A Fine Life: A Newsies Fairy Tale

Chapter Six

Although Mush Meyers could not see the cloaked man in the shadows of the alley, he knew he was there. There was a particular stench. Mush wrinkled his nose, and his right hand automatically went to the handle of his sword that hung at his belt. He never trusted the cloaked man.

"Morris. I am here." Mush said, approaching slowly. The shadows did not move. Mush stopped to listen for the cloaked man's breathing, but all he could hear was the trickling of water down the street and into the gutters. He had never met a man who was so silent and doubted if he were even human.

"Did you kill the girl?" Morris finally spoke, but he did not move.

"No. I am through working for you." Mush said without a hint of quivering in his voice. He was certainly not going to let Morris think he was afraid. Morris said nothing, and Mush continued, "You stay away from her. I'm not going to let you hurt her. You were wrong about Lunerford."

"I always knew you were weak. Just like your father." Morris said in a low voice, coming out of the darkness, grinning. Mush could see his yellowing teeth from behind the hood of the cloak. The stench was stronger now, and Mush held back the urge to gag. Morris came closer. "You cannot protect her forever."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Okay, we are only going to be in town for a few hours, so make it quick." David said, handing each of his companions a slip of parchment. Spot looked at his and realized it was a shopping list for supplies. They were running a bit low. He looked around the little town square and tried to locate the tavern. He was planning on having a bit of fun after his job was done. From the look on Jack's face, he must have been thinking the same. Their eyes met, and they grinned, secretly confirming their plans.

"Shall we all just meet here after we are done?" Race asked, frowning at his list. It was a good thing his list was so short. He was having a hard time reading it. "Say about noon?"

Sir David nodded, handing each a small pouch of coins. "Do whatever you would like, but be here at noon."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Spot was not watching where he was going again. The Prince was too busy staring down at his list while juggling his bag of supplies to notice the knight before he ran right into him.

"Sorry, I..." Spot looked up and stopped short. He had seen the knight before...a bounty hunter back in Brookville. It was the dreaded, Sir Snyder! At the same time, recognition flashed over the knight's helmeted face, but before he could react, the Prince was off, dropping everything. The King's guards had searched far and have now found him.

"Stop!" yelled the knight, and he took after the prince. The reward for his return would be very handsome indeed. Unfortunately, he was slow in full armor, and the prince was like lightning.

Spot ran inside the nearest building and caught a glance of Jack, chatting up with a servant girl. Before he could call out, the door swung open, and the knight rushed in. Jack saw Spot first and grinned, and then he saw the knight. "Blast!" Jack panicked.

"You!" The knight had recognized the young lord as well. "Sullivan! Stop right there!"

The two friends ran for the back door, jumping over counters and spilling displays. The servant girl screamed, and the knight followed, spilling more displays.

"Split up!" Spot yelled as the two ran outside, and Jack nodded. The knight came out just then and managed to grab Spot's sleeve.

"Gotcha!" The knight grinned, and Jack turned and swung his fist straight at his face. The knight fell over, holding his nose and groaning, and the two friends took off once again. Snyder swore, and saw the Prince run into a tailor shop. He followed him immediately.

The shop was packed tight with people, and Spot breathed a sigh of relief. He might be able to blend in. He squeezed his way towards the back and pretended to admire an elegant cloak. He heard the metal clangs as the knight entered. He seemed to be moving closer. The Prince slipped silently farther back into the shop, and as he passed a dress rack, he felt a tug on his sleeve. He jumped.

It was Luna. Spot sighed with relief to see that it was not the knight, but he was getting closer. Luna was just opening her mouth to say hello when the knight suddenly glanced in their direction. Spot panicked. Without thinking, he grabbed her and kissed her, hiding his face behind hers. It was a few seconds before she realized what was happening, and she tried to protest, but his lips were muffling her words. The knight, not seeing the Prince, gave up and left the shop.

He finally seemed to notice her. "I am terribly sorry about that, but I have to go." With that, he left the shop with the Princess still standing there with her jaw hung open, stunned.

Then she noticed a woman staring at her from one corner, and embarrassed, she closed her mouth and slipped out the back door of the shop. She stopped as the sunlight hit her and she leaned against the wall, breathing hard. She stood there until her breath slowed, and by then, shock turned into anger. Who did he think he was? Did he think he could just take advantage of her like that? She could have him punished severely once they reached Lunerford. Now she was convinced that the incident at the waterfall a week ago was no accident.

Without thinking Luna brought her fingertips to her lips and remembered the feeling of his soft lips on hers. Then she remembered how quickly Spot had left after that. Her heart sank.