Darkness had fallen, and Princess Estina was fast asleep in his arms.

The gentle rocking of the caravan had lulled Ladet into a doze, at one point as well. The secret compartment was completely dark and the sounds of crickets filled the air. Their caravan had taken about an hour to travel through Isola city, at some points coming to a complete stop as people shouted and called orders through what he believed to be a market. It had been painfully slow. Every time the caravan had crept to a stop, he had feared pounding on the back of the caravan and soldiers jumping on board to search.

His legs were cramped, but he didn’t dare move in case he woke the Princess. It was both torturous and wonderful to be lying next to her in such a manner. Torturous because it wasn’t real intimacy, and her close presence was reminding him that it had been months since a woman had lain beside him. He sighed. How long had it been since he had felt a woman’s tender flesh? Not since he had left the empire, and that was several months now. It was too long.

He chided himself. How could he think of such things? He was with Princess Estina, now third in line to the throne of the Keglan Kingdom, and all he was thinking about was the way her slender curves were snuggled against his body. It was not appropriate.

The caravan jolted to a stop.

Ladet froze and strained his ears.

“We have orders from Prince Yernal to inspect all caravans heading away from Isola City,” a voice bellowed.

Ladet’s heart leapt to his throat. He leaned forward and placed his lips near Princess Estina’s ear and gently shook her with his arm that was still wrapped around her body. She startled awake.

“Shhh,” he whispered. “We have trouble.”

>>

Heavy, loud footsteps crunched over the gravel and dirt of the road outside. Princess Estina swallowed and winced in discomfort. This was going to get messy. Should they stay in the box or get out and be ready to fight from the back of the caravan? No, they should stay where they were. There was the possibility that they may not even be found. Why give themselves away?

Marlina’s voice came from the back of the caravan. “Be my guest,” she said loudly. “It’s just got our belongings.”

“Where you been coming from?” a deep man’s voice spoke.

“We were in Isola City,” she replied. “Came in to do some trading, selling our goods. We’re heading back home.”

“Open the caravan door,” the man instructed. “Where’s home?”

Princess Estina heard the latch on the back of the caravan being lifted and the door creak open. Ladet was frozen behind her, and she was sure that he would be able to hear her heart beating. It was pounding so hard.

“We’re heading to Clopena,” Marlina told him.

If she hadn’t been so afraid, Princess Estina would have smiled to herself. Clopena was a small town in the mountains two days away, north from Isola City. It was still deep within Prince Yernal’s territory and known for its farming community. It would not be considered a suspicious destination.

“Stay by the commander while I inspect.”

The caravan swayed slightly as a person of significant weight climbed up inside. The wooden panels above their heads creaked in protest. The soldier moved to the right and lifted the bench. It was dropped heavily back down before the person stepped to the other side of the caravan and lifted the other bench lid. Signifying their disinterest with its contents, the lid was also dropped down with a loud clap of wood hitting onto wood. The man then moved further into the caravan, and dust fell down onto Princess Estina’s skin.

She turned her head to the side, fearing she may sneeze. And then, to her horror, the rug above them was dragged across the floor boards. The soldier walked in a small circle over their heads. Princess Estina’s hand clasped around the handle of her axe that she had positioned in front of her after she had finished changing and climbed into the hidden box. Ladet’s body was tense beside her. His hand slowly uncurled from around her waist, and she assumed he was also going for a secret weapon embedded in his clothes.

The latch was flicked and the door was pulled open.

Princess Estina turned her head upwards, and her eyes met with a middle-aged man who was holding a lantern in one hand and the wooden door in the other. His head held thick but closely cropped brown hair and his eyes were large and dark. He was dressed in soldier leather armour and a crest on his shirt signified that he worked for Prince Yernal.

Her gaze fixated on the crest before she raised her eyes back up to the man’s. His faced remain neutral as he bent over the hidey hole. His eyes flicked down to her hand wrapped around the axe.

Time stood still.

And then, to her disbelief, the man winked.

“There’s nothing here,” he called, looking over his shoulder. Without another backward glance at either herself or Ladet, he dropped the wooden door. His footsteps creaked over the wood of the caravan. “We’re wasting our time. They wouldn’t be out this way. They would be head-tailing it to the west.”

The caravan door was slammed shut.

“You’re sure?” another male voice asked. “There wasn’t anything suspicious?”

“Nah, just a bunch of gypsies. It’s just full of clothing, bedding, pails and material.”

“What are you looking for, if you don’t mind me asking,” Marlina asked.

“Some criminals escaped from Prince Yernal’s hold,” one of the men told her.

Princess Estina heard Marlina gasp. “Are they dangerous?”

“Very,” a voice said, and Princess Estina guessed it was the same man who had looked her dead in the eyes. “There’s a bunch of mountain men on the loose and the Prince’s rogue sister is with them. So, if you see any of them, turn the other way and find anyone connected to Prince Yernal. They’ll hunt them down.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Marlina said. “Are we okay to keep moving?”

“Yes, but be careful.”

The voices travelled around to the front of the caravan. Princess Estina dared to turn her head to Ladet, but it was too dark to see his face.

“May your ancestors watch over you,” Marlina called. There was some shuffling noise at the top of the driver seat, and then the caravan edged forward again.

Disbelief filled her. She couldn’t believe it. Had the soldier really been on their side? Hope dared to flare up in her chest. Was it more than the everyday person who didn’t like Prince Yernal? Would she have support from within his army? Even if it was small, this was significant.

The caravan continued. It rocked and bounced slowly along the road, the horse clearly moving at a walk. From the road’s condition, they must be a fair way out of the city, and she wondered at how long she had been asleep for. The muscles in her body were aching so it must have been for a while. No matter what, they would have to stop soon. She would need to see to her personal needs and her stomach was starting to protest significantly.

All of a sudden, the box was too small. She wanted to get out.

As if sensing her distress, Ladet’s arm came back around her waist and he squeezed her gently. She unclenched her fingers that were still clasped around her axe and wrapped it over Ladet’s.

No matter what, she was not alone.

>>

Princess Estina startled awake again. It was still dark, but she could sense that more time had passed. The caravan had stopped again. On this occasion however, there were no outside voices. The back of the caravan opened and footsteps climbed up inside.

“You two awake?” Marlina asked.

“Yes,” Ladet said.

The door to their hidey hole was opened once again, the rug that the soldier had moved earlier, had not been put back in place. Marlina looked down at them, lantern in her hand.

“Thought we were going to have to kill them,” she said, shaking her head. “Come on, get out and stretch your legs. You’ve been in there for hours.”

Stiffly, Princess Estina pushed herself up and took Marlina’s hand while she climbed out. Her legs ached and the muscles in her back even more.

“I can’t believe he just looked at us,” Ladet said, clambering out of the box as well.

Princess Estina stretched her body and followed Marlina out of the caravan. “I know,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “I thought we were truly in for a fight.”

The caravan had stopped in a small grassy clearing. Trees and bushes surrounded them in an arc with the dirt road behind them. A short distance away, Princess Estina could make out the sound of running water. A river must be close by. Areen, a middle-aged man with a small belly that was threatening to swell over his belt, was already tending to the horse. He unclipped the leathers and buckles that attached the large animal to the caravan. Princess Estina vowed to give the horse a good rub down later in thanks for its hard efforts.

Marlina looked them over and gave them a smile. “The men will get us some food,” she turned to Princess Estina, “and we’re going to get you cleaned up. I’m used to being on the road, but I’m not going to travel with that stench.”

Princess Estina could only laugh. Despite the quick swim in the water after falling out of the chute and the new clothes Marlina had given her, her skin was still covered in blotches of filth. She didn’t even want to touch her hair.

Marlina guided a way down a small path in the forest, lantern in one hand, bucket in the other. Princess Estina followed closely. She had swung her axes over her back just in case. They were still strangers after all.

“How long have we been on the road for?” she asked.

“About eight hours,” Marlina said. “We’ll have to stop here for a while to let Meadow Dreamer have a good rest. We’ll move again mid-morning.”

Princess Estina thought briefly of Meadow Dreamer. He reminded her of her own horse back at Tehlea Estate, the same one that had nudged her in the meadow the afternoon when she had come up with the idea to suggest Menelt and herself get betrothed. It seemed like an eternity ago now.

From her movements, it was clear Marlina was familiar with this area and must have walked along this path on many occasions. The tree line broke and after three steps over lush green grass, Marlina stopped at the water’s edge.

“Sit down and lean back,” she instructed Princess Estina. She pulled out a bar of soap from her bucket and smiled grimly.

Princess Estina allowed Marlina to tackle her hair.

“Thank you for coming to our aid,” Princess Estina said, as Marlina lathered her hair. “Do you reside in Lord Clep’s house?”

“He is my cousin,” Marlina replied.

“I will be in his debt. He has put himself in grave danger in assisting us with this escape. Without a doubt Prince Yernal will send his army in retaliation. He has sent a very clear message to Prince Yernal.”

“The same could be said for you,” she replied simply. “Lord Clep knew what he was doing. Do you? Was this just an escape plan or are you going to carry on through and make a stand against your brother?”

The blunt question was a surprise, but Marlina came across as a non-fuss woman.

“This was not just an escape plan,” Princess Estina said firmly. “It’s a risk since those behind me are small in number, but he is responsible for murdering my brother, Prince Weston. I could not let him continue using the Lombock either. It’s time things changed in our Kingdom, and it looks like now, like never before, I’m going to have to make that stand, even if I die trying.”

Their eyes met in the darkness, the lamp a short distance away.

“You may be surprised by how many people will back you. Everyone is scared of the Lombock. The only people who are benefiting from Prince Yernal are the men doing his dirty work and his friends. Many are suffering.”

Princess Estina nodded and closed her eyes. “As I said, it’s time for a change.”

Marlina didn’t say anything else but rinsed and washed her hair four more times before she was satisfied. When she was done, she tied Princess Estina’s hair on top of her head in a knot.

“Clothes,” she said nodding.

Princess Estina obeyed and took everything off until she was naked. Taking the soap off of Marlina, she lathered her body. Her teeth started chattering again and goose bumps ran over her skin, but she worked diligently. Gasping, she grimaced as Marlina poured bucket after bucket over her body helping to rinse the filth from her skin. Marlina even helped to rub her back and shoulders, covering the flesh she couldn’t reach herself.

Eventually, she felt like her body was clean. Mentally, it would still take a lot longer. Marlina threw her another pair of clean clothes and she quickly pulled them onto her body. They were heavy and thick to her relief. They set back off towards the clearing. The smell of a meat stew reached her nostrils as they approached, the flickering flames of fire greeting them through the trees.

“The stew will be ready in a little while,” Areen said as they stepped back into the clearing. Ladet was a short distance away, rubbing down Meadow Dreamer who was happily munching on some hay. “Drink this in the meantime. It’ll help keep you warm.”

Princess Estina took the steaming ceramic mug eagerly and took a careful sip so as not to burn herself. It was a warm sweet tea. “Thank you,” she said. “Can I do anything to help?” she asked.

“Yes,” Marlina said. “Sit down. We need to talk.”

Ladet moved over to the fire as well. “You look much better. Feel clean?”

Princess Estina nodded, both hands clasped around the mug.

“From now on,” Marlina said, sitting opposite to herself and Ladet, “we drop your names. Princess Estina you will now be Clareen, and Ladet you will be Trelen. And I think it would be best, if we meet anyone else on the road, which we will, is for you two to introduce yourselves as recently betrothed. Shouldn’t be too hard to pull off. You two look close enough.”

Princess Estina and Ladet gave each other a quick glance. Princess Estina shrugged. It was a smart idea, and it was only if they met anyone else on the road.

Ladet coughed and reached for a mug. “I think we could be convincing,” he said before he took a big mouthful of tea.

Princess Estina offered him a soft smile and then turned her attention back to Marlina. “I noticed we have been going uphill,” Princess Estina said. “We’re taking the higher route.”

“Yes, we have the lighter load. The mountain men will take the lower routes which means if everything goes well for them, they will reach Lord Clep’s city, Latrena, before us.”

Princess Estina frowned. “I have not been to this part of the kingdom before. I only know of the town Clopena. Are there many townships in the mountains?”

“Some,” Marlina said, “and there’s a high chance Prince Yernal will send soldiers our way.” She paused as a cold gust of wind swept through their small clearing. “It’s going to be cold on this journey, so stay warm. Eat up,” Marlina said as Areen started to fill small bowls with stew. “As soon as we’re done, we’ll sleep. You two can have the back of the caravan. There’s blankets. Areen and I will sleep by the fire in shifts.”

“No,” Princess Estina said. “You and Areen sleep first. I will do the first watch,” Princess Estina said. “I slept in the back of the caravan. I’m good for a few hours.”

“Me too,” Ladet said.

Marlina glanced at Areen. His face was drawn with fatigue.

“Fair enough,” she said.