The Lost Princess

Chapter 9

Charlotte didn’t say much over the next week. Kendall brought breakfast to her tent every morning before waking her up and leaving before she could open her eyes. Then she would hang around the fire ease dropping on the conversations of the other men. Once they had spoken of the Princes company and how they had men out everywhere looking for him, but that we were so deep in the woods that they would never reach us.

Even if they did it wouldn’t make any difference to Charlotte. One captor was just as good as the other to her.

She hadn’t spoken to Rider since the day he accused her of lying. 

It scared her. He was right and he knew it. She couldn’t be so careless anymore. Every word that she spoke could give something away. She had to chose each word as if her life depended on it, mainly because it did.

Charlotte took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She could feel cool air on her face, even in front of the fire. The smell of burning wood reminded her of her home. There had been a fire place in her bedroom. One night after everyone had gone to bed, including Charlotte, she was suddenly waken up by someone throwing wood into her fire place.

Come to find out, that night was one of the coldest that year. Her servants hadn’t lit a fire upon her request. At the time she had hated the smell of wood in the fire place. But that night her father had snuck into her bedroom and lit a fire in the dead of night to keep her safe and warm. Something inside her changed that night. From then on out, Charlotte wanted a fire in her room almost every night until winter was over.

Charlotte smiled at the memory of her father. She didn’t have many. He had always been so busy. But the memories she did have were lovely and the thought of them now made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. If he could only see her now, sitting by a camp fire surrounded by dirty older men. Her smile widened. He would die, she thought.

“Why so happy,” said a voice from beside her. The smile immediately disappeared from her face.

Kendall.

“Fine, don’t tell me,” he said, “Not like I actually care. Just doing my duty.”

“And what is that,” she blurted. Damn, she thought, almost an entire week.

He looked almost shock to hear her voice. “I told you already,” he said. “No,” she replied, “You told me your goal and I told you mine. You said nothing about your duty and I highly doubt it has anything to do with bringing me breakfast every morning and making sure my clothing gets washed every two days.”

Kendall sighed like he always did before getting into something he really didn’t want to. “Listen,” he started, “I don’t like this anymore than you do. Do you really think that my ideal job would be following you around all day, bringing you food, and doing your laundry. No, but like I’ve told you before. These men and I all share a common goal. I can’t succeed in that goal by myself. I need them and they seem to need Rider, so I do what he says and maybe we have a chance.”

It was quiet for a while as both of them just stared at the fire. “One thing I really don’t understand though is, if you have nothing to hide why are you so scare all the time,” he asked.

Charlotte looked him in the eye, but didn’t say a word.

It was all a game, she reminded herself, she shouldn’t be talking to him. Everything she said could give them the information they needed and the information that could get her killed.

“I’m not scared,” she said standing from her place beside the fire and walking back to her tent.  Kendall didn’t follow her this time and she thanks the heavens for that because as soon as she was away from the main camp site tears started to form in her eyes.