Women of Valor [An Illegal Adventure Awaits!]

CHAPTER 15 - Feelings over matter

•CHAPTER 15• - Feelings over matter

Espen's tongue was sticking out of frustration as she leaned forward, her cheeks molded with the bars as she tried to reach the keys on the floor.

She had been able to convince Jasper to go to the sleeping guard a moment ago and try to take the keys but all he could do was drop it to the floor, luckily, near Espen's cell.

Poor little Jasper didn't have enough strength to bring back the keys himself. Dozen and dozens of keys were stacked up on a big rusty circle ring. That must be really heavy.

So now, Espen is desperately trying to reach for the pot of gold herself, wishing she could go through the bars to get the keys...or she could just escape with that skill!

She blowed on a strand of hair that threatened to fall on her face as she stretched her fingers again.

The hair she blew fell completely on her face and brought along some of it's pals.

"Darn it." Espen cursed as she tucked it back with the rest and was about to reach for the keys again but stopped in her tracks when there were no longer keys there, but a pair of boots.

Hoping it was not who she thought it was, she stiffly looked up to find he was indeed who she thought he was.

Jesse Crawford.

He was so quiet and sneaky, she hadn't noticed him come in the room. Espen wondered who really was the theif here.

Espen retreated her hand back slowly, eyes still on him as she gulped nervously. "Hi." She spoke but it was in a whispered tone.

Crawford looked down on her with no expression on his face, nor humor in his eyes. The rusty keys were dangling in his hands freely. "Emma. Emma. Emma. Oh, wait, that's not your real name, is it?" Crawford finally spoke as an unnameable emotion danced in his eyes.

Espen closed her eyes in a second and opened them back with a sigh. "Okay, look, I'm sorry I lied. I had to." Espen explained as Crawford began pacing slowly.

She was kneeling on the floor and had no strength or pride left to stand up and face him. She just sat there and looked up at him.

"Of course you had to, Espen Norris." Sarcasm dripped with his every word. "I suspected you from the start. I should have trusted my gut about you. I should have--" His voice began to rise but Espen cut him off quickly.

"But you didn't, Jesse." Espen spoke softly as if trying to woo a little child.

Crawford stopped in his tracks as he looked down at her and there was anger, worry, regret, disappointment and sadness in his eyes. He raked his fingers across his hair as he let out a frustrated growl.

After a moment of silence, he spoke. "Tell me, all those things, all that I have felt...were they real? Or were they also figments, illusions that you've created?"

Espen's eyes darkened as she looked up at him helplessly. "I don't know, Crawford." Espen used his last name as she felt she no longer had the right to use his first.

Espen saw a flicker of vulnerability in his expression but it disappeared the second it appeared.

He turned his back to Espen.

"I cannot believe this. A thief...The outlaw I was assigned to catch..." He said and there was a hint of a laugh in his voice but it wasn't a merry laugh, it was more like mockery.

Espen bit her lip at what she heard. She didn't realize that she'd be affected too. She was no different to her past comrade who betrayed her.

Here she was, breaking a knight's heart without any effort at all.