The Princess Thief {CURRENTLY BEING REWRITTEN}

chapter eleven | unexpected

It was close to dawn, the sun just starting to rise in the distance. Teena was out checking on the horses to make sure they were ready for the day's ride. Elidor and Brenna were going over a small hand drawn map of the area.

"Not my best work," he said when he pulled out the parchment.

Brenna looked it over—the tiny buildings that signified the towns and villages, the rivers and creeks, the forests, and in the bottom right corner...a castle. Her home.

Elidor noticed her change of expression. "I know it's difficult. But we will be able to get you home eventually. I promise."

She smiled slightly. "I know you mean well, but are you sure you should be making a promise you don't know you can keep?"

"I've never broken a promise before. Remember, I may be a thief, but I'm a thief with morals."

Brenna chuckled.

"What?"

"I think I remember you saying something similar that first time we met."

He grinned. "Well, at least I'm consistent."

They startled when Teena burst into the room. "We'd better get going within the hour," she said. "Didn't take long for a bounty hunter to show up. I'm sure you can guess what he's looking for."

"Bounty hunter?" Brenna hadn't expected her parents would look for her by using bounty hunters.

Elidor frowned. "I will admit, I'm surprised your family would actually send a bounty hunter after you."

"That's bad?" Brenna asked.

He sighed. "Thieves have a bit more...elegance whereas bounty hunters are clumsy with their tactics. Your family must be quite desperate to get you back to employ such people."

Brenna knew her parents would do anything to get her back safe and sound, but she would have expected them to send someone she knew. Not some stranger. Bounty hunters were rough folk. They settled for any means necessary to get their prize.

Why would her parents send someone like that after her? Suddenly, this strange adventure was quickly turning into one of the stories in Brenna's books.

A large blur rushed at Brenna, making her jump as a pile of fabric landed on her head. Holding out the fabric in front of her, she realized it was a dress.

"Put it one quickly," Teena said. "It should be more comfortable for you to ride in."

Brenna rubbed her thumbs along the dark blue surface to find it surprisingly smooth. It was well made. Nothing like the fancy dresses she was more accustomed to, but if she could wear something that didn't make her itch all over she'd wear practically anything.

"Should I put on the bonnet again?" she asked.

"No, everyone would know it's from a maid's dress. I have a hood you can put on instead."

Brenna nodded before she rose and went over to the one empty corner of the room. She glanced over at Elidor, who was currently looking over his map. "Um..."

Understanding, Teena ripped the blanket off of her bed and flung it over Elidor's head.

"Hey!" he shouted.

"No peeking," Teena simply replied. "Or I'll tie it around your neck so you can't take it off." She nodded to Brenna.

The girl's straight forward words would definitely take some getting used to, Brenna realized. Grateful for the unusual method of privacy, Brenna changed as quickly as she could so Elidor wouldn't be stuck under the blanket any longer. She was glad to find that the dress was much easier to put on. The scooped neckline was high enough on her chest to help combat the chilling weather. She discovered there were ties on the interior for her to lift the skirt in certain places or to simply leave the dress to flow. She opted to use the ties to prevent tripping over the hem, just in case.

"I'm done now," she said, smoothing the fabric on her hips.

Elidor yanked the blanket off of his head.

Brenna quickly lifted her hand to hide the smile quickly growing. She bit her lip to keep from laughing. His hair was completely disheveled as if he'd gotten the worst bedhead possible. Teena, on the other hand, held nothing back as she burst out into laughter.

Elidor narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Teena just kept laughing.

Before she even realized it, Brenna made a snorting sound in her failed attempt to keep from laughing. She quickly covered her face in embarrassment as Teena laughed even harder. There was a reason she hated her laugh.

When she finally uncovered her face, Elidor was looking at her—or still looking at her—with an odd smile on his face. Before she could say anything, he turned away, bringing his attention back to the map.

"I think we can slip away if we use the western road," he said. "It should take us into the forest where we can travel under cover until we're far enough away."

"Exactly how far are we going?" Brenna asked. The two thieves were on some sort of journey, that much was clear. Elidor had said he still needed to deliver that orb somewhere. She assumed that was where they were headed.

Elidor and Teena glanced at each other as if having a quiet conversation that only they could hear.

"We will be traveling across the border into Geston," Elidor finally said.

Geston?

What were they thinking, going there of all places?

Geston was far from a friendly place. There was a reason Brenna's father made sure that the border was secure against those lands, full of chaos from violent warlords. It was a wild place. Surely not safe for the three of them to wander.

"And...that's where you need to take the orb?" she asked.

They both nodded.

"Why there? Of all places, why do you have to go into Geston? That country is dangerous."

"Not every place is completely dangerous," Elidor replied, surprising Brenna. "There is one safe place. That's where we're going."

"I'd listen to him," Teena said. "It's not that bad a place, so I've heard."

"You've never been there?"

Teena shook her head. She tilted her head towards Elidor. "He's the only one who's been where we're going. He can lead us there safely. I trust him. You can, too."

Elidor looked at her with what looked like a second of surprise, but it quickly changed to a more serious expression. "I understand it's completely different from what you're used to. If it weren't for those thieves wanting to find you to collect some kind of ransom, you would currently still be back in the safety of your tall, secure walls. I wouldn't be taking us into Geston without knowing where to go to make our journey easier."

Realizing it was all the assurance she would get, Brenna hesitantly nodded her head. "Alright, then. When do we leave?"