Two Worlds
Chapter Thirty
"Princess?" Tara gasped. Her mouth gaped open and her eyes were just as wide. A silence engulfed the small group momentarily, but it was Bobby who abruptly broke it.
His hearty chuckle started off soft and then rose until tears sprang to his eyes. "That's a good one." A deaf princess? That was a new one for him. His mirth died in his throat when Dimitrius sprang to his feet and took a step forward, his side blade halfway out of its sheath. "Whoa, easy there, mate!" he exclaimed as he rose his arms defensively. The fire in the dark man's eyes was enough to set him ablaze, but the fact that he had a blade and was willing to use it told Bobby that it would be better to just keep his mouth shut.
Myles let out a loud "oof!" when Bobby let go of him and he fell forward. He groaned as he got back to his feet, his muscles stiffly obliging to his weight.
Sue placed a soft hand over D's much larger one and silently pleaded for him to put his weapon away. He obeyed the request with a nod, but he didn't retreat from his protective stance. To put more space between himself and the guard, Bobby took a tentative step back, his side brushing against Jack as he did so. He quickly turned on his best mate. "Bloody hell, Jack! What were you thinking?"
Not able to tear his gaze from Sue as she nervously worried her lower lip, Jack reached out for her. "What are you going on about, Crash?"
Bobby took hold of his friend's arm to prevent him from making things worse. "What am I talking about? Haven't you heard?" By the look on Jack's face, he clearly hadn't. "The princess was kidnapped on the night of the party at the castle. And if Sue really is her... which she must be," he added when D tried to take another step forward, "then-"
"Kidnapped?" Sue finally spoke up once she was able to catch up with the conversation. She looked at D who merely nodded as an answer. "But... I wasn't kidnapped... I ran away." Her self-conscious chuckle did little to amend the situation.
"Lady Sue, you don't have to cover up for these... people," Myles said as he ran a hand through his tousled hair. He fastidiously brushed the dirt from his knees and straightened his disheveled vest. He hadn't meant for the word to sound offensive, but someone was bound to be affronted by the comment.
"People?" Tara asked, her eyes flamed with anger at the Lord for saying the word with such contempt. Togo, sensing her abhoration, began to growl at his human foe yet again. Myles looked down at the animal and sneered.
"You hear that, mate? He's ready for another taste of you," Bobby sniggered, though his tone was less than humorous, an evil smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Sue having not seen neither Tara nor Bobby's comments argued, "I'm not covering up for anyone. They had nothing to do with it... I left of my own accord."
"But, Levi..." Lucy tried to point out. She knew Sue would never have left her furry companion behind unless she'd been forced to.
"I had to leave Levi behind because it would have been impossible to sneak him out." She paused, tears stinging the backs of her eyes as she thought about the golden-haired dog. She missed him very much. "How is he?"
Lucy's smile was kind as she took her new friend's hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Missing you."
"I miss him too." D's strong hand took hold of her free hand and she turned to look at him. She was thankful for how patient everyone was being with her. It was difficult to follow the conversation as it was, but they were all making certain that they had her full attention before speaking.
He gave her fingers an fatherly squeeze like he'd done with Tanya so many times in her adolescent life. The warm, dark depths of his brown eyes relayed all of the worry that had engulfed him these last few days. He was so pleased that they had found her. "Your father misses you too," he spoke and signed with his free hand.
"The king?" Bobby asked. He was still finding it difficult to believe that they'd been in the presence of royalty for days and they hadn't known. Sue had been able to hide it very well. He was impressed.
"How perceptive of you," Myles quipped, his familiar haughty drawl making the flesh on the back of Bobby's neck crawl. "She is the princess, so, naturally her father would be king. You're as sharp as a tack, aren't you?"
"You know..."
"Just shut up, Crash," Jack interrupted before another fight broke out. The Aussie's temper was more than likely to get out of hand and he wanted to stop it from the start. Of course, by the expression on Lord Leland's face, he was prepared to go toe-to-toe with Bobby and Jack hated to admit it, but he would bet everything he owned that the Lord would be the victor.
"If you come with us, now, we can make it back to the castle by nightfall," D continued as if he'd never been interrupted. The sooner they set out, the sooner Edward could relax. He noticed her shifting gaze as it moved from him to Jack on whom it rested a beat too long for D's liking before returning back to him. She wouldn't have to say a word. He could already envision her response.
Standing beside Jack, she bravely slipped her hand into his. She was greeted by a careful squeeze and his thumb gently caressing the back of her hand. A chill ran down her spine at the simple action. "I can't."
"I see," he said with a lack of conviction in his tone which must have shown in his eyes. What was he going to tell the king when he returned without his daughter?
"It's not that I don't want to. I miss my home and my family," she tried to reassure him. She glanced at Jack in silent question, which he understood completely. They would go home, but only after she kept her promise. "There's just one thing we need to do first."
Her guard's gaze turned to Jack and a smirk curled at his lips. "I suppose this is all your doing?"
Shaking his head with a chuckle, Jack said, "Nope."
If felt good to laugh again, the guard thought to himself as he bowed to his princess. "Wherever My Lady goes, I follow."