How Not to Poach a Unicorn

Seven

As they returned to their little cave, Prag rolled over the best way to approach the impending negotiations in his mind. He had considered the 'loyal royal guard' approach. It would probably be the most comfortable for the Princess, but this handmaiden of hers seemed both wily and capable, and would probably see through it.

Another option was the 'worldly veteran'. He could be a competent guide, hunter, and tracker. It was a good idea-helping them survive through the wilderness. That idea, too, had a flaw. This was a princess. She'd probably want to get out of the wilderness as quickly as possible, and there his contract would end. Moreover, the going rates for guides weren't nearly as good as for bodyguards.

He decided finally to take the "confident leader" angle. He'd make the plans, speak with certainty, and protect the womenfolk as a proper man should. The wolf would never buy it, but he probably had a couple of days at least before the animal woke up. By then the others would trust him enough to override that. Also, the Princess seemed pretty protective of her woman friend. If he didn't establish himself as a leader, the Princess might continue her suicidal habit of rescuing the girl. He steadied his expression, fixed his mind to his task and the personality he needed to affect, and quickly calculated the going rate for heroically rescuing a princess in Haelund coinage.

The Princess was awake and fussing over Kazé when they returned.

"Alright." Prag started his speech with all the confidence of an attacking general. "We need to get moving as soon as possible. I'll be able to carry to wolf once I get him swaddled correctly, you two will have to carry the food and bedding..."

"Thank you Prag, but you should probably go ahead without us. We can't move Kazé in this condition. We'll have to take our chances here."

The Princess had cut him off before he'd even gotten started. He'd chosen the wrong angle and she'd rejected it before he even got to haggling over the price. He figured he could still recover and rolled with it. He changed his demeanor slightly and aimed for her comfort zone.

"But milady, you'll be in great danger here and I'll be unable to protect you if we're attacked." without missing a beat he became the most loyal royal guard the Princess would ever encounter, willing to lay down his life rather than have her chip a nail.

"You'll be in just as much danger as us. We can protect ourselves. You would be much safer on your own."

The second shot at the target missed by even more than the first. Now the damn girl was trying to protect him rather than the other way around. Hiding his frustration he rolled into his grizzled hunter act.

"Do you know where you're going? Or how to get there? Do you know what you're going to eat? There's a lot of danger in this forest and you'd best have someone with you that's been through here before." It was weak. He knew it. It was all he had left. It amounted to nothing.

"Kaz is a better tracker than any man could ever be. Kish could find food in the middle of the Kor Desert. I know my own lands well and will not be lost as long as I am able to cross the border which lies directly south of here. I hold any debt you owed for my releasing you fulfilled."

Her tone was that of a queen dismissing a peasant.

Prag was furious. He had a princess sitting right in front of him and she seemed hell-bent on getting herself killed rather than hiring him. He dropped his sales tactics, crossed his arms and sighed. "Do I not, for some reason, meet with your standards? It would seem to me that we could both benefit from a business arrangement. My previous contract

has been fulfilled and we're both heading in the same direction. I can't see how my pittance of a wage could..."

"We can't pay you Prag!" The Princess cut him off sharply. Her eyes dropped to the cave floor in a mixture of shame and despair. "We can't pay you... so just go." Something didn't sit right with what Prag had said. It set off a flare and bounced around in her head but couldn't quite sort out what it was meant to illuminate.