Elmira's Princess

Chapter 2

When I woke up, it was evident that I had slept in a fox's den. I was sore all over, and had a pulled muscle in my neck - but I was safe, and that's what mattered. Looking around, I saw Killian resting peacefully next to me, his arm over me protectively. I gently moved his arm to the side and sat up, but the second his arm wasn't around me he jolted awake.

"What happened? Are you okay?!" He bolted upright and glanced around nervously, drawing his sword. Okay, so apparently he sleeps with a sword?

"Yeah, I'm fine..." I said. "I was just getting up." He scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry, habit I guess..." Killian said quietly. "I guess my protective instincts kicked in."

"Right..." He was my knight, it was apparently his job... But he seemed much more concerned for my well-being than he should be. "What's really going on, Killian? Why is this war so much worse than the other one?" He sighed.

"You're just in a lot of danger, alright?"

"Just like last time. What makes this any different?"

"Everyone who isn't on our side is ordered to kill you on sight..." he explained, "Last time I didn't have to worry as much because the queen wanted you alive. But this time... I could lose you in an instant."

"Killian, it's okay. You're doing your job. Even if I die, it won't be because you've failed," I said, trying to console him.

"That's not what I'm worried about," he said, eyes widening. "Do you really think this job is what's important to me? I'm protecting you because you're important to me, Sabrina. Yes, it's my job to protect you, but I care about you. You're my only friend here, I'd die for you if I had to," he confessed.

"Oh," I whispered. Thinking over what I had said, it almost seemed rude of me to assume that he was worried about his job. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's okay! You barely remember me, after all," he said, looking to the ground. I shook my head.

"That's not exactly true," I muttered.

"What do you mean?" His head snapped back up to look at me suspiciously.

"I remembered you," I explained, "In fact, you were just about the only detail about the dream I remembered."

"What do you remember about me?" Killian wondered.

"I remember that you were knight, and you showed me around Elmira. I remember that you were my friend, maybe my only friend... And I remember that you protect me from danger, and you're my guardian, whatever that means."

"I was appointed your guardian, by your dad."

"My dad?" I asked. What about my real dad? On Earth?

"The King? He appointed me your guardian when he died - or was killed - a few years ago. That's when your mother revealed her evil intentions..." he said. He looked to see if I was following.

"I'm sorry, there's a lot I don't know about this place..." I said, wracking my brain for answers to millions of questions. "What about my parents? From... Um, from Earth?"

"Those people are your host parents. Of course, they think they're your real parents, but they are just there to keep you safe when you're not at home," Killian explained. Home... Is Elmira my home now?

"Wait, did you say my father might have been murdered?" I asked, horrified. He nodded grimly.

"Many people suspect Valuren, and she hasn't been quick to prove them wrong."

"Are you speaking of theories again, Killian?" Lana asked, making both me and Killian jump. Neither of us had heard her come into the room.

"Yes, I find that the more we speak of them, the easier it is to prove them true or false. Word gets around quickly in Elmira," he replied. The fox nodded.

"But you must be careful what you say," she warned. "There will always be someone listening." I shivered, and she turned towards me. "Princess," she said, bowing, "How did you sleep?"

"Um... I slept well, I guess. Thanks for letting us stay," I answered awkwardly.

"Of course. Killian, there are a few things I'd like to speak to you about, if you don't mind," Lana requested. Killian nodded and followed her out of the room, leaving me alone. I took the time to look around the den. It was quite dark, with one tiny oil lamp in the middle of the round room, and the walls and floors were simply surfaces made of dirt. The few pieces of furniture that did exist in the room were a small wooden table, two circular pillows for chairs, and a threadbare rug in the middle of the den. I sat back down where we had slept, in the darkest corner of the room, and waited for Killian to return. I wondered what they were talking about. Why couldn't I hear the conversation? Was it important? My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Killian walking back into the room.

"Ready to leave, Sabrina?" He asked, as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. I eyed him suspiciously before answering.

"Where are we going?"

"Since we're heading to the Kingdom, we'll have to travel through Sardor and Undit before we find the trail through Keiren Forest..." he trailed off as he saw my utterly confused look. "Um... We're going to a few towns and another forest. On the way to the Kingdom of Elmira." I nodded.

"And how long should that take?"

"Not too long, and hopefully not all on foot. We have an ally in Sardor who should have gotten our horses by now. I'm sure Spade will be glad to see you!"

"Spade?"

"Your horse." He gave me a pointed look, as if that was something I should've known. Right... I ran a hand through my blonde hair and twirled a strand around my finger.

"I have a lot to learn before we get to the Kingdom..." I grumbled. Killian laughed and nodded in agreement.

"But we don't have much time, we should leave as soon as possible. Lana made us some food for the journey, but we don't have time to eat it here so... Are you ready to go?" He asked. I laughed.

"I didn't bring anything with me, how could I not be ready to go?" I joked.

"That's true," he chuckled. "Let's go then!" I followed him out of the room and through a small kitchen to an odd looking door. The piece of wood in the dirt wall was almost star shaped and seemed to spin slowly- how is that possible? Killian walked up to it and knocked five times, and not a moment after the fifth knock was made the door began spinning faster and faster. Killian grabbed my hand gently, leading me towards the door. Why are we walking into a spinning door?! Right when his foot stepped where the door seemed to be, it went through it. He pulled me with him through the door, into a complete darkness where I felt that falling sensation again and gripped his hand tighter. After a few moments, we softly landed on the ground, in front of the same tree.

"Alright, Sardor shouldn't be too far from here," Killian exclaimed, grabbing my hand and leading me, "Let's go!"

Author's Note! 

Hey guys, I'm hoping this is starting to become kinda interesting! I'm in love with these characters (but let's be honest, how often am I not XD)! And this is going to be a "short novel" or whatever, pretty much what that means is, it's not very long XD Only like 10 or 15-ish chapters, I think. Who knows. My plans usually don't stay the same, but we'll see lol 

Love you guys!

Savy