Honor
Chapter Nine: Paradise
Annie shuffled uncertainly through the village marketplace. The sun had now come out, and the streets were crowded with bustling townsfolk. They took little notice of Annie, and the Princess found the merry chatter that passed between the villagers comforting. They all seemed so content with their lives.
Annie thought jealously of how simple things were for them. Why, the only thing they had to worry about was the latest gossip! None of these simpletons had to deal with cruel fathers and horrid betrothals and new confusing feelings for a guard. They didn't have to worry about being proper either!
"Ouch!"
"Oof!"
Annie rubbed her head to calm the stinging pain. Opening one eye, she took in the young man she had bumped into. He looked to be about Annie's age with short dark hair and tanned skin. This boy was also rubbing his head, and Annie suspected they would both have nasty bumps soon.
"I'm sorry," he quickly apologized, "That was my fault." He stuck out a hand and helped Annie up off the dusty road.
"No, it was mine," Annie assured him with a small smile, "I was lost in thought and wasn't looking where I was walking."
The man smiled, "My name's Stu, what's yours?"
"Pri-" Annie stopped herself, "Annie."
Introducing herself as a princess probably wouldn't be a good idea.
Stu smiled; apparently he hadn't noticed Annie's error.
"Nice to meet you. I haven't seen you before; where are you from?"
Annie sought for an answer that wouldn't give her away or make her sound like a nutcase, "I'm just passing through," she said finally, "I travel. A lot."
Stu gave a secretive smile, "Are you running from something, Miss Annie?"
Annie's jaw dropped at the young man's insight.
Stu chuckled, "You don't have to answer that. Why don't you come have lunch at my house? As a traveler, I'm sure you don't have anywhere to say," he smiled, "It would be an honor to walk around the village with a young lady such as yourself."
In response, Annie's face blushed and stomach growled. She then realized that she had left the palace without eating.
Stu laughed loudly, "It's settled then. Follow me."
Stu led Annie through a maze of streets and alleys. The Princess's sense of direction was very confused after just five minutes. Finally, Stu turned a corner and stopped dead in his tracks. Annie peered over his shoulder to see what was going on.
A group of men about their age were circling a young woman like a pack of vultures. They were calling nasty names, and the girl had collapsed onto the ground in tears.
"No, Ashley," Stu whispered. He strode forward in a commanding manner and smacked one of the men upside the head.
"Stu," Ashley sobbed out. Her voice lifted slightly at the sight of her best friend. Her long golden blonde hair was gathered in a bun at the base of her neck, but several strands had come loose and fallen askew. Her pale pink dress was badly wrinkled and covered with dust from the unpaved road.
"Beat it, you bunch of hawks," snapped Stu to the other boys, "Leave her alone!"
He had one of the boys, the one he had smacked before, by the collar of his shirt. The boy squirmed and gave the other boys pleading looks. The others turned and began to run away. Stu dropped the boy, and he scampered after them like a lost puppy.
"Hey, she brought this on herself, the little harlot," one of the boys called as they fled down the street.
Annie rushed forward and helped the girl named Ashley up on her feet, "Are you okay?"
"Mmm-hmm," she nodded. She wiped at a tear and tried to smile.
Annie turned to Stu.
"What was all that about?"
Stu sighed, "Ashley and I live with a man named Doctor Scott, along with a few others. We stay with him because we have nowhere else to go, for whatever reason. You'll meet the others at lunch. Ashley was accused of treason and of being a harlot. She isn't, of course, but they still tease her."
"That's awful," Annie gasped.
"That's life," Stu responded, "C'mon, let's go home.
Stu and Ashley led Annie to a little house just outside of the village. It was hidden in a little grove of trees, out of sight from the road. Out in front of the house, a dark-haired girl laid in the grass and stared up at the now crystal blue sky. The rain clouds had dispersed, and the sun shone brightly.
"Hello, Liza," Stu called.
They walked up a beaten path towards her. Liza rose, and brushed off dust and bits of grass from her red shirt and black skirt. She looked at Annie suspiciously.
"This is Annie," Stu explained, "We met in the village, and I invited her for lunch."
"Hello," Liza said shortly.
Annie gave the best smile she could manage, "Hello."
A small, black dog bounded up and barked wildly at Annie.
"This is Ben," Liza told Annie. The girl bent down to pet the dog. Annie did the same, and Ben licked her face.
Stu laughed, "Well, you've passed Ben's test. Then again, he is quite the ladies man," he chuckled, "Anyway, Come on inside."
Ashley opened the door for them and ushered everyone but Liza inside. The quiet girl had settled back down into the grass. Once the door was shut, Stu explained.
"Liza was accused of stealing secrets from the kingdom and selling them to the local news bulletin. Scott found her and gave her a place to call home."
"Did you find a new addition to our family, Stu?" A man stepped out of another room. He was tall with an average build and light brown hair.
"No, just a guest, Scott," Stu assured him.
"I'm Scott. I'm the doctor for this village." He stuck out a hand to Annie, who shook it tentatively.
"I'm Annie. It's nice to meet you."
Just then, two more girls entered, each with an armful of wild daisies.
"Look at all the flowers we picked, Stu," one gushed. Annie was reminded faintly of Reva by this girl. They had the same hair, though this girl's was slightly darker. The other girl was fair-skinned like Annie with her hair done up into pigtails.
"This is Julia and this is Natasha," Stu told Annie, "Girls, this is Annie, she's going to have lunch with us. Natasha is an orphan and Julia's parents abandoned her in the village when she was a baby," Stu added quietly to Annie.
"Hello," they chorused in unison with wide smiles.
"Put those flowers in a vase and let's get cooking, ladies," Doctor Scott smiled.
Auggie lifted the boy to eyes level by his shirt collar, "Well? Have you seen her?"
The boy nodded in sudden enthusiasm. It's funny how threat of pain could do that to a person.
"She was with Stu and Ashley," the boy choked out.
As fate would have it, he was the same unfortunate boy who had been picked up in a similar fashion by Stu earlier. Overall, the boy was having a bad day.
"She went home with them."
"And where is their home located?" Auggie pressed. His tone suggested he was sick of the boy beating around the bush.
"A house in a grove of trees outside the village," the boy rasped, losing air rapidly.
Auggie set him down, and the boy staggered away, clutching at his throat as he gasped for air. The guard stalked off in the direction of the grove of trees, which he could see over the housetops.