Runaway

Chapter Four

Dakota glanced at Magnolia, who sat alone by the fire he had created. Archer, Phoenix, and Hudson had gone hunting for dinner, knowing they probably wouldn't get anything. Magnolia patted the grass off her black dress, wrapping her bare arms around herself for more warmth. Dakota could see the loneliness in her eyes and in her gestures. He knew what it was like, to be used to shutting people out, never knowing what it's like to trust someone.

Dakota walked over and stood against a tree beside the fire, raising his eyebrows at her, "So tell me, Princess, what do you miss most about the high life?"

She glanced at him, wondering if he was being serious, for she could never understand him. He was a mystery himself. He kept his eyes on the ground, waiting for her response.

"Dancing." She swallowed, remembering Evan's comical smile when he had asked his sister for a dance. Dancing always helped her calm her raging thoughts. She felt as if she transformed into a different person when she spun around freely.

The answer surprised Dakota, as he nodded in response.

"And you? What do you miss most about your past?" She turned towards him, widening her eyes up at him. He gulped, looking away from her face and at the sky. He shook his head, suddenly not able to speak, making it hard for him to breath.

He couldn't say her name, couldn't think about her face. He wasn't going to break down in front of the Princess, let alone open up to her about his past. He avoided eye contact, avoided the question.

Magnolia came up with another question, not wanting to push the touchy subject too far. "How do you guys have guns? I thought the King banned them from Merindal Kingdom a few years ago."

"I've had mine since the beginning," He answered and Magnolia realized he was talking about since he ran away, "And we've... found some throughout the years."

There was a long silence after that, neither of them knowing what to say. Eventually, Archer and the others came back, revealing that they couldn't even spot an animal.

Archer set down his weapons and squatted next to Magnolia. "Hey Maggie, I think you need to share your past and why you ran away."

She whipped her head towards him, narrowing her eyes. "What?"

"Just hear me out, okay? I don't want you to go back to the castle. You ran away for a reason, and don't want to go back for same reason, so you need to tell everyone because right now I'm the only one that is on your side, and my opinion doesn't trump the others."

Magnolia swallowed, knowing he was right. She watched as everyone sat down around the fire. Dakota slightly smiled, nodding at her. He wanted her to share.

Hudson sat down, "We all have shady pasts, but that doesn't shape us. What shapes us is when we decide the past doesn't define our futures."

Magnolia stared into the flames before her with an unblinking gaze. Everyone around her seemed to wait expectantly with wide eyes.

"Um, I guess it all starts when the Queen, my mother, began to forget... Like everything."

"It's bad, huh?" Phoenix asked, giving her a sympathetic glance. Magnolia nodded at him, not making eye contact.

"And well, I was basically being raised by the servants in the castle because my mother wasn't around and my father, well, he favored my brother. It didn't really matter to me, because I knew my brother was going to be a great King."

"Where is this going exactly?" Slate spoke up, obviously bored with her story.

"Shut up, Slate." Dakota snapped, and Slate obeyed. Archer nodded at Magnolia to continue and she did.