Huntress | BOOK 01

Chapter 15

Jame's POV

Ned was more alert than usual since he knew his sister was bathing naked in the bit of the lake concealed by thick green foliage. He was watching me and Tristan like a hawk.

"I'll get some firewood", Tristan exclaims; standing up from his sitting position next to his horse,"We need to build a fire"

"I'll get it", Ned gets up,"You both stay here"

And soon he was gone, leaving me with Tristan. I debate on whether to let Tristan know about him but I was fighting a losing battle.

I may seem respectable but that could only hold for so long. Or maybe it would. I was honest and even if it did lead to further trouble, I'll know that I started it with their best interests at heart.

"He knows", I simply say.

Tristan turns to me,"What?"

"He knows about you and Rose"

"I don't know what you're talking about Sire", Tristan sits down again; rather quickly in my opinion.

"He saw you with her in your arms Tristan. This is a warning", I reach for my goat-skin bottle and take a swig of what water it had left. I make a mental note to refill it,"Keep your distance. Keep the touching to a minimum"

I hear Tristan clear his throat,"Why are you helping me? Telling me this?"

"Because I'm riding with all three of you and I'm not sure you're aware of how... protective he is of her. This could inconvenience me", I reply honestly,"Had I known earlier, I wouldn't have suggested this trio. I'd have rather gone the path alone"

Before Tristan could even prepare to answer, Ned arrived with twigs in hand. He dumped the load in front of me and clapped his hands,"Well? We better build that fire"

I bent down and examined the sticks before looking up to him,"We need firewood. I'll get them"

Ned seems to laugh,"They're right in front of you"

"With all respect Ned. These are damp. We'd need dry ones to keep the fire up", I explain carefully so as to not offend him,"Don't worry. I'll find some"

Ned didn't seem to like the prospect of me wandering around the lake but he gave up nonetheless,"don't take too long"

"In this cold? Never", I smile before I take my leave; giving Tristan a curt nod.

I skimmed the edges of the embankment. There wasn't any tree otherwise than those around it. I'd have to snap fresh twigs where it's the most dry.

There were plenty on the ground and I suspect Ned picked his load from there but they were all fallen on top of thick silky mud making them not fit to hold a fire.

I broke a few tiny branches, not paying attention as to where I was. With a snap of one branch, a small view of the lake cleared in front of me between the foliage.

And in that small view, I saw Rosaline in the water bathing. Her hair was down and wet and pooled around her on the surface of the water. Her skin that was caked with sand and dust were now back to that startling pale exterior. She was beautiful and nothing less than that.

I thanked the heavens that she was deep enough that the water came up to just above her chest. Were she any higher, I'm afraid that my future actions won't be kindly judged upon. But, it still made me wonder what it might have been like under that surface. I couldn't see anything and that just fueled my curiosity.

Before I could do no more further mistakes, I turned my head and immediately walked back to where the rest of the boys were.

I dropped the branches I was carrying right at the middle and began to saw one against another and smoke it. Soon, a fire slowly built up. Tristan immediately placed himself close to it, warming up his hands.

Ned still stood from where I first left him. He had stared at me while I did my work. He didn't indulge in heating himself up or in anything till Rosaline suddenly walked up to us; dressed in cleaner clothes. A cleaner copy of what she wore all these days past.

It made me smile that she didn't demand to dress In some thing different every day like the other women. It was fresh and welcomed. The uniformality of what she does tends to surprise me more than it should have.

"I'm clean", she places herself next to Tristan; not touching but close enough,"Time for you boys to jump in and groom yourselves as well"

"We're not that dirty Rose", I Joke.

She scrunches her nose purposely,"No. Just worse"

This little act was enough to amuse me and Tristan to the point of laughter but Ned still sat unaffected. He got up silently and left to the lake once the laughter began to die down.

"Is he going to be like that for the rest of the journey?", Rose grumbles,"It's not like him at all. It's like he's possessed"

"If you knew the reason I suppose then you would understand", I reply; fully aware of the reason with no intention of sharing it. I like a little drama but this wasn't what I wanted.

"And do you know the reason?"

I looked at Rose and smiled,"No"

Tristan got up from where he stood,"Well, I'm still going to join him. He can't keep me out of the water. Call me a girl James, but I can't stand the stench on me any longer"

Rosaline begins to laugh softly,"True. It's not very attractive. Even the plants around us are dying"

"See you in the water Sire", Tristan bows facing James and walks towards the lake; stripping himself of his shirt and discarding it on the floor.

"Ned knows about you and Tristan", I say. I'll help her acknowledge half of the truth. I'll let her figure out the rest. Some knowledge is better than none.

There was some silence before she answered,"I fear you may be right"

"I am right. And let me also say, he disapproves", I add, raising my hands near the flames one last time before getting up,"He's very... protective of you Rose. In ways you still don't understand"

Rosaline looks at me,"Then help me understand"

"I can't. It's not my place to say anything regarding the matter", I explain,"But, why not you confront him and find out yourself?"

She looks back at the flames. Her eyes were distant. She was biting her lip and tugging a loose strand of wet hair. In that moment, she was vulnerable. But her voice was strong,"That could be dangerous"

"Give it a try", I urge her on,"I can't stand his moodiness for another day"

She smiles,"I can't believe I'm saying this but... I miss his mischievous self. This... ghost is nothing like him"

"Like I said before, confront him and find out what's the matter. I have an inkling that you might be able to solve it", I reply and turn towards the lake,"Well, I better join them before one decides to murder the other"

She mutters something under her breath and I had to crane my neck to hear it.

"This is not going to bode well"