Minstrel

Chapter #11 ~ Riptide

Riptide pushed through the thick, frosted pine trees. His feet throbbed, stiff and frozen, beneath him. The wagon carrying the fugitive had been moving for days nonstop and no amount of knight training had prepared him for such an endless journey.

It was weird. He had thought about quitting multiple times; just giving up and going back to his king to ask for forgiveness. But one thing kept him going. One thing that caused him to walk without rest in the frosty, winter world for days. The same person that put him in his current situation. The fugitive, a seeming normal and slightly crazy girl. He wasn't sure what it was, but for some reason he felt he couldn't let her get away.

It was for his duty that he continued after her. No... he didn't want to hand her over to the king. His king. In a way he didn't want to catch her because he didn't want to make the choice of turning her in again. Yet at the same time he couldn't let her go.

Rip. That's what she had called him in that crazy, singsong way her voice carried. Only one person had ever called him that... and that had been a long time ago.

Trudging his way out of the pine forest, Rip turned his head to the sky. Grey clouds blanketed above him like every other day. When winter came in Florencia it was normally mild. The temperatures would drop well below freezing, but it rarely snowed.

Looking up at the clouds Rip mumbled under his breath. "Things grey won't toss aside their white, fore they fear the black they may become."
He wasn't sure where it came from, but the words just felt right. Rip wasn't even sure what he said made any sense.

Shaking the strange words from his head, Rip continued to follow the indents the wagon had left in the frosted, brown pine floor. His walking was steady and the forest was silent around him causing his thoughts to consume him.

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Her voice was soft like a gently, brushed kiss against his face. It was beautiful and full of a peace that Rip had never had in his life. It was a promise for better times. A new world without pain and sorrow. A place Rip felt he could spend the rest of his life and never regret it.

The voice increased in volume bring with it a rush of energy. It coursed through his whole body, starting from his ears driving down to his feet. He felt he could climb any mountain; he could conquer any beast no matter the size. He was strong, fearless, and full of life.
The words sung made no sense to him, but he could recognize her voice anywhere. Creak. The fugitive he had let go. The girl he was still chasing.

Her voice drove an arrow to his heart. It hurt, but at the same time made him invincible. It was as if nothing could stop him from what he knew deep down he had been doing all along.

He could see her. Crazy brown eyes shining. Wild waves whipping in the wind. She gave him that insane smile of hers, making his heart skip a beat. Something was wrong with her, but there was also something wrong with him.

Her singing ended in a whisper, sending a chill through Rip. He knew what happened next because he had been there. Just three days ago when the wagon had stopped for a few hours. Creak had sang. Her song filling the pine forest with such warmth and strength he thought all the frost might suddenly melt. The she had finished and waited. He wasn't sure what she had been waiting for, but when nothing happened she didn't take it well.

Her head. She had slammed it against the bars, each pound of her head sending a stake deeper into his chest. It hurt to watch, but he hadn't been able to look away. She just hurt herself like she didn't matter. Like she thought no one cared if she killed herself.