The Last Princess [EDITED]

Chapter 17

I groaned.

Really, Aiden was incorrigible. The boy slept like a rock. I shook him again. So far, I'd tickled his feet, shaken him roughly, shouted in his ear...all to no avail. I flopped down.

I was actually contemplating leaving him to continue on my own.

"Aiden!" I yelled.

He grunted.

"Aiden, wake up!" My hand lingered over his hair, because I was wondering if I should try pulling it out. Luckily, I didn't have to. He groaned, and his eyes suddenly shot open.

"What's going on?"

"Finally," I groaned.

He blinked a few times, looking around. I could see the alertness coming back to his eyes. He stood up, yawning. "Well, let's go then."

I nodded, standing up as well. We began moving forward. "How long are we going to be in here?" I asked, glancing around. It was terrifying, being in the dark again.

"Just a bit more, then we're back on the ground."

Sure enough, I felt the ground sloping back upwards.

An hour later, he turned back. "Here we are, Princess!" The tunnel opened up at the top to bright sunlight. I was sweaty, muddy, and tired.

"That was your definition of just a little bit?"

His grin disappeared. "It wasn't that long, you know."

"So you say," I grumbled, standing in front of the hole. My arms weren't going to get me through it. Aiden grunted, his fingers gripping my waist. He lifted me up, through the hole, and finally out of that tunnel.

I heard him murmuring to himself as he pulled himself up. The sun showed it was late afternoon, and there were trees all around. It was a relief after being cooped up in that stifling tunnel.

Without a word, Aiden pushed past me, walking forward, with no indication of where we were going.

"Can you at least tell me how long it'll take now to reach?" I called after him.

"Probably another day or so," He answered, without turning back. I groaned inwardly. Another day? We'd already been going for...nearly four days. I just wanted to get to the next camp.

We walked in silence, and it was a long time before I spoke, in an attempt to break the silence. "So, Aiden, can you use anything more than air? You know in the kind of magic the rebels do?"

He glanced at me once. "Of course, I can, but air is my best. The easiest thing for me to use."

"Like water is for me?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Because I wasn't able to move that leaf or anything when your father tried to teach me. But I could use the water easily." I said.

He blinked when I talked about his father, and I could see the pain flashing over his eyes before he looked away. "Is it hard for you too?" I asked, trying to get his attention off of his family, and to more happy thoughts. It wouldn't do him any good to worry about them, given that we had no way of knowing where they were.

It worked.

"Nothing is hard for me, Princess." He said, grinning at me. I rolled my eyes. We spent the time teasing each other as we walked, and I felt my irritation slipping away.

Aiden could be quite funny when he wanted to be.

***

"So, do you want to try something other than that water you've been carrying around?" Aiden asked, looking pointedly at the ball of water in my hands — noticeably larger than the old one.