The Art Of Thawing A Frozen Heart

Chapter 7

Chapter 6

Needless to say, being kidnapped was not how I pictured my first time out of the castle. The horse was terribly irritable and liked to buck about. I was sure that the vagabond to whom I was held captive did not actually own the horse, or it would've responded better to his choppy commands. There was a small band of men, actually. The two who rode close behind us looked like red-headed brothers. The man I was attached to rode in front of the triangle, and you could tell he was of no blood relation to the other two. I tried my best to keep from touching him on the unstable horse. My mouth had dried out long ago due to the strip of cloth they had used to gag me.

I kept re-living that moment in the woods...

I'd been waiting for Jack to wake up, quite sure it would take a while, and I wanted to be out before him (especially after all the noise of the night previous). No doubt someone would speak to him about it, and I hoped he knew better than to say it was me... but even if he didn't, no one would believe him. I bit my lip in excitement as the memory of last night awoke fresh in my mind. It seemed like I would never get over how natural it had felt, and how we had fit together so perfectly… or the closeness. It was all more like a pleasant dream.

The leaves rustled above me as the sun began to show its first hints of rising. By then Jack would definitely be up and getting ready. It was almost like a perfect replay of the day before, only this time I was waiting on Jack, not the other way around. At least this time I wouldn't have to worry about him popping out to scare me again. I sat under the tree we had met under earlier and listened to the birds as the morning came. When I felt a blindfold fall over my eyes I was amazed at how quick Jack had woken up. With a small screech I jumped at the sudden contact. "Jaaaa-ck! I thought you promised!" I groaned, waiting for Jack's usual chuckle as my cheeks warmed.

"I don't know who this Jack is, but if he's got you used to blindfolds… Huh. Who knew we were dealing with such an experienced prince."

Then I found myself in such a situation, riding to some unknown land with three unknown thieves. Before long, we came across a meadow in the middle of the forest with some cliffs lining its edge. I was lifted from the horse and dragged into the cave where they covered the entrance with some vines. "Oi, so what are we gonna do about 'im now that we've done the job, Rider?" One of the brothers asked. "Relax… I've got this all planned out. The way I'm thinking, it would be a waste to kill him, right? I mean, he's obviously educated, being a prince and all. That alone would make him pretty easy to sell as a slave or somesuch, but there's also the… market. He's got a nice, untouched face. That'll get us a pretty penny or two apart from what we've already made off Pitch. So it's really up to you guys from there, then onto the next job." Said the one with brown hair. His words sent shivers down my spine. Pitch? Slave? Market?

I… wanted Jack.

The castle was in a panic as the news flew around about what had happened to the prince. Aster looked more out of sorts than I had ever seen him before. The girls were absolutely beside themselves as they flitted about, trying unsuccessfully to be helpful. The king was in an uproar, using up all the air to yell at everyone in his worry. Even Snotlout looked… well, no. Snotlout looked almost… pleased? But that was to be expected. I could do nothing but stand speechless, with my stomach in my knees, trying to keep calm. My nails dug into the palms of my hands, drawing blood, but I couldn't feel it. The knights were all running around, preparing to leave in search.

Without my noticing it, Aster and I were back in the noise-filled servant's quarters. When the flow of people suddenly slowed, Aster gripped my arm, pulling me up off the small bench we perched on. "Ouch! Aster!?" I cried as he suddenly dragged me through the corridor until we had reached his room. Without warning, he pulled me in and slammed the door behind him. Then he flipped around and stared at where I had fallen unceremoniously to the floor. Looking me over, he finally gave me a stern glance, "I know. About… you two."