Switched ~ a Fractured Fairytale

Chapter Twenty ~ Surprises

Thankfully, the border crossing went smoothly. Killian and I had agreed on false names, to make it harder for Victor's spies to find me and the guards let us through without an issue. Arras' map led us up into the mountains, following an old and ill-kept path.

The mountains were cold, much colder than I was expecting, and I was extremely grateful for the warm cloak I had bought.

Killian glanced at the sky, where large and angry black clouds were forming.

'That doesn't look good,' he said.

As I opened my mouth to reply, a raindrop landed on my nose. It began to rain, and then small pieces of hail began to fall. One crept beneath my collar and I shivered, hating the trickle of cold water down my spine. Chuckling, Killian dug out a blanket from his saddlebags and draped it over me to that only my head stuck out.

'Thanks,' I said with a smile. I pulled the blanket tight around me and nuzzled my nose down into it.

After a few hours, we had lost the path and were hopelessly lost. The rain slowed to a drizzle and a fog rolled in, making it hard to see more than a few feet in front of us. Trees and rocks loomed out of the fog as we approached, looking like strange, alien creatures. As darkness descended, we managed to find a cave that offered some protection and warmth.

Maren had packed us two loaves of a dark, dense bread that Killian said would keep for two weeks and a handful of fresh vegetables and, as Killian built up a fire, I chopped some vegetables and tossed them into our small pot. It was almost pleasant, sitting beside the fire with hot stew, sheltered from the wind and rain that still raged outside.

I pulled out my hunting knife and picked up a piece of wood. As I turned it over in my hands, searching for inspiration, Bear trotted up to me and lay his head in my lap. I scratched his ears absently and picked up my knife again. The wood had a beautiful grain, and as I carved, I was able to imitate the patterns of Bear's fur.

'That's beautiful,' Killian said, looking over at my carving. 'You're really great at that.'

'Thanks,' I said.

'How are you liking all this outdoorsy stuff?' Killian asked. 'I have to say, I'm impressed. You're much tougher than I expected.'

'I love the outdoors,' I said, smiling. 'I'm not really an inside person, I like my freedom.'

'How do you survive court then?' Killian asked.

'I suppose it's all I know,' I said. 'I do need an escape at times, though. When it gets too much, I have distractions, happy places. But recently...'

'Recently?' Killian prompted.

'At the palace, I feel like I'm constantly in my tightest corset,' I said.

'I know what you mean,' Killian nodded. 'Not the corset bit, obviously,' he added as I chuckled. After a pause, he asked, 'Have you not been happy recently?'

'In the village, with your mother and the children,' I said. 'That's the happiest I've been in months.'

'Well, then I'm glad to have brought you some happiness,' Killian said, smiling.

I yawned and stretched my arms above my head. 'Bed time for me, I think,' I said.

As I unpacked my extra blanket from my saddlebag, my hand brushed against my codebook. I had hoped to contact Cassy or Bash that night, but with the wild weather outside, I didn't want to risk it. I doubted I would even be able to anything through the heavy rain.

The absence of my family hit me harder than I had expected. I had grown accustomed to the quiet but a part of me still expected to see my siblings burst in. My throat closed over and I blinked rapidly, taking a long, shaky breath.