The Princess and the Mercenary

Me: Well, another chapter everyone!

Lyndsay: Enjoy!

Chapter 8

**** I was trembling and shaking with uncontrollable rage. He can't make me marry someone I hate. I threw my sword on the ground and started screaming.

"MATHA, YOU SORRY BASTARD, GET YOUR FUCKING ASS BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME! I WILL NEVER DO WHAT YOU WANT ME TO! IF I EVER SEE YOU AGAIN, I WILL KILL YOU, I SWEAR TO GOD. AND DON'T THINK I WONT." I just kept screaming and screaming until I couldn't hold out. I fell to my knees and tears cascaded down my cheeks.

"Emily!" I heard Mist cry. I heard her run over to my side and try to help me up.

"He cant make me. He cant make me." I repeated that over and over again. I soon felt my body being picked up and carried. I was still crying and mumbling the same thing over and over again. I was picked up bridal style so I couldn't really see who picked me up. I think I knew who was anyway. I heard the tent flap open and my body being placed on a bed. I was still shaking.

"He cant make me." I mumbled once more. I felt someone put their hand on my cheek

"Shh, it's ok, Emily. He isn't going to make you do anything you don't want to do. I will make sure of it." It was Ike! I smiled weakly and looked up at him.

"Thank you, Ike. I am sorry I overreacted out there. It is so unlike me." I told him, weakly. He chuckled a little bit.

"No need to apologize. You had every right to be angry." He told me, soothingly. It was really helping me calm down.

"Please make sure no one comes in. I'm too tired and weak to deal with any of Soren and Roy's crap right now." He smiled at me and nodded.

"Of course. If you need anything, just holler." He told me. I nodded and smiled back.

"I will. Thank you, Ike." He turned around and disappeared out of the tent. I was lying there, unable to move.

Mist POV

Ike emerged out of the tent, with a hint of worry on his face. I hope Lyndsay is ok. What I saw was terrifying. I hope I never see her that mad ever again. No one has said a word since Lyndsay flipped out. I was sitting in between Rolf and Ranulf.

"Lyndsay really scared me earlier." Rolf whispered. I nodded.

"She scared me too. I wonder what secret she's hiding from us." I whispered. We both looked over at Ranulf, who was still silent.

"Ranulf, do you know what secret she's hiding?" I asked him. He barely flinched.

"What are you guys talking about over there?" Tatania asked.

"We're just talking about Emily." I told them. Everyone looked down slightly.

"Does anyone know about that little outburst she had earlier?" Boyd asked. Everyone shook their head. All except one.

"Ranulf, are you even listening to us?" Gatrie asked. He seemed to be stuck in a trance. Of fear. I got up and grabbed his shoulders and shook him slightly. His eyes shot open and looked around.

"What the hell happened to you?" I asked him. He only shook his head.

"Nothing. I just zoned out. Is Emily awake?" He asked Ike.

"Yeah, but she doesn't want to see anyone at the moment." He responded. Ranulf got up anyway and headed to the tent. What the hell is going on?

Lyndsay's POV

I opened my eyes slightly and could make out a figure standing by the tent flaps. I saw a tail flick behind him and I knew exactly who it was.

"Boy, you sure do not understand what 'leave me alone' means, huh Ranulf?" I told him as I sat up a little bit. He sighed and advanced toward my bed.

"Soren and Roy still don't know about your mother, do they?" He asked me, in an almost inaudible whisper. I looked down slightly.

"No they don't. I can't find the right time to tell them, you know? I cant just walk up to them and be like 'Hey guess what? We have different moms.' I mean, I don't want them mad at me. Or flip out over nothing. I cant let Matha tell them. If anyone should tell them, it should be me." I told him. He shook his head and sat at the foot of my bed.

"Then why haven't you? You have all the time in the world and yet you still can't tell them."

"It's not that easy, Ranulf. I'm really surprised they haven't caught on yet. I mean, we look nothing alike. I don't look anything like Mary-Beth, my step mom. She has red hair, red eyes, and a slight tan. My father has black hair, green eyes, and pale skin. Soren and Roy look like father and Mary-Beth, but not me. I look more like my mother, Shiva, the Goddess of Ice." I explained to him. He only nodded.

"I understand. But, you need to stop putting this off. Sooner or later, they will find out the truth. It could be from you, from Matha, or even me. You never know."

"You wouldn't tell them, would you Ranulf?" I asked him. He got up and headed towards the tent flaps.

"I will if you don't." And he was gone. I groaned and the back of my head hit the pillow. I need to get the hell out of here and take a break. I got up and slipped on my flats. I grabbed my sword and cell phone and slipped through the back of the tent. Behind my tent was a trail, clear of trees. I got on the path and started running. I kept running until about 6 minutes later, I came across this river. The river sparkled in the moonlight and was absolutely beautiful. I sat at the bank and took my flats off and dipped my feet it the cool water. It sent shivers up my spine.

"What am I going to do? I can't let Ranulf or Matha tell Soren and Roy. I just can't." I told myself. I swayed my feet back and forth and got lost in all of my thoughts.

"I wish mom was here." I whispered as a tear slid down my cheek and hit the waters surface.

"Lyndsay." Someone said, with an airy voice. I looked around but saw no one. Just then, light blue and white orbs started hovering in the air and doing the wind dance. I stood up and looked at the spectacular event occurring before me. The orbs started to materialize a person. A woman in fact. This woman had white to light blue hair, she wore a light blue dress that hugged her body, she had pale skin and sky blue eyes, and she carried an orbed wand.

"Mom?" I exclaimed as she finished materializing. The woman smiled at me.

"Hello Lyndsay." She greeted. The tears were soon cascading down my cheeks as I ran into her open arms.

"Oh, Mother! I have missed you so." I told her, through my tears. She wrapped her arms around me and embraced me.

"I have miss you too, my dear. I heard about what happened. With the war and everything, I just had to come and see you." She told me. I slightly pulled out of the embrace to look at her.

"It's terrible, mom. Simbodia and Daein are at war and have been for the last 3 months." I told her. She sighed.

"Do you have any idea why?" She asked. I pulled completely out of the embrace and looked away.

"I spoke with the commander of the Daein army and he told me the reason." I whispered softly.

"What is it, Lyndsay? You seem upset." Mom told me.

"Their fighting over me, mother." I finally told her. I could hear her gasp slightly.

"For you? That's absurd! Why would Daein want you? We have never started conflict with Daein in the past." Mother told me, obviously angry.

"Matha, the commander, told me I had to marry King Ashnards son, Sileve, but I refused to. So now, I am supposed to be kidnapped by him. No one knows about it. Only Ranulf, Rolf, and Mist." I told her.

"What about the commander of the mercenaries? Ike?" She asked. I shook my head and tears started forming in my eyes.

"I don't want to put him in any danger. I'm not putting him in any danger whatsoever. He means a lot to me and I cant stand to see him hurt." I told her. She smiled a little bit and sighed.

"Lyndsay, are you in love with this man?" I blushed a little bit and looked away.

"Why would you ask something like that, mom?" I asked her. I could hear her advancing to me.

"You say he means a lot to you. That could mean you love him. And I think he feels the same, dear." She told me. I looked at her with a little confusion.

"How would you know?" I asked.

"I have my ways. Right now, I should be going. Be safe, dear. I will always be watching you." She gave me a slight hug and she disappeared into a snowy wind. I smiled to myself and sat back on the bank. It was quiet until I heard someone approaching me from behind. I didn't pay any mind to it. I heard footsteps advancing to me and the person sat next to me on the bank.

"What are you doing all the way out here, Ike?" I asked him, with a little chuckle. He also chuckled.

"Hmm, funny. I was just about to ask you the same thing." He told me. I sighed slightly.

"Just needed to get away from camp for a little bit. With everything going, it isn't healthy to get stressed out."

"I agree." He told me with a nod.

"Hey, Ike? Are you familiar with Simbodia? Like, have you been there before?" I asked him. He ran his fingers through his silky blue locks and smiled a little bit.

"No, I haven't. I always wanted to though. I really want to meet the princess. I heard she's very kind and beautiful. I don't really talk about her to the rest of the gang because they always laugh or tell me I will never know her or ever be good enough for her. I'm trying to prove them wrong by sneaking off to Simbodia. Unfortunately, I fail every time." He tells me. I felt like my heart was going to leap out of my chest. He wants to meet me? Oh god, I feel like telling him who I really am. But, I can't.

"Really? Maybe I can help you out. I'm very good friends with Lyndsay. We grew up together. If it makes you feel better, she knows who you are." I told him, as I poked his arm. A slight blush was creeping on his cheeks as he smiled at me.

"How? I never met her before."

"I told her about you. She has a really big crush on you." I told him. His blush spread throughout his entire face.

"Oh, man. And knowing me, I will never be good enough for her." He told me as he put his head in his hands.

"What do you mean? I think your perfect for her." I told him as I put an arm around his shoulder.

"She's a princess. I'm only a mercenary. To her, I might look like a peasant. Why would sweet, caring, beautiful princess like me?" He told me, sounding as he was close to tears. I hugged him gently and rested my head on his shoulder.

"She likes you for you. She doesn't care if you're a peasant or a mercenary. As long as she likes you, that's all that matters." I told him reassuringly. He laid his head on mine and chuckled slightly.

"Thank you, Emily. You really understand me. You're the first person I have been able to talk to like a person in a long time. No ones ever been able to understand me since Father died a couple months ago. Then, you came along and you made my life shine a little brighter." He told me.

"Your welcome, Ike. I feel the same way. Ever since my parents died, I couldn't talk to anybody. They all avoided me and I barely had any friends. I can't even talk to my best friends about anything. Even though I have known you for a short while, I feel like I can tell you anything." I confessed to him.

"I only wish I can give you something to thank you." I told him. He lifted his head up and looked at me.

"There is one way you could thank me." He told me, with a coy smile.

"And what is that?" I asked. He cupped his hand under my chin and smiled at me.

"I'll show you." He whispered. Before I could react, he leaned in and brushed his lips on mine. The next thing I know, I was kissing Ike!