Chapter Six
Jessie had her arms wrapped tight around Veronica as they laid in the tiny bed in the cabin. As she woke up she felt that her arm was wet, she unwrapped it from around Veronica to stare at it.
“Hmm?” She mumbles still trying to wake up as she rubs her fingertips through the clear liquid on her arm.
She looks at her arm for a moment longer and thought it just to be water. As she closes her eyes again she feels Veronica tremble. She quickly sat up and looked at Veronica then she slowly rolled Veronica on her back staring in her eyes that were filled with tears.
“What is it?” Jessie said blinking away the blurriness of her eyes.
“It just hurts so bad…” Veronica Whines.
“What… What hurts?” Jessie says wiping Veronica’s tears away and staring in her eyes confused.
Veronica lifts up her shirt to reveal the big purple and red bruise on her ribs. Jessie gasps then takes her hand and slowly rubs it across her skin still noticing that there’s a cracking feeling under her fingertips.
“It pains me just to look at it” Jessie says feeling guilty for not stopping the king. “We won’t move today…” Jessie says already making up her mind before Veronica gives her opinion.
“But we must… My father’s men will find us.” Veronica says quietly.
“They can’t find us here. We’ve covered our tracks and this is miles away from any village.” Jessie says trying to reassure Veronica.
Veronica closes her eyes laying still and trying to breath threw the stabbing pain in her chest.
“You think of me as a child don’t you?” Veronica says quietly.
“What do you mean?” Jessie says as she gets dressed.
“The way this pain leaves me helpless.” Veronica says frowning. “I’ve never seen you hurt…” She says looking into Jessie’s eyes.
“But I have hurt before Veronica.” Jessie says as she slides on her shirt and buttons it up walking over and sitting on the bed. “It’s just physical pain doesn’t hurt as bad as the pain I feel when I lose something precious…”
Jessie puts her hand on Veronica’s forehead and thinks to herself quietly.
“What is it..?”
“I’m going to get something to help you.” Jessie says feeling Veronicas burning hot head and knowing that’s not a good sign.
“You won’t be long will you?”
“I’ll be back before you know it love.” Jessie says then hops up and puts on her shoes and heads out the door.
Jessie gets on the horse and rides out into the forest for a while until she hits a patch of clear land. As she slowly trots around on the horse she looks for a white flower leaning her body on the horse and holding onto its forelock.
“Do you see anything girl?” Jessie whispers.
The horse snorts and digs its front hove into the ground as she looks around the grassy field.
She then looks at the underside of the horse and pauses.
“I meant boy…” She shakes her head and hops off looking around. “There you are!” She says picking up a large patch of white flowers. “Meadowsweet should get rid of that fever.” she says putting it in her shirt pocket and hopping on the horse.
At the Cabin
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Veronica hears the sound of a horse trotting into the front yard and she smiles as she hears the door open.
“Your right that didn’t take long at all Jessie” Veronica says.
She gets quiet as she doesn’t hear a reply then she sits up in the bed holding her ribs and staring out the open bedroom door.
“Jessie…” Veronica whispers
Veronica slowly slides out of bed and walks over to the door pressing up against the wall beside it. She hears footsteps in the living room and her heart pounds faster. Then in an instant a man in black with long dark hair appears in the room and Veronica jumps as he looks around not noticing Veronica against the wall. She quickly slips out the bedroom door and runs out the front door then feels a blow on her back.
“Boss I got her!” A skinny man with dirty blond hair says pinning veronica to the ground.
“Get off of me!” Veronica says twisting her arms to try to untangle them from his grip.
He quickly ties her hands behind her back as his boss, the man who was in the room, appears and motions him to move. The boss spins Veronica over on her back and stares in her eyes then takes the wanted drawing out of his pocket and holds it up to her.
“Well well looks like we’ve found the rebellious princess, Greg.” The boss says.
“Aye Sir we did.” Greg nods his head and fiddles with his fingers nervously.
“This drawing doesn’t do you much justice…” The man says taking off his dark leather glove and touching Veronica’s cheek.
Veronica pulls away then spits in his face and struggles to stand up and then is quickly held down by Greg.
“Jessie!!” Veronica screams and then breathes in fast feeling her ribs shift. “Argh…” She grunts.
Greg quickly ties a cloth around her head with it in her mouth to quiet her up as the boss wipes his face and then smirks at Veronica.
“Put her in the back.” He motions to Greg and he quickly does as commanded and puts her into the back of the carriage.
The boss sits on the opposite side of her and shuts the door as Greg hops on the horse and wheels them away.
“Where is your friend” The boss says questionably looking at the wanted picture of the pair.
Veronica looks out the window of the carriage and bites down hard on the cloth in her mouth.
The boss asks again and Veronica mumbles rolling her eyes and insinuating she can’t talk with the cloth in her mouth.
The boss unties the cloth and Veronica stares at him.
“Tell me where she is.”
“I won’t.” she hisses glaring at him.
“Very well then” He says and pulls out a knife from his side holder then presses it in-between her cleavage digging the tip of it in just barely enough to scratch her.
Veronica’s heart pounds faster and she closes her eyes and shakes.
“She went into town to buy supplies! Shes in Whitherson!” Veronica screams.
He pulls the knife away from Veronica and then puts it away in its holder.
"Head to Whitherson greg!" The boss orders tapping on the window behind him.
The path quickly shifted heading far away from both the castle and Jessie.
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