its a warning and it means one of 2 things, they know who you are and they're waiting for you to run to their rescue, or they know who Albert is and he wouldn't give any information up. Either way you can't go down there." My grip on my sword tightened as I managed to get him off me. I didn't fucking care. 

I walked down towards the fire, hoping to see the house empty, to see they got out somehow. 

"WREN." I turned my head to Alice watching as two of the King's men held her tight. There was only ever 3 of them. 

"Drop the sword Adelina and no one else has to get hurt." I stared at Alice, watching the tears falling down her face. The 2 men holding her, neither of them could get to their weapons without letting her go. She was fine. I looked between the 2 of them and moved my eyes to the guy behind me, asking her if it was just these 3. She nodded slightly, barely visible. I turned around, not dropping the sword as I faced the clear leader of this little group. 

"No one else I care about is going to get hurt here." I smirked up at him, face contorted with the evil grin as I plunged my sword into his chest, not even thinking as I pulled it out, immediately turning around and watching as Alice fell to the floor. Toby pulled her away as he slaughtered one of the other guys and I lunged forward, grabbing the third one by his neck and bringing him down to his knees. 

"P-please. I have kids." His face was turning red. 

"I need you to take a message back to your precious little king." I got down into his face, keeping myself at a distance that I could still intimidate him, but not too close he could do anything. 

"A-anything!" 

"Tell him the queen wants her throne back." I threw him to the floor, kicking him in the face before I let him stumble up, climb on his horse and ride off. "We have to go." 

I tried to grab Alice's hand but she shook me away. 

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE?"  Toby came back from the back of the house, shaking his head slowly, but holding my crown in his hand. No sign of Gwen or Albert.

"I couldn't let it burn with everything else Ad." I sighed, taking it from him and dusting the soot off. 

"HELLO?" 

"Alice. Come on you're not stupid." I walked towards the edge of the property. "Toby, plan?" 

"My dad's." I nodded once. 

"Alice, I need to borrow some horses." 

"I-" She ran, catching up to us quickly. "You're her? You've been my friend since we were 8 and I didn't know you were the lost princess? We speak about her all the time." 

"Yeah and you keeping us up to date on all the gossip helped us keep her safe all these years Alice. It was because of you I'm down here to keep her safe." Toby patted her on the shoulder.

"You came for her?"

"I told you Albert and his dad used to work together." 

"So Albert isn't your dad?" I shook my head, wading through the long grass. "Then who is?" I stopped turning to face her, handing my sword to Toby and quickly pulling up my sleeve. 

"The man who gave me this." She stared at it. "Any more questions? We don't have much time." 

"We?" 

"Yes Alice, they are most likely going to burn this village to the ground hunting for answers and your family is going to be the first so move. You guys have to get out of here quicker than I do."