Nerissa sat in the boat, the smell of the salty ocean overwhelming her. She'd never been on a boat before. In fact, until she'd run away, she had never even left the castle.
"This is going to take forever," Ben said. He wasn't really complaining, so much as stating the obvious.
"Then go to sleep," Nerissa suggested.
"With the waves like this?" he replied. "That's highly unlikely."
"Well, what did you do to pass the time in the army?" Nerissa asked. "I doubt you were always working."
"Milady," Ben teased, "that's a harsh accusation."
"But is it wrong?" Nerissa said playfully.
Ben laughed. "I suppose not entirely.
"Everyone used to tell tales of their adventures."
"Do you have any?" Nerissa inquired.
Ben frowned for a moment. "Maybe later…" He smiled immediately after. "What about you, Walter? Something interesting must've happened to you at least once in your life."
"I'm not telling you a bed time story, Ben," Walter said.
"Fine, be that way," Ben said childishly. "What about you, boy?" he asked Merrick. The dog barked and shook his head. Ben sighed and then turned to Nerissa. "I don't suppose you know any tales, Princess."
Nerissa sighed in frustration, glaring at Ben.
"Do you even know my name?" she said. She could understand the "Princess" routine from Walter. He'd been calling her that her whole life, but Ben needn't.
"It's something beginning with 's', right?" he guessed. Nerissa groaned, prompting Ben to laugh. "I'm only kidding; get a sense of humor, won't you? I know your name."
"Good," Nerissa said, "then use it."
"Okay then, Nerissa… I don't suppose you know any tales?" he asked, feeling uncomfortable with addressing royalty so casually.
"Only ones about my mother, but I'm guessing you know them," she said.
"There isn't anyone in Albion who doesn't," said Ben. "You must have some tales of your own."
"You know the basic story. That's the only adventure I've had. Before I ran away, I'd never even left the castle."
"That's a story," Ben pointed out. "Tell me why you left."
"Okay," Nerissa agreed. "The story of 'Why I Left the Castle'. My brother is a tyrant. The end."
"Oh, come on," Ben griped. "It couldn't be that simple."
"That's enough, Ben," said Walter.
"Something must have happened," the soldier pressed. "Something that made you realize just how bad Logan is. He must have done something."
"Shut up, Ben!" Walter shouted. He didn't sound annoyed or amused like he usually did. He sounded furious. His comment held a threat, warning Ben not to push.
"It's all right, Walter," Nerissa assured her guardian.
Walter gave Nerissa a look, in it held a question. Something along the lines of, "Are you sure?" Hesitantly, Nerissa nodded.
"There had been a rumor spreading that Logan had a worker executed that morning for sticking up for the children working in Industrial. People began to worry, so I tried to calm them.
"Then Walter and I went to go practice my swordsmanship. Soon after, my… friend… walked in, saying that Logan was going to execute a group of people who had started to riot. We ran to help.
"Walter stood up for them, and it seemed Logan was going to kill him, too. My friend and I ran in, telling Logan not to kill anyone. Logan had his soldiers take us to the Throne Room.
"When we entered, Logan told me that he was willing to let the people go. He would let me decide. Either the people would die, or my friend would."
Shock was evident on Ben's face, and he now knew why Walter was so touchy on the subject. He would have just dropped it right then and there. He would have, but he had to know.
"What did you do?"
Nerissa's face was solemn, devoid of emotion, and in a monotone voice, she answered. "At first I refused to make a decision, but Logan said if I didn't, then they would all die.
"My friend insisted on letting the other people live, but I… I didn't want to. I knew it was the right thing to do, but I really didn't want to. But they all kept asking, everyone kept begging me to let the rioters live. So… I did. I let the people go, and my friend was executed."
Ben sat still, eyes wide. He could practically feel Walter's glare burning into the back of his head. Still, he pressed.
"What was your friend's name?" he asked.
She hesitated. "Elliot."
Not only did he feel as though he had just been punched in the stomach, Ben also felt like a complete and utter fool. How had he not seen that coming? Really. A "friend"? What an idiot he was.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, realizing he should have just said that earlier instead of asking for names and details.
"Thank you." She didn't mean it. What was there to be thankful for? Ben knew that from firsthand experience.
Still, he found himself smiling at her, the moonlight reflecting in his eyes. "Well, you're young, beautiful, and on top of that, a princess. I'm sure you'll find another 'friend'."
"Wh-what?" Nerissa stuttered, secretly thankful for the darkness, as her face was most likely crimson red.
Ben laughed at her nervousness. "Ow!" he exclaimed when Walter hit the back of his head.
"Shut up, Ben," Walter sighed, shaking his head. "For the love of Avo, just shut up."