Neoma (4)

Three hours later, Natty found herself walking down an invisible forest path with the giddy Rachel, Dmitri, and an almost asleep Charles. Their little camp had been distributed equally among the travelers. Dmitri was carrying the lighter-than-it-seemed metal cooking pot with some small pans inside and Rachel was carrying the sack of food she had returned with this morning. Charles had most of the utensils like hatchets, knives, spoons and every thing else you need to eat with. Natty was stuck with carrying the thin, raggedy blankets.1

"Please, Dmitri," Rachel whispered, glancing behind her to where Natty and Charles were walking. "Why did you pick up these two? Tell me, Dmitri."2

Dmitri sighed heavily and his eyes narrowed before he leaned over and began a whispered conversation with Rachel.3

"This is stupid." Charles muttered darkly, glaring at Dmitri and Rachel, who were in deep conversation. "It should be us he's talking to, not her."4

Natty nodded grimly. Dmitri had said that they must get to the next town by nightfall. They would finally be able to sleep in a real bed!5

That evening, after Charles and Dmitri got into a row about why Dmitri wouldn't tell them why he had taken them, Natty and Charles sat in the common room of the inn the four were staying in for the night.6

"What do you think it is?" Charles asked, tracing invisible lines with his finger on the table.
Natty sighed and looked out the window. "I don't know, but it could be something deadly. You know, like something that could change the world."7

Charles snorted and looked at Natty. "I'd doubt it."
Natty and Charles had begun to get along, although Natty was still pretty sour to Charles. Dmitri, however, got the full blast of Natty’s hate for the time being. Charles and Dmitri never spoke to each other, and Rachel was trying her best to get through to Natty.
Charles looked over Natty as she stared dully out the window. Her hair was a dark black undertone with blood red seeping through the layers. Her eyes were a ferocious green that looked as if they could have held kindness had it not been for the environment she was raised in. He knew he had seen her before that one night when the Master was killed, he knew… but where?8

He smiled gently, watching her skin glow in the moonlight for a while. She turned abruptly and narrowed her eyes. "How old did you say you were, exactly?"9

"Nineteen." Charles looked away quickly. Funny, how she could be only two years younger than him and act so much like an adult.10

"Nineteen…" she said softly. "That was exactly how long ago when the Prince disappeared and the royal family was killed."11

"What?"12

“You don't know the story of the Prince?" Natty asked coldly. Every child in her division of Cot had heard one too many times. It was a story she couldn't stand to listen to.13

“No, I don’t. Tell me.”14

“No. Did you really think that I would tell you that stupid children’s tale anyways?” Natty said bitterly. “Good night.”
Natty stood up and crossed the room to the stairwell. Before she began to ascend, Natty looked back at Charles. He was running a hand through his hair again and staring out the window. A part of Natty hoped he wouldn’t dislike her for keeping something from him, but she shook off the feeling.15

* * *16

While Natty lay in bed that night, the wonderful pleasure of sleeping in a real bed was brushed from her mind as she ran her mind over the Prince’s tale. She couldn’t possibly find a way for the Prince to be alive, or how the story could be true if no survivors were left alive in the castle.17

The story of the Prince originated nineteen years ago to give hope to the citizens living in the capital that a new leader would return who had true royal blood in his or her veins.18

The ‘legend’ went that the prosperous capital was threatened many hundreds of years in advance by a weak tribe. Nobody remembered their threat or even worried about it, until that night they sent assassins.19

Nineteen years ago, a small group of assassins broke into the castle and slit the throats of the king and queen. They also killed the eldest son and the newborn daughter. One of the two other sons was found three days later in the river, drowned. The last remaining son was never found, but the people were siding on either that he, too, drowned, or that he may still be alive.20

Natty sighed heavily and rolled onto her side. The least she could do was get some sleep, for the first time in a long while.