Lost and Found
Chapter 4 - First Compromise
When DG woke the next morning, it took her a minute to realize where she was. She was wrapped in a blanket beside the dying embers of a small fire, and surprisingly warm. She realized that was because someone was lying next to her, arms locked around her waist, but she couldn't summon any fear at that thought. So she lay there for a moment, waiting for her mind to come back from dreamland (DG had always been slow to wake up), and when it did she smiled quite happily. She was with Cain, and that made everything much better than it had been a moment ago. Rolling over, DG smiled up into her love's face and whispered,
"Good morning, Mr. Cain." Cain opened one eye sleepily and pulled DG closer.
"Good morning, Princess. About time you woke up."
"What do you mean?" DG demanded. "You're the one who just woke up." Cain sighed.
"No, I've been awake since sunrise, but every time I made to move, you wouldn't let me go." DG wasn't awake enough to blush, so she just snuggled closer to her Tin Man's hard chest and said sleepily,
"Well, you are very comfortable." Abover her she heard Cain's dry chuckle.
"You're pretty comfortable yourself." He kissed the top of DG's head and continued, "But we really need to get up now. I've got to get you back to the palace." DG was silent for a moment before responding,
"What if I don't want to go?" Cain froze in the act of unwrapping himself from the blanket.
"Run that by me again?"
"I said, what if I don't want to go back to the palace? What if I told you I'd rather go and hunt Longcoats with you?" Cain shook his head and stood.
"Oh, no. DG, we are not going through this. You're going back to the palace, where you're safe, and if I have to be your bodyguard again to make you stay, I will, but you are never going to hunt Longcoats at any point in your life. Ever." DG threw back her blanket and stood as well, looking up at Cain. A strange feeling bubbled up inside her at Cain's panicked look. Her ex-Tin Man getting his feathers ruffled at the mere thought of DG hunting Longcoats made her want to break out in giggles, but the princess wisely held them back. It wouldn't do for Cain to be mad at her during this particular argument, not with what she had in mind. So DG endeavored to soothe him.
"I wasn't thinking that, Cain. Jeez. I just meant that I would rather do that than go back to the palace. One of those what-would-you-rather-do, eat-slimy-eels-raw-or..." Cain looked relieved. DG pounced. "But I did mean that I'm not going back to the palace. At least not yet," she amended. "If we go back right now, Mother will only send you away, because she won't want me and you together, and then I'll have to follow you again, and it will just make things more difficult for everyone." Cain opened his mouth, then closed it, considering.
"What do you want to do then, DG? And once we eventually return to the palace, what's to stop the queen from doing what you've just described? We can't stay out here without shelter or any commodities, and you refuse to go back to the palace, and I refuse to take you toward danger, so what now?" DG grinned inwardly. Now she had him. True, what she was going to say next was a low blow, but she was pretty desperate...
"Well, I was thinking that if you and I stay together for a few nights alone, Mother will feel that we did something...inappropriate, and she'll insist that we get married rather than disgrace the family name, and then it'll all be solved. We just have to find someplace to hide until a few days have passed." DG watched Cain's face as he menatally went over her plan, searching for flaws or problems. He looked slightly shocked at her using the "they were alone, so they must have had sex" factor for persuasion, but he was pretty desperate himself.
"Okay," Cain finally said, surprising DG. She had thought she'd have to wheedle and plead to get him to agree, and the fact that he'd agreed so readily made her nervous.
" 'Okay'?" DG repeated suspiciously. "No arguments? No speeches? Just 'okay'?" Cain grinned at her.
"Just okay." DG peered at her Tin Man until he answered her silent query. "Because I know a perfectly safe place where we can hide, and we can reach it within a day." DG gaped at him. Now he was contributing to the plan? What had happened to the oh-so-honorable, annoyingly protective and stern bodyguard who had always promptly stepped on any "inappropriate plans" that DG might have had? Cain seemed to read some of this in DG's expressive eyes, and he threw back his head and laughed, the first time DG had heard him do so. "Oh, come on, DG. Do you think I'm going to let some sissy prince run off with my girl? Your plan works, and I'll agree to anything that will keep you with me." DG grinned suddenly, threw her arms around the tall man, and planted a kiss on his lips that he wouldn't soon forget.
DG and Cain set out soon afterwards. After digging out some dried fruit and bread from their combined provisions, the lovebirds sat next to each other on the blanket, knees touching, and made a merry breakfast. DG hadn't ever heard Cain laugh so much since she'd first met him. He had gone from being a stern and somber bodyguard to a giddy young man, all within the span of a day. DG couldn't understand it, but she wasn't going to question his improved mood and made the most of it, joking with and teasing him as much as he did to her. DG delighted in his smile and laughter much as he did in hers, and it made for a good start to the second leg of their adventure. DG was packing up their bags while Cain saddled his horse when a problem occurred to her.
"Cain," she called while tying up one of the packs, "where am I going to sit?" Cain replied over his shoulder,
"In front of me on the saddle. That way you won't fall off." There was a hint of laughter in his deep voice. DG groaned and considered throwing something at him. Her riding ability, or lack there-of, was still a sore point with her. And it didn't help that Cain's horse was such an enormous animal that seemed quite capable of taking a chunk out of her. But she didn't mention any of this to Cain. He'd think she was baby if she told him she was afraid to ride. Gathering up the bags, she carried them over to her Tin Man and waited while he tied them onto the back of the saddle. Then he turned to her, a smile across his face, and asked,
"Ready?" DG gulped, looking up at the big horse, whose back was so much higher than her head, and nodded. Cain placed his hands around her waist and effortlessly lifted her to the saddle, making DG suddenly aware of his masculine strength. Cain didn't giver her much time to dwell on the matter, though, swinging himself up onto the horse's back and arranging himself comfortably behind her. Gently the ex-Tin Man scooted the princess forward so he'd have room to sit behind her. He peered into her face to find that DG had her eyes tightly closed.
"What's wrong, DG?" Cain asked, concerned. DG mumbled something unintelligible the first time, obviously not quite able to get her mind away from the fact that she was on a huge horse. Cain lifted his girl out of the saddle and turned her around to face him, hoping to reason her into opening her eyes and talking with him. "Come on, DG," Cain cajoled. "What's the matter? Are you hurt?" DG shook her head and mumbled,
"It's just - a really big horse, you know? What if he bites me or something, or decides he doesn't like me and wants me off his back?" Cain bit back a grin. He had no idea why he was so happy now - maybe it was because he finally had permission to love DG - but whatever it was, he couldn't help smiling all the time. The fact that brave, spunky DG was afraid of horses just made him want to grin all the more. Instead of laughing at her, though, Cain said,
"DG, I raised this horse myself. He was born and raised at my house, around my son, and even when we were training hm he never bit or kicked. You are perfectly safe, especially with me right behind you." DG looked somewhat relieved, but not entirely convinced. Cain looked straight into her eyes and said quietly, "You know I'd never let you fall." At that, DG felt entirely better. She'd never really thought about how much she depended on her bodyguard, how much she trusted him, but she apparently trusted him entirely. With utter confidence, DG turned around and faced forward again. Cain circled his arms around his princess, took the reins, and then they were moving.
DG was acutely aware of the man behind her. He was so close, and she was surrounded by his strong, muscled arms. Every shift, every breath, DG felt as if it were her own. It made her feel so ridiculously safe, especially after his reassuring little whisper earlier, and before long she couldn't summon up any fear at all. After a time of companionable silence, DG asked,
"Where are we going, Cain? You never said."
"We're going to my cabin. Jeb and I have been keeping it up for when we needed it, and it's fully provisioned and clean. We shouldn't have any trouble."
"But won't that be the first place they look for us?" DG protested. "I mean, they won't expect us to stay out here, and your cabin would be the logical choice."
"Well, it would be the logical choice under the circumstances," Cain admitted, "but they don't know that the cabin's been kept up. They'll think that it's still a wreck and that a delicate princess such as yourself would never consent to staying there." DG grinned. It was a rather good idea.
"And it'll only take a day to get there?" DG felt Cain's nod of assent.
"We should be there by nightfall." DG couldn't wait. A whole week or so alone with Cain? This was going to be great.
DG had no idea that Cain was thinking along the same lines, and if she had, she probably would have laughed at him. The ex-Tin Man, however, was also worried. He had had so many bad experiences at that old cabin that they almost covered up the good times he'd had there. He was glad DG couldn't hear his thoughts right now. They were full of doubt, eating away at his childish confidence that everything would work out for the best.
A/N: I'm sorry about the wait for this chapter - I hope I haven't lost some of my reviewers due to the delay. I hereby sincerely apologize and ask humbly for your forgiveness. Enjoy!