The Wanderers [Old Version]

Chapter 20: Trust

Rain's POV

We ran as fast as we could up the driveway to the cabin. Princess Bryn's legs dangled and bounced as I carried her.

I ran faster than Petra, even carrying an extra hundred pounds or so. But at the last 15 feet to the cabin, she ran ahead of me and opened the door.

Nico and Clara were dancing to happy, upbeat Old World music but stopped immediately when I rushed in.

I put the Princess on the couch and let Petra take a look at her wounds.

Nico walked up behind us, "You found a girl..."

"Princess Bryn Elric, the..."

"..the princess of Lightstone...holy shit.."

Nico's voice was barely louder than a whisper, as if he was trying to not be found by the rest of Lightstone.

Clara limped over and kneeled next to the Princess and held her hand, "Bryn...I...I can't believe you're here.."

"Clara?"

"I'm fine."

"You know her?"

"Yes. She was my childhood friend. My father is the High Judge of Lightstone, remember? I was so used to being near royalty as a child."

Petra lifted the Princesses leg and looked at it with a serious expression, "Well. She's alive. This will probably leave a nasty burn mark. Do we have any burn ointment?"

Nico ran to the bags of supplies and began searching, "Pills. Pills. Pills. Oh hey, more pills. A few bandages. Bingo. A bottle of burn ointment."

Petra scooped some out with her fingers and rubbed it onto the burn.

The Princess flinched and shot up, Nico grabbed her shoulders and held her down.

"I demand you let me go! Ahhh!!!"

"Just relax we're here to help you!"

"Let...me...go!!"

She swung her arm back and hit Nico in the side of his jaw. I could see him push down harder on her shoulders, "I said calm down! We're helping you here! Now try to stay quiet, or every fiend in the city will be on top of us in a heartbeat!"

She continued squirming but stopped screaming. The only sounds she made were her screams of pain.

Petra rubbed the ointment onto one last patch of her burnt skin and I helped her bandage it.

Nico let go of the Princesses shoulders and she sat up, leaning against the armrest of the couch.

Petra gave the Princess the traditional Lightstone bow, "Princess, I am sorry for hurting you. But you must understand it was to help you."

She sighed, "Yes. Thank you. Who are you people? You look young."

I nodded, "We're thieves from Lightstone. We fled the kingdom. We've been living out here in the wastes ever since."

Her eyes got big, "You are the thieves that evaded the Military Police!?"

"In the flesh."

"I apologize, but I thought that you would just be a little bit, well...older."

"Princess, why are you out here in the wastes? You never left the castle, let alone the kingdom. Now you're out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"I fled the kingdom. I wanted to see the world. Father never let me enjoy life as a princess should have. The mere peasants, oh, I mean...lower class men, enjoyed life more than I did in that cursed kingdom. Where did you find me?"