The Crown cannot Help You

Chapter 5: The Fire

Audelia had used up so much energy in her futile escape that at one point, she found herself drifting off. She tried to resist it, but she eventually couldn't help falling asleep.

Flynn continued on the journey, happier that she wasn't talking and annoying him, but eventually, he began getting tired himself, so he pulled into a nearby forest and set up camp for the night.

Audelia awoke a few hours later, placed upon the floor next to a blazing fire. Flynn's jacket was still draped over her, which made her skin itch all over, but she wasn't stupid enough to take it off her. After all, it was the only item of clothing she truly had on.

"Is the fire warm enough for you, your majesty?" Flynn mocked at her as he noticed her beginning to awaken.

Audelia froze as she heard him and then remained still, hoping if he thought she had gone back to sleep, that he would leave her alone.

"I know you're awake." Flynn finally fired back, a sigh evident in his tone.

Audelia cursed to herself and carefully sat herself up before slowly turning to face Flynn. Unwittingly, her face was pulled into a pout, she was tired, and her whole body ached, not to mention she was stuck with the worst company.

Flynn was perched on a mossy stone, his calloused hands were outstretched towards the fire, and his eyes were looking everywhere but at Audelia.

"What were you dreaming about?" He finally uttered, providing the crackling of the fire some company in the quiet.

Audelia believed it to be her turn to ignore him, only to return the favour of what he'd been doing to her the whole time. She stared across the fire at him, focusing upon his face that was aglow from the fire. His skin was stained with speckles of mud and possible blood, and his forehead was wrinkled in a permanent expression of anger.

Audelia was entirely curious as his face told a million stories, all of which could only be painful. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the most noticeable scar upon his face, which was a thin paled line that ran from just above his top lip to the bottom of his chin.

"It didn't seem like a very pleasant dream." Flynn proceeded, now staring straight back at Audelia, which she just noticed. "I mean, you started screaming at one point."

Flynn took her face in and watched as her cheeks reddened ever so slightly.

Audelia bit the inside of her cheek lightly; it had been such a while since she last had a nightmare but seeing Flynn must have resurfaced everything she'd worked hard to suppress.

Flynn let out a sudden chuckle. "Unless of course it was a great dream, and you were screaming for all the right reasons."

Any feelings of embarrassment quickly fizzled away, and Audelia rolled her eyes, not understanding Flynn's perpetual need to be crude.

"It wasn't about me, was it?" He grinned as his breath became visible in the cold night with every word.

"You got me." Audelia hissed through clenched teeth. "I was reliving that fun little time where you forced my carriage to crash, dragged my dad out from beside me, and killed him in front of me. All while I was trapped and unable to do anything." The words flew out of her mouth before she had a chance to think, before she had a chance to stop them.

"He deserved it." Flynn spat, getting caught up in the heat of the moment.

But as Flynn looked at the slightly heartbroken look on Audelia's face, he dropped his smile, and he instantly looked away. He didn't regret killing her father, it was perhaps the one kill he didn't currently regret. But he did regret how it affected Audelia, he knew the pain of losing family and no one deserved that.