Unbroken

Chapter 7

We walked throughout the night without stopping. I thought my legs were going to fall off with every step. I stumbled around in the dark as I tried to keep up with Grant's pace. The treetops blocked our view of the sky but Grant somehow still knew where he was going. I was completely exhausted from all of the previous nights of not being able to sleep. Several times Grant had slowed his pace to accommodate for my slower one.

We walked in silence. The only noise was my clumsy feet that seemed to step on every single twig and crunchy leaf that littered the forest floor. Grant on the other hand moved through the dark like smoke. He never made any sound, it was eerie how silently he moved.

I was just about to fall asleep while walking when Grant held up his hand signifying a halt for which I was grateful. It was tempting to collapse on the ground right then and there and surrender to sleep. He looked up into the trees and I was confused but then again I had always wanted to sleep in a tree and right now it didn't seem like that bad of an idea. The guards that were following us wouldn't ever suspect a princess sleeping up in a tree. Grant looked up into the branches and when he saw what he was looking for he walked towards the trunk then sprung upward. His hands clasped the large branch and he swung his body up into the canopy disappearing from sight. The branches were much higher than my head and I wondered how I would get myself up there. I hoped that Grant would extend a hand and help me up. That would be the gentlemanly thing to do.

As I walked towards the trunk that he had climbed something black clunked to the ground causing me to jump back a few paces. It was a pack and a sword. A few seconds later Grant thudded to the ground next to me with a wicked grin on his face. I scowled at him for startling me and his grin widened.

He dropped down next to his pack and started digging through it. He pulled out a cloak and threw it to me. I didn't realize just how cold I had been until I wrapped it around my shoulders. He then strapped the sword to his belt. .

"We'll rest here for a few hours." He said. I pulled the cloak around me and dropped to the ground. It was the first time in my life that I hadn't slept in a real bed. I was so tired that the hard tree roots and the rocks didn't bother me. Instantly I was asleep.

What felt like a few seconds later I felt a hand at my shoulder and I opened my eyes. It was light under our thick canopy of trees. The sun had finally come up. I noticed that it was considerably warmer than it had been last night.

"We need to get moving. They're getting closer." Grant told me and I nodded then stood. I stretched and arched my back causing my joints to crack in protest. I put my cloak in Grant's pack which he slung across his back and we continued walking. "Why are you leaving your home?" He asked as if Julianne hadn't already told him the answer.

"I'm trying to get out of a marriage with a man that I don't want to marry."

"The only way to do that is to run away?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My mother doesn't exactly care about what I want. She thinks that she knows best when it comes to my future." I wanted to change the subject I was getting angry thinking about my mother and the Duke. As of last night I was supposed to be an engaged woman. Mother was probably furious at my disappearance. I could just imagine her stalking back and forth across her room. She would probably scream at the guards. I worried about Julianne and the possible consequences that would be coming her way. She had told me not to worry about her but I couldn't help it. She had taken a huge risk for me and I hoped that she was alright.

"Doesn't she trust you to make a good decision?" He bluntly asked interrupting my thoughts and I didn't reply. He had just said what I had always thought. Mother didn't trust me. She didn't trust my judgement. Which was why she set me up with a man that was much older than me so he could take care of me and make my decisions for me. Grant acknowledged my silence as my answer and he nodded. After a few minutes of walking he passed me some smoked meat from his pack. "I know it's not steak cut from the finest beef like you're used to at your palace but it will keep you alive princess." He joked with a mocking bow and I thanked him with a horrible curtsey.

"You are too kind." I growled through my teeth.

Gran laughed at me then we continued walking. Occasionally we would stop and Grant would listen for the guards that were following us. They were far behind us Grant assured me.

When we stopped for a drink at a stream there was a loud crack that caused me to jump and Grant rose from his toes to look around.

"The guards?" I whispered and he shook his head holding up his hand. I slowly stood and readied myself to run. Grant looked around and then he stopped his eyes trained on one spot. Without moving his gaze he reached out and took my hand. Slowly he took a few steps backwards pulling me with him. I had no idea what he was looking at but I followed his lead. I felt a stick under my foot and tried to get off of it but it cracked loudly breaking the silence I looked at Grant with wide eyes.

"Run" he said and I took off straight into the arms of a skinny hairy man. I gasped as my body collided with his. A booming laugh burst from him as I looked up to his face. Kind blue eyes smiled back at me beneath thick dark bushy eyebrows.

My neck jerked around and I saw Grant bending over in uncontrollable laughter. His hands were on his knees as he tried to breathe through his laughter. I glared at him as I pulled myself away from the skinny man that I had smacked into.

"Grant my boy!" The man boomed and Grant smiled.

"Rose this is Huston. Huston, Rose." He said gesturing back and forth between the two of us as he wiped at the tears that had formed in his eyes.

I stuck my hand out and the man took it in his and brought it to his lips. Through his beard I could make out crooked teeth with a few gaps as he smiled at me. It was such an odd smile that I smiled back in return.

"Good to see you finally got yourself a girl!" Huston said and Grant immediately turned pink. I had to control myself at his obvious embarrassment. Huston chuckled at how uncomfortable Grant was.

"She's not..." Grant began and Huston scowled. It was my turn to try to control my laughter.

"I always knew you were dumb boy, but now I see you're just plain stupid." Huston said.

Grant was looking at the ground, the trees, the sky, anywhere except me. I was desperately trying to keep in the giggles.

Huston sighed and shook his head as he looked at the mortified Grant. "Well if this isn't your girl, what are you doing out here with her?"

"I'm taking her through the forest."

"Yes, I see that. What else?"

"She's going to visit her family at the castle of King Jonathan."

"Jonathan you say? Why aren't you on the road?"

"She prefers the scenic route." Grant said with a shrug.

"Alright you keep your secrets if you want them. Just be careful there's been talk of Ruben's gang traveling through the forest." Huston said as he scratched his belly.

Ruben was a known slave trader. Him and his group of followers would capture people of all ages and do horrible things to them. They tried to break them. Those who didn't break were killed and those that did were sold as slaves. I shuddered at the thought of being caught and the things that they did to their prisoners. With any luck we would be able to avoid them.

Grant shared some of his dried meat with Huston then we left him to continue our journey. I looked back over my shoulder to wave at him and he gave me his crooked smile.