A Princess Who Defied Kings by J. Kirsch

Author:J. Kirsch
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, adventure, fantasy, magic, dark fantasy, trolls, princess, sorcery, kings, exile, survival, knights, queens, ogres, artifacts, black dragon, medieval fantasy, green knight, white knight, blue knight, black knight, medieval battle, red knight, princess warrior

Chapter 15

We got an early start, which was fine by me. I'd finally given up on the chainmail. My poor horse didn't seem pleased by the redistributed weight, but staying conscious in the saddle took precedent. I wore a black tunic and dark leggings with a leather breastplate. It was uncomfortably hot, but that was a far cry better than scorching. Bronwyn rode up ahead to talk with the sergeant. I imagined she was peppering him with questions about the Dreamgiver. What fascination she found in a creature of horror which lured and ate people, I couldn't guess.

When she finally dropped back, I couldn't resist. "So, are you an expert on the Dreamgiver now?

Bronwyn gave me a look of mock disdain. "Make fun of my curiosity if you want, Naji. To be honest I find it ironic."

"Find what ironic?" I turned in the saddle and squinted under the glaring sun.

"You, of all people, should understand that kind of curiosity. If the Dreamgiver is our enemy, then the more we know about it the better. It just so happens that it thrills my sense of curiosity too. I always thought of you as fearless, Naji. You certainly proved that in our escape to the Black Kingdom. But I always thought that your fearlessness meant you were always thirsting for knowledge too. I've always equated courage with curiosity. I see in your case that's not quite true."

I balked as her words sank in. "Are you calling me narrow-minded?"

Bronwyn was rebinding her hair, trying to keep the tendrils from becoming unruly as the wind whistled through the hills. "Did I say that? No, I think a better word for it would be…boring."

She laughed as I swatted her in the shoulder. "I could demote you to a scullion's assistant, you know. Have you cleaning dishes in the royal kitchens the rest of your life. How would you like that?"

"What's to keep me from simply breaking them all? No dishware, nothing to clean. Problem solved," Bronwyn replied merrily.

I rolled my eyes at her. This was certainly not a proper relationship between a Queen and her servant, but I didn't want a proper relationship. I wanted a friend, and in Bronwyn I had that. Royal titles would never mean anything compared to the bond we'd formed during the frightening days as fellow prisoners.

The horses climbed as the world tipped upward and upward. Soon I noticed that the knights looked as edgy as a cat in heat. Even the sergeant had a twitchy air about him, and he began pausing frequently, raising his hand for the column to halt. The sun was nearing its apex in the sky, and the hills on either side of us were crowned with vine-covered trees. Although I could tell the trees were there, I couldn't see even the speck of a single trunk, so thick were the crawling vines and the leaves that seemed to cover everything far from the path.

"Dismount! We make our preparations here. Gentlemen, ropes! I want everyone anchored.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.