White Force

Into the Village

Guys I'm having writer's block! Every time I try to write, I just can't. I think I put White Force out too soon. Writing a whole book in one month and then turning around to write the second was harsh on my brain. Please be patient with me an enjoy Blue City updates until I get my noggin back! Chapters may be a bit shorter than normal. Thanks for your patience!

Anya

It grew noticeably colder the father north we journeyed and the daring winds tortured my frosted cheeks, causing me to keep myself firmly pressed against Sebastian's back as we rode on. Syn silently rode on Luca's bear, taking us the long way around the nearest village to keep Prince Sebastian and myself from being recognized. My aunt was sure Titus would send word again, which would reach each northern tribe in no time. We truly weren't safe anywhere.

To keep myself distracted from the fact that I was slowly freezing, I imagined how life would have preceded had Titus not betrayed the throne. I saw myself claiming the title of Captain, I saw many more stolen kisses between the Prince and I, and I saw contentment. Being a warrior hadn't been my first option, but it was one that I had adapted to and would have eventually loved if given the chance. I imagined many more outings with Queen Eliza, who I missed dearly. Her soft-spoken tone and her soothing, motherly warmth was what I wanted to be near in that very moment.

Avoiding reality didn't last long as my thoughts weaved through the endless possibilities that lay ahead. I had so many unanswered questions and not enough facts to figure out solutions. It started to drive me insane.

"You haven't frozen to death, have you Anya?"

My cheeks rose into a smile, cracking the ice that had formed there.

"I think I'm dead," I told him. "But I'm not sure."

"Would you like to stop and cuddle? I could arrange that."

I chuckled. "I'd rather cuddle with one of the polar bears. They're much warmer."

"Good one," he laughed. "Or perhaps if Luca were here, you'd like to cuddle with him."

My eyes went wild as I flashed them at him. The 'annoying prince' hadn't roared his ugly head in a while. I wasn't looking forward to whatever jokes he had up his sleeve.

"Oh what, Luca isn't your type?" he continued. "I suppose you are his type, though. I guessed that pretty early on."

"Now isn't the time to talk about Luca. He is in danger. We all are. How could you even joke about it?" I scolded him, but deep down, it was only because he was right. Sighing, I gave in to the conversation. "How did you guess that I was his type?"

"Because," the Prince grunted, shifting against the bear. "He always watched you the hardest during trainings. It was always obvious that he liked you. But it was also clear to me that you didn't like him. You're eyes were always focused on me."

I scoffed. "If you say so, your majesty."

He laughed softly. "Well at least one person still addresses me as royalty. We have a king who shouldn't be king, regardless of his supposed claim to the throne. We have a queen who clearly isn't a queen and yet chooses to believe so. And then we have a princess, who doesn't know it yet."

"Who?" I asked, genuinely curious. The Prince's laugh continued on. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing, my sweet princess. One day, you'll understand."

"Oh, you're calling me a princess," I replied. "That would require me to become engaged to a prin...Sebastian stop joking. As I've stated before. Now isn't the time-" I stopped talking the moment I saw Syn come to a stop just ahead.

The Prince stopped next to her small frame and glanced down at her. She kept her lowered eyes trained ahead as she spoke.

"The Prince should put his hood on," Syn said. "There is a village ahead and if they see him, they will take him."

"But how do they even know he is on the run when the bird was shot down?" I asked.

"That wasn't the only bird that flew north," she said before moving on.

I sighed as the prince lifted his hood and as we continued on, the village Syn spoke of became visible. We braced ourselves for the worse.

TBC...