The Thief and Prince

Chapter 25: Fine Line

Crispin opens and closes his mouth before turning to face us for a moment, unsure where to begin. After a glance at me, I give him a nod and he turns back to face his king. "Father," he begins, lifting his chin up as if somehow owning up for a wrongdoing. "Forgive me, but I have failed you. Rose is still in Rorik."

Robert's cool blue eyes tighten and he blinks slowly. His head slowly tilts to the right and he raises a hand, his index finger extended as he tries to grasp his son's words. "She's. Still. In. Rorik?" he repeats, shaking his head. He then takes a deep breath, his eyes fixed on Crispin's. "What do you mean she is still in Rorik? Why do you not have her? I thought I made it clear that you were not to return unless you brought my daughter back, Crispin." His tone is cold and somewhat unsteady and I begin to worry about Crispin's safety. It's almost as if he is standing too close to a wild, rabid animal. One wrong move and he'll lash out, delivering a mortal blow.

"Father, I ask you to have an open mind and to let me explain," Crispin begins in an even tone. I watch as the king's hands open and close into tight fists until he lets out a slow breath. He then motions to a long rectangle table to his left. Giving an uneasy glance to Laria, we walk over and pull out the heavy wooden chairs which scrape and echo loudly within the throne room. We take our seats—Crispin to my right, Laria to my left, then Amiri. Directly in front of Crispin father.

Robert raises his dark eyebrows at Crispin and gives him a nod, clenching his jaw. "This better be good." 

Crispin inhales slowly and places his hands onto the table anxiously. "We made it to Rorik. There were a few...obstacles we had to face, but we made it. When we got to Rose, she informed us that she wished to stay behind and live her life there," he tells him.

King Robert's face twists up and I can't tell if he is somehow taken aback by this story or that it is so outrageous he finds it down right comical. Perhaps both? I probably would. Why would a princess choose to leave her lavish lifestyle behind and trade it to live with barbarians?

"And what obstacles did you have to face?" he inquires, leaning forward.

Crispin sighs and sits up straighter in his chair. "Uh, well, we were taken," he begins. "Drugged by a band of slavers in Farnmoss. They almost hung me but Cora was able to convince them otherwise. We were then taken to an outpost and...well, horrible things were on the brink of happening. Cora managed to break free and saved us and together we slaughtered the outpost, save for one. We decided to keep him alive to get into Rorik and we did. Upon our arrival, we were imprisoned—set to be sold the following day—but he let us out that night and we fought our way to Rose."

"Did they mark you? The slavers?" Robert asks sounding somewhat disgusted at the idea. When Crispin nods his head, Robert scoffs. "My son forever scared," he mutters. "Those that know of the slave trade will fight tooth and nail to return you for a reward; you know this don't you?" he asks. 

Crispin purses his lips letting his silence be his answer. The king waves him off with another shake of his head before continuing. "And how do you know she wished to say? Did she tell you that herself?" he asks, almost challenging the notion.

Crispin gives a curt nod. "Aye. I wasn't happy about her decision, but we were running out of time before the rest of Rorik learned of our escape. I couldn't force her to come, father. Doing so would start an all-out war no matter which way you looked at it. Santiago—their leader—would have sent his men after us to retrieve her, and if we took him back to Paevia they would elect a new ruler. A new ruler for the Roriks mean that things would be a hell of a lot worse for everyone apparently. Santiago allows them to behave the way they do but reels them in just enough for them to not be crazed berserkers that pillage lands freely. Leaving her behind was the best option for us all," he explains.