"What are you going to do with me?"
"Keep quiet, I'm thinking."
"You could just let me go."
For all the four kingdoms could this guy just shut up! He might be a Prince but he is just as annoying as an ordinary teenaged guy. I caught up to Patrick.
"Where are we headed?"
"We were thinking of heading to the mountains, it's treacherous and the King won't think about sending men up there until morning."
He looked at me and smiled.
"What?"
"Were you actually going to kill him?"
"No. Like the King said, my fight isn't with him."
"Then can you let me go?" the Prince jumped in.
"You know, you're more of a Princess than a Prince."
That shut him up quick.
"Be nice Cora. You're lucky he didn't cut your throat when he had the chance."
"He didn't have one."
"Oh yes he did."
Patrick rode off in front before I could argue further. Bloody desert men. We rode till we reached the edge of the forest, I couldn't help but stop the horse. I had always imagined leaving the forest and exploring the Kingdoms that surrounded it, but it was still against what Cassandra had taught me. I could still hear her voice in my ears: 'Cora, Don't even think about leaving the Forest! It's too dangerous. The King will find you and kill you.'
"What's wrong?"
The Prince's voice pulled me out of the memory.
"I've never actually left the forest. It's my home. I was always told that if I left, the King would find me and slaughter me like he did my parents."
"I though you said no one knew about you."
Damn! I bit my lip, "Just sit quietly."
I urged the horse forward. I was leaving the forest. My home. I had always dreamt about doing it. I always thought that I'd feel relieved and carefree. But I only feel fear. Regret. Sadness.
..............................
Patrick led us around the base of the mountains that dominated the clearing. He hopped off the horse ad signalled us to do the same. We followed him with the horses along the base, till he found a stone marked with a circle and an odd looking star.
"Lead the horses up the path." He said to his men. They took my horse from me and did as Patrick said.
"You two follow me." Patrick put the carved stone back where he found it and continued along the base. We kept walking till we reached a elongated boulder, which Patrick tried to push to the side but it was a job for two men.
"Hold this." I handed him the rope, therefore the Prince, and steadied my back on the boulder opposite the one he was wanting to move, I planted my hands behind me and pushed the boulder with my feet, using my entire body weight as well as my bloodline's strength. My legs started to burn but the boulder slowly - and painfully - moved from it's place, just enough to let us slide through.
"Wow, you're stronger than you look."
The Prince was speechless, it was kind of funny. Patrick slid through first, then the Prince and me. I felt my jaw drop. It was a giant stone chamber, the carriage I saw Patrick travelling with was inside along with some more of his men.
"This is unbelievable!"
"We can stay here for now, but we will have to begin the climb at first light, before the King's men."
"What are you going to do with me?" asked the Prince.
"He is right, what are we going to do with him?"
I shrugged, "Honestly, I didn't think that far ahead."
Patrick laughed, "Well you better think of something."
I looked at the prince, his hair was out of place from our little struggle (honestly, I could take him down with my eyes shut) and his clothes were covered in dirt from the forest floor. For a guy who's related to the bloody King, he was actually handsome. I wonder what his mother thought of his father. Did she fall for him before he got the scar? Or did she know a side of him that all of us are too blind to see?
"You know, we can't exactly let him go."
"Why not?" the Prince raised his voice slightly.
"Well you know where we are going, when wee are planning on leaving and if we let you go now you could tell the King where we are hiding."
Patrick nodded, "Good point. But we could just kill him."
"Than you can do it. I'm not killer. Not yet anyway."
Patrick looked at me, his stubbly face filled with concern. The Prince looked at me, "What do you mean not yet? Are you planning on killing someone?"
"Yeah, your father."
"What? Why?"
"Why do you think?!" I raised my voice at him, I've been holding this in for a long time, "You saw what he's like! He wanted to kill a single mother of two little boys! If I hadn't met Patrick, he would have tried to kill the only woman who has protected since my parents were murdered!"
His face paled, he was speechless. But I didn't stop.
"And you know who killed them? The men your father ordered to raid the forest and kill whoever got in their way! To top it off, his family, your family, have killed off everyone like me! I'm alone! And it's all because him!"
I dropped the rope and stormed through the rock chamber, going past the men and walking further into the chamber. Into the Darkness. Alone.
