Not Our Plan

Chapter two

Ethan felt someone's arms pulling him back, and a few moments later John spoke, worried as he pulled out his sword. "What is it, your Highness? Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, no there's somebody there!" Ethan pointed at the trees over the other side of the river. "And... And they called me pathetic and-"

John didn't look happy as he ordered the men to go and search the other side of the river, but the thing had already disappeared. There were no broken twigs, no sign at all that anybody had been there. One of the knights looked back at Ethan, exasperated. "Are you sure you didn't imagine it, your Highness?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" Ethan shouted, stomping his foot. "I didn't imagine anything!"

"Your Mother did warn us of this. Apparently, you are not in a good mood when you don't get enough sleep..." John said, looking down at the prince. "Perhaps I should take you back to your tent, your Highness. I should not have let you stay up last night. Please forgive me."

"John..." Ethan licked his lips, feeling like he was still a pathetic child as the knight worriedly tried to lead him back to bed. "I shouldn't have shouted, I'm sorry. But I don't need to go back to sleep. We need to keep moving." He tried a different tactic when John refused to listen. "Let go of me." He snapped. "We are leaving in an hour. Get your stuff ready." He yanked his arm out of the knight's grip, feeling guilty as he saw John look shocked. "Breakfast, now." Ethan said, a little kindlier.

John smiled and nodded, stepping back. "You'll make a good king one day, your Highness. And I'm sure Elizabeth will make a beautiful queen."

Ethan swallowed as he thought about the reason they were there. His destiny, to rescue Elizabeth and marry her. And his future, to live life in a loveless relationship while the children he didn't want all ran around him. If only he could marry John, despite their age difference, and live a long life with him. If only he wasn't eighteen yet, if only he had more time. He was going to get married soon, assuming he survived this foolish quest. By the time Ethan had managed to pull himself out of the thoughts, John was packing up the tent and a different knight was making breakfast.

As Ethan had said, within the hour they were back on their horses and silently trotting through the forest. They stopped at a village for food and water, and Ethan had a lot of people coming up to him with permission of the knights to congratulate him on turning eighteen a few days beforehand. Awkwardly, Ethan smiled and wished they could keep moving.

For the next few days, Ethan and the knights had the same routine-Find a place to camp, eat, and in the morning get back to the journey. He didn't once think about the voice he had heard, and instead focused on creating fantasies about John. There were a few that included him and John having sex, and he had been highly embarrassed when John interrupted his thoughts by asking him what he thought Elizabeth looked like. Flustered, Ethan answered "Uh, nice."

Ethan wasn't exactly sure how to react knowing he would be married in two months' time, assuming he survived this foolish quest. He did want to rescue the princess, but he did not want to marry her despite the fact she was supposed to be very beautiful. Ethan didn't like any women at all. No, his preference and the people he dreamed about were men-All of them very handsome of course. And most of them knights.

They were bound to arrive at the castle any day now, and Ethan was getting more nervous every minute.

Something occurred to him as he was nearly falling asleep on Mabel.

If everyone knew where the castle Elizabeth was staying was, then why didn't anybody go rescue her? It would surely save Ethan, the prince, risking his life to save her. And why didn't she just come back? And how did she eat?