Keira awoke the next morning with a slight pain in her back. She sat up from her spot in Jack's bed and began to rub her back where it pained her. She was thankful that he was able to provide her with a place to sleep for the night but his bed was nothing compared to her nice comfy one back at her castle. She looked out the window and stared out at the field for a moment and watched as the sunlight from above brightened up the whole forest, giving it a nice orange tint.
Still feeling a little weary, Keira got out of bed and walked over to the door and stepped outside. Seeing as Jack wasn't out in the field anywhere she walked over to the barn across from the house and pushed open the large wooden door. Inside she found two sleeping cows that were sitting across from a large feeding trough and walked up to them. When she got close enough to one of them she placed her hand on it and began to gently pet it, being sure not to wake it up. Aside from her trips to the forest she had always felt confined to her castle and the town outside it that she had never seen an animal this close before. Suddenly, she began to hear the barking of dog coming from behind her and turned around to see a small brown and white beagle behind her. She walked up to it and knelt in front of it as it began to let out a low growl.
"Hello there." She said to it quietly.
She placed her hand out in front of it and it sniffed it for a moment before licking it and then staring back at her.
"Do you know where Jack is?" She asked it.
The dog let out a friendly bark before running out the barn door and over to stable before sitting down in its doorway as its tail wagged at a fast pace. Keira walked over to the dog and stood beside it as she watched Jack for a moment as he stood beside the lone horse inside, grooming it's mane, before looking over at her.
"Good morning Keira." He said as he walked over her. "Did you sleep well?"
"Your bed was a little harder than what I'm used to but I managed to get to sleep." She told him.
"Sorry, if I had known that I was going to be hosting for someone such as yourself I would have tried to make my house a little more presentable." He said.
"That's alright Jack, you really don't have to go out of your way to impress me. You saved my life and that was enough to impress me." She told him.
The two become silent until Jack's dog began to bark again.
"I see you found my dog." He said.
"Yeah, it kind of brought me over here." She told him as she looked down at it.
The dog barked happily at her.
"He's a friendly little guy." Jack began as he bent over and petted his head. "His name's Buddy since he's my only friend out here."
Keira couldn't help but smile as she watched Jack play with his dog for a moment. They just looked so carefree and happy together that it just warmed her heart.
"So are you ready for me escort you back to your castle?" Jack asked as he focused his attention back on Keira.
"Yes I'm ready." She answered.
"Great." He said as he extended his hand out to her.
She grabbed onto his hand and he brought her over to the horse nearby.
"Climb on." He told her.
She struggled a bit for a moment to get on top of the horse but Jack began to help her. When she finally got seated on its back she looked down at him with a puzzled look on her face.
"Town's pretty far from here and I don't want you to get tired on the way there." He told her.
"That's sweet of you." She said.
"Well let's get moving." He said as he picked up the basket of strawberries from the previous day that sat near the door way.
Jack began to walk out of the stable and the horse soon began to follow right behind him. As they neared the wall of trees that lead into the forest he looked back at Buddy who was at standing beside his feet.
"Stay here and watch the house will you Buddy." He told him.
Buddy barked a few times in response before scurrying over towards the farm house and sitting down in front of it.
Jack then resumed walking into the forest and the horse once again began to follow him.
Jack and Keira remained silent during their long trek through the forest but once they finally arrived in town things began to get a bit awkward. Various townspeople put on strange and confused looks on as they watched the princess of their kingdom ride on the horse of a peasant. Keira looked at all of them with a slightly embarrassed expression on and occasionally waved at a few of the people they passed.
When they finally reached the bridge the led to the main grounds of the castle Jack placed the basket down and helped Keira off the horse. He directed the horse over to a small patch of grass that sat nearby and then picked up the basket again before him and Keira walked towards the castle. As they approached the gate that led inside the two guards that stood in front of it both bowed before Keira.
"Princess Keira, you've returned. Much of the castle has been worried about you since your departure." One of them said to her. "Are you well?"
"I'm fine, thank you very much." She told them before stepping in and motioning for Jack to follow.
Jack stepped forward and attempted to enter but the two guards stepped in front of him and crossed their spears, stopping him in his tracks.
"What business do you have entering these grounds peasant?" One of them asked rather rudely.
Keira walked up and pushed their spears down. "Let him through, this man saved my life."
The guards looked hesitantly at her. "But Princess Keira, are you sure you want this, this peasant inside the castle grounds?"
"Let him through, that's an order." She told them.
The two looked at her before looking at each other and then at Jack.
The two stepped away from the gate. "It appears you may enter."
Jack stepped forward and nodded his head at the both of them before walked up to Keira and then proceeding to follow her as she led him through the castle.
"Sorry about that Jack." She said.
"It's alright Keira." He said causing a few of the servants in the room to look at him with shocked expressions on at the fact that he didn't address her by her title. "I kind of expect to be treated like that."
Keira continued to lead Jack through the various hallways of the castle until they finally reached the throne room where her parents were residing. When they entered the room they began to walk towards them and when they neared them her mother stood up from her throne and walked up to Keira and embraced her while her father stared at Jack.
"Keira where have you been?" Her mother asked.
"Yes." Her father began as he stood up from his throne and walked over to them. "Where have you been? And who is this peasant you have brought here with you?"
"It's a bit of a long story. When I left the castle after I stormed out of our dinner session I went into the forest and was captured by a small group of thieves. They were going to kill me but I was lucky enough to be saved by kind farmer here named Jack." Keira explained.
"You saved my daughter and your princess?" Her mother asked curiously while her father looked a little skeptical.
"Yes, you saved my daughter?" He asked.
"Yes, you see I was just trying to…" Jack began before being cut off.
"I just asked if you saved my daughter, not how you saved her." Her father told him.
"Phillip!" Her mother snapped.
"I suppose you're expecting some sort of reward for your actions." Her father said to Jack sounding rather unamused.
"No, that won't be necessary your highness." Jack told him.
"Come now, isn't there anything you want?" Her father asked. "A home? Gold? A feast in your honor? Name it and it shall be yours."
"Really it's quite alright." Jack told him.
"Don't be ashamed to ask. I won't mind parting with a few of my possessions. You did save my daughter after all." Her father said still a little skeptical.
"Father stop it. Jack doesn't want anything for what he did for me." Keira said.
"Then I must thank you for rescuing my daughter." Her father said before motion for one of the guards in the doorway to approach him.
"What is my liege?" The guard asked.
"See that this pea… I mean gentleman is escorted off the castle grounds properly." Her father told him.
"Yes my liege." The guard replied.
The guard began to escort Jack out of the room but they were soon stopped by Keira.
"Jack wait." Keira said as she ran up to him.
"What is it Princess Keira?" He asked trying to make a good impression on her parents.
Keira placed her hand on his face and gave him a small kiss on the cheek causing Jack to blush nervously and her father to become shocked at her action.
"Maybe we'll see each other again someday." She told him.
He placed his hand on his cheek. "Maybe we will."
Keira walked back over to her parents as Jack and the guard left the room. Once they were gone and the door shut her father looked at her angrily.
"What was that?" He asked.
"What was what father?" Keira asked.
"Kissing that peasant and filling his head with false hopes." He told her.
"I was just being grateful." Keira told him.
Her mother looked down at her feet and noticed she wasn't wearing any shoes. "Keira dear what happened to your shoes?"
"Probably stolen by that peasant so he could sell them for food." Her father said.
"No, I lost them while I was being chased by those thieves." Keira told them.
"And what are all these stain and dirt marks on your dress?" He asked.
"This is just some juice and dirt from when we were harvesting berries yesterday." She told him.
"A peasant had you working?" Her father exclaimed. "I should have him imprisoned!"
"Father!" Keira exclaimed.
"And what's with this cut on your cheek? Did that damn peasant go and abuse you?" He asked. "He should be executed!"
"No! He wouldn't even think about hurting me!" Keira shouted.
"Your father isn't going to have your little friend executed Keira." Her mother said in order to calm her down. "But why were you working for him?"
"I wanted to. After he saved me from those thieves he brought me to his farm so I could relax and I decided to help him in order to pay him back for what he did for me." Keira told them.
"You shouldn't be helping someone like him Keira. Your royalty for a reason and he's a peasant for a reason." Her father said.
"Why don't you go and clean yourself up dear. I'm sure you'll feel relaxed after you're nice and clean again." Her mother told her.
Keira nodded her head and began to walk towards the door.
"Yes, you'll need to be presentable for your next suitor as well." Her father said causing her to stop.
"Another suitor?" Keira asked sounding upset.
"There's no negotiating this Keira. I've arranged for you two to meet tomorrow and I won't have my daughter looking like a damn peasant." Her father said in response to her appearance. "Now go."
Keira clenched her hand into a fist in anger as she walked out of the room. She had just returned home and already she wanted to leave. She wondered what this next suitor of hers would do that would make her hate him, but more importantly, she wondered when she would see Jack again.
A/N: R&R.
