Princess of Swords (The Sword of Light)

Chapter 9: Swords and Dusty Roads

 Chapter 9: Swords and Dusty Roads  

Rose sat in her bed, large black circles encircling her eyes.

She hadn't slept at all but instead had been making plans to escape from the clutches of her own doing and life.

She stretched her arms and jumped to her feet. She knew what she had to do, it would be easy. A bag, a map, money, food, clothes and Roland. She ran over the list in her mind and walked over to her cupboard, pulling out a simple dark emerald dress and tugging it over her head.

She bent down and peered under the cupboard to look at the giant book underneath. I will need that too She grabbed the book shoving it into the pack on her bed  before  running downstairs.

She needed an excuse to leave, something that would make it seem that she would be back. Standing in the foyer by the stairs she heard her father hammering away at swords and an idea hit its place in her mind; her father went to the smaller city of Silverdale, a duke's estate, to deliver swords to him most days. She could do that, go with Will as not to arouse suspicion and then disappear.

Rose smiled to herself but then her smile faded, she would miss everyone deeply. 

The new plan had its kinks. 

Rose walked down the street people nodding at her, some girls walked past her with buckets in their hands and started whispering and giggling to each other. Rose rolled her eyes before turning the corner to where her father was. People came and left the place where he worked, carrying swords and armour for knights, dukes and sometimes even the king himself. Rose smiled; her father truly was one of the best blacksmiths in the Northern Lands.

She stood in the door watching him and then moved closer sitting on a stool opposite him. "Father" Rose shouted over the loud ringing of metal.

He father looked up and stopped hammering "Sorry Rosebud, didn't see you come in. What do you need?"

"When are you going to be delivering swords to Silverdale?" Rose stood up and leaned against a wall nearby.

"Well Will is taking them today actually, I already gave them to him. He should be in the stables I   think ̶ "

"Thank you!" Rose yelled already out of the door. Her father stood for a moment a little smile crouching along his face as he took his hammer and started the gentle rhythm and left Rose to do 'Rose things'.

Rose ran back up the street and leapt through the door of the house clambering upstairs before grabbing her pack; which contained everything she needed; the black book, men's clothes and money she had been keeping for an important occasion.

Running back downstairs she stopped for a second and walked into the kitchen. Her mother wasn't in there so Rose picked up a loaf of bread sitting on the counter and stuffed it into her bag along with four apples and a piece of pie. Walking out of the kitchen and saw her mother sitting in her chair sewing at Rose's wedding dress. A lump rose in her throat and Rose almost set down the bag and forgot all her dreams.  

Her mother looked up slightly, her hands still working on the dress.

Sorry. 

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"  She put the needle down and placed one hand over the other on her lap and leaned back in her chair.

"Out with Will. Going to drop off swords at Silverdale" Rose held the bag behind her and set it on the floor with a small thud. He mother squinted for a second and then ignored what she thought she had heard. 

"Okay just be back before dark, and for goodness sake Rose do something with your hair!" She looked stern for a moment before smiled broadly and gesturing for Rose to come over to her, she did and let her mother kiss her on the forehead - one last kiss. 

"Mama I need to go"

I'm so sorry. 

Her mother reluctantly let go of her and looked up at Rose waiting for her to say something; "Love you mama" Rose whispered and then walked back to her bag, running off towards the stables. 

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Will picked up the bag of swords and tied it to Carrok's side and then took both Carrok and Roland out the stalls. He brushed them both down and made sure they had eaten and drunk some water before the long journey to the edge of the city; Silverdale.

Roland snorted and flicked his black tail as Will approached with a stack of hay. Will smiled and placed the hay in front of the two horses.

Roland shook his black shoulders with delight and started eating while Carrok sniffed the hay a bit with her bay nuzzle. Will sat down on a stool and waited for them to finish; his eyes drifting towards a figure that was walking in the distance up the hill towards him. 

Rose. 

Will smiled as he watched her make her way towards him; Rose was so fragile and beautiful, the way her nose would crinkle when she laughed and how her hair fell gently over her shoulders. When he had first seen her again dancing with the swords he had been hypnotised by her beauty

A beauty he'd never seen before. 

Being younger he had only ever seen Rose as his friend but his feelings towards her were beginning to change. Something was stirring inside him for Rose, was it love?  Will almost blushed at the very thought of him loving Rose.  But when she had danced with the swords she had been so concentrated and her moves had been so swift and smooth; a silent warrior. 

Then she had seen him and he had felt as if he had intruded in her space. But her face had lit up as she flung herself at him and he had held her, at that moment never wanting to let her go.

 He turned round and there she was standing in front of him packing her stuff on Roland and lifting herself onto his back. Her skirts lifting slightly as she sat upon the horse. Will reddened and turned away to mount Carrok.

Snap out of it he commanded himself as he lifted of his chair walking over to Carrok. 

                                                                                     ~

Rose picked up her skirts and ran to find Will. Her plan would work but Will hadn't been part of it so she needed to think of a way to get rid of him; he was a hiccup in the plan. 

A bump in the road. 

But he and nobody could stop her from leaving this place; where her life had begun and now was to end - the town of Great Gate would be her past shortly.

My past.. 

All she wanted to do is disappear and never come back again. She knew that her family and him, Henry, would always pull her back. Her mother's heart would break but her sister would keep everything running smoothly; she was the rock of the family, keeping everything together in bad times.  

Rose made her way towards Will her pack propped over her shoulder which she tied to Roland. Roland snorted flicking his black tail shifting his feet ready to be on the move "I want to go too" she whispered into his ear stroking his opaque tussles of fur. 

 "You're coming with me I'm guessing" Will said smiling, the sun catching his eyes causing them to sparkle making him seem as if he were about to do something exciting.  

"Yes" Rose snickered pulling Roland's rein over his head and clambering onto his back. 

"Okay then" Will whispered gather Carrok's rein and guiding her out of her stall and clambering on her back her looked towards Rose who looked into the distance. 

I almost kissed her... 

A lump rose in Will's throat as he urged Carrok out of the stable, Rose following silently behind him; so close but so far "Ready?" he asked eyeing her under his lashes. 

"Ready" Rose whispered looking one last time at her home, the white stone and red roses. The old bench and greenery. Her mother and father. Mia and the swords; this was the end. 

Good-bye.