Chapter Four

 

 

The days went by slowly, filled mostly with waiting. The boredom was preferable to the company of Saunder or his parents. They were delighted that he'd chosen a bride, not at all upset in the manner by which he'd accomplished it. I was treated as if I were an honored guest. As if I were truly Saunder's betrothed by choice. His mother, Queen Meara, brought me silks to choose from and seamstresses to construct my wedding raiments. Meara loved dressing me, combing my hair, and generally playing with me like I was her personal porcelain doll. Through it all, she would lecture me on ways to please her son. Disgusting suggestions which never should have passed a queen's lips, especially not in the presence of her soon-to-be daughter-in-law. I abhorred Queen Meara, and turned a deaf ear to most of what she said.

Saunder's father, King Malcolm, was usually quiet. I suppose that was better than his wife's endless filth spewing. But within his silence, King Malcolm constantly cast thoughtful looks at me. Speculating looks which made me feel like prey. I wasn't sure what those looks meant. If he was assessing me as his future daughter-in-law, in terms of the wealth and land I could add to his kingdom. Or if he was thinking about the children that would surely come from the union. Whatever it was, it was creepy, and I tried not to look at King Malcolm at all. So between Saunder's parents, I was deaf and blind. I tried to be mute as well, saying very little unless spoken to directly. It seemed the best way to survive the situation.

The wedding plans would take a month, but during that time, Saunder intended to have a daily look at his prize. I became used to it. Every morning he would enter my bedroom and help me dress... after he undressed me and stared his fill. Saunder was getting more and more intimate during these morning sessions. He started with fluttering touches which progressively became bolder. It was only a week until our wedding, and Saunder had advanced into full on groping sessions.

Our latest session ended at last, and Saunder kissed me deeply, bending me back over his arm and kneading at a breast through my dress. I slid my arms around his neck, giving him the barest of encouragement so that he would go away pleased. It was better than the alternative. Saunder did finally leave, smiling widely at me as he closed my bedroom door. The bastard actually thought I wanted him.

I dropped into my usual chair and gave a deep sigh. I would not cry, not even now, when I had come to the realization that I was becoming an accomplished whore without ever losing my maidenhood.

When I looked up from my rare moment of self-pity, I saw him. He was standing before me, a cocky smile on his pale face, his dark hair wind tossed within the shadows of his hood, and his even darker eyes staring at me like I was a piece of treasure he wanted to steal from the dragon's hoard. Behind him, the window was missing three panes of glass. Yet I hadn't even heard a whisper of sound. That was the magnificent skill which Robyn possessed.

He dropped to his knees before me and bowed his head briefly, “I am Robyn. I've come to rescue you, Princess Adelysia.”

“What?” I stood up in shock. “How?”

“Just take my hand,” Robyn stood as well, and extended his hand to me.

It was a good hand. Not too big, but still very strong, with long, nimble fingers. Robyn himself was at least a foot taller than I was, and had ropes of muscle cording his body that made Saunder seem like an ogre. Robyn was more sleekly built, a man who could climb the side of a sheer castle with very little effort. And one who could climb back down with a princess hanging on his back.

The ocean swept nearly up to the cliff which the dragon castle was perched upon. Robyn lowered us onto the slim line of pebbled beach, and then carried me into the shallows, where a row boat was waiting, bobbing among the rocks. Robyn put me gently in the little boat, and then pushed us out into deeper water, jumping in nimbly at the last second. With great speed, he brought us to a much larger ship, and I recognized it as a part of my father's fleet.

“Dear God,” I whispered. “You really are rescuing me.”

“Of course I am,” Robyn winked at me, and then helped me up a rope ladder.

On the deck of the ship, there were only three other men. Robyn's brothers, whom he quickly introduced to me. There was Hugin, with shining blonde hair falling to his shoulders, eyes as blue as the evening sky, and the pale skin of a man who loved the night. Then came Arnet, with deep brown hair like an oak tree, and eyes the color of its leaves. He had a thickly muscled body, though not as massive as Saunder's, and golden brown skin which clearly was no stranger to sunlight. Last, there was Barret, shyly shaking my hand. He was sort of in-between the other two. His hair, a color between blonde and brown. His eyes, in between green and blue. And his skin somewhere between pale and tan.

Within moments, we were setting sail, the men manning the ship with ease. I had no idea, at the time, that they were magically gifted. So I gaped at the talent it took for them to navigate such a large vessel by themselves. They sailed that ship as if they'd been born on the sea, and they worked together as if they had done so every day of their lives. It was mesmerizing to watch, and I found myself utterly fascinated by their movements.

We had been traveling over an hour, long enough for me to relax a little when a thunderous roar echoed around us.

“The dragon!” Barret shouted and pointed behind us.

We all turned to see Saunder, in his dragon form, flying across the water towards us with the speed of Satan himself. My heart plummeted. Freedom had been so close. I should have known better than to hope. Hope is the true fairy tale, and it's not for the likes of me. No, princesses don't get to hope. So I stood alone, in the middle of the deck, and simply waited for my groom to come and claim me. Perhaps if I were submissive enough, he wouldn't kill these brave men. Yes, I knew that was a bitter lie. The brothers were as good as dead.

Except they weren't.

Arnet pulled out a shiny rifle and braced it on the wooden railing. He crouched, taking his time to aim at Saunder, and waited till the dragon was nearly upon us to fire. Arnet finally pulled the trigger, just once, but he hit Saunder square in the left eye. I saw it clearly when Saunder fell, his head hitting the deck right beside me, with a loud crack. I had a moment to stare into that gaping, bloody hole where his eye should have been, before the weight of Saunder's body pulled him down into the sea, his long neck slipping gracefully over the railing as the hiss of scales upon wood filled the air.

He was dead! Saunder had been killed, and I was still safe. Except, the crash had been so intense, the impact had damaged the ship. There was a widening crack in the hull. We started taking on water.

Hugin rushed to me and helped me over to the row boat. But Barret told everyone to wait. He pulled a silver needle from his pocket and began to sew the ship back together! The ship! With a little needle! Barret pushed that sliver of silver through wood as if it were fabric, and pulled the broken pieces of the ship back together. And there wasn't even thread in his needle.

That was when I realized that the brothers were magical. When Barret was finished, the ship was whole and looked as if it had never been harmed in any way. It sounds impossible, I know, but I swear to you, that's what happened.

We all stood there and stared at Barret's handiwork in amazement. Then his brothers ran forward and congratulated Barret on a job well done. I couldn't believe it. The rescue, the shot... Saunder's death! And now a ship sewn back together with a thread-less needle. I wavered on my feet. Was I dreaming? Was I actually asleep in the beast's castle, just as trapped as I ever was?

The brothers rushed forward and helped me sit on a pile of rigging. They held my hands and smoothed my hair as I took deep breaths, staring at them in amazement.

“Who are you all?” I finally asked them.

They looked at each other and laughed. It was Barret who finally answered me.

“Just four brothers who want to see you safely home.”

That was a good enough answer for me. I nodded, and decided not to check out the teeth on this gift horse. There would be time enough to learn more about them on the voyage home.

“Princess, let's get you to your cabin,” Robyn suggested. “You must be weary.”

“No, I'm fine,” I protested and stood. “Just a little shocked.” I ventured over to the side of the ship, where Saunder had gone over, and stared into the sea. There was no sign of him, but we'd probably traveled far from the spot already. Still, I shivered as I looked into the clear blue, fancying that I could see Saunder rising up to snatch me away again.

“Princess Adelysia?” Arnet, the one who had shot Saunder, stood at my elbow. I looked over to him. “He's dead. I promise you. I never miss. The dragon lies at the bottom of the sea. No one will ever hurt you again.”

“Thank you,” I rested my hand briefly on the one Arnet had laid upon the railing. “But you can't make that promise. The life of a princess is full of pain.”

“How dreadfully depressing,” Robyn commented dryly.

I looked over my shoulder to see Robyn lounging on the same stack of rigging I had just vacated. He gave me a lopsided smile and a wink. I frowned a little at his familiarity and quickly looked away. I didn't need their sympathy or their understanding. They had rescued me, and I was grateful for that. But, in the end, I would be returned to my family, where I would go back to waiting for my father to choose a husband for me.

“A princess' life should be full of happiness,” Hugin mused as he came up to stand with Arnet and I. “Why is yours so different that you believe otherwise?”

“So different?” I chuckled. “And by the way, Robyn,” I said as an aside, “I am not depressing, I am practical.” I focused back on the other men as I continued, “I am no different than any other princess, nor am I unhappy about it. I have everything I need, and I'm grateful for that. I've never suffered starvation nor had to work a single day in my life. It sounds wonderful, doesn't it? I should be smiling as I greet every dawn,” I looked off towards the horizon, where I could just barely make out the dark smudge that was my kingdom.

The journey home would take far longer than my flight to the dragon kingdom. Days longer. But I didn't believe I was in any danger with these men. Why would they save me just to accost me on the way home? Surely my father would reward them in some manner, and that would be incentive enough for them to leave me unmolested.

“But you don't?” Barret asked as he came up on my left.

“What's that?” I looked over to him.

“Greet every morning with a smile,” he amended. “You don't?”

“No,” I sighed. “But don't let me dampen the mood. We should be celebrating your victory. You're heroes,” I gave them my brilliant “princess” smile. The one I'd practiced for years. The one I gave courtiers and visiting royalty. The one I even gave my parents on occasion. But these men weren't courtiers or royalty, and they weren't accustomed to dissembling.

“Please don't do that,” Barret whispered, his eyes going sad. “God, it hurts to look on you, when you smile like that.”

My smile faded, and I gaped at Barret a moment, shocked by his perception and his compassion. Then I set my eyes firmly back on the sea.

“So you pretend to be happy?” Arnet asked casually as he leaned both forearms on the railing beside me.

“Damn it all,” Robyn groused. “Someone needs to steer the ship.”

I heard his boots pound across the deck as he headed for the Captain's wheel. He was right, of course. We couldn't just let the sea take us where it will. Who knows where we'd end up. It was a miracle that these men had been able to reach me at all, with only four of them manning the vessel. I stared up at the sails thoughtfully. We were lucky that Saunder hadn't brought those down with him. But I suppose Barret would have just sewn them back together as well. Magic men saving me from dragons. At least my life wasn't boring. I managed a small smile at the thought.

“Now that's much better,” Barret leaned his shoulder briefly to mine, as one might do with a close friend. It was a type of companionship that I'd never had, and I instantly treasured it.

“Yes, it is,” I smiled a little brighter at him. “I've decided to enjoy this brief freedom.”

“Good,” Arnet nodded, but then cast a look to the helm. “Enjoy every minute you can, Princess. Life is worthy of your attention. But I find I must lend my attention towards helping my brother,” he took my hand and kissed it, as sweetly as any prince, and then bowed to me before he walked away.

“I don't know where he learned those manners,” Hugin laughed as he took Arnet's place at the railing. “The man has been living with a master hunter for four years.”

“Four years?” I asked.

“We have all just recently returned from apprenticeships,” Barret clarified. “Each of us has learned a trade.”

“Our father couldn't support us any longer,” Hugin shrugged, “and none of us wanted to take up his mantle of being a fisherman.”

“The sea has no allure for you?” I looked pointedly across the expanse of sparkling, sapphire water. Their father was a fisherman. Well, that explained their knowledge of ships.

“Now she teases,” Hugin said to his brother. “Look at how we've improved her disposition within minutes.”

“It wasn't you,” I teased further with haughty disdain. “My royal self has decided to enjoy this journey, if you recall.”

“My mistake, Your Highness,” Hugin barked out a laugh before executing a perfect bow.

“And you,” I narrowed my eyes on him. “You seem to have manners as courtly as your hunter-brother.”

“I was trained to be a stargazer,” Hugin shrugged. “My master was so revered, that royalty would come to visit him. I learned things,” he gave me a wink nearly as scandalous as Robyn's. I lifted a brow at Hugin, and he blushed, his skin going red up to his blonde roots. “My apologies for the liberties I've taken.”

“No,” I sighed. “My apologies to you. I was enjoying our casual banter until I went and ruined it. It's so ingrained you see. The rules of behavior. I've trained for my position far longer than all of you have apprenticed.”

“Is it really that complicated?” Barret asked. “Being a princess?”

“Oh yes,” I nodded. “From a very young age, I was taught how to speak, how to act, and how to dress. I had to learn the correct ways to address members of the court. How to eat properly, breathe properly, live properly,” I may have put just a little venom into the last bit.

The brothers stared at me incredulously.

“Well then, I decree that there shall be no more propriety on this journey,” Hugin declared. “We shall all behave exactly as we wish!”

“I always do that,” Robyn called down to us.

I couldn't help smiling up at him. Robyn's smile froze, then fell open a bit as he stared at me. His black eyes seemed suddenly intense, and I blinked in confusion. What had I done now? But then Robyn looked away, scowling, and I watched his jaw clench. I saw Arnet staring at him shrewdly, and when he noticed me, he gave me a little shrug. So maybe there was more to the hooded man than casual flirtation.

“Very well,” I finally agreed to Hugin's rash declaration. “Let's all be like Robyn, and do as we please.”

The brothers cheered. I felt myself smiling again. Truly, I hadn't been so happy in years. Perhaps being abducted by a dragon had been good for me.