Horses screech in distress, and I'm jolted by the stopping of the carriage. My cheek grinds against a warm metal, and a hand gently slides me back into place. My body, slack with exhaustion, finds comfort in the familiar position. Squeezing my eyes tightly together, I grown, too consumed by sleep I can't bear to lift my eyelids. My body tingles in fright, exhaustion, and sleep only will make me vulnerable. Then I hear his breath, a slow rhythmic rumble, soothing my distress. An odd calmness flows through me, too weak to fight him my feeble mind finds comfort in him.
The cloth cringles forcefully, and I anticipate a blinding flash of light to push through my lids, but nothing happens. It must be late. The wagon shakes under the weight of another climbing inside. My heart bursts with terror, and suddenly I'm counting Wilfrid's breaths.
His voice fills the room, a defeated whisper, grunting with disinterest. "How is she?" General Kalen is here.
Wilfrid's chest rumbles in his response, "She's asleep. General?" A small pause hangs over his words, "I told her."
"Good, she needed to hear it."
Wilfrid sighs, petting my hair, "You should have been the one."
"Would she have believed me? She doesn't seem to even accept it now," he snaps, probably referring to my lifeless state.
"She's cold, I'm pretty sure she has gone into shock," Wilfrid assesses my condition placing the back of his hand on my cheek.
"Let's just focus on getting her highness, back."
Involuntarily, I whine at the royal title he gives me. Wilfrid stiffens. "Think she's listening?"
"No," his voice clipped and fast. He doesn't believe it himself. "Let's get her back to Willbridge quickly. The sooner she's there, the faster she will accept this," Kalen grumbles.
"Are you going to stay? I mean the King-"
"Enough Wilfrid," Kalen spits out abruptly silencing him.
"I can't leave her, she's just frail," Wilfrid mumbles.
"Look, Wilfrid," a sigh leaves Kalen. "She may be a princess, but she never grew up like the rest of us. I've taken her from all she knows, she will blame me," he says in a frustrated tone, "The best I could offer this girl is my absence."
Emptiness fills me. The sorrow in this man, having no effect on me, he is just a monster. A monster from a fairytale, and soon I'll wake up, and it will all be a distant memory. I will happily forget the name, General Kalen.
"Your wrong. She's just like you," Wilfrid snaps. Since when during our conversation did he become attached to me?
"She will be married off once she's home. Don't go falling for her. She is a distraction," Kalen's hiss rips through me like a shiver. A shiver I haven't the strength to shake loose. The urge to scream trapped inside my body crumbles my muscles, they collapse in on me, and I'm trapped within myself.
The wagon rocks and creaks with strain, Kalen's feet slam against the dirt below with a heavy thud.
"Forget her," the warning burns like an order, and the cloth drops with a fast crinkle.
"I'll protect you, Chloe," I hear Wilfrid coos.
Calming strokes continue to brush my hair, it's as if Tristan is with me again. Protecting me from nightmares that will follow once I fall asleep again. Slowly, the noises around me fade into nothing, and I allow the darkness to consume me.
~Sorry I know it's a short one. Hopefully you get a better feel for Kalen and Wilfrid from this. What is Kalen hiding and did he know that Chloe was listening? ~
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Alexandria: The Lost Princess
RomanceYears apart from her childhood friend, Chloe waits patiently in her secluded home for his safe return. Separated by war, she knew nothing of other than the folktales propagated to recruit rebels. They were bedtime stories told to her by her crazed u...
