The Five [EDITING]

Chapter Twenty-One: Truth

ALIENA

   After waking from the vision, Uncle Jack pointed me toward a shelter made of branches even while I winced and held the cloth to my bleeding nose. Not a true shelter, more of a lean-to made specifically for privacy but I recognized the weaved layers and knew my friends were responsible at first glance.
   I rubbed a tender spot on my head as I stood, my other hand going to my injured arm which felt worse then it should have, no doubt I'd pulled my stitches again. "Geac?" I asked Jack.
   "Still sleeping." He replied simply.
   I frowned at him and went off, realizing that I'd been covered in my cloak for which I was happy for, seeing as I was nearly in my undergarments beneath it. The Rangers moved around what they'd claimed as camp, but I felt like they were avoiding me. Obviously word of who I was had spread in the short time I was out.
   I slipped inside the lean-to to see Venny and a grumpy looking Loryn sitting there, eating stew and drinking water. I was hungry but felt too ill still from the vision to talk and so I sat, trying to fetch the energy to go to my bag for my medical supplies. Ritch joined us before I could, still rubbing his eyes from waking. He took one look at the stew and bent to eat as well.
   "So you're really Princess Aliena Greyor?" Loryn asked quietly, breaking the silence that had hung over us.
   I felt uncomfortable speaking about this, having kept it secret all this time, but I nodded. "Queen now, I suppose." I said. "Like you."
   She looked me over and snorted. "I can't see it." She said, then with a laugh. "I just can't. I mean, you're too brutal and wild to..." She trailed off, looking over my shoulder, I looked to see Geacob standing there and stood myself, a hesitant smile on my face.
   "Hello, Geac. I wish to apologize for---"
   "So, tell me your name again?" He said, his tone not at all gentle and there was a sarcastic undertone that I didn't like at all, but I answered him just the same.
   "Aliena Greyor."
   "Ah, yes." He said. "Funny, I thought I remembered you saying that, but for some reason, I assumed it was a cruel jest. Silly me, I suppose." He turned around and walked away without another word.
   Hurt passed across me, painful and sharp but I followed him out quickly. He was walking so fast I had to run to catch up.
   "Geac? Geacob wait. You must understand---"
   He spun around to face me so fast that I nearly ran into him. "I don't have to understand a bloody thing that comes out of your mouth."
   There was something ugly on his face, something I hadn't seen there before, but I reminded myself that this had come to a shock to him. Not doubt he felt betrayed that I had kept such a thing a secret so well from him. I kept calm with these reminders. "I am sorry that I did not tell you, but I didn't know---"
   "You knew a lot more than I!" He shouted and I became aware of a crowd forming around us and my cheeks flamed in the embarrassment of getting so publically yelled at. "For the sake of all the gods that listen, Alie --- or Aliena or whoever you are --- you expect me to just be alright with this?"
   "You said you would be." I reminded him as calmly as I could.
   "That was before I knew the lie! Now you're ruined and I refuse to take blame when it was because of such a manipulative girl such as you!"
   "I'm the same person you said you loved." I told him, my face was calm though I felt it heat with even further embarrassment as he so loudly told everyone I was ruined. "Nothing has changed except who my parents were."
   "Everything has changed!" He threw up his hands. "You think there's any future for us? I stay with you and what? Become king? I'm a feking Ranger! A Ranger. And proud to be one!" There were a few cheers around us at that, but I barely noticed them anymore. "I wear my cloak proudly!"
   I felt a flare of anger with the insult. "I would never ask you to give up your cloak, Geacob. What kind of person do you think I am?"
   Someone spoke from the crowd around us. "We thought you were a Ranger."
   Geacob laughed harshly. "Apparently, no one knows what kind of person she is, huh?"
   And that was where I finally snapped.
   My hand shot out and cracked across his face, knocking him back in surprise. "How dare you speak to me that way!" I shouted at him. "I never lied to you directly. Assumptions were made and I went with it, that is all I did. And I did so in order to protect myself! Even then, I remained the same person that I am. You believe all that hunting was, what, an act? That killing Archrik was an act? Standing my ground against the dragon as he snapped his teeth at me in anger? An act?"
   His hand left his jaw to throw both hands up in the air. "Who knows? I, more than anyone, am aware of how good of a liar you are!"
   I couldn't take this. Not from Geacob. I turned toward the horses without another word, pushing around Loryn and elbowing aside Uncle Jack to reach them, but Geacob wasn't done. No, now that I had gotten him started, he didn't seem to want to stop.
   "Where are you doing, Princess? Back to Nascia to claim your crown as queen?"
   I spun around and pointed a finger in his face. "I spit on you, Geacob. I would have told you sooner, but I was afraid it would change the way you looked at me." My eyes found Jacks whose face was tight with stress. "I should have listened to you, Uncle Jack. I was a fool to believe you were wrong because of a few flimsy words whispered in the night." I turned away from both of them and hauled myself upon the horse weakly, grimacing at the pain in my arm.
   Still he was not done. "Where are you going?" He demanded. "Stealing a horse from Ranger's isn't your best idea, Princess."
   "I am borrowing it!" I snapped. "And not that it is any of your business, I'm going to the nearest town to get a strong drink and a room that is away from you." I shook my head at him. "You are not the man I thought you were, Geacob. You're nothing but a boy in a cloak who believes himself better than anyone who hadn't had to steal food to survive." I turned the horse away.
   "Speaking of cloaks," he called out, "better loose yours!"
   "Fek you!" I shouted back at him. Princess or not, there are times when such language was needed and this was one of those times. "I've earned it!"
   I kicked the horse into a fast gallop, nearly running a Ranger over in the process but I did not care.
   I needed to get away quickly, before they say the tears fall.