The Rebel Prince (The Season Series #3)

Chapter 44

**A/N March 18 2020 

WELL HELLO! First of all, thank you so much to all those who reached out with kind words and condolences since my last post. To say it's been hard to get back into writing would be an understatement, and I had to leave my Wattpad projects behind for awhile to focus on my offline writing. But now that I'm on mandatory work stoppage because of the pandemic, I figured I'd use some of that time to get back into it!

I know you're all probably turning to Wattpad as an outlet and escape from reality right now, but since I work in healthcare, I wouldn't feel right if I didn't remind you all to stay safe. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, cough/sneeze into your elbow or your sleeve, stay away from others if you have fever/cough/flu-like symptoms, and otherwise try to stay 2m/6 ft from people when in public. We'll get through this, readers, but I want you to all stay as safe and healthy as you can until we beat this thing!

Lastly, I figured you'd want me to spend my writing time focusing on the story rather than composing a recap, so I'm launching straight into it from where we left off...**

The sun had barely risen when I helped Rafael lift the Carvalho children into the waiting wagon. Valentina screamed, hysterical as she tried to cling to Rafael. Tears slid down the big warrior's cheeks as he peeled her arms from around him. Teodoro helped, cooing false reassurances to the little girl. Behind them, wrapped in a cloak between trunks and bags of provisions, Gabriele stared straight ahead, still silent.

Valentina only relented when Genevieve climbed up, gathering the girl into her arms and stroking her hair to quiet her sobs. Genevieve had shared a lingering kiss with Frederico, tears streaming down her face when she'd turned away. They still slid down her cheeks, her arms around Valentina as the wagon lurched into motion. Rafael stood immobile as he watched them leave, his big shoulders crumpled.

Frederico's face had turned to stone as he strode over and extended his gauntleted hand to me. "Safe journey, Thomas."

"Don't die before I get to taunt you again," I replied, clasping it.

A weak smile tugged as his lips before he turned away, towards the assembled leaders of the army now packing up in the fields around the little town. The townsfolk were clearing out too, more wagons loaded with belongings falling in behind Genevieve and the children, fleeing the coming fighting now that Dulciana knew our whereabouts.

And I was to go with them. To hurry to the nearest Vareinnian port and sail for Pretania. Despite Frederico's insistence that I sleep, I'd stayed awake with him and his commanders all night, helping to build a new plan. We'd decided it was too dangerous to cross back into the Duque Dellanos' land, now that Dulciana would be hunting us, so I was to go with Genevieve, while Frederico and his army would march through the pass to lay siege to the fort Beatriz, Nisha, and I had so narrowly escaped from.

"I'm going with you," Beatriz had declared, when she'd barged into my room in the early morning, attired for battle despite her bandages. She'd fallen asleep at the table and I'd been the one to carry her upstairs to her bed before returning to help plan.

I'd tried to protest, but she'd already made up her mind. "I'm going with you until you board your ship. Frederico will never let me fight like this anyway. I'll be healed once I return, and then I'll be ready."

She'd spoken with such conviction that I knew I wasn't going to change her mind. Part of me didn't want to, not when it meant more time with her before I left. I could even try to use the precious time we had left to convince her to stay with Genevieve, so at least she'd be safe.