King's Conquest (The Crown of Estoir)

~~The Bandit in the Forest (16)~~

Negin Gierre, one of the royal warriors, had been assigned to accompany General Seether's regiment at the borders to wait for the king if he were still alive. And so, he was.

He didn't understand how the king had achieved their freedom, but he had been exhilarated at the news. It meant less levy on the poor, as there would be no tribute payments to the rotten Faelon.

His comrades were beside themselves with joy at the campsite. Their King was a hero and they were proud to serve him. However, he felt fury whenever he saw the girl, he had brought with him. She was exquisite with delicate features, dark hair and olive skin but he wasn't fooled. She was the enemy.

Baron Grus had told the men that she was the King's ward and they were to protect her. Protect? He itched to slice her throat.

The likes of her should not taint his land. It was because of her, he had to resort to ill-means to feed his family. Whatever he earned, after a good portion was taken away for the tribute, wasn't enough.

Staring at the warm fire, he drank. He felt conflicted but he reasoned that she was the king's leman, what better revenge then. He got up for a lie-in, cursing Estoir until he fell asleep to the chorus of men, singing songs of valour and liberty.

Negin would have joined but he needed to get up early as he had a business to care of.

------------------------------------

Last night, when Arianna had left her tent to go in the woods for the privy, she realized that there was no guard behind it but a thick woodland.

An idea came to her right, and so she worked on cutting through the thick fabric of her ten with the knife used for fruits. When there was a fist-sized hole, she slowly ripped it open. The last thing she wanted to do was alert somebody that she was up to no good.

It was past midnight. The entire camp slept, except for those who guarded. She knew that in a few hours there will be a change of guard and it would make escape difficult as dawn wouldn't too be far away.

She had to flee now. If she entered the heart of this country, her future would be in Ethan's hands.

When the tear was big enough, she grabbed a pouch full of food and ran through it with no thoughts. With pulse racing, she stuck to the path from where she and Ethan had taken to arrive at the camp. It led back to Bluedale. Once there, she would start anew. No one would be any wiser.

Arianna had spent several days in the wilderness to know a thing or two about surviving. It was a matter of mere hours and she would be in Bluedale. When she arrived there, she would seek shelter fast. On the edge of every country, there was always a small settlement thriving on the travels of the merchants, travellers and the kind.

She kept on walking. Time whiled away. The blanket of the darkness lifted and light chased the remnants away. The dawn broke as birds chirped, heralding the new morning. Clinging to her cloak, she made her way steadily.

When she was certain that she had put enough distance between herself and the Arlington army, she scrambled onto the main path but stayed to the edge. Feeling hunger pangs, she crouched low and dug into the pouch for cheese and meat. She ate savouring the taste, as she hadn't had anything decent for a while.

A robin landed on a snow-laden branch.

Arianna lifted her hoodie, smiling at it.

Then footfalls sounded nearby, making the robin take flight.

She stilled as the voices of two men met her ears.

They sounded to be in some heated discussion.

Peering from a tree closest to the main path, she saw them. Two men who stood huddled together. One had a sack flung over his shoulder.