The Kingdom of Belmar

Chapter 8

Why am I still running with this lunatic?

The question rings in my head, but my judgement is too impaired to make a proper decision. Could it be that the men chasing him are imperial guards? Maybe he really is an escaped convict. Or could the people chasing us be paid mercenaries and he's a foreign nobleman on the run. I might not remember an "Ace" from the book, but it's just simply not possible that he's nobody.

Ace whips his head around a bit, his loose curl bouncing with each step. "Are you alright miss?" Despite the dress, I did decide to wear a comfortable pair of boots, so I've managed to keep up with whoever it is that's dragging me. I think he must notice how easily I'm following him, because he follows his question with "Forgive me, I seem to have underestimated you once again. It seems the young lady is proficient with a sword and doesn't lack the stamina it requires as well."

I furrow my brows and tilt my head a bit. "Sir while I'm not sure who it is we're currently escaping, I do know that you must have quite a bit of energy to expend if you're wasting your breath with such frivolous remarks." His face looks at me in surprise, not a bad expression, but rather pleasant shock.

"Miss Amy, you have quite a sharp tongue for such a young lady," he laughs. "That's a good quality, but it might cost you a head one of these days."

I remember the end of the original story. The original Amalie lost her head for the exact opposite reason. She couldn't speak against Queen Rista who ordered her to perform these tasks. I feel my heart ache a bit, but remember that's not the current issue. "Is that a threat Sir Ace, or is it a promise?"

His eyebrows raise a bit as he responds. "Neither, My Lady. It's a proposal."

"Will you be the one to sentence me?" I ask, batting my lashes and feigning my innocence.

"At the rate we're running," he laughs, "I'll be on the block next to you." He pulls me to a secluded street along the harbor. A clear stone path between the water and the back of a row of houses is illuminated by the setting sun, coloring every brick in a shade of pale orange. I didn't know this place existed, though considering there's no one in sight it could be possible that the main characters never came to this part of the Capital.

The two of us lean against a wall, panting through breaths as we try to re-adjust ourselves. "Sir Ace," I gasp raggedly, "I believe you owe me an explanation. Who is it you're running from and why are you running?"

He drags a hand through his hair, pushing back the web of curls. "You're asking questions I'm not sure you want the answers to." He chuckles a bit and looks at me. My arms remain crossed, resolute and unwavering at his dancing around the issue. He lets out a sigh, "Let's just say I'm not exactly supposed to be here. No one's supposed to know I'm here until tomorrow."

"Are you a noble attending the knighting ceremony being chased by your guards? Could it be that you're supposed to make some sort of 'grand entrance'?" I toss around the idea, half joking and expecting a laugh, for him to tell me that he really is an escaped convict and that I'm currently in immense danger. But he does neither. Instead his hand remains in his hair, looking across the harbor.

"Something like that," he says. I blink at him, still unsure as to who this could be. Surely a beautiful nobleman like him would be mentioned in the novel, he's a diamond that the author conveniently didn't polish. Maybe he was there and I overlooked his character, but that isn't likely since I've read this novel dozens of times.

"That's not an answer," I say, adjusting my own hair a bit.

He walks towards me, helping me to fix the misplaced hair ornament. "Everything will be revealed in time, but I don't think I'm the only one here being untruthful." He says, a hand still on my pin, and it's clear that he knows what it is I'm hiding.