The Horse in the Prince's Stables

Chp. 8

         If I ever had the luck of having one of those come my way. Right now the only thing I seemed to have going for me was pain, heartache, and hopelessness.

         Alex and Henry are gone. Thunder is gone. The only one who should be gone is that mare!

         I tried to clear my head of pointless thoughts. I didn't really want the mare to be dead. She wasn't the one to blame... My jaw tightened as my thoughts continued in a whirl, coming up with nothing except bitterness and hatred for everything, Drake, the mare, this situation, just everything!

         Don't dwell, don't dwell...

         I had to figure out a way to escape. My mind needed to focus. I needed a clear head if I truly wanted a way out of this hostage situation. 

         We were traveling through the Western Plains, which meant we would eventually end up at either Carter's Bay, named after one of the first kings of this land, or at the Dark Woods, which seemed unlikely. The Dark Woods were seemingly endless, however one could pass through them to reach the neighboring kingdom. 

         My father had called a truce with King Lucas who reigned the territories of the land beyond the Dark Woods. Five years ago we butted heads with the other royal family over land, trading posts, the sizes of our armies and other such things. But father finally came up with some solutions to compromise with both kingdoms, and with King Lucas' consent, the truce had been born. Since then, a slight friendship bloomed between us. I cancelled out the idea that Lucas was behind this kidnapping. 

         Actually, this hostage thing seemed fairly spur of the moment. If the thieves hadn't known who I was, they probably would've killed me with Henry and Alex. How did they know who I was? I hadn't wore or carried any armor or gear that bore the royal insignia on it.

         Oh, that's right. 

         Alex's final cry to save my life...

         "Prince Philip!!!"

         I winced as my loyal guard's last words echoed in my head. My hands tightened around the saddle horn as I replayed Henry falling from his horse. Alex was dead... But... Henry?

         As we rode further into the depressing plains, I clung to my bit of hope, and refused to let it go.

***

         Eventually, we stopped to make camp. I was dragged off the stallion and tied to a stake in the ground. While the thieves set up camp, I glanced around, getting a good look at my surroundings. Flat ground. Everywhere. This would be the worst place to make an escape. I had to bide my time well.

         But how much time did I actually have?

         I strained my eyes, wondering if Drake was close to catching up with us. The sun set slowly, making it harder and harder to see. I never did catch a glimpse of another rider behind us, so I assumed that cruel bastard was still taking care of our tracks.

         Then I caught sight of the black mare. She was hurting, and I felt the urge to go and tend to her. I wanted to help her, but there really wasn't much I could do when I couldn't move more than a few inches. She shifted and pushed her way into the crowd of horses, and I lost sight of her.

         "Hey, princey." 

         Looking up, I saw a black haired thief standing in front of me. He didn't seem that much older than myself. Thin eyebrows were pulled down, creating a 'v' above his blue-green eyes. The man's face was lined with a sense of superiority. In his hands he held a canteen of water and a crust of bread.