From Tower to Throne

Chapter 2

By this time, Asteryn's kidnappers were packing the remnants of a makeshift camp. Asteryn, still unconscious, was laid against a tree. The three men could care less if she was awake or out during their travel but they preferred her to be out. It would be much quieter. Once everything was put back into their bags and they put out the fire, they began traveling again. Taking turns to carry Asteryn on their shoulders. After a few more hours of traveling Asteryn began to wake from her unconscious state. Slowly opening her eyes she winced to a sharp pain that came from the top of her forehead. Recalling all the memories of last night she her mind went into a panic. Trying to quickly think about what to do, Asteryn thought she might try to talk to them.

"If I promise not to run can I please walk? My body aches from being carried for so long." She said in a sweet tone.

"What makes you think we'd trust a little brat like you?" The third guy huffed in annoyance.

"Nothing. I don't think—well I know for a fact that you don't trust me. But my body does ache and I would rather die than go back so to ME there is no reason to run away but for YOU there is plenty of reason for me to run. But I have also NEVER been outside the tower until now and I'm actually quite excited. But if you insist on carrying me the whole way, can we stop for only a moment and can I feel the grass? I've never felt grass before and I wanted to know if it was like how the books I've read described it." Asteryn's mind wandered off into her imagination as she kept talking. But her words were filled with cunningness even though she spoke the truth.

"Oh my good gods. Wretched girl, do you EVER stop talking?" The third man spoke again. He did not talk as much as the other two but he looked the scariest over all to Asteryn. "Just let her feel the damned grass...hell let her walk. I'll shoot her down with my bow if she tries to run. I just want some damn quiet!"

Nero and Killian looked at each other, their eyes slightly widened. Nero sighed heavily. "Fine! But listen here girl! If you try to run away, we will NOT hesitate to wound or even kill you. Understand?"

"I mean I am a very small person and I can't run fast so I honestly believe that you'd catch me before anything I really just want to stretch." Asteryn bargained.

Sighing even louder than the first time, Nero stopped, lifted Asteryn off of his shoulder, and sat her on the ground. "To be safe I'm leaving your hands bound." He assures as he cut the bind around her ankles.

"Fine by me!" Asteryn smiled.

They continued walking for about two weeks before arriving at the camp. During this while, Asteryn became quite acquainted with the three men, especially Nero.

Nero was the father figure Asteryn longed for. She told him about all of the books she had read and all about how her citizens acted and even told him that she hated her father. At first when she talked about hating the king, they speculated that she was lying but being that she was so young and the way her voice snarled when talking about him and the fierce look in her eyes, the kind that expressed emotions that no one could hide, told them that she was not lying. They were skeptical until they saw this emotion in her eyes because it was the same emotions that they had in their eyes.    So that was at least one thing that all three men agreed with Asteryn about:  hatred for the king.

Arriving at the gates of their camp, Nero and the other two men looked at Asteryn. "Well little miss looks like you are gonna be stuck with us for a while." Nero said with a slight smirk.

"What do you mean Nero?" Asteryn asked as she turned to look back at Nero but before she could say anything else she was knocked unconscious by a sudden blow to the back of her head.