The tension was thick in the air. Lisa was ready to draw her sword at any moment and attack. She was just waiting for Loren to do something that would threaten their group.
But all Loren did was eat. He even offered bread to Lisa's group, which Rose accepted with no hesitation.
"If he wanted to kill us, he would have done it without revealing himself.", explained Rose as she bit into the bread. It wasn't poisoned.
Chen was visibly scared. He was shivering despite being close to the fire.
Jennie leaned back on the wall behind Lisa and listened to the two.
"You've already met us. If you do not wish to fight, then I suggest you leave.", declared Lisa.
"You sound like a hen protecting her chicks, Prince Lee. Don't worry, I will leave in a bit. I'm just resting as well. It would be a waste to start a fire of my own when you four have one in here. You don't mind sharing your warm fire, do you?", asked Loren.
"What if I said I did?", replied Lisa.
"Prince Lee. It's okay. We have space to spare, and he did share some bread with us.", answered Rose.
Loren smiled and looked at Rose. He was sitting beside her. Next to Rose was Chen, then Lisa, and then Jennie.
"Thank you. I won't bother you that long. Just a few minutes of rest is enough."
He smiled again, and the four had no idea what to do. Lisa felt so tempted to attack, but the fear in Chen's eyes made her hesitate.
Loren saw all this and locked eyes with Lisa as if tempting her to strike.
"Don't...", whispered Jennie from behind Lisa. "He wants you to attack. Just... Let him stay. Maybe we can get some information from him."
Lisa let out a deep breath and relaxed. She grabbed the bread that Loren placed down earlier and took a big piece. It was delicious.
"Hahaha. Well done. Very well done. I guess this means that we have some time to talk. In exchange for me sparing your lives, I believe I am entitled to ask one question of each of you. You may lie, of course, but I expect everyone to answer.", said Loren while pouring some wine in a glass and offering it to Lisa.
"Fair. But you must also answer one of ours. In exchange for sparing your life as well.", countered Rose. She smiled while stealing the glass that was meant for Lisa and drinking it. It wasn't poisoned either.
"Very well. Then I will start with you, Madame. Do your friends know what you did back at the lake? To those poor members of the patrol...", asked Chen.
The smile on Rose's face faded as she answered, "They were mortally wounded and would have died anyway. They wanted their suffering to end. I helped them."
Chen, Lisa, and Jennie all looked at Rose. She was the one who salvaged the things they were using now. They all assumed that it was from the dead members of the patrol. But none of them asked for more specific details.
"I see. And the members of the patrol said that to you, did they? That they wanted to die? None of them begged or said, help us, please. You said that all of them were mortally wounded, yet when my men recovered the bodies, some had no wounds at all except for one slash across their throats.", asked Loren again.
"One question for each of us, remember? She already answered.", defended Chen. He reached for Rose's hand and held it tight.
Rose, who was about to draw her sharp dagger, calmed a bit when Chen held her hand. She noticed that Chen's touch was hot, and he was shivering.
YOU ARE READING
The Last Snow
FanfictionLisa was the perfect successor for the throne. A great fighter, a smart strategist, and a fair leader to her people. The people of Almiana were all looking forward to the time that Lisa would be of age, and take her place. There was one problem, onl...
