The Captain

Chapter 1- The Captain

I crawled my way down the crevice in the cramped space, I managed to wedge myself through a small crack in the gravelly rocks. I was being followed. By who? I could not tell. With the sound of approaching horses, my mind went completely blank. The rocks were still damp from the rainfall earlier that morning and made it hard for me to keep a strong grip. I was in a small slot barely big enough for my whole body to fit. If I was going to attempt to escape then I would have needed to jump down without hurting myself.

I knew that wouldn't be possible, it was very unlike me to want to climb such an unstable structure such as a rocky cliff. After all, the climbing was for my brother. Although after his accident it stopped him from climbing trees and rocks. It always made me sad, even though I never really thought about such trivial matters.

The clamping of the hooves brought me back to my discouraging reality. If I could only... if I could only just get to the town of NeatheraIa. I might have a chance of disappearing for good before I became nothing but an accessory on my father's shelf. The men passed through the narrow deserted space in which I hid. Where would my uncanny excuse come from this time? I hadn't said anything about where I was headed.

Peeking out from my most unfortunately picked hiding spot, I saw five shadows of the hunting party sent after me. One of them, I could only assume, was the leader. For he dismounted his horse and through his wit as well as his abomination of tracking skills, he seemed to know exactly where I lay. The leader eagerly walked over to me through the muddy path. I recognized that I was careless to hide my tracks from him.

Now close enough to see, I could tell he was one of my father's army trackers. He was wearing the jet black army uniform, and the bloody red winged crest on his shoulder signifying his rank as a captain in the army.

He looked up at where I hid. I could see no emotion at all in the man. He was completely and utterly cold as his lips parted for him to speak. "Now what is a princess like yourself doing outside it's pretty cage. I don't remember your father giving you permission to leave the castle?" His cold gaze remained fixed on me making it seem as though I was wasting his time, "Did you sneak out again? Or is there something I missed? Your majesty." He bowed deeply, followed by a most unnerving glare; his voice half full of scepticism.

As soon as I realized the Captain wasn't leaving without me going with him back to the Castle, I crawled back out of the cramped space. He picked me up with little effort and pulled me onto the horse with him, placing me behind him. After the Captain had one of his men bind my hands to ensure I wouldn't try to escape again, we made our way back to the unsightly prison from which I came.

The midday sun in the forest lay to rest as the night began, the troops started their descent towards the hellride world from which I wished to escape from. To me, it seemed to be an insightful dream that would never become true. The Captain motioned for the hunters to head back. After checking my bonds and making absolute surety that I had no feasible way to escape, the Captain began to drag the horse up the trail after the hunters.

I felt humiliated by the way I was plopped sourly on the horse behind the Captain. It wasn't the worst experience, but it definitely wasn't one of my better experiences. I was surprisingly comfortable behind the saddle of the horse. I realized not soon after that, that the saddle was a two person saddle. This explained how I was so comfortable. Although, what a way to transport me back! I felt like a prisoner with my bound hands in front of me grabbing the leather handle on the back of the first saddle with my legs pinned to the sides of the horse. I tried desperately not to fall off but the horse walked over an uneven surface and made me lose my grip. I began to slide off the horse and my body tumbled to the rock hard ground.

When I landed, I realized that I did not hit the hard solid ground in which I was anticipating. I opened my eyes in curiosity to see the Captains deep dark eyes staring back at me from above. I realized that the captain was holding me tightly in his arms. Although I was surprised, I felt at ease to know that he had come to my aid to help me. I struggled to escape from his deathly embrace to stand. After I stood up, I turned to face him. Immediately he rose to meet my gaze. His soft gaze left me questioning his behavior earlier.

This confused me, "Why did he help me? Does he only feel obliged to help me because I am the princess?" I stopped the thoughts and worries that floated through my mind with little effort. Not that I was complaining about something so small in the slightest. In the end, for all the hardship the captain faced from letting me escape the castle I am surprised that I was not forced to walk the whole way back.