The Caged Princess(Book 1)

Chapter - 13

"I don't know. I am only following orders."

"Who gave you those orders?"

Falcon shook his head. "You will find that out eventually."

Nadia threw up her hand in vexation. There were just too many 'dont-know's and 'not-sure's for her comfort. It made her queasy. Nobody seemed to have any answers they could part with.

"You don't want to come with us?" Falcon asked.

"It is not a question of 'do I want to'  it is 'should I go'?"

Falcon cocked his head sideways and considered. His eyes boring onto her. "I don't think it is"

"You don't understand. All my life I have lived knowing what was going to happen the next hour, the next day, the next month. Even when I didn't like it, I endured it. But now.. nothing is for certain.

"I don't know who my birth parents are and if they are alive.

"Why did they choose to abandon me and send me off to a stranger and bribed her to take care of me?

"Who paid you ? Family? Well wisher? Someone dangerous?

"Should I trust them?

"Should I trust you?

"You are asking me to go out in to the world where I don't even know what is real and what is not. You talk as if its a different planet not just a different country. There is just too much in the dark"

Articulating these emotions out loud, she was hit by the implication of it all. The world was too unknown and too vast. She, on the face of it, was minuscule and inconsequential. She didn't even know her own identity anymore. Her future as well as her past was a blank canvas. It terrified her to think she would leave behind the comfort of a known place, however morose, for a capricious future.

She hung her head in disgrace. She was ashamed that she had an outburst yet again. After thinking things through she had realized that Minerva was going to betray her one day even if Falcon hadn't intervened. She truly believed he had done nothing to incur this kind of cantankerous attitude from her. She had just earlier decided to act maturely in front of him and here she was being overly weepy .

Nadia hid her face with her palms.

It was too much. She was feeling too much .

She heard rustling of leaves and footsteps. Crunch of gravel as Falcon's knees softly plopped on the ground in front of her. He gently held her wrists and peeled them away from her face.

She was not crying but her cheeks were red. She did not dare look up at him. He was going to be fed up that she kept crying all the time. His face were going to be --

"Miss. you already know what you want. I want to hear you say it." his whisper caressing her.

"I don't know anything anymore" she whispered back. Still unsure and her eyes downcast. She tried jerking her hands but Falcon had them firmly in his grasp.

"Look at me please."

Nadia looked up hesitantly. Sun was on his back and the soft breeze blew his hair and his clothes gently. He looked ethereal, not of this world. Nadia's eyes burned. Stop it. why am I even crying?

"Tell me what you want"

An order, not harsh but strong. Her lips twitched. "I want to come with you. But--" a tear fell down her cheek unbidden. She had no way of wiping it away, "---I am too scared"

Falcon smiled and Nadia's heart felt like it would jump out of her body. This was his smile. His real smile. Not the fake one that he had kept firmly plastered on his face since they had met him. This was warm. Genuine. It burned down any vestige of fear or uncertainty she felt. His eyes had the same expression that was puzzling her earlier. So that is what it had meant. He pitied her. He saw her as a child. Nadia wasn't sure how she felt about that and she didn't care . For the first time ever someone was looking at her. Not viewing her, actually seeing her.

She shook herself as if she was coming out of an trance. He was seeing her. Had she washed her face after waking up or bothered to glance at the mirror. Were there drool marks there? She probably looked haggard.

"Its smart to not trust me. I don't mind it." Falcon spoke. "I still want you to know this. On my honor, if you don't like your new family or smell something fishy, I will get you out. Take you anywhere in the world. I won't ask you anything else just give me the word. I will do anything in my power to see that you get your happiness."

"Is that what you say to all the girls?"

"No Miss. Only the special ones" he winked.

Nadia smiled. She couldn't remember the last time she had smiled at anyone. She was still a little scared but it felt a tad bit easier. It would be fine, she told herself repeatedly. If she missed this opportunity because of her fears she knew she would abhor herself for the rest of her life.

Falcon stood up and hauled Nadia on her feet.  He let go of her hands and turned around.

They started walking away. Falcon leading the way.

"I think you should go back" Falcon said once the house came into the view.

"Are you tired?"

"Not me , Miss. You should go back and rest"

"I can show you around." Nadia protested. "Besides , you would get lost without me."

"I can never get lost, miss. There is a reason I earned the name 'Falcon'. I am phenomenal with directions."

Nadia was crestfallen but she couldn't deny that she could feel her exhaustion seeping into her bones. Had he noticed that?  She had been jittery and worked up since last night and she was famished too.

"Alright then, if you are so sure. But its your fault if you get lost."

Falcon chuckled. "Trust me miss."

She fleetingly saw his face as he turned to leave as well. It was only for a few seconds so she couldn't be sure but she had a distinct feeling that his eyes became beaming and alive as he started making his way deeper into the forest, alone this time.