A Fairy Tale With Two

Chapter 6

     "She's gone?" Kaden faked surprise beneath Queen Adeline's stern gaze. The Queen had confronted him just outside of the stables barely after the sun had risen, and Kaden tried to keep his voice nonchalant. "Well, I don't know where she went."

     "That's not why I'm telling you," Adeline rolled her eyes as if he was being stupid, "Someone told me you could hunt like no one else. Is that true?"

      Kaden smirked, "Back where I lived, I could hunt anything. If you need something hunted, I'm your man." He wasn't sure why she was grinning, and was even more perplexed when she tossed him a sword of polished steel.

     He caught it by the hilt, admiring it. It was possibly the finest sword he'd ever seen, let alone held. He twirled it expertly in his hands to test its obviously perfect balance. He looked up to Adeline, "What's this for?"

     Adeline smirked, "Hunting. This is between you and me, understand? If you hunt the missing princess and kill her, bringing me her heart as proof, you can keep the sword as well as be promoted to an esteemed member of this castle."

      Kaden's face paled, "Kill her, your Highness?"

      "Haven't you the guts?" she scoffed, "If you refuse our deal, I'll have you executed for treason. If you fail to kill her, you'll be executed. And if you tell anyone, you'll be executed. What's your choice?"

      Kaden gave his head a shake, "I'm sorry, I'm lost," he said, "Why do you want her dead?"

     "That's none of your business," Adeline snapped, "Are you going to kill her for me, or am I going to have you hanged?"

     Kaden swallowed hard, his gaze upon the sword in his hand no longer admiring, "Doesn't seem like I have much of a choice, do I? Either I die or she dies. You haven't left me a difficult desicion."

       Adeline smiled coldly, "That's what I want to hear."

Several hours later...

       Rowan wiped sweat from her brow as she climbed yet another large boulder. Aliyah was bounding effortlessly ahead, not seeming to mind the steep ascent. "You good?" she called over her shoulder at Rowan, who had finished pulling herself onto the top of a boulder with a gasp of exertion.

      "I'm alive," Rowan replied, flexing her scraped hands, "But how much farther?"

      "Just at the top of the ravine," Aliyah leapt down easily beside her, "It's a small cottage. And I mean small. It's for dwarves, you see, but I visit a lot and it's not too cramped. I'm sure I can talk them into letting you stay for a day or two."

      "I don't want to intrude," Rowan raced forward, trying to get a running leap as she cleared a gap between Aliyah and herself. She rested her foot on a protrusion of stone, using it to boost herself on top of this new obstacle, "Do you do this a lot?" she wheezed, the cool air burning her throat as she breathed in deeply.

      "All the time," Aliyah replied, crouching beside her, "You're not doing badly, you know. The last person I led up here insisted on resting every five minutes. He could barely climb the smaller boulders, so I had to piggy back him up the bigger ones."

     "That actually makes me feel a lot better," Rowan said, accepting Aliyah's offered hand to pull her to the top of the final boulder. She let out a sigh of relief, dusting herself off as she stepped into thick grass at the top of the ravine.

      "Tada," Aliyah gestured to a pleasant looking cottage positioned at the top of a rounded hill covered in thick, soft grass. The sunlight fell across the white stone and straw roof, casting it in a golden light that made it more appealing to look at.