The Crown cannot Help You

Chapter 10: The Cave

Flynn carefully untied Audelia from the horse and tried to help her down, but she immediately rejected his help.

So, he walked off to start a fire and light up the shallow cave they were in.

Audelia's body ached. This was unsurprising considering she'd been contorted around a horse for hours upon end. She stumbled down from Hannah and gave her a small pat before turning around to face Flynn.

She watched as he struck two rocks together until eventually a spark was created. The spark was received well by Flynn who let out a grunt of satisfaction as he fanned the pile of wood in front of him.

She took a seat across from him, stubbornly shivering from the cold until eventually there was a fire roaring in front of her.

"Are you hungry?" Flynn asked, already getting up to go fetch them dinner.

Audelia didn't bother to give him an answer, she was exhausted. So, she reclined herself against the hard cave floor, wiggling around slightly to get comfortable.

Flynn took the hint and left her alone.

Audelia listened to the noises of the night, that the cave amplified. She wasn't afraid of the mysterious noises, just as she was longer afraid of the dark. This being because she now knew there were things out there that were scarier than the dark.

She then closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep, but it never arrived, so she just kept still. She only realised how long she'd been trying to sleep for when she heard Flynn stomp his way back into the cave.

Her eyes remained shut but she listened to him unsheathe a knife and attack whatever animal he had hunted down. He was silent as he worked, which inclined Audelia to sneak a peek.

She lifted her eyelids the slightest bit, allowing her to see Flynn. He was crouching down next to the fire that illumined all his shadows. 

Audelia watched as he moved his knife with professional precision, knowing the exact parts to cut. His eyes were glued to the dead animal in front of him, and his face gave away nothing of how he was feeling.

She remained staring for a moment, but soon closed her eyes again as to try and sleep once more. But suddenly the cave was filled with the smell of cooking meat and while Audelia tried to ignore it, her stomach began to rumble.

She turned away from the fire, letting the heat hit her back. Which was only met by a sharp prodding in her shoulder. She rolled over again and opened her eyes to see Flynn standing over her.

She sat up instantly, to better gage the situation, but instead had a hand thrust some food towards her.

"Eat," Flynn demanded.

"No," Audelia responded stubbornly, trying to ignore the fact her stomach was still rumbling and giving her away.

Flynn dropped the meat upon Audelia's lap and shuffled back to his place. "Are you incapable of not arguing for once?"

"I don't argue all the time," Audelia said with a small grin as she realised the irony of what she said.

But she then admitted defeat and sat up to eat.

"You should smile more." Flynn echoed through the cave, glancing at Audelia through the fire. "It suits you."

This instantly wiped the smile off Audelia's face. "Do I look like I want your opinion?"

Flynn found it was his turn to smile slightly as he raised his hands in a mocking surrender. "My sincerest apologies, Princess."

Following that, the cave became quiet once more. And as much as Audelia hated him for it, the food was good.

After Audelia finished, she found herself watching Flynn intently.

"I know I'm good-looking, but is there a purpose for you staring at me this hard?"

Audelia rolled her eyes but found there was indeed a reason for her staring. "How did you become like this?"

Flynn gave her an odd look that was mainly fuelled by confusion. "Like what?"

"Are you always this defensive?"

Flynn settled back against the cave wall, aware that it was wiser to stop this conversation now, but continuing anyway as he was already too far in. "I don't think it's defensive to ask for clarification on a question."

Audelia shuffled around herself, making the floor as comfortable as possible. "I want to know if there is a reason you turned out this way."

Flynn raised an eyebrow at her. They way they conversed was so amusing to him that it came to the point where he no longer actively tried to stop it. "Okay, how about you get to ask me a question and I get to ask one in return."

Audelia thought for a moment, wondering if it was a deal worth making. "Fine." She relented, curious to know what he would want to know about her.

"Alright." Flynn nodded as his face grew more serious. "To answer your question, my past. It's dark and to survive I had to become like this." Flynn said, staring deep into the fire.

Audelia blinked slowly at Flynn, it wasn't much information but it did help to know he wasn't a complete monster by choice. "What's your question?"

"What's your relationship with your parents like?"

"My parents?" Audelia asked, not understanding the point he was trying to make by asking that question.

"Yup," Flynn said. "And answer honestly please."

Audelia pouted but proceeded to answer his question anyway. "Well, my mother doesn't like me, she never has but I was always close to my father.

"What did you do to her, to make her not like you?"

"I am just not the daughter she envisioned, I don't hold my tongue, I play too rough, and I don't have her elegance." Audelia continued, not bothering to scrutinise him on the fact he'd asked another question. "I also think some part of her blames me for my father's death."

Flynn scoffed loudly which confused Audelia further.

"Why do you ask?" Audelia question.

"I don't think you want to know the answer to that," Flynn responded in a very vague manner before changing the subject. "Those people that you fought on the day we danced, were those the first people you've killed?"

Audelia felt the blood leaving her face as Flynn reminded her of what she had done. "Yes, they were." She whispered feebly.

Flynn noticed her abrupt change in demeanour and regretted asking the question. "If you hadn't have done it, they would have killed you. You're a survivor, hold on to that—it will stop you from falling apart."

Audelia nodded as she thought about what he'd said. For the first time, something that came from Flynn made her feel a little better. "Uh, thank you. I guess."

Flynn shrugged his shoulders.

"You're still a terrible person though." Audelia yawned as she lay back down upon the floor and closed her eyes.

Flynn stayed stationary for a moment with the ghost of a smile upon his face as he watched Audelia fall asleep. The woman was such a pain in his backside and yet he relished every moment they spoke. He inspected her face closely, watching as the tension was slowly released from her features.

Her eyelashes were dark against the top of her cheeks and he found himself missing the view of her eyes. They were her best feature.