Chapter 2: Prince Seth
I nudged Shadow with my knee, and he slowed. I slid off his back, careful to not disturb my injured shoulder.
"Cyrus, I know you're behind me," I called. There was a sigh and and the warrior stepped into my field of view. His right hand rested in the hilt of a massive broadsword as he strode toward me. He frowned.
"You're injured!" He said. I grunted. "Ya think?" He withdrew, as if stung.
"Sorry," I said. "I'm in a mood."
"Obviously," Cyrus retorted. Then he chuckled. "They finally got you?" I walked over to a nearby tree, and began climbing the carefully concealed ladder.
"Yup," I responded, ascending into the virtually invisible treehouse. Two or three young children tussled over a piece of bread. I broke up the fight and satisfied each child with a small chunk of bread.
"Who is that?" I asked gesturing to a shadowy figure leaning against the wall.
"Oh, that's just Prince Seth," Cyrus said from beside me. I whirled around, flicking the cowl of my cloak up.
"Just. That's JUST Prince Seth. You do realize I'm a thief, don't you? I'm a wanted criminal!" I hissed just loud enough for Cyrus to hear. Prince Seth was the younger brother of Princess Madelyn, otherwise known as Ranger Maddie. Ohhhh, I was in so much trouble.
"He'll be leaving soon, don't worry," Cyrus assured me.
"Wonderful! In the meantime, every knight in Araluen is looking for him! He'll lead them here!"
"Hi," a strange voice said. I jumped and spin to face the direction of the voice. Seeing Prince Seth, I curtsied.
"Your Majesty," I said.
"Please, call me Seth. What's your name?" He asked. I said the first name that came to mind.
"I'm Phyllis," I lied. "How long will you be staying?"
"Till tomorrow morning," Seth responded. The hours passed quickly as I distributed stolen bread and clothing amongst the orphan children. I relented to have my shoulder popped back into place, which was a painful experience. Eventually, the sun began to set and they began to tire. I handed out blankets, which the children laid out on the wood floor and curled up on them. Then they proceeded to beg me for a song.
"Which song?" I asked.
"Fireflies!" They said simultaneously. I sighed and began to sing. My eerie, smoky voice filled the room,
"You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep.
'Cause they'd fill the open air
And leave teardrops everywhere
You'd think me rude
But I would just stand and stare
'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head . . ."
Several hours later . . .
My eyes snapped open. Something wasn't right, I could sense it. I reached out and grabbed my bow and a quiver full of arrows. I rose silently and walked to the door of the tree house.
Authors note: Cliffhanger! Sorry, I'm addicted to those things.
TrustTheCloak: Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I will try to fix it, and any other typos I might find. Thank you for reviewing!
Aubrey Cortez: Thank you for reviewing! I have every intention of continuing this story.
I do not own Rangers Apprentice, or the song, Fireflies.
The next chapter will be in as fast as I can type it. Please review! If you have any questions, please ask in a review.
