Dark Prince & the Doe

Chapter 5: An Opportunity

Chapter Five: An Opportunity

Anne

Anne blinked slowly, reexamining the shirtless man. "You're a Prince of Remeria?" she asked, fear prickling down her bare back. She really was in danger. She'd have been safer if this man actually was Dragereon of the Immortal Larmalee. What was a Remerian doing in Adders? A competition? Likely story. This reeked of ill plots.

"Yes, but honestly. I'm more concerned for your safety right now than with titles," the Remerian said, nose wrinkling as if imitating her own displeasure from earlier. Was that a threat? If she didn't do what he wanted, her safety would be in danger?

He showed his teeth in a false semblance of a smile. His incisors were far longer than normal – evidence of his corrupted blood. "Please, Princessa Cezanne. Tell us what you remember. I know you are upset but we are not your enemies."

A Remerian? Not her enemy? Surely, this insane, half-dressed barbarian jests? She opened her mouth to tell him so, but stopped herself and exhaled. She needed to proceed cautiously. 

This man claimed to have saved her life, and just because he was Remerian didn't mean he was planning to harm her. She couldn't hold his blood, country, and poor manners against him. A son of a barbarian warlord from the Dark Depths could not be held to the same standards as someone from Atrezino. And she knew the people of Adders to be good and kind, they wouldn't have let this Remerian remain by her side if he meant her harm.

"My apologies," she said with a sigh. "I was being unreasonable. I'd woken in a strange place with no knowledge of how I'd gotten here. I hope you can pardon me for any rudeness."

"Oh, dear Princessa, you've shown not even a glint of rudeness," the healer declared.

"I sensed glint of rudeness," Prince Calden muttered out of the side of his mouth. "But that's not the princessa's fault, I'm sure my presence is insufferably distracting."

A single shocked laugh barked out of her mouth before she could stop it. It quickly morphed into a groan of pain as her ribs and shoulder screamed in protest.

"Prince Calden, please," the healer complained. "Princessa Cezanne has gone through much. Perhaps you would like to return to Ilta's Inn now that she has awoken. The Royal Guards and I –"

"No," Prince Calden interrupted. "As I said before, I am duty bound to protect her until she is safe."

"Duty bound?" Anne asked, glancing at him in confusion.

"It's an old Remerian formality," Prince Calden said, not looking at her directly and waving away her question as if it was unnecessary. "As we were asking before, did you happen to see the assassin?"

"No. It all happened so fast." Anne's grip tightened on the blanket. "I had a Wind Wall and various protective enchants on me. They should have kept me safe, but this assassin must have known. He used a powerful enchanted arrow. It broke right through my Wind Wall. I tried to flee, but was swept down river."

"Prince Calden, you were at the Blessed Falls. Did you see this assassin?" a guard asked.

Prince Calden shook his head. "No, I saw nothing. I didn't know anything was wrong till I saw the princessa go over the Falls." Anne narrowed her eyes at him, and he looked away. He was lying, right there, and she one-hundred percent knew it.

"You say you saw me go over the Falls?"

"Yes, and I jumped after you."

"After a deer?" she asked. He cleared his throat again and looked down at his feet. He only had one boot on, his other foot was bare aside from the filth it was covered in.