Disclaimer: Characters and places that you recognize from Ella Enchanted are Gail Carson Levine's. The rest are mine!
Chapter 3: Caught
Arion sped quickly through the forest until he reached the muddy path that ran through the woods, rutted from the carts and horses that sometimes passed through. The rain that had seemed like only scattered drops in the trees was pouring down in torrents on the path, and Arion paused next to the edge of the road, suddenly unsure of whether he had imagined the scream or not. His heart was pounding rapidly, his hand clutched tightly to the hilt of his sword.
Maybe he had imagined it all, he thought, his heart sinking. Possibly, his thirst for adventure had overpowered his sane mind. Sighing, he wiped away a cluster of wet curls from his forehead and turned to go, when his eyes suddenly caught a movement of light gray in the bushes across the path.
Before he had even thought through what he was doing, Arion found himself in front of whoever was in the bushes, his sword unsheathed and pointing at the cause of the movement.
He blinked down at whom he had found. A girl? A mixture of anger, defiance, and sadness was immersed in dark brown eyes, eyes set in a pale face framed by wet bronze curls. Water clung to her face and slowly rolled in rivulets down her cheeks.
"Get out of the bushes and keep still," Arion commanded, keeping the point of his sword pointed at the stranger in the foliage. He watched as the girl shot him a look of contempt, her eyes flashing with anger as she slowly stepped out of the bushes. A ripped and dirty dress clung to her body, and she shivered visibly as the rain poured down around them.
Arion frowned at her. Could she be a spy for Pruse, pretending to be a helpless village girl?
"Who are you, girl?" He asked loudly over the rain and was met with another glare. "A spy, perhaps?"
"Don't be stupid, Rion."
Arion turned to find James next to him, the knight's eyes fixed on the girl in front of them.
"The lass is definitely not a spy." James' eyes swept over the girl, taking in her cold, shaking form. "We won't hurt you lass," he said gently, slowly approaching her. "Come with us back to our camp and get out of this rain."
Arion watched as the girl eyed them suspiciously.
"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Arion asked James. "She could be a damn good spy ready to kill us at any moment." The prince turned to glance back at the girl and was shot with another scowl from her.
James sighed and chose to ignore Arion's comment. "We promise to help you," the knight said, taking another step closer to the girl. Before she could take a step back, James had grabbed her firmly by the hand. Without a backward look at Arion, he began walking back in the direction of the camp with the girl.
Standing still for another moment, his sword still clutched tightly in his hand, Arion stared at their retreating figures. Then, with a curse under his breath, he broke into a run after them.
Caelys turned uncomfortably on her back in the cot, and blinked back tears in the darkness of the tent. She had never felt so alone in her life. Her family, her friends…where were they? Why was she the only one left behind? And who were these people who had found her?
She had been afraid that they were the same men who had come to Rochelle, but after hearing them talk, knew they were not. The three men were obviously Kyrrians, as their accents differed from that of the Lascarians and the Prusians. Caelys guessed that they were knights, keeping a close eye on the border for any enemies from Pruse.
They had been hospitable enough, giving her warm blankets and food once she had arrived in their camp. But the youngest one, who the two other knights addressed as Rion, still watched her suspiciously. They hadn't questioned her about who she was or why she was in the woods, as James had insisted that she rest for the night. Yet, Caelys was afraid that Rion would eventually convince the rest that she was a spy.
She shivered, frightened at the idea of being prosecuted for something she was not.
Caelys suddenly sat up on the cot, this new fear taking hold of her stomach and twisting it into knots. Maybe she should run away. The knights were all asleep; it was the middle of the night. They wouldn't discover that she was missing until morning. And by that time, she would hopefully have reached a nearby town in Lascar to notify them of what had happened to Rochelle.
Yes, that was it. She should run away. With that final thought in mind, Caelys gingerly stepped onto the ground and moved through the doorway of the tent. The night air was cool and fresh, and she breathed it in deeply, before taking another tentative step. Suddenly, she felt something close around her arm, and she turned, gasping as she came face to face with Rion.
"Where do you think you're going?" he hissed at her, his grip tightening on her arm.
Caelys glared at him, irritated with herself for forgetting that he was playing sentry for the hour and angry with him for being so contemptuous.
"I just wanted to get a breath of fresh air," she lied, meeting him in the eye. Rion stared at her for a moment longer, his forehead creased in a frown and eyes filled with suspicion.
"Well do so quickly and get back inside." He let go of her arm and took a step backwards.
Caelys rubbed her arm from where Rion had held her before turning and walking back towards the tent. She could feel his eyes on her back as she slowly stepped through the doorway and disappeared into the darkness inside.
AN: I haven't updated this story in forever! And I finally did it! Drop a review, please:)
