17 started carrying Bra to a near by cave he had discovered before. There he could build a fire and nurse the princess back to health. He only wished the horse he had stolen had not ran away, it would have made everything a whole lot easier. Now he had to carry the princess to the cave which was a little over a mile away.
"Finally." 17 declared as the cave's entrance came to view over a steep hill. Climbing up the hill with the unconscious princess in his arms drained the last of the bounty hunter's strength.
With the sun still out 17 walked to the very back of the cave as far away from the entrance and the cold as possible. He gently laid Bra down and took off his now dried jacket and placed it over her like a blanket, then walked back out the cave to look for some firewood.
Once he had collected enough wood 17 walked back to the cave to start a fire. He half hoped to find Bra awake and complaining about being left in a dirty cave, but instead he found the princess just how he had left her.
That is the condition the princess remained in for the next couple of days. 17 watched over her every minute and only left her to hunt food for himself and gather herbs to make remedies that might assistance in a faster recovery.
Bra slipped in and out of conscious several times, however she never woke up. 17 realized this one night when the princess began talking in her sleep.
"No! I don't want to marry Goten! You can't make me!" Bra mumbled in her sleep. 17 knew the main reason Bra ran away from the castle was to avoid marrying Goten, but he had no clue of what the princess was unknowingly going to reveal in her sleep talking.
17 felt no guilt for in his mind listening to the princess talking in her sleep was not eavesdropping. In fact it proved to be a good thing for it changed 17's perspective on the princess completely. Never in a million years would the bounty hunter imagine a princess life was anything, but full or riches, power and consequently happiness.
Listening to Bra's midnight confessions painted a totally different picture of royalty life. A picture of being controlled by others, having no say in anything concerning your life, and being alone even though you were constantly surrounded by countless people who supposedly served you.
The most startling revelation about the princess was unmasked when 17 discovered her little purple book, which she kept in a small purple silk bag tied to her dress. Without fear of being found out 17 took the book and read in it some of the princess most personal thoughts and feelings expressed through songs. The book Bra carried everyone with her contained the song lyrics she had composed over the years.
17 couldn't helped, but be moved by the sadness in some of the songs and yet the strength of a survivor and fighter in others. One line in particular tugged at 17's heart.
"In your dreams, magical thoughts. All things are real unless your dream they're not. In your dreams love is the thought carried on wings of hope. (Lunar Silver Star Story Opening theme)" 17 read out loud.
The professional hunter stayed seated with Bra's booklet in his hands thinking over those lyrics. After about an hour of soul searching 17 came to a startling conclusion. He now knew exactly what he had to do even if it cost him his life……
"Owwie." Bra groaned in pain as she slowly opened her for the first time in days. The bright light was blinding and hurt her head adding to the excruciating pain she felt all over her body. Bra managed to sit up into a more comfortable position as her vision gradually came into focus.
"NNNNOOOO!" Bra screamed at the top of her lungs as she looked around and recognized the rich expensive furniture that decorated her bedroom chambers.
Authors Note- Is Bra hallucinating? If she isn't how did she get back to the castle?