The Union 250 The Princess and the Shadow

To the front she saw a man in armor. His red cape was the color of Hadean wine. His helm was curved and ornamented with golden strings shaped like vine. His sword hung on his side, the handle was like a bottle.

The man looked back to her, smiling a wide one. Layfare's heart raced. It was him. She could never forget how he looked like. Never.

His eyes were mellow, looking at her with affection as always. His hair was ruffled again though Layfare always advised him, harshly sometimes, to fix it. He always loved the ruffled look. Makes him feel like a lion, he said. His lips were the same red beauty Layfare had tasted many times before Oh how she longed for his kiss, for his affection, for his voice.

"Neil!" Layfare called as she tugged her dress and ran.

Neil turned turned his head again and continued walking away. Layfare tried to run after. She must see him. Even a moment, a glimpse, would settle her longing heart.

She tripped several times on her long dress. It didn't hurt. And even if it did, she was too occupied to think about it.

"Neil! Wait for me. Don't go. Please Don't leave me again!"

Layfare reached her hand, trying to hold Neil's shoulder. Her hand passed the smoke, disturbing it. Neil's figure vanished before her sight.

Layfare fell to the ground. She sobbed. It was cruel. Too cruel.

The smoke fled, eaten by the darkness, by the void. And then she heard water. The splashing was a lullaby to her ears, like the soft songs Neil used to sing to her.

She opened her eyes. The light above told her of a morning. The week breeze told her of the outdoors. She was lying on something hard, different from the soft mattress she was accustomed to. She tried to move but restriction prevented her.

Her eyes widened. She saw her hands tied. Her mouth was gagged by some cloth. Her feet... she saw a man in an armor with back facing her. There was dried blood was on the back part, the shape of a drip from the neck.

He was rowing and they were in a small boat. She wiggled. She screamed though her tongue only met the arid taste of the cloth gag.

"You are a sleeper" The man said, still presenting back against her. "Sun is halfway through the zenith"

Finally he turned. His eyes were deep black. His jaws were strong-shaped. The strands of hair sticking from his helm were golden. He looked like one of those people from the north.

He approached her, rocking the small boat. He undid the gag and threw the cloth to the side.

"Don't scre"

"Help!" Layfare screamed. "Help me!"

The man wrinkled his forehead. "Stop screaming Miss. Save your strength."

Layfare turned her head down. She looked for taints of blood on her nightgown. There was none except mud. She then looked for shreds in her dress. There were also none. She wiggled her thighs. Nothing hurt.

Nevertheless she asked, "What did you do to me?"

"I did not violate you if that's what you are asking. I promise it in the name of the eternal pair. I just dragged you from your tent and put you in this boat. We are going downstream."

"Dragged me from my tent?" She couldn't believe she was hearing this. "How..."

"I slipped in. Those two guards stationed at the back of your tent are now dead by the way. I apologize if they are your acquaintances."

Those two were not her friends but the idea of their death still troubled her.

"You are a spy from the Union?"

"I am"

"And...you are abducting me?"

"That is so"

Layfare grimaced upon the realization. She bet they would use her to force her father to surrender. It was a cheap move from them like always.

"My father will look for me. He will send thousands of loyal Hadeans to rescue me. You will die"

"Probably"

"Then let's make a deal. Death is certain if you continue this foolish act. Return me and I will grant you pardon. My father would even pay you. He is rich. He is the King of Hadea. You will have riches beyond your imagination. You will have lands. You will ascend to the rank of a noble and your children would become nobles. You seem a reasonable man. Accept my offer."

The man smiled. Layfare discovered the golden incisor on the upper left of his mouth. "I decline"

Layfare continued to sway the man for hours. In the end she discovered that his loyalty was unbreakable. She shifted to threats but his courage was also unbreakable. In the end she just scoured for information but the man's lips were sealed now. His occasional answers were just short philosophical mumbling Layfare cared little about.

It was midday when they moored to the bank. This part of the river was surrounded by tall forests on both sides. Towering trees hid the sunlight. The man pulled her up and carried her down the boat. He took his boots and dropped them in front of Layfare.

"It stinks Miss. It's a little soggy. But you should use it. The forest offers a variety of dangers to one's feet."

Layfare eyed the boots. It was a leather one, standard issue for the Hadean soldiers. The shaft was neither long nor short though it would look long on her small feet. The soles were wrinkly. And it smelled like what the man said.

"I don't want it"

"You do want it. You just don't know that you do. Come on miss. We should go."

Layfare reluctantly put her feet inside the boots. It was slimy and warm. A damp sensation sent vibrations through her neck.

She walked beside the man, tall canopies around. Her hands were tied though she could probably escape if she tried hard enough.

"What is your name anyway?"

The man eyed her as if considering his answer. "Call me Shadow"

Layfare grinned. "That's a strange name. Shadow. Too sinister. Well Shadow, you are going to lose your head soon. My father will behead you himself."

"Maybe" Shadow shrugged.

Somehow that kind of answering annoyed Layfare. She preferred Shadow to boast that he would never get captured. But Shadow acknowledged the danger of his mission. He knew that he could die in a horrible way and yet he still maintained his nerve. The courage disturbed Layfare deeply.

A few hours of walking and she felt thankful of the slimy boots. Shadow's feet had small cuts while hers were protected. She could probably outrun him. The rope had also become moist with her sweat. A single pull was all it would take.

"Are all Castonians as brave as you?" Layfare asked.

"I am not a Castonian. But as for your query, most are braver. They are a nation of courage. The lion is perfect as their symbol."

"And yet you are dragging me to your monarchs. What? Have the Union ran out of courage? Why not do it the old way and attack the defenses my father has prepared?"

"Hoping for a lesser number of deaths is not lack of courage. The monarchs of the Union hope that this war would end soon. This is nonsense. This war is a waste of time"

The last statements made Layfare's ears ring. She felt her face warm. "A waste of time" She said. "So those deaths were for nothing?"

"Exactly. Useless"

Something snapped inside Layfare. "What do you know about useless? What do you know of losses? Thousands of Hadeans had died and were buried in mass graves. And yet you say that they all died for nothing?" She rode her anger, searing and unstoppable. "Neil died to defend Hadea! He died fighting you brutes! And you say that he died for nothing?"

"I don't know who this Neil is but I think he should have stayed home"

Layfare's hand slipped from the rope and slapped Shadow. It rang loudly under the tall trees, echoes bouncing through the trunks. Her hand was shaking after the act.

Shadow grunted. His face was thrown to the side a little. He then looked with bulging eyes at Layfare's hands.

Layfare realized it too. Her anger was quenched by the realization that she could now run. She could escape and return to the Hadean camp.

She darted and Shadow gave chase.

Chapter end