The Last Hero

Chapter Four

Caden only had a second to decide his actions. Should he fight back, proving his accusations right, or should he flee and hope for a better future. Then came the decision about Katherine. What should he do about her? Can she survive outside of the castle? Does he just leave her here to defend for herself? These questions all ran through his mind as his body moved on instinct.

He grabbed Katherine with his left arm around her waist and jumped through the stained windows of the hall. They fell twenty meters to the ground below, which was more than enough for Caden to handle. Katherine still seemed to be in shock as she failed to scream let alone say anything.

He ran with her pulled close to him until they made it to the cabin in the woods. He would need his supplies and a few more if he was going to go on the run.

Luckily so far, he had not had to hurt any of the guards. They, he thought of, as innocents. He didn't want to hurt them for a single man's greedy desire. He still had his pain and he still had his anger, but now they were directed at one person. And one person only.

He put Katherine down inside his cabin near the fire place. He used a fireball spell to quickly light the fire as he thought it would help calm her down. He rummaged through his cabin for extra animal pelts, food, and anything that he may find useful on the trip ahead.

He found Katherine staring at the flames as he strung the backpack over his shoulder. He stood behind her watching her shiver. It was more from shock than from the cold.

"We need to leave." He told her calmly so he wouldn't freak her out even more than he already has.

"How did this happen?" She said softly as she craned her head in Caden's direction. "How did I miss this?"

Caden didn't know what to say. He had always thought of her as the smart Queen that none would go against. The one Queen that reigned upon adoration and affection. Not one of fear and respect. However, she missed any and all signs from her closest adviser and now he has control of the kingdom.

"We can think about this later. We need to leave." He told her again as he grew slightly impatient. He was used to being by himself and only having to worry about the things he did. Now he had to care for the Queen. This will be a big mission for him.

He offered his right hand to aid in her getting to a standing position. A hand that she took in her own. She stood in front of Caden with tears rolling down her cheeks. Her entire life is over. Everything that her family had built, kept, and grew is now gone. Gone because of her. Because she was not smarter. Because she allowed swine to infest her castle.

Caden was at a loss as to what to do. He never had to deal with this back in his own world, nor did he have to deal with something like this here. His right hand still holding her right as she clutched it tightly. She was beginning to break down and he couldn't help. So he did the only thing he could think of and pulled her into a hug.

She seemed to be taken aback by the sudden action before her arms around his back pulling them closer to each other. She cried into his chest as he softly stroked the back of her head. They stood like that for a few minutes until she calmed down slightly. The tears stopped but her face betrayed her sadness.

As they pulled apart, Caden dropped his hands to his sides while Katherine used hers to wipe the remains of her tears from her face.

"Thank you." She said as her hands made their move upon her face. It looked like she was slightly blushing, by Caden attributed that to her crying.

Caden didn't say anything before turning towards the door. He heard the soft patter of feet behind him and knew that Katherine was following him. While they walked he struggled with his inner self. Something was changing within him and he didn't know how to stop it.