Seduction of a Princess

Chapter Six

On with the real story, right guys? It took me a while to write, due to some distractions. I try to keep on schedule, but since there really isn't a schedule, that's hard ;P. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter.

Enjoy!

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          They travelled all morning without a break, and throughout the afternoon as well, until they reached their destination: New Dew. June didn’t mind the dull road so much, now that Terrance was keeping her mind off things. He talked a lot, and about a lot of different things. From werewolves to New Dew, travelling to the fact they had apples for lunch. He also made a lot of jokes, some of which about coffins. Though he apparently didn’t seem to mind too much what had happened to him, June did—she didn’t like those jokes, but awkwardly smiled. Marc didn’t like anything Terrance had to say, but remained silent on the driver’s box. He was grumpy, June thought, annoyed because he considered Terrance a danger. But he was charming, nice and very talkative—how could he be a danger?

           Terrance showed a little interest in the alchemy, but that was only because he wished for a healing potion, June suspected. If he even noticed something strange about them, he didn’t say anything about it. He didn’t even ask June why she kept her face hidden under a hood, even though it was very hot—he just kept his questions to himself and talked more than he listened, something June liked about him. So if he were a spy, he couldn’t be a very good one.

           And when they reached New Dew, he was off quickly. With just the simplest of goodbyes, he slid off the still moving cart. “He didn’t even bother to thank us for the ride,” June muttered as she watched how he walked into another direction and disappeared.

           Marc grunted. “It’s better that he’s gone. You’re still the princess, June-”

           “Princess-to-be,” she corrected.

           “You’re still engaged to the prince, so it’s better if we don’t draw any attention to ourselves, understand? It’s important no one knows you’re travelling through the country.”

           She reluctantly agreed. Of course, it was important to stay safe from harm. But it was boring to do nothing all the time, sit still with a hood over her face. There was nothing for her to do but wait until they’d arrive at the palace. And that wasn’t happening for at least three more days… For now though, June was satisfied with sightseeing through New Dew from the driver’s box.

           It wasn’t really a city and definitely not what June had expected it to be. On one of her father’s large and expensive maps, she had read that New Dew was one of the four major cities of the Wooden Province. In reality, it was a small dusty village with few houses, a small church and a tiny marketplace with less than ten stalls. The people walking around weren’t men and women from good houses, or traders from faraway places, but farmer women and men, large boys with curly golden hair that looked somewhat like Marc—June wondered if Marc had ever been in New Dew before, if he perhaps grew up around here. He didn’t show any signs of recognition, but he had such a scowl on his face that June suspected he was acting like an alchemist. And so should she: harsh, cold and uncaring.

           They went to the only inn of New Dew, where they would stay the night. It had its own stables, so Bern would be cared for as well. But when the innkeeper glanced at Marc and June, but in their travelling cloaks, his eyes narrowed. “Who are you?” he asked.