Tristan breathed in calmly as he studied the map one of the knights had brought along. All ten of them crowded around the parchment, studying it thoughtfully. His leg was bound and was not causing him much trouble, apart from the occasional stab of pain.
"We should be about here," Samuel said, tapping a point on the map. They were deep in the forest now, but still the map showed a great expanse that they had not yet travelled. It seemed as if the woods would never end.
"We are keeping up a steady pace, but we never seem to gain any ground on Eliad," Tristan muttered. "And we do not know where they are planning to stop."
"Probably at the clearing up ahead," a knight, William, stated nonchalantly. Everyone looked up from the map to stare at him in amazement. "What?" He asked in confusion.
"What clearing?"
"You know... the one a few hours north from here," William responded, staring at them blankly.
"There is a clearing ahead of us?" Tristan repeated, shocked.
"Yes... you do not know it?"
"Of course we do not know it! None of us have ever travelled this far into the forest," one of the knights answered in amazement.
"How do you know of the clearing?" Samuel asked with one raised eyebrow.
"I used to travel through the woods regularly when I was young," William responded.
"Why on earth would you do something so dangerous?" Another knight chucked.
"I... do not want to say," William muttered. Tristan raised an eyebrow.
"Tell us!" A knight begged.
"My mother went missing - she was taken hostage, but at the time I did not know it," William sighed. Tristan's eyebrows both shot up. "I thought if I searched through the woods then I could find her. When I found out she had been killed, I stopped looking. But I got to know the forest surroundings pretty well. I know it was dangerous, but... I wanted to find her," William mumbled. Tristan smiled and patted his shoulder in comradeship.
"Do not be ashamed. That was brave of you, travelling through the woods alone was courageous. I am sure your mother would be proud of you now. Sometimes the people with the hardest pasts are the ones who turn out to be the most noble and brave," Tristan told him sympathetically.
"You mean like Rose; the girl we are finding?" A knight questioned.
"Aye, exactly like Rose," Tristan breathed. The knights stared at him curiously.
"Do you care for the girl, Your Highness?" One man asked. Tristan blinked and cleared his throat awkwardly. The news would come out sooner or later, he might as well tell them now.
"Yes, I care for her. I am in love with her," he admitted.
The knights had mixed expressions - some amazed and some surprised. Samuel sat, almost bored, as if Tristan had just told them the obvious and stated the sky was blue. Tristan quirked a smile at Samuel and turned back to his knights.
"Not many people know about me and Rose. When we return, you are to keep it between yourselves. My father needs to hear it from me first, and not from the gossip among people," Tristan said sternly.
"Of course, Your Highness," a knight stated; the others echoing their agreement.
"The King was angry to learn you had left without consulting him," a knight warned slowly.
"I expected as much," Tristan replied calmly.
"He wants to talk with you the moment you return," the knight said with a grimace. Tristan could already imagine the war he would have to face with his father. The though brought a grimace to his own face.
"Thank you for passing the message on," he said to the knight. He turned his attention back to the map. "William, whereabouts would you say this clearing is?"
William leaned over and tapped a spot on the map, not far from where they were. "The clearing is large, it would be the perfect place for Eliad to stop, particularly if that is where his main force is. Unfortunately, they will probably see us coming from a while away unless we are stealthy. If we stop our horses here," William explained, moving his finger down a centimetre, "we could continue on foot. There are only ten of us. If we ghost from tree to tree we may be able to keep the advantage of surprise."
"What is the plan, Prince Tristan?" A knight asked.
Tristan frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Rose will probably be held under guard. We cannot just march in and take her without being scene. I imagine this will turn into a fight."
"Yar! It's been too long since I have enjoyed a good fight," one man joked. The others laughed along with him. Tristan smiled but did not laugh with them, too focused on his mission.
"We know there are three men - Eliad and two others. But we do not know if he may have joined a larger force. We need to be prepared for the worse outcome. If there are more than thirty of them, we will be dangerously outnumbered."
"I can take on more than three men," one knight snorted.
Tristan smiled at him. "I do not doubt your abilities - any of you. But I do not want to risk the lives of my men. We should get as close to the clearing as we can and observe how many there are. If it is not a large force, we will attack using the plan William suggested."
"And if it is a large force?" One asked.
"Then we find another way to rescue Rose - one that will be unseen. Perhaps at night when they are sleeping."
"Why not just wait to attack at night anyway?"
"Because at any moment Eliad could hurt or kill Rose. The sooner she is safe, the better. I cannot wait any longer knowing she is in danger."
The knights nodded grievously, understanding the gravity of the situation.
"Remember, Rose is our priority. It is more important that we retrieve her safely than that we attack Eliad's force," Tristan ordered.
"When do we leave?" Samuel asked.
"Right now."
~
Rose sat still, breathing in shuddering breaths as she tried to calm down and prepare for what was coming. She had been awake almost the whole night, desperately trying to find a way to escape the situation. She had found none.
Her heart felt heavy. She hoped, beyond all hopes, that Tristan would somehow perceive that he was in danger and know that Rose still loved him. It was unbearable to imagine that Tristan would leave and fall in love with another while Rose was left in captivity. Rose inhaled another shaky breath and tried to swallow back her tears. If Tristan arrived and could see she had been crying, he would not believe her words. Eliad would kill him then.
A woman stood behind Rose, gently brushing her hair. Eliad was clear about making Rose look as presentable as she possibly could. Rose normally would have been grateful that she had washed and had clean, silky hair, but under the circumstances all she could feel was grief.
Eliad appeared in front of her a few moments later. Her bonds had all been untied, but she was heavily guarded so that she could not run away. Eliad smiled in approval as he studied Rose, but frowned when he observed her wrists. They were chaffed and crusted from being bound together so tightly. Dried blood was caked along her skin.
Rose understood the problem. No part of her could like it had suffered or been hurt, or Eliad's plan would not work.
"Find her a new dress," Eliad spoke to the woman standing behind Rose. "One with long sleeves that will cover her wrists. Make sure it is not torn and does not look ragged."
The woman scurried away in a hurry.
"How are we feeling, Rose?" Eliad asked with a smirk. Rose did not answer, though she stared at him with narrowed eyes. "Well since you are in such a talkative mood, I am here to remind you of your task."
"I know what you expect of me," Rose seethed. Eliad blinked.
"Of course. I have given my archers their instructions. They will shoot the Prince at the first sign of him trying to rescue you or refusing to believe you. They have a very good aim," he taunted. Rose stared at her hands and tried not to blink, afraid her tears would spill.
"Why are you reminding me of this?"
"So that you do not dare change your mind, and so that you do not dare to tell him the truth," Eliad hissed in a dangerous tone. Rose flinched and moved her gaze to look up at him. "If you try to run away or follow after him, we will kill you," Eliad continued nonchalantly. Rose swallowed and nodded slowly.
"I understand," she whispered.
"Good. I will leave you now. We are expecting Tristan this afternoon, assuming he keeps up his fast pace. Prepare yourself."
Eliad left without another word and strolled over to his tent. Rose bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut.
God, I am scared. I cannot bear the thought of losing Tristan forever. Please, please... help me. If not by rescuing me, then please - somehow - let Tristan know that everything I am about to say is a lie. Let him know that I am in danger and need him to come back for me. Please don't let him hate me. I do not want to do this... but I am scared. I do not want to die, and I do not want Tristan to be killed.
So please... just help. You are the only one who can fix this.
Rose opened her eyes a minute later when the same woman returned with a maroon dress slung over her arm. The woman handed the garment to Rose without a word and gestured to a tent where Rose could change. Rose stood up and walked over to the tent reluctantly.
~
"Stop the horses here," William said. Tristan glanced over his shoulder and nodded at the knight. He stopped his horse and dismounted, watching as his men did the same. He tied Tocker to a nearby tree and patted the horse affectionately. It was just before midday - there was still plenty of daylight, and he assumed the horses would be safe from predators.
The knights prepared themselves quietly - donning light armour that would not make a noise and equipping themselves with weapons. Tristan tightened his sword around his brigandine silently as he stood alone. His chest was warm at the idea of seeing Rose again, yet he was tense at the idea of fighting numerous people to get to her. He huffed out a breath of laughter when he remembered telling her once that he would fight the world for her.
Here is your chance to prove you meant it, Tristan, he told himself.
"Let's go," he said to his knights. The men stood at attention, prepared and serious. "Be careful where you tread, we must be as silent as we can. When we have observed the camp I will decide whether we fight or not. If I nod, we attack; otherwise we leave and create a new plan."
William took the front of the group, leading them in the correct direction. When they were closer, he held his finger up to his mouth, gesturing that they should be silent. They walked quietly, barely making any noise. They could hear the camp before they saw it. Tristan's heart leapt. There truly was a clearing, and there were people there! Rose was there! The knights began the process of ghosting from tree to tree. Tristan pressed his back up against the hard bark of an oak. He swiftly passed over to another nearby tree, peaking his head around the trunk.
Within a minute, the clearing came into view. Tristan ghosted to one tree closer and paused to observe the scene. There were large tents set up. Men, women, and even a few youths stood around the clearing. Tristan frowned. He did not understand what all those people were there for, but he did not have time to ponder Eliad's plans at that moment.
He searched the campsite desperately for Rose. He could not see her anywhere. He was sure he had been standing there for at least five minutes when he was about to give up - maybe she was not there after all - when a man appeared. Tristan bristled and felt fury nearly overwhelm him.
It was Eliad.
The man stood casually amongst a group of people, unarmoured, unprepared, jesting with the group. Tristan scowled. If Eliad was here, Rose was definitely here. Perhaps she was kept in a tent somewhere. They would have to attack the camp if they wanted to find out where she was.
Tristan counted the people in the clearing. Fourteen. There were probably a couple more, assuming there were people inside the tents. The women and young folk would probably not want to, or know how to, fight. As long as they did not attack the knights, they would be left alone. That left only the men. We can take them, Tristan decided, too eager at the prospect of seeing Rose to turn back.
Tristan turned his head to see his knights all hidden behind trees, watching him for direction. Tristan smiled slightly and nodded his head. The knights grinned, some more eager than others.
Tristan paused, waiting for the best moment to attack. Eliad eventually moved away from the group and went to stand with two of his armoured men. Tristan drew his sword, his men followed his actions.
His heart beat once, twice, three times, then with a surge of energy, Tristan cried out "NOW!"
His men yelled exuberantly and boisterously, emerging from their places behind the trees. As one, they sprinted into the clearing. The women screamed and held their children close to them. Some of the men scattered, whilst others dashed to find weapons. Tristan paid them no attention and ran for Eliad.
The two armoured men stopped him before he reached his target. Tristan swung his sword around dangerously and attacked the man closest to him. The man was a good, trained fighter. But he was not as good as Tristan was.
The man aimed his sword for Tristan's shoulder. Tristan blocked it and the ring of their swords bounced through the clearing. One of his knights joined him, attacking the other man. Tristan aimed his sword at his opponent's right side, then at the last second flicked his sword to the left side. The point of his sword came up easily to the man's throat. The man looked at him with round eyes and threw his sword away a good few feet. He held his hands up in surrender.
Tristan pushed him away and dove forward. Eliad was staring at him, but he was not trying to flee. Tristan ran and shoved Eliad against a tree roughly. His arm came up to press against Eliad's chest, and his sword came to rest against his neck.
"Where is she, you bastard! Where is she? Tell me this second before I drive this sword through your heart and kill you myself!" Tristan barked, barely containing the anger within him. Eliad smirked and held up his hands.
"Easy, there, Your Highness," he mocked. "She is waiting to see you. This way," he said simply, standing up straighter. Tristan dropped his sword from Eliad's neck in confusion. Eliad stepped away from him and walked calmly into the heart of the clearing. Tristan followed him blankly.
The clearing seemed to have emptied, the only people left were his knights and the few men who had surrendered. They did not seem to be paying him much attention, instead they stood at the edge of the clearing, his knights watching the men.
"One moment," Eliad said, gesturing for Tristan to stay. He entered a tent, leaving Tristan alone. Was this a trap? Was Eliad escaping through the back of the tent? Perhaps he-
All thought left his mind, when out of the tent emerged a beautiful woman, dressed in maroon and walking with composure. Rose.
~
The moment Rose laid eyes on Tristan, tears swelled up in her eyes. She forced them away, steeling herself against the desperate urge to run to him and be held and protected by him. It was agony. Every fibre of her being longed for Tristan, but if she went to him, he would die.
Tristan's eyes widened the second she exited the tent. Her heart thudded and she hid her shaking hands in the skirt of her dress. Before Tristan could run over to her, she stopped.
"Tristan. What are you doing here?" She asked, trying to make her voice as calm as possible. Tristan's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again as he stared at her in confusion.
"I am here for you," he told her, moving a step toward her. Rose held up her hand and he froze.
"You should not have come," she said monotonously. Her heart seemed to shatter inside her chest at his expression.
"Rose," he said, almost in amused confusion. With one more step, he was face to face with her. He pulled her into his embrace, too strong for Rose to refuse.
"Run," she whispered with still lips, so quietly she knew no one else could have heard. She pushed herself away from Tristan and stared at him with round eyes, chronically aware that she was being watched. Tristan looked concerned and hurt. Please understand.
"Wh-" he began.
Before he could ask what she meant, revealing to Eliad what she had said, Rose cut him off. "I do not love you."
Tristan looked at her quizzically, clearly not believing her words.
"What do you m-"
"Did you think that we would simply dance a few times and I would fall in love with you? Did you think we could have a few conversations and I would see you as a hero?" Her words hurt even herself. Her whole heart screamed at her to stop with her words, but she had to continue.
Behind Tristan, just over his shoulder, Rose could see an archer in a tree. His bow was half drawn, an arrow nocked to the string and aimed directly at Tristan. Rose flicked her eyes back to Tristan anxiously. They exchanged a gaze, Rose stared at him trying to warn him with her eyes. Run, she begged with her mind, hoping he would somehow know what she was saying. Just run and don't look back.
"I do not understand," Tristan said, his voice sounding broken. Rose forced away her own tears. He had not heard her; he had not understood her warning.
"Nothing has changed from the moment I first met you. All of this was a plan," Rose stated, reciting the words Eliad had told her to say. "I knew if I could get close to you, I could discover your weaknesses and flaws. All I had to do was disappear one night to join my recruits. I did not expect you to fall in love with me. It does not matter what I said - I do not return your feelings. Go." She felt so sick from her words. Her head seemed to pound and the world seemed to spin. Rose inhaled a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
"You are telling me... you were part of a plan?" Tristan repeated. He seemed angry - his cheeks flushed and breath coming out rapidly.
Oh Tristan... it is not true. Please, please know it is not true.
"Nothing I ever said to you was true, other than the story of Beth. It does not matter how many times you saved my life nor how many times you apologised. I could never forgive you for the terrible things you and your family have done. I despise your existence," Rose stated clearly. Tristan stared at her in clear shock.
"But-"
"I do not wish to see you, I do not return your feelings, and I do not care for you. Now go," Rose muttered. Tristan gave her a prolonged stare, his eyes confused and trying to understand. Rose flicked her eyes up to the archer briefly. The archer had drawn the bow further, his fingers ready to release. "Go," Rose repeated, anxiously this time. Tristan turned around slowly with a shattered, blank expression. He slowly began walking away.
Rose released her breath, sighing in relief. He was hurt, she was broken, but at least he would leave alive. Her eyes filled with tears as she watched him walk away. He had believed her so quickly; he had not even challenged her words. At the last second, Tristan turned around. Rose immediately froze and tried to compose herself. Tristan studied her expression, his eyes locked on her own, clearly seeing her building tears.
"That is what I thought," he whispered, so quietly Rose only just heard the words. A glimmer of hope lit in his eyes, and he raised his voice louder. "Everything you said to me may have been a lie, but nothing I ever said to you was false."
Rose stared at him hopefully. Had he figured out what was happening? Or was he only trying to have the last word? Tristan gave a slow, almost imperceptible nod. He turned away and stormed out of the clearing. His knights were quick to follow, staring at Rose accusingly as they left. Rose watched Tristan leave, confused. What did the nod mean? What did his final words mean? She looked up at the archer. He had lowered his bow and removed the arrow. Rose was tempted to smile. She had done it; she had protected Tristan's life. And maybe, just maybe, he had understood the truth.
The clearing was deathly silent as the men faded into the distance. Rose stood alone, unmoving as the wind blew through the campsite. Tendrils of her hair wafted around her face in gentle wisps, but still she did not move.
Father, do not let him forget about me.
Gradually the men, women, and children who had been startled by the fight emerged from their hiding places. Those who had surrendered stood up and walked shamefaced back into the clearing. Some of the people stared at Rose in awe, but she did not return their gazes. Eliad stepped out of his tent, a smirk on his face. He came up to Rose's side and folded his hands behind his back.
"That was not so hard, was it?" He said in a light tone. Rose resisted the urge to slap him; to scream at him and shout an all manner of unkind things. She stayed still, not even turning her head to look at the man. She hoped with all of her heart that Tristan would find a way to defeat Eliad and come back for her.
"I have done what you asked of me," Rose whispered. "What is it you plan now?"
Eliad snorted. "I certainly will not tell you, of all people, what my remaining plans are."
"Then what is it that you plan to do with me?" Rose asked, finally turning her head to look at him. Eliad raised both his eyebrows, his green eyes chilling her to the bone.
"Rhett," he said simply, seemingly without reason. Rose frowned, his words not making any sense to her. She opened her mouth to ask him what Rhett had to do with her question, but her words never left her mouth.
A strong piece of cloth was suddenly pulled around her mouth, gagging her. She tugged at the material, trying to remove it, but it was tied around the back of her head within seconds. Her voice came out muffled and incomprehensible as she panicked. She looked over her shoulder. Rhett was standing there - he had crept up to her so silently. What was happening? Why was Eliad having her gagged? Her hands were next to be pulled roughly behind her. A rope was fastened around her wrists, which flamed and burned in response to her wounds being pressed on.
"Tie her to the tree," Eliad said calmly. Rhett began pulling Rose away from Eliad, leading her to the edge of the clearing. Rose fought - she would fight until the day that she died - but it made no difference. Rhett was too strong for her.
She stumbled on the ground and tripped over. It was too much. It was all too much. Tears pooled into her eyes as she stared at a stick. She was captured, and she did not know when she would ever be free again. Her head pounded in agony. Rhett bent over her to pick her up. He lifted her up easily and her head rushed.
Blackness seemed to engulf her - half from fear, and half from pain. She did not fight the dark, but welcomed it.
Her last thoughts were of Tristan and the dances they had shared together.
~~~
I know that right now everything sucks and Tristan and Rose have been separated waaaay too long, but hang in there!
I'll update as soon as I can!
Don't give up on this story :P
Xx Divine Romance