Brave: A Fairy Tale Retelling of Beauty and the Beast (The Crown and the Sceptre Book 1) by Kristina J Jordan

Author:Kristina J Jordan [Jordan, Kristina J]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Kristina J Jordan
Published: 2021-07-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The horse’s breath rose in the chilly air, puffs of steam hovering above the courtyard. There was a

smell of oiled leather in the crisp air. The sounds of clanking armour and rumbling voices punctured

the morning stillness. The raiding party was on its way, leaving a woebegone Celine gazing

mournfully after them.

Cowed by the noise and tumult of forty soldiers, Lucie took comfort knowing the familiar presence

of Red was nearby. Under his instruction, she found her way to the kitchens and finagled provisions.

She had taken enough to slip extra rations in her pack and even sneak Red a full pack of supplies.

Lucie, dressed in a soldier’s tunic under her armour, rode in the middle of the group. To avoid

alerting the citizens that anything unusual was afoot, King Erich wanted it to appear that they were

merely offering relief to the outpost on the northern border.

The contingent was led by Lord Gunther, still grumbling about the lack of war. Despite this, Lucie

warmed to the big bear of a man whose gruff manners only thinly covered the fact that he had a

heart of gold. Despite Gunther’s fierceness, she noted how his men deferred to him even when out

of his presence.

Halfway to Annecy, the sun started to set, its red glow covering them like a blanket. The party set up

camp in a large meadow. Lucie hovered awkwardly until one of the soldiers took pity on her,

handing Lucie a bulky canvas package wrapped with a twist of rope. After a long struggle, Lucie

managed to set up the tent which sat lopsided, like a crooked tooth in the tidy row of white squares.

“One of my men could have done that for you,” Gunther said. He strode across the clearing, his

hulking figure towering over the rest of the soldiers.

Lucie proudly pounded in the past tent peg into the ground before she stood up, brushing stray grass

from her tunic. “It’s all right, I’m sure they have plenty of work already.”

“Well, come and eat then,” he encouraged. Lord Gunther put a bear-like hand on Lucie’s shoulder,

guiding her to the dining area. At the mess station he procured her rations: a chunk of bread and a

bowl of savoury stew.

“Sit,” Gunther ordered, patting the ground next to him. Lucie plopped down breathing deeply as

steam scented with rich gravy curled into the brisk air. She scooped her bread in the stew and took a

large bite.

“We’ll reach Annecy mid-afternoon tomorrow; from there we’ll need you to direct us,” he said.

Gunther dug into his stew, blew away the steam before shovelling it into his mouth.

Nerves jangled in Lucie’s stomach. “Are we travelling directly through Annecy or around?”

“Through. There’s the new outpost King Erich’s building on the edge of the village. We may recruit

some of their soldiers for backup if they have men to spare,” Gunther stated.

Lucie swallowed hard, her food suddenly losing its flavour. “Wonderful,” she said, her voice high

and squeaky. Maybe no one will recognize me in the soldier’s uniform, she convinced herself. Deep

down, she knew this was unlikely.

Lord Gunther swallowed another huge spoonful of stew and washed it down with a swig of liquid

from his flask.

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.