Instead, my weight was caught in the hammock once more, but not from the trees. The new hold on the fabric’s ends were uneven, causing my body to fold in half and cluster in the center of the blanket. Confusion and disorientation overwhelmed me as I scrambled to escape the tangled fabric. My body had never touched the ground, so I knew something was still holding me up. I attempted to crawl off the edge of the warping hammock, but the edges moved upward and closed above my head. A rush of claustrophobia crashed through my system as I recognized what was happening.
Someone or something has trapped me in my own bed.
I kicked at the sack I was now trapped in. I tried to cry for help, but my struggles kept forcing the fabric into my mouth, muffling my voice. The awkward twisted position I was in made it impossible for me to reach my dagger. I strained to reach where the knife lay upon my hip, but the excess of shuffling made me fear I would cut myself before I cut the fabric. It was then that I realized the excessive movement wasn’t just from my thrashing.
I’m being carried away.
My blood ran cold as the shock settled into my system. I was being carried on someone’s back. The moment I came to the terrifying conclusion, a new sound confirmed my fears.
“We’ve got her,” an unfamiliar male voice whispered breathlessly. “Let’s get her back to the compound.”
chapter five
I had never been kidnapped before, but all things considered, I think I handled it rather well. Once I had calmed my hyperventilating, I began to think a little more practically. If they were taking me to a compound, then it was likely I was dealing with a group of Ashbourne soldiers. Only two men had spoken throughout the walk, so I was hopeful it wasn’t a large battalion sent to collect me. After I regained my composure, I determined that there were three potential scenarios I was currently a part of.
Number one: The military tracked me down after all my thieving and I was officially doomed and needed to escape—and possibly change my name.
Number two: I was wrong not to be worried, and Ashbourne thought I was the missing princess from Sybettal. In that situation, I may also be doomed, but did have a slight chance of convincing them that they had the wrong girl.
Number three: My kidnappers had no involvement with Ashbourne at all and had mistaken me for a rich debutant they could ransom for money. In which case, I was still doomed.
No matter which option ended up being the truth, they all had the same crystal-clear solution...
Run.
After a few haphazard attempts at retrieving my dagger, I finally managed to grasp the leather hilt. Without a second thought, I tore the blade through the fabric and shredded it with ease. My crumpled body instantly spilled out of the make-shift bag that held me. It was still dark out, so it took me half a second to gain my bearings and scramble to my feet. I began to sprint in the opposite direction of my shadowy captors, but a harsh voice halted my fleeing.
“Stop, or I’ll shoot!” a gruff voice barked. Before I could consider if I should still run or not, an arrow whizzed past my head, catching strands of my red locks in the breeze it created.
I froze and slowly spun back around. As much as I didn’t want to be taken by these men, I wanted to live even more. There was no point in running if it was just going to end up with an arrow in my skull.
“Alright,” I huffed back dejectedly. “I’m coming back, don’t shoot.” As I reproached the pair of shadowy figures, I noticed that a notched arrow was still trained on me. When I finally grew close enough to make out the men’s features, I immediately noticed their clothes. Instead of Ashbourne uniforms, they wore matching dark green coats with rusted brass buttons down the front.
“You’re not soldiers...?” I questioned boldly, watching the two men’s eyes flick between each other and me.
“Of course, we’re soldiers,” the taller man said sternly. He must have been the one carrying me, because the shredded scraps of my hammock still hung loosely off his shoulder. The stouter man beside him carried the bow, along with an impressive-looking sword strapped to his hip.
I looked at them both curiously; the chaos from the day and lack of sleep had made me absurdly brave, so I decided to question them. “But you’re not from Ashbourne, are you?”
The shorter man looked offended. “Of course not,” he sneered. “You would likely be dead if we were Ashbournians, so try to show a little respect to your rescuers.” He glared at me, his dark brown eyes shadowed in the moonlight.
“Rescuers?!” I scoffed, stepping back with folded arms. “Pardon me, gentlemen, but I didn’t feel particularly endangered when I was sleeping soundly at my home. Would you care to enlighten me on how kidnapping me from my mother, slinging me over your shoulder, and shooting an arrow at me makes either of you my knight in shining armor?” My temper grew sharper the more I spoke.
Just what in the realms is going on here!?
The shorter man opened his mouth as if to scold me again, but the taller man placed a firm hand on his shoulder, effectively silencing him before he could speak.“That’s enough, son.” It was then that I noticed the age on the taller man’s face.A father and son duo had kidnapped me in the middle of the night… Why?Before I could voice any more of my questions, the father turned his serious eyes on me. “Please forgive my son’s impudence; his rashness only stems from his urgency to help. We shall answer your questions when we get back to the compound, but it’s not safe here.”
I stared at the older man agape for a moment, unsure on how to respond. “Of course, it’s not safe here, you imbeciles!” I spouted fiercely. “You’re pointing weapons at me and dragging me from my home in the dead of night! Why in the realms would I want to go with you to your compound?!” I jeered my blade at the men, and the son re-notched his arrow, pointing the shot at my knee.
He isn’t aiming to kill me, only to stop me.
“Drop your weapon, now. You will follow us, or we will drag you,” the son hissed, his tone icy. “We don’t have time for arguing; our kingdom needs your help. Now is not the time to think selfishly.”
My eyes widened. “The kingdom needsmyhelp.” My voice cracked as I spoke, puzzling together their reasoning for abducting me.They’re soldiers, but not from Ashbourne, and they claim they need me...“You’re members of the rebellion, aren’t you?”
“Not members,” the older man said stiffly. “I lead them, and we’ve all been waiting for you, Your Highness.”
No further words were uttered during our journey, though it wasn’t for lack of trying. The instant the father called me “Your Highness,” I tried to correct him, but his irritating son wouldn’t stop waving his bow in my face, threatening me to stay silent. If I had been a few steps closer to him I might have been able to disarm him, but even I’m not foolish enough to fight an archer with a short-range dagger. The son confiscated my weapon early into our journey, and my temper flared up as he improperly secured it onto his hip.