Princess at War
Chapter Two
As the trucks rolled on into the night, Cain drove, his eyes fixed upon the road, despite the temptation to his right. She'd made no attempt at conversation after the first moments of introduction, simply watching out the window for nearly an hour and then finally gathering her cloak around herself, curling up in the seat to sleep.
Cain, on the other hand, could not have been more awake despite not having slept in nearly two days. As the night wore on and the first rays of sunlight began to brighten the sky, he wracked his brain for whatever scraps of information he could remember about there being another Gale princess. He remembered the current Queen coming to consult the Mystic Man many years ago, and that in her retinue was a Prince; a tall man similar in age to the Queen and possessing the same blue black hair. With this Prince, there were two older children, two girls or perhaps a boy and a girl? It had been so many years ago and he'd not paid as much attention as he should. The children, he remembered, had been very active, arguing and shoving each other when the adults weren't looking. When the Mystic Man had turned to them though, both were transformed, behaving as sweetly as possible.
Was this one of those children? What had become of the Prince or the other child? Cain continued to drive and try to remember but nothing more came to him.
His stomach began growling just before they pulled to the pre arranged rest stop. Pulling to stop, he leaned over to wake the Princess who appeared sound asleep, but before his fingers could make contact with her shoulder, she'd grabbed his arm and pulled her knife. He stopped and stared into her eyes, she simply stared back, unblinkingly.
"Break time, Princess. You have 3 minutes to do what you need."
At the words, she nodded and got out of the cab. As her feet, touched the earth, she turned back toward him. " Sorry about the knife, old habits, you know." She waited till he nodded, to signify he understood and then she headed into the woods to take her break. Cain glanced at the time and got out of the vehicle.
By the time she'd returned, a satchel had been placed in the front seat. One look told her it was breakfast, but she didn't touch it till Cain returned. "Ready?" he asked as he climbed behind the steering wheel. Kara looked at him and nodded. " All right, then." The engine turned and they began to move.
"It might not be proper protocol, but can you hand me some bread?" he asked, eyes still face forward. The simple request surprised Kara, few resistance fighters would trust another to touch their food, and to him she was a stranger. "Take some for yourself, of course," he added, as though this was a simple outing among friends. Oddly, she felt herself letting out a sigh and beginning to relax. Reaching into the bag, she examined it's contents. Bread, butter, jam, fruit, a container of something that may have been coffee before it had gone cold, juice and an empty container that smelt like muglug.
"Sorry, I got hungry last night," he said when he noticed she was smelling the jar. " If it makes you feel any better, it really wasn't all that good," he said with a grin that told her, she'd missed a fantastic bowl of soup. "So, how's about that bread?"
Kara found herself laughing. "Bread coming up. Would you like butter and jam, perhaps?"
" A bit of butter wouldn't hurt, no to the jam, thanks." Fumbling around in the moving truck, Kara prepared the bread, cut some fruit and poured some juice for both of them. "Too bad, the coffee's cold, I could use a cup," said Cain with a sigh.
"I suppose I could fix that," said Kara, taking the clay jar from the bag. Closing her eyes, she held the jar tightly in both hands for a moment, as the cab began to fill with the delicious aroma of brewing coffee. " It won't be as good as fresh brewed, but it should hit the spot."
"Well, Princess, that is one handy trick," said Cain as he took the cup into his free hand trying not to act impressed at the display of magic.
"It's always good to be appreciated."
Kara took the cup back and handed Cain the bread. The process of feeding him took about ten minutes, until he finally was full. "My compliments to the chef."
Taking her turn, Kara took a sip of coffee and finally took a good look at her driver. Cain was not what she imagined, he seemed a little too large for the cab, not in size but in personality. He spoke with authority and was an obvious leader, she knew from reports that he was whip smart and earned his place in the Queen's respect. The reports had neglected to mention the too blue eyes and the way the hair curled gently at the base of his skull or the full lips that seemed ready to slip into a scandalous smirk without warning or even...
"Something wrong?" asked Cain when he noticed her gaze.
"No, of course not. I was just curious about the hero who helped destroy the witch," she said to cover herself.
"There were many involved in her destruction, I don't take any credit," said Cain, embarrassed by the compliment.
" No, you're not the type who would," she said.
Cain turned and was about to speak when the first bullets hit the cab. Her seat was empty, the cab door open, her supple body rolling out of the truck, weapons drawn. In the moment it took to slam on the brakes, Cain watched the world around him explode.
Author's Note: Forgot to ask yesterday, please read and review. Thanks to all. L.