The Foretold 《EDITING》

Chapter 3

The next day Alice woke to the smell of meat. She opened her eyes to find her room full of light, until she remembered she wasn't in her room, in her comfy bed, she was out in a tent on the hard ground. She sat up with a groan and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She exited her tent to found Gart sitting at the fire and cooking some kind of meat. "Morning," she greeted him, going to sit beside him.

"Morning bed-head." 

Alice's eyes grew wide, her arm was up in a flash and patting down her hair. "Where's Alac?" she asked as she continued to fix her hair.

"Down at the river taking a bath. Want some?" He held up the end of the stick with the meat to her. Alice grabbed some and took a bite.

"What is it?" she asked around a mouthful of earthy meat.

"Rabbit." he answered with a gleam in his eyes. Alice's own eyes grew wide, but she took the meat and ate more.

"It's good." she remarked. Alice smirked when she saw the look of disbelief on Gart's face. "What?" she asked innocently.

"You like it?" Alice nodded. "Really? It's kind of gross." He took a piece of meat and ripped a piece off. He stuck it in his mouth and scrunched his face in distaste. Alice smirked at his discomfort. 

Gart got up and went into his tent, when he came out he had his bath stuff and a towel hanging from his arm. "I'm going to go have a bath before we set off," he said as he walked toward where the river was hidden. 

Alice nodded, too deep in her thoughts to care. She wanted to save the people from her kingdom, but she had no idea how she could. She knew nothing of fighting or politics. She had been raised to look after animals, go to school and to have a childhood. Now she had to save a kingdom she knew nothing of, and what if the people didn't want to be saved? Or what if they didn't like her? Or worse, what if she failed?

She heard footsteps coming from the way Gart had gone and turned to find Alac. Could she trust him?  She wanted to trust Alac more than she had let on last night. Alice always looked for the best in people, so it was hard for her to keep her promise to her mother. But she was trying.

"Are you planning on bathing before we had out?" Alac asked her, he was walking toward his tent.

"Depends. When and where are we stopping next?" Alice asked, never letting her eyes leave him.

"We will travel for a day and a half and arrive at an inn in the early morning tomorrow." Alac answered as he went into his tent.

"I'll bathe when we get there than." Alice decide. She wasn't ready to trust bathing in a river just yet.

**

Once Gart came back from his own adventure in the river, they started to pack.

When all their tents and supplies were packed up and the fire was doused, they saddle up and were back on the road. For the most part, the trip was made in silence, everyone either caught up in their mess of thoughts or focused on their path. Only the sound of nature and the click-clack of their horses hooves filled the tense air.

**

By the time they reached the inn the sun had set hours ago. The streets were empty and every house was dark, giving the town a deserted feeling to it. 

Alice was having trouble keeping her eyes open and felt a wave of relief when they were handed their room keys without any trouble. When they went outside to get their supplies Alac handed Alice and Gart each their own room key. "We are on the same floor, grab your stuff, get some sleep and I will wake you for breakfast." Alac walked to his horse and started to haul his stuff to his room. The twins followed suit, but each taking much longer with their arms feeling like lead and their eyelids drooping.

Alice opened the wooden door to her room and stepped in. The room was small, with a single bed, a dresser, a nightstand with a single candle sitting on it and a well-worn chair in the corner. The walls were covered in ugly flowers. But it was warm and kept her away from the bugs.

Alice dumped her bags in the corner with the chair and dug out her only pair of pajamas, she couldn't help but think that she was changing to slow. Once she was in her pajamas she went to the candle on the nightstand and blew it out. She felt for the edge of the bed and plopped down. She curled under the blankets. The mattress felt like a rock, but it was softer than the ground she had slept on the night before.

She could hear Alac talking to someone. She tried to listen but her mind was drifting to sleep. His words were jumbled and getting farther away as sleep claimed her.