My next few days were spent doing the odd jobs of all the maids as well as doing my main job, which was being the chambermaid of Sir Caspian. I had spent that time doing my own job avoiding Caspian to the full of my abilities. And in the mix of that, I somehow ended up talking to the prince in passing, and profusely claimed that my 'scabies' was in truth, a lie. Even though he said he believed me, he never seemed to get any closer to me than half a metre.
And despite my attempts, here I was, staring at the man that I've been trying so hard not to interact with.
I turn to grasp the saddle of the horse, in which Caspian grasps my waist to place me onto the horse from his position on the ground. I grab the reins of the horse as Caspian goes to inspect his men before they set off.
"I don't see how you can lug around that massive creature, you poor wittle horsey." I coo to the horse, petting its head. "He's a big fat muscle head Isn't h-" I cut myself off watching some of his men pass by me with a crate of food. Ah, possible confrontation, evaded.
After Caspian had inspected each wagon for the last time and his men, he moved back up to the front of the group, near to me. He continues talking to his high knights that are situated at the front of the group, when suddenly the horse I'm on starts jostling about.
"Woah! Calm down!" I start to freak out, trying to rub it's neck and grasp the reins at the same time, afraid that I might fall off. But Caspian just calmly walks up, still talking to his men and grabs the reins around the horse's neck, and the horse immediately calms down. Causing me to huff out several breaths of relief at the de-escalation of the situation. I feel a few calming pats on my arm, and I look down to see Caspian give me a look of stern reassurance as if to say, 'I am here, so nothing can hurt you'. Which makes me take a deep breath and calm myself down swiftly.
He finishes his conversations and moves to his horse, getting on with great agility. Feeling the cold, hard metal on my back, I knew I was about to be in for another long journey. As Caspian clops the reins on the horse and we start to move, signifying the official start of the journey. But the formation seemed different, as Caspian was now sandwiched between his elite group of high knights and the other soldiers on horses.
"I thought you were the leader? Why are we here?" I ask with just simple curiosity, yet not complaining as I felt safer sandwiched in between the fighting men.
After a few seconds of silence, he speaks, "Do you know what makes a great leader? Someone who can lead from any position." He smirked down to me, with another cheeky grin.
"Do you know what leader means? Someone who leads a group." I cheekily smirk back, with a know-it-all look.
"Ah, that is true. But I'm currently carrying useless cargo." He smirks once more.
"Useless?" I scoff back at him.
"Can you fight?" He asks with a smug face.
"Well, no-one said you had to be on a horse with me." I scowl at his stupid expression of superiority, and smugness.
"Ah well you see, it does. Only Ester and I are allowed to be close to you. And I thought you'd prefer my company over his." He playfully smiles, pointing with his thumb to the middle aged, dark haired and bearded man on the horse.
The hippie is called Ester? Disappointing name for an almost dilf.
"I wouldn't mind sitting with Ester" I counter back, seeing the handsome aged man smile at me with a broken and awkward smile.
"He doesn't bathe." Caspian laughs at my eagerness to join the stinky man. "He says bathing affects his barrier magic." Caspian pats my arm with a laugh.
I just scowl to myself and sink into the cold metal against my back, feeling it move with the deep breaths of the heavily built man.
Drifting myself into thoughtless sleep, by the feeling of constant breaths and rocks of the horse. I rest my eyes upon the chest of the powerful knight.
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"ORCS!" Hearing men shout, I swiftly whip myself awake, and open my eyes to see a band of orcs charge themselves out from the forest they were hiding within, causing me to scream at the sight of them.
I watch as all the men cut and strike orcs down with powerful swipes of their swords, yet the orcs kept coming. In a panic, I grab the neck of the horse, as it agilely swerves itself around the fighting men, and charging orcs. Caspian shouts orders as he moves his horse in the other direction of the forest. However, a slimy orc prepares himself to jump at Caspian, causing me to scream again as I stare into the black filled pits of the orc's eyes. Yet in midair of the orc's attack, Caspian slices it from its shoulder, past his navel and to his side. Successfully cutting the entire orc in half, its steaming body laying slew on the floor.
Moving away from the fight, Caspian enters a line of trees opposite from the infested orc side of the forest. He pushes me off the horse, and yells at me to hide within the bushes that cover the forest floor, as he makes his pursuit back to the battle. Blinded by panic, my mind works unconsciously as I don't even dust myself off, but mindlessly stand and run into the forest, hiding within a large red berry bush.
I clasp my hands onto my mouth, listening for anything coming nearby. Jumping at sudden sounds of distant explosions and metal clanging, tears endlessly drip down my face.
ORCS?!? THAT'S WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE?! I question myself, trying to grasp the reality I'm in.
Hearing pairs of footsteps enter the area of the forest I was in, my breathing becomes erratic, despite the deathly grip I had upon my face. Hearing the footsteps become louder, I pray that it is Caspian's men sent to find me after the battle.
Forcing myself to open my eyes, I stare into a perilous orb through an opening in the bush's branches.
"Karknakr" A deep growl comes from the creature, causing me to scream a throat shattering cry, as it swiftly sticks his hand through the bush and grabs my throat, pulling me out of the bush. I grab the grotesque hand of the orc with a choke of my voice, as it drags me to the other orc next to it.
But he swiftly drops my body onto the floor with disgust, coming to the realisation of something.
"No magic." It sneers, causing the other orc to trudge towards me and rip the front lacing of my dress off with the layers beneath. I scream and flip myself around in protest, in an act to hide my exposed skin, and to keep whatever dignity I had. But the orc just simply grabs my hair and flips me back around.
He puts his large blackened, thick skinned hand on my stomach, pulling it back in shock. He looks at the other orc with a questioning look, using this time of their confusion I quickly get up in an attempt to run away. But my plan is quickly foiled as the orc charges to me and pins me to the ground with his body, holding up a rugged shaped dagger to my throat.
He makes a quick motion with the knife to end my life, but his face suddenly pauses, his head sliding from his neck and dropping to the floor. I look behind the now decapitated body, to a now soaken Caspian in black blood. The other orc charges at him, but without even turning to face him, Caspian just stabs the length of his sword through the orc's heart, pulling it out and flicking the blood off it, before sheathing it.
He looks down to my exposed skin and back up to my now teary and hyperventilating face, clearly traumatised by the whole ordeal. He walks over to me and leans down, picking me up from the floor, hushing me with his voice as he does so. He then plants my wobbly feet onto the floor, but keeping my chest connected with his, so as to not expose me for any longer. He takes off his fur coat that I had returned in the earlier days at the castle, and flips it around me. Maintaining eye contact with me, as he clasps the coat shut.
Seeing my shaking body struggling to maintain balance to stand, he picks me up, still keeping the contact between our chests, so as to minimise the risk of anyone else seeing the skin between my chest and stomach.
Holding me firmly against him, he makes his way back to his horse. Sticking me behind him on the horse, so that I could grab his waist and hide myself against him.
YOU ARE READING
A Mark of Metal
Romance"Now. I'm gonna ask a few questions and you will answer to the best of your ability." He stops his pursuit towards me, with a good few steps between us, but not enough for me to take off and run without being caught. "And if I get a single sense tha...
