Red Roses - (FCRAs 2016 Winner)

Childhood Friends

Lorelie's eyes flicked over to her guard, who wasn't paying her any mind as he carefully and methodically went through the motions of cleaning his gun – again.

She shifted and his eyes snapped to her without moving his head and she sneered at him.

"My legs have gone to sleep," she said simply as she crossed them under her skirts.

He snorted and returned his gaze to his gun. Lorelie let out a breath as she slumped back against the fallen tree trunk she'd been ungraciously dumped beside and watched him.

She should have done as Jean had said and just gone home.

Now she was tied up, Bramble was nowhere to be seen and her grandmother had been hauled off with a group of lunatic huntsmen who were solely focused on the wolves and their curse.

And no one knew what was going on.

Her brother didn't know where she had gone and the wolves would think she'd gone home.

She let out another breath and slouched down further.

Well, if nothing else, if the curse was in the process of being broken, it wasn't all bad... assuming she walked away.

"Why do you care?"

Her guard looked across the clearing to her as she stared absently at a rogue flower that had found life in the clearing.

"What?"

"The wolves? Why do you care about breaking the curse? Isn't it your job to kill them?"

"Depends on the wolf," the guard said simply, looking back at his gun.

Lorelie looked at him. "The wolf?"

"That's what I said."

"Why?"

"Do you think that's any of your business?"

"I find we're lacking in other topics of conversation."

"You could sit in silence."

"We've been doing that for some hours now. Aren't you bored, why were you left behind when the others all got to go with Sullivan?"

He frowned at her. "Someone had to stay."

"Are you the youngest? Or the newest to the group? Maybe the odd one out or—"

"Should you really insult the one with the gun?"

"I'm just asking."

"Sure. Besides, there's no odd one out when you're all family."

Lorelie looked at him in surprise. "You're all family?"

He nodded and she stared at him in shock.

"Wait, then you're related to Leon? How? Cousin?"

Her guard snorted, shaking his head. "Now there's an odd one out," he said, "We're family, he's not. Sullivan's apprentice; yes, but not family. His roots lay with another family. He'll never be one of us, no matter how hard he tries or what he does."

"Really? Just because he's not from the family?"

"Because he's not good at this job."

"Since when was I bad at my job?"

Lorelie and her guard spun around at the voice just as Leon stepped out of the shadows of the forest, his horse close behind, eyes dark as he looked between them.