The Lost Princess

Chapter Nine: Lesson Number One

I stumbled along the same narrow path I'd followed that morning as I blindly made my way up towards the ridge. It was beginning to get dark; the trees and their shadows blurred together as I climbed the hill but I didn't stop to breathe until I reached the top. I took a seat on the gnarled, bench-like roots of an enormous sycamore tree and buried my head in my hands.

Mother was alive.

I had to do this, to help her.

But how could I? If I was caught then she and I would most definitely be killed.

I couldn't leave her there.

The soft sound of approaching footsteps broke me out of my thoughts and I lifted my head as Thomas appeared out of the shadowy trees.

"May I sit?" He asked.

I nodded. He took a seat on a root near me and stared off into the darkening forest. I watched him warily, half expecting some scathing remark.

"Every time I see my father, I'm reminded of what happened to my mother," he said.

My brow furrowed in surprise but I stayed silent.

He looked over at me.

"She was the most wonderful woman and she was killed for no other reason than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. My father is a jealous man, you see, and he thought she was seeing someone else. She wasn't— it was all in his head. But one day, a foreign dignitary came to visit and was quite taken with my mother. Father noticed."

He paused and looked away again as his expression darkened.

"The dignitary stole a kiss, quite against my mother's wishes, and one of the maids reported it to my father. He couldn't afford to risk the wrath of the other kingdom by accusing their emissary, so instead he accused my mother of adultery and sentenced her to die. He paid off the other man and my mother was executed."

He was silent for a moment.

"I was eight years old and I wanted so desperately to make him pay," he said, his voice hollow. "His sins continue to pile up and I force myself to wait because I know there's more at stake than just my vengeance."

He met my gaze again. Some of the ice in his eyes thawed before he looked away.

"We brought this on you too quickly," he said. "I apologize."

"I apologize as well," I replied after a moment. My heart ached from his story as I thought of my own mother. "I know what Bella means to you. I never meant to put her in danger."

"Thank you," Thomas said as a faint smile appeared on his face.

"If I might ask, why do you need my help for this?" I asked after a moment, honestly curious.

"You're convenient," he said matter-of-factly. "You were raised by a noble family, so therefore you were trained to act like a lady. You were also able to make it from your home to the Great Forest by yourself, survive a run-in with my father's soldiers, and help save a dragon."

He paused and leaned forward to rest his arms on his knees.

"You have also managed to befriend both my siblings in a short amount of time. They like you. They trust you. I trust them."

I leaned forward as well. Two could play at this game.

"And what about you?" I asked quietly as I tilted my head to the side. "Do you trust me?"

A look I couldn't identify passed across his face for a split second before he gave me a wry grin. He leaned in closer, and a shiver ran down my spine.