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Hi, my name is Desmine

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Traitor or Betrayed? (Part 4)

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By awardwinningauthor

Created: 2009-11-07 12:03:38

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I woke up at dawn. I kept my eyes shut for a little while to savor the peace and quiet. Eventually, I opened my eyes and realized that I was lying on something soft and warm. I sat up quickly and was pretty relieved that it was the wolf, and that my head hadn’t somehow ended up on Granyln’s chest (as every heroine’s seemed to when situations forced them to be forced to sleep next to an extremely handsome young man). The wolf yawned, stretched, and fell back asleep. Granyln, I saw, was lying on the far side of the small cave, his face to the wall.

Outside, the rain was gone, and the early-morning sunlight glinted off drops of water on leaves. I stood up and went outside. A light breeze was blowing, bringing soft smells. I inhaled deeply and looked up at the now-cloudless blue sky.

“A beautiful morning, is it not, princess?” I turned to see Granyln coming out of the cleft in the rock. The wolf was apparently still asleep. I couldn’t help noticing that, even after a night of sleeping on a pile of leaves in a tiny cave in the rain, Granyln was still as attractive as he would have been after spending the night in a feather bed, followed by a hot bath and a few hours of being groomed and pampered. His ebony-colored hair fell over his deep blue eyes as he walked towards me.

“Y-yes,” I stammered, suddenly feeling oddly giddy. He smiled at me, sending a shiver down my spine. How was it, I wondered, that, after knowing him for eleven years, I was only now noticing how enchanting his eyes were? I cleared my throat. “Far nicer than last night, at any rate.”

“Oh indeed. For one thing, I’m not being attacked by a wolf and a very pretty girl.” He smiled as I blushed. “And the weather has improved significantly, as well.”

“Yes. That’s actually what I was referring to. Um…where will you go now? Back to the castle?”

“No. Your father’s orders are for us to go to Helsan and to the palace, not back to Driscance Castle.” Granyln glanced towards me. “And you? Where are you going?”

I hesitated. I remembered Falhen’s advice not to tell anyone where I was going, but I couldn’t believe that “anyone” included this young man, who I’d known since childhood, who could of killed me at any time through the night and hadn’t. Should I rely on Falhen or on my own feelings? Finally, after a few minutes of thought, I said, “I…cannot say. I don’t know for sure. And it would be safer for me if no one knew. And now, the morning is wasting away. I will have to continue my journey to an unnamed destination. Can I trust you, Sir Granyln, not to tell my father of the direction I take?”

“You don’t trust me?” Granyln asked, looking hurt.

“No. I’m sorry.”

Granyln stared deeply into my eyes. Then, slowly, he said, “I swear on my life, Princess Desmine, daughter of King Fresicar, heir to the throne of Elzen, that I will never give to your father any information that could lead to your death. I would sooner face the most inventive tortures the king can conceive than to betray your life. Is that enough of a vow to put your trust in me?”

I swallowed. “I…I want to be able to trust you,” I said, “but my life depends on secrecy. I am afraid to trust anyone at all.”

“I understand, milady,” Granyln said. He bowed his head slightly. Then he looked straight at me again, and once more I felt a strange tingling throughout my body. Blinking a few times, I retrieved my things from the cave, waking up the wolf in the process. It sat up, yawning and stretching, and followed me back outside. Granyln smiled slightly at me. I slung the bag over my shoulder, cast a final glance towards Granyln and, the wolf following me, set off east.

I traveled for almost three hours before stopping to eat. The wolf watched me expectantly, so I gave it a piece of dried fish. Then I kept walking for an hour more. The ground, in many places, was saturated with the previous night’s rain, and twice I had to halt to pull my foot out of the dirt-turned-sludge. As the sun began to sink, though, I found myself walking on rather rockier ground. Great boulders dotted the hillsides. The trees were now mostly pine, rather than the oaks and elms I was used to.

Suddenly, an arrow shot from behind an outcrop of stone, narrowly missing my throat. I froze for an instant before diving for cover behind a tree. All I could think was that I was found. I was found. The knights had found me. They would bring my father my head. All was lost for me. The wolf, who was crouched on the ground beside me, ears back, whined softly. I laid my hand on its neck, bracing myself for another arrow or a sword at my neck.

However, rather than the whistling of a shaft, I heard footsteps, coming nearer. The wolf growled. I laid my hand on the handle of the knife, and was surprised to find that my hand was trembling. Well, not very surprised. I was terrified. But I was annoyed that my hand was shaking. I shut my eyes and gripped the knife, willing my hand to be still.

“What the—who are you?”

My eyes shot open. There, standing next to the tree I was hiding behind, was a boy, no more than two years older than me, a strung bow in his hand. His dark blonde hair covered most of his eyes, but I could see that he was staring at me in confusion.

“Who am I?” I repeated. “I beg your pardon, but I’m the one you just tried to shoot, thank you so very much. Might I be so honored as to be told by your noble self why exactly I was being shot at out of nowhere? I wasn’t aware that humans are now open game.”

“I wasn’t shooting at you,” the boy said. “I was trying to shoot the wolf.”

“Oh really? Is that why the arrow came within inches of my throat? I wasn’t aware that wolves are that tall.”

He sighed, looking annoyed and embarrassed. “All right, so I would have missed horribly. I’m not the best with a bow. But I believe I am fully justified in my aim being a little off after seeing a wolf walking demurely behind a girl.”

I stood up, brushing dirt off myself. “I prefer the term ‘young woman,’ thank you very much. ‘Girl’ usually refers to a child. I realize I’m not exactly an adult, but that doesn’t mean that I need to be addressed as an adolescent. And now,” I went on, “might I know my approximate whereabouts? Are there any villages near here?”

“Um, yes. The village of Agtrantz is about two hours to the east. Look, about the wolf, why—?”

“Agtrantz? Near the Lake of Lasen?”

“Yes, that’s right. Now, the wolf—”

“Can you lead me there?”

The boy hesitated. “Well, I suppose, but—”

“Good.” I smiled brightly at him. “What’s your name, please?”

“Um, Shadrin. Shadrin Jarel. What’s yours?”

“Des—” The first syllable was out of my mouth before I could stop myself. I had almost given him my actual name! I thought quickly, and, clearing my throat, said, “Desolo.” I remembered my lessons as a girl—“desolo,” my teacher in foreign language told me, means “forsaken.” I felt it was an appropriate assumed name for myself.

“Desolo? That’s a…pretty name.” Shadrin looked a little bewildered. After staring at me for a little while, he stood up a little straighter and said, “Um, if you would follow me, Desolo. The village is this way.” I followed him as he began walking to the east, casting a few glances towards me and several more glances at the wolf, who walked along beside me.

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