In The Name of The King (#Wattys2016)

To Trust or Not To Trust

Click the song for the full effect! :)

Chapter 7

It's been three days since I decided to trust Arthur.

I was still debating if I made the right choice or not. The dirt road crunched beneath my feet with every stride I took. Dust from the wagons that passed by, kicked up into our faces. I scrunched my nose in disgust. We've been walking this road for two days now. I was on the edge of a mental breakdown. I wanted to stomp my foot, and cry out like a child. Except, I knew it would only end negatively. Biting my lip, I tried holding in the rage that begged to lash out. In that moment, Arthur threw his head back in laughter. I glared at him. What's he laughing at now? 

Within the couple of days I've known Arthur, I knew he was arrogant, confident, and very infuriating. I scoffed, annoyed.

"I have a cat and I'm not afraid to use it!" I exclaimed loudly, holding Neela up close to his face. Neela hissed, emphasizing my point. Arthur laughed even louder, clutching his gut, trying to keep his footing. Frowning, I grumbled curse words under my breath, quickening my pace.

"Awww come on Mary, I was only having some fun," Arthur laughed, catching my wrist. Guilt from the lie I told him the first day we met nagged at me. I hated myself for depending on him, I hated how he made my mood go from happy to exasperated in mere seconds. Huffing loudly, I narrowed my eyes.

"When are we going to get off of this wretched road?" I groaned, not caring if I sounded like a spoiled brat. The white fluffy clouds loomed over us, eliminating our shadows. Arthur smiled slightly, nodding forward.

"Not far, we're almost there," Neela whipped her tail in annoyance, her small body curling up under the safety of my armpit. Since we both plummeted down the edge of a cliff, Neela's been more cautious than usual.

"If I have to-," A loud catastrophic noise interrupted my rant. Neela pounced out of my grasp onto the uneven road. My body became rigid, as my eyes widened in shock. What was that? I could feel my heart pounding frantically against my rib cage.

"Did you just flinch?" Arthur asked in amusement. A growl escaped my lips, receiving a raised brow in response.

"What was that?" I asked, for fear of maybe...just maybe...Caldwell finally caught up to us. The wind kicked up, rustling my chestnut hair. I tilted my gaze to the turquoise sky above, this wasn't how my life was supposed to turn out. I was supposed to get married, I was supposed to become a housewife. I wasn't supposed to get kidnapped by my father's killer who's now hunting me down for reasons I'm unsure of.

"It was the Bell tower in the next town over," Arthur smirked devilishly. In the distance the terra-cotta rooftops could be seen. As we neared the small town, we came across a bridge that had elaborate designs etched into the stone. I ran my fingers across the bumps and crevices of the bridge, feeling every detail of the glorious artwork. Arthur stood stoically beside me, admiring the stone work.

We strolled onward, passing numerous cobblestone houses and avoiding eye contact with onlookers. Arthur didn't know what I was thrusted into, what obstacle I was facing. Caldwell's fiery red hair and green eyes made my stomach twist and knot. He made me sick just thinking about him.

We finally arrived at our destination. Arthur and I walked up the stone pathway, throwing glances towards one another. He knocked forcefully onto the wooden door. The door looked as if it only had a couple years left of use in it.

"Hey! Gavin!," The door flung open, a tanned face greeting us from the doorway. The man had a square jaw, brown eyes, a muscular build, and a mop of light brown hair to match. Arthur's lips curled up into a wide smile.