When the princess woke up, she couldn't help but smile at the situation in front of her, despite being a little embarrassed by what happened the night before.
Tom had his arms wrapped around her with his head resting on the bed while his legs were sat on the floor. Soft snores were coming out of his mouth. She didn't move in fear of waking him, and she sort of enjoyed the warmth of his arms around her.
She was a little embarrassed, no doubt. She knew it was probably an awkward situation for Tom, but he still had been so nice to her. She was starting to get used to people being nice.
Her head started spinning into a whirlwind of thoughts. She thought about her mother and father back home, and if they truly missed her. She thought about the people who took her, who were probably searching for her. She thought about the kingdom and how she really didn't know much about it.
Absentmindedly she ran her fingers through Tom's hair, and when he started to stir she noticed what she had been doing. Quickly, she pulled her hands away and blushed as Tom fully woke up.
"Hey," he said softly as if he was just now remembering why he was in the position he was in. "Are you alright?"
She smiled at his immediate kindness, "Yeah, I'm alright. I'm sorry I woke you last night."
He shook his head while standing up, "It's fine. Don't worry about it,"
The princess couldn't help but wonder what Tom really thought. Was it really fine? Or was she burdening him? For goodness sakes, he was taking her all the way to the other side of the kingdom. Surely, she thought, she was some sort of nuisance.
The princess and Tom ate breakfast at the inn, said goodbye to Jacob, and then went on their way. For the most part, they were quiet, just taking in the day.
It wasn't until the sun was past its midway point that steady conversation began to flow in.
It was light and easy and calmed the princess. For once in her life, she felt at peace while at conversation. She didn't feel like she had to be perfect and precise in everything she said. It was just her and Tom, and he was just so fun to talk to.
—
Tom really liked talking to the girl.
At times, he noticed her getting nervous or edgy or even a little embarrassed. He thought it might be because she thinks that she's burdening him. But, she's not.
This is what Tom does; he helps people.
And there was no doubt that Samena was breathtaking in every manner. From the way her eyes lit up in the sun and the moonlight grazed her cheeks. He couldn't get enough of her, but he knew he had to keep his distance. He knew she had been through a lot and didn't want to overwhelm her.
The scenery slowly managed to change back into a foresty-woodsy area from the grassy plains they had been experiencing. And as the landscape changed, their conversations were becoming more and more friendly.
Tom had just let out a joke which actually made the girl laugh. He had yet to hear this sound from her and it was music to his ears. Her eyes were squinted upwards as her teeth shone out in the most brilliant happiness.
"Please, never stop smiling," Tom said, a blush forming once he realized what he said.
The girl continued smiling. "Why?"
"You just, you look so happy. I love it."
He smiled back at her beaming face and he felt something warm rise within his chest.
However, he was quickly distracted when a water droplet landed on his shoulder, and then more began to fall. The rain picked up slowly until a heavy downpour was soaking the two of them.
Tom motioned to the girl to follow him as they ran towards a heavily covered area, thick with trees and leaves. Still, they were getting soaked.
Nonetheless, the two began laughing almost immediately. Maybe it was the exhaustion, or perhaps it was the appearance of them both drenched that did it. But, neither of them could stop laughing.
Tom casually slipped the jacket he had in his bag and slipped it over her shoulders.
"What about you?" She asked immediately.
"I'll be fine! It's okay!" He responded then continued, "The nearest town is probably far from here. Wanna wait it out?"
The girl nodded and the two sat under a tree, right next to each other for warmth, as the relentless rain kept coming down steadily.
—
The princess didn't know why, but she just loved the rain. Not all rain, but this rain in particular. Something about it made it special. (She was starting to think it was due to a certain boy escorting her home)
It was as if the rain washed all the worries she had away. No more thinking about those pursuing her, the secrets she was keeping from Tom. Even though she was drenched, she couldn't help but feel like everything would be alright.
It wasn't too long before the conversation picked up again. This time, however, something was different. Despite her cleared mind, she was beginning to feel bad for not telling Tom the truth. He did deserve to know and he would eventually find out, after all.
She could sense the conversation growing deeper as the conversation went on. Tom was telling her about a family that he had saved when he turned to her.
"Can you tell me more about what happened to you?"
The princess drew in a sharp breath.
"I...what do you want to know?" She asked shakily.
He shook his head as if he was disappointed with himself, "I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about it-"
"No, I want to," She cut him off. "You already know the basics about what happened. But, I imagine your asking because of my nightmares?"
She paused and looked at Tom. He nodded, confirming she was right.
She sighed and thought about what to say. The rain was softly pouring in the background.
"They like mind games. You know, trying to make someone feel worse when they are already at the worst. They had me convinced that my family and friends didn't care that I was gone and that no one was ever going to save me. Turns out, I had to save myself in the end."
Tom furrowed his brow, "How did you escape?"
"I had..." She gulped, remembering, "I had been in the same place for two months. Tied up at all times, sometimes by my hands, always by my neck, as if I was a dog. I had no chance to escape, really. But, one day I heard them talking about a town that was only a couple miles north. When no one was looking, I snagged a knife, cut myself loose, and began running."
The princess was immensely surprised she was able to get that out so calmly. And thinking about her captors brought her into a dark place. She immediately wanted to change the subject. Not only because she was uncomfortable, but because she wanted to tell him about her being the princess, but she was scared, so naturally, she was stalling.
Tom was nodding his head when she asked, "I have something else I want to tell you, but I want to know more about you first. You mentioned you didn't have any family. What happened to them?"
It was Tom's turn to sigh. "It's a long story."
You kept silent, which urged him to continue.
"My mom... she was the best. She was the kindest, most amazing person I ever knew. Everyone you ask would have agreed. There was just something extraordinary about her. My dad definitely agreed. They were so in love with each other.
"My mom got sick when I was 10. At the time, my father was in the army and when he heard the news he asked for a leave so that he could be with me and raise me so I wasn't on my own, you know? But, he was told no by the king. So, he disobeyed direct orders. He deserted the army and came back to me. When the king and his men heard of the news they had my father arrested without trial and condemned him to live in the castle's dungeons for the rest of his life with no visitation."
He paused and the princess let out a whisper of "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry."
It seemed, though, that Tom wasn't done. He was stuck on his rant, and he felt safe enough to share his story with her.
He let out a bitter laugh before continuing.
"When I heard that the princess had gone missing, in a way, it made me laugh. It was like karma was finally kicking in. The royal family took my father, so someone took their daughter. Anyways, I know that's probably pretty cruel of me to think, especially since she could be hurt or killed, but I don't care. I'm over the royal family and their cruel ways even if the Queen and the Princess don't have any command against the King." He paused. "So, what was it you wanted to tell me?"
The princess was frozen.
She couldn't very well just go ahead and say she was the princess now! She felt like exploding into nothingness so she didn't have to deal with this. Not only could she not tell him now, but he had also given her another reason to be upset with her father. She was beginning to realize how naive she had been her entire life.
"Um, you know what? I completely forgot," She paused, "I'm sorry about your parents. The way your father was treated is unfair."
Tom shrugged glumly, "There's nothing I can do about it."
'No, but there is something I can do about it,' the princess thought.
The rain didn't stop for several hours and by that point, the princess and the common boy decided to just set up camp for tonight.
It wasn't exactly comfortable since they were both soaked with no way to get dry. And now, the princess was on edge more than ever. She had a guilt weighing inside her. Her family was responsible for the destruction of Tom's family. Not only that, but she still lying to him.
Her thoughts were tormenting her mind as she fell asleep under a large tree, with the only warmth coming from the boy sleeping beside her.