Kate and Rick stuck close to the river all day, walking mostly in silence as they moved farther away from the road. Kate didn't offer any type of conversation other than the occasional warning about an errant branch on the ground or a sudden drop along the path she had set off, and Rick guessed that she was trying to work something out in her mind.
He was right. Kate was lost in her thoughts, barely paying attention to where she was walking. She had absolutely no idea what was going on. How could her father be gone? It was childish to think, especially since she had lost her mother before she could even remember, but she had always just thought that he would be there. She thought that he was invincible, that she had plenty of time to spend with him.
Maybe that was the issue; perhaps she had wasted too much time.
Her father had warned her about this. He told her that they had no control over the things that happen to them, advised her that anything could happen when Providence came into play. He had cautioned her that he may not be around for much longer and that she had to prepare herself.
To be alone.
To be a Queen.
A Queen. That seemed like such a dramatic leap from Princess. Technically, this country they were running through was now hers. She would have advisors, travel to other nations to keep the peace. She was the only ruling Queen in all of the treaty's history who was born into power, not to mention being the youngest ruler to ever take the throne in all of Beckett.
That's a lot to live up to.
Well, that is, if they survive this ordeal at all.
She chanced a look back at Rick over the curve of her shoulder, watching as he stumbled over a branch that she hadn't warned him about. He didn't say anything though, didn't tease her or mock her or yell at her for letting him fall. He just stayed quiet, caught himself mid-stride and kept walking behind her, his gaze fixed on the ground in front of him, watching her feet and the steps she took.
Kate felt her heart clench in her chest.
She almost wished he would yell at her, try to distract her from the black hole in her mind that was threatening to consume her every thought. Her heart ached for the normalcy that his humor brought her, the way that his eyes crinkled at the corners when he truly smiled. She wanted him to be that beacon of hope that she had come to rely on this past month.
But she couldn't bring herself to ask.
And he would know, wouldn't he? He's spent nearly every waking minute with her for the past three weeks. He knew what made her tick, he knew when she was angry, and could tell by the twitch of her fingers when she was tired. He knew when she needed tea, could tell when she needed to sit down and kick off her shoes, even when she was craving sweets although she would never admit it.
Surely he would know when she needed him, right? He would know that she needed his voice and his smile and the tenderness in his eyes she had come to rely on, wouldn't he?
It didn't seem like he did.
Maybe… Well, maybe he didn't really know her as well as she thought.
Rick was assuming it was the late afternoon when he finally convinced her to stop and take a break.
"I'm hungry," Rick said as he plopped down on a rock by the edge of the riverbank.
Kate rolled her eyes, "Yeah, let me just bake you some bread."
Rick gave her a look, "I didn't mean-"
"Of course you didn't," Kate snapped, then sighed, squatting down on the slightly elevated ground next to the moving water, bringing a hand up to her face and using it to push some of her hair back behind her ear. She sighed, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be-"
"No," Kate said, effectively interrupting him, "I'm sorry."
Kate stuck her hand into the river and swirled her finger around in the water. She couldn't look at him.
"Look, Rick," she said softly, "I don't… I don't really know… how… to talk to people. I've never been one to… open up or… share, but I-"
Rick heard a branch snap behind him and Kate immediately stopped talking. Rick would have groaned if half of his mind wasn't preoccupied with the fact that there was something behind him that could potentially kill him.
But Kate was already moving, reaching under her dress to where she had tied her dagger and standing up, her eyes focused on the woods behind him. She walked towards him, situating herself next to him as she stood ready for the attack.
Again, if there wasn't that whole thing about possibly being killed, Rick would have found it oddly attractive.
Kate prepared to take another step forward.
"Drop the dagger or we'll shoot," she heard a deep voice say behind her.
Kate froze, leaning down slowly and placing the dagger on the ground in front of her as she stood up slowly.
"Hands in the air," another voice said.
Kate and Rick both did as they asked.
When they both turned around, Kate was staring straight down the point of an arrow. A quick glance at Rick from the corner of her eye saw that he was in the same predicament.
The man who held Kate at arrow-point was looking at her with dark, narrowed eyes. His skin was darker than anyone she had ever seen in Beckett, as if he had spent every moment out in the sun. His hair was short and cut close to his head, his arms thick and broad as he pointed the arrow at her.
She chanced a look over at the man who had Rick in the same position.
Paler with perfectly quaffed hair, this man was the complete opposite of the man across from her. He was smaller and leaner, the bow looking much less natural in his hands than it did in that of his partner.
The two men looked at each other from the corner of their eyes and nodded.
"What are your names?"
Rick answered, his voice surprisingly strong.
"I'm Jameson, the woman you're currently pointing an arrow at is Nicole."
"What are you doing here?"
"We're lost," Kate said, "We were following the river, hoping it led to somewhere safe."
The two men looked at each other again, their jaws clenching.
They didn't believe them.
"Turn around slowly."
Again, they did as they were told.
"Hands behind your back," the pale man said.
Rick and Kate looked at each other for a moment before complying.
Only when their hands were behind their backs and they didn't look at though they would be trying anything smart did the men in front of them drop their arrows. They both reached towards their belts and pulled out a small loop of rope, and proceeded to wrap it around their wrists. When they were secure, the men pushed them along away from the river and into the woods.
They found themselves sitting next to each other in a small crowded room, illuminated by only a few lanterns hanging on the wall and the little amount of daylight that managed to creep in through the crevices under the door. Their hands had been untied and separated, only to be tied separately onto the arms of their respective chairs.
In front of them stood a relatively short man, with dark hair and a deadening stare that made Rick shift in his seat.
"Well, I see you've met Javier and Kevin," the short man said, his shoulders pushed back as he gestured towards the two archers standing off the side, "I guess it's only fair that you meet the rest of us."
The man nodded back towards the shadows, and Rick and Kate watched as a woman came out of the shadows. She had red hair, and kept her chin sharp and proud as the man introduced her.
"This is Jordan."
The woman didn't nod, only looked at them both before sliding back against the wall, clearly content with having the man take over this part of their program.
"I'm Marcus Fallon," the man said, looking both of them in the eyes before shaking his head, "And I know you're not Jameson and Nicole."
Kate raised an eyebrow, "And how would you know that?"
"Because my men heard you call him 'Rick' before they captured you. And I trust that Javier and Kevin are telling the truth."
Kate's eyebrow fell back into place, her mask overtaking her features once again.
"Now I know that your names aren't Nicole and Jameson," the man named Marcus said again, coming over and putting his hand on the arm of Kate's chair, looming over her, "So why don't you save us all some trouble… and you tell me who you really are."
Rick watched as Kate and Marcus stared at each other, neither flinching under the other's gaze, trying to size each other up.
He saw Kate's jaw clench and unclench so quickly that he almost didn't see it happen.
"I'm Katherine," she said, her voice low. She glanced in Rick's direction, "That's Richard."
"That doesn't give me much to work with, Katherine," Marcus said, leaning a little closer to her, "How about you give me your full names."
It wasn't a request.
Rick saw Kate's nostrils flare.
"That's Richard Castle," Kate said, never breaking eyes contact with Marcus, "And I'm Princess Katherine of Beckett."
He saw Marcus stand up, satisfied that she had cracked. Then he smirked at her.
"We know."
Kate kept her face blank, but Rick could feel his eyebrows shoot up towards his forehead.
"You know?" he asked, surprise and confusion clear in his voice, "How do you know?"
Marcus's smirk grew and as he walked away from them.
"The missing Princess and the troubadour? The whole land knows about you. Although…" he said, throwing a significant glance at Kate's face, "… they didn't tell us you were fighting each other along the way."
This time it was Rick's jaw that clenched in times with his fists against the arms of the chair. He would never hit a woman, especially not Kate. The thought alone made his stomach roll.
Marcus raised an amused eyebrow.
"Or perhaps I'm mistaken. If your poet's reaction is anything to go by, someone else did this to you…" Marcus trailed off, moved back towards the two of them. "The bounty on your heads is extraordinary…" Marcus paused in front of them, "… You two must have really pissed somebody off."
Kate spoke up.
"If you're going to turn us in, do it now. Stop playing silly games."
Marcus smiled and Rick felt the knots in his stomach tighten.
"We're not going to turn you in, Princess…" Marcus leaned down and put his hands over top of Kate's wrists, "… We're running, too."
Kate felt the knots around her wrists loosen until they slipped away and fell down to the floor. Marcus nodded behind him a woman with red hair came forward, loosening the knots around Rick's wrist.
Both Kate and Rick brought up their hands, rubbing their red wrists as they looked around the room.
"Where are we?" Rick finally asked.
"Are you frightened?" Marcus said, raising an eyebrow, "Mr. Castle…" Marcus said, standing up straighter. He lifted his arms up and gestured around him, "… You're in Lockwood."