Duty Bound

Chapter 4

"Shit," he muttered under his breath as he walked up to the man with the rocket launcher. "Shit, shit, shit." 

He was done for now. He now knew that if he continued to obey orders, he'd definitely go on the crown prince's hit list, right alongside the princess.

He stood over the bleeding man. He'd shot too quickly to aim well, but he could see that he'd missed any major arteries. Good. He needed him alive.

"Are there more of you?" he asked.

"Go to hell!" the man grunted, reaching feebly for the rocket launcher beside him.

Crowley picked it up and slung it over his shoulder. He'd only ever used one once, and hadn't liked it. It was too big, too unwieldy. Still, he might find a use for it, the way the day was going.

"I'll ask you again. Are there more of you in these woods?" he asked.

"I'll never tell you," the man spat.

Crowley jammed his foot down onto the bullet wound in his shoulder. The man yowled in pain as the heel of Crowley's shoe ground hard against the bleeding flesh. After a few seconds, he lifted his foot.

"Again, are there more of you?" he repeated.

This time, the sheer volume of information which came from the attacker could have filled a pamphlet. Apparently the crown prince had put an assassin every ten miles, just to make sure the job got done properly. There would be two more men waiting down the road.

Crowley took a moment to think. They no longer had transportation, and the road was out of the question anyway. He'd have to take the princess to Crown Court off the road and on foot, which meant they wouldn't get there until nightfall -- if they got there at all.

He'd seen her faint after running only a short distance. He doubted she'd be physically able to make the journey.

He bent down over the attacker, gripped his head, and snapped his neck before the man could understand what was happening. He needed to conserve his bullets now.

He turned to see the princess staring at him, her eyes wide. How easy would it be to just leave her? If the assassins didn't get to her, the cold and hunger almost certainly would. 

"We have to get off the road, princess," he said to her.

She walked up to him and looked at the dead man lying on the ground. Rather unexpectedly, she bent down and began to rifle through his coat pockets. Before he could ask her what she was looking for, she pulled a handheld radio out of his pocket.

She grasped it like it was gold.

"I know someone who might help us," she said tentatively. "But you have to trust me."

This was lunacy. When they'd driven into the forest, everything had been so simple and clear. Now, everything he'd ever known seemed to be sinking into quicksand. If the future king had taken such measures to have the princess murdered, the most logical conclusion was that she had been telling the truth.

"I think you overestimate your options, your highness," Crowley said. "Look at where you are."

"The West Woods, I know," she said. "My uncle isn't very far from here. If we could only make it to the coast, he'd meet us there."

"Do you mean the king's brother, who fled the country?" he asked.

"He never fled. He escaped before my father could have him killed. He's been in hiding these many years."

"And what could he do, exactly?" Crowley asked.

"Give me – us – a place to hide where my brother can't find me. I'll figure something out from there."

Crowley didn't like the thought of ignoring orders, but it was clear that the orders were no use to him now. If the princess was in danger, he was in just as much danger for protecting her. Even if he somehow made it out, the crown prince could easily have him murdered.

The princess began to tweak dials on the radio, eventually finding the correct frequency, and speaking into it.

After a few fruitless attempts, a voice answered back.

"This is the Evangeline, come in?" the static replied.

"Evangeline, this is Amy, currently in the West Woods, en route to the coast. I need sanctuary, do you copy?"

The static was silent, and Crowley was beginning to roll his eyes. This plan was never going to work.

"Copy, your highness," the static said.

The princess beamed and proceeded to walk off, beckoning for Crowley to follow her. He stayed firm where he was.

"You're not coming?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

Shit, he thought again. If he went with her, he'd be a traitor too. If he left her, he'd probably be killed anyway. No matter what he did, he was doomed. He cursed Captain Porter for picking him as backup that morning.

"Suit yourself, captain," the princess said, and began limping away.

"I wouldn't do that, your highness," he said.

She stopped, eyeing the rocket launcher over his back, and the gun sticking out of his side holster. Her eyes were wide with fear again.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because the coast is that way," he said, pointing in the opposite direction.

She seemed to melt with relief before his eyes. After taking a moment, she turned and began to walk in the correct direction. He took his place at her side, wishing Captain Porter had picked someone else to be his backup.