Chapter 8, part 4

Before evening came, they stopped in a small clearing to camp for the night. The prince jumped smartly off his horse and onto the ground, where he immediately began offloading the saddlebags. Catherine looked at him for a moment, then swung her leg across the horse and fell to the ground. Prince Alexander ran towards her looking worried. She grabbed her arm where she had hurt it on a rock and sat up. Prince Alexander stopped rushing and started smiling amusedly at her instead. She did not find it funny. Her arm hurt so bad that she was afraid she might start crying.

"I'm so sorry," said he, when he saw her face. "Are you hurt? I forget that you are not used to riding."

"I'm fine," she growled.

He looked at her for a little while, but she refused to meet his gaze. He went pack to unpacking. When she was sure that he was no longer looking at her, she got to her feet. Slowly. Her legs felt as if they were on fire. Her arm might bruise, but it was nothing compared to what was happening to her thighs. She limped carefully to a patch of soft looking grass and sat down. Slowly.

The prince finished with his own horse, then turned around and stared at her. She noticed the anger on his face for a moment, then something that might be pity. At least he went to Pello, her horse, and started taking off the saddle. She was grateful that he did not make her get back up.

In the end he surprised her again when he built a fireplace in a comfortable length from where she had sat down. He did not mock her for having sore legs, which she had feared he might do. She blushed anyway since it was obvious why she was acting the way she was.

"Thank you," she said, and nodded in the general direction of the fire and the horses.

"you will get used to it," was all he said. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, sir, I'm starving."

"We have a bit of bread here. Starting tomorrow we might have to hunt. I hope you are able to stand the sight of blood for the sake of dinner?"

Catherine nodded. She had often imagined what it would be like to kill something. For the sake of dinner. A small part of her was thrilled at this whole new adventure, despite the bruises and the pain. It was almost like she had dreamed it would be; the forest, the fire, the horse. The only thing out of place was Prince Alexander, who was chopping large chunks off of a small loaf of bread. He did the same to the cheese, handed her a few bits and then took a long drink from a water skin. That he proceeded to hand to her.

Catherine drew back a little.

"No thank you sir," she said, not wanting to put her mouth where his had just been.

The prince looked at her, then smiled.

"Oh, are you afraid? We are in a forest, Catherine, no one is going to care if we drink from the same cup."

"That is not a cup, and I care."

"Are you telling me you have never shared anything more filthy than this wine with anyone, ever? I did not know the water was so clean in your father's part of town."

Catherine huffed. Then paused.

"That's wine?"

He nodded. She took the skin from him and took a sip. It was worth it. It even made the terrible-looking chunks of food go down easier. Not that her hunger would have allowed her a moment's hesitation either way. They ate in silence for a while.

"We will need to be at least two days away from the city. Maybe three. Not more than that, though. That way I can keep up with anyone following us and still make sure that we get back once this is all over."

The last part of his sentence was growled. He clearly did not enjoy staying away from a fight. Maybe it was even the fight itself he missed.

Prince Alexander handed her a large blanket and took one for himself. He went to lie down on the other side of the fire. Catherine was happy that it was still relatively warm out.

When she was woken up in the grey dawn, everything was damp, and the fire had died out. Somehow the prince managed to get it back to life while she got up. Her entire body hurt. The process of having a quick breakfast consisting of the remaining bread and a sip of wine, and getting back on the horse, seemed tedious.

Suddenly the life out doors was not as much fun as it had been in her dreams. She forced herself to focus on the fresh air and the fact that she could do anything she wanted in order to save her good mood. It helped.

The horses were clearly feeling much better. They were impatient and did not need many moments before they sped off. In a very short time their little camp site was gone. In front of them was the thick, green forest. Prince Alexander grinned at her as he sped past. She could not help herself but smiled and tried to catch up. Pello was a fine horse, as she had not had to worry about the price, but he could not keep up with the stallion the prince was riding on. Apparently that was just one more perk to being royal.

They made a few stops during the day, mainly for Catherine's sake. She stretched her sore legs a little and had a drink of water. The prince did not seem to need any rest, but he never got angry with her for her weakness. 



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