Blood for her Crown

Chapter Nine

Jamie

As soon as they set foot into Aderah's house, the heads of the two girls sitting at the dining table spun around. Four plates with bread on them were already ready for them to eat.

Grace rolled her eyes at them. "Took you long enough, boys. Do I want to know what you two were doing out there?"

Ciden cleared his throat and looked at her innocently with his bright blue eyes. "I went for a walk, apparently for too long." He glanced at Jamie, who shrugged.

"You've been out there for like...an eternity. Given your survival skills, God knows what could have happened."

Ciden was ready to defend himself, but Jamie held up his hand to silence him. "It's okay, you can thank me later for saving your ass from these dangerous stray cats."

Grace turned around with a sigh, choosing not to participate in this pointless conversation and just continue to eat instead.

Aderah was still glancing at them with raised eyebrows. Right... She wasn't used to that.

Jamie didn't want to hear Ciden's answer. He was too offended that Grace was eating without him. "What, now you're not even waiting for your long lost friend to sit with you and tell you everything about his adventure before you eat?" He held a finger to his left ear. "There. Can you hear it? The sound of my poor heart shattering."

Grace huffed and tore off a piece of bread. "Oh yeah, I've heard it. Sounded delightful." She grinned and led her hand with the piece of bread to her mouth.

Jamie stole the bread from her and stuck out his tongue before he threw it into his mouth.

"Bastard."

"Guilty."

This saying had become a thing between them a few years ago. He didn't even remember how this developed.

Jamie stalked around her chair and sat down next to her. Ciden was still standing by the door like a lost puppy.
By the expression on his face, Jamie could tell that he still wanted to punch him in the face. He earned this look way too often for his taste.

Still, Ciden decided to let him live, and took a seat across from him, next to Aderah, who hadn't said anything the entire time.

Now that everyone was sitting, she picked up the word. "When are you going to leave?"

Grace chewed on her bread and waved her hand in incomprehensible gestures. She swallowed and answered Aderah. "We'll be gone at the first rays of the sun. We're going to pay for your help, don't worry. After that we won't be bothering you anymore."

Jamie noticed Aderah's slow, hesitant nod from the corner of his eye. As he looked over at her, he saw her biting her lower lip while she stared at her plate. It surprised him how different she acted from when she had addressed them that noon. She hadn't been this nervous and reserved before.

"I was wondering," she started, „if I...I was wondering if you would take me with you?"

Ciden, who was just about to bite into his bread, stopped in his tracks. Grace and Jamie exchanged looks. He tilted his head, considering. He hadn't expected something like that.

"Why?" The only thing Grace said after seconds of silence.

"There is nothing holding me here. I don't know where you're going or what your plans are, and I'm not going to ask." She looked at them one by one before continuing. "I only want to ride with you for a few days, just out of this village and through the forest. After that, you'll be rid of me. I'd be crazy if I tried to do it alone. I don't want your money. If you want to give me something in return for my help, let me come with you. You are my only chance to get out of here."

When Grace only nodded, chewing on the last bit of her bread, Aderah added, "I swear, I'm not going to cause trouble. I have a horse, and I am a good rider, I can keep up with you."

Jamie wouldn't have a problem with her coming along, but it was for Grace to decide.

"I liked your little speech, I'll give you that. I mean, you could have just answered my question, that would have been enough, but it's good to know that you won't be holding us back."

Aderah looked down at her plate, and even in this bad light, Jamie could see that her cheeks had turned red in embaressment.

"Does that mean I can come with you?", she mumbled.

"Yes. At least for some time. But if you do cause trouble, we'll leave you behind."

Grace locked eyes with her and waited for an answer.

"That's all I want. Thank you." She smiled.

Grace's expression lit up a little–not quite a smile, but not that stone cold mask she had worn before either. Aderah released a deep breath in relief.

Grace seemed to like her; she never smiled at anyone except Jamie and now Ciden it seemed.

After they ate, they decided to go to sleep, since they would need some rest before the next day. Aderah had offered Grace her bed, but she'd refused. Instead, she took the small, ripped sofa, which meant that Ciden and Jamie had to sleep on the floor with their blankets. They were used to that by now, so they immediately fell asleep.

Aderah

Aderah woke up long before sunrise. She still had trouble believing that she could finally escape this village. She'd always been too scared to go on her own. The way out was too dangerous for someone like her to travel alone.
Soon, she realised that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, so she got up and put on her shoes. Quietly, to not wake the others, she went outside. Every time she had trouble sleeping, she'd visit her horse.

When she opened the door of the shed where the white mare was housed, the scent of hay and straw met her. The horse stood in the corner, dozing.

Slowly, Aderah approached her. The horse opened its eyes as soon as Aderah's hand touched her neck. Aderah patted her for a few minutes, until she remembered something.

She turned towards one of the two closets that stood on the opposite wall. Hoping to find them, she opened the door and actually found the two saddlebags she'd never thought to use. But these bags weren't the only things in there.

In one of them was something way more important to her: four wooden figures her brother had carved, a beautiful dagger her father had forged, and her mother's necklace.

She'd put the things that belonged to her family in these bags after they were gone. It'd hurt her too much to look at them, but she couldn't bring herself to get rid of them either.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The sun was just about to come up when the four of them were gathering their stuff. It wasn't much, mostly food for the ride and medicine and the things of her family.

They put all of the medical supplies into Aderah's saddlebags. Jamie put her few clothes into his. Grace took the weapons and Ciden the food and water.

They headed out as the first rays of the sun shone through the windows.