The Last Dance (9)

Comment and Vote?

*******************************************************

Chapter 9 - Looking

"What do you mean lost?" The King asked with barely contained anger. My Father and I exchanged a look, this false calm was a bad sign, it would have been better if he'd just yelled.

The Knights seemed to come to the same conclusion and started speaking at once to explain.

"We didn't mean--"

"Never would have guessed--"

"--he seemed--"

"--second day"

"The Forest--"

The King put his hand up grimly. "Sir Roden?" He asked coolly.

The Knight took a deep breath and fidgeted before speaking. "It happened on our first night outside the village. He seemed perfectly fine and excited to be coming home but in the morning he was gone. There was no sign of a struggle and all his bags were gone as well as his horse and some of our supplies. We think... in fact we're certain he... ran away," Sir Roden finished hesitantly.

There was silence following the announcement as we all waited for the Kings response.

"I see," He finally said. "And you did nothing?"

"By no means Sire, we scouted the Redwood Forest, and asked a trusted worker to discretely send a few men to look for him, but he left no obvious signs of passage and must have had several hours lead. We did all we could without notifying the village and causing alarm..." Sir Corry explained.

The Kings look of anger was immediately replaced with a grimace. He slumped into a chair and covered his face with his hands.

This action startled us all but my Father and the Queen rushed to his side while I remained forgotten.

"You may go." His voice came out thick with grief and the Knights, looking extremely saddened headed towards the doors. "Tell no one..."

They nodded and left us alone.

"My son... my own son ran away" The King shook his head with grief while the Queen let tears silently run down her face. My Father did his best to comfort them with whispered words of comfort. I felt awkward standing there and wished there was something I could do to help. I was too angry to feel upset. The idiot. Didn't he ever think? Didn't he know what he was putting his parents through?

It was pathetic and cowardly.

After a few minutes, which seemed like hours, the King managed to compose himself and addressed the problem.

"We'll just have to send out a search party" He declared.

"Jeoffrey, do you think that's the best idea? If word gets out that the realms Prince is missing... what will the people do?"

"Do? I don't care Dimitri! My son ran away, what do you expect me to do, sit tight and hope he comes back on his own?"

I was a little stunned. My Father and the King had been friends all their lives and I had never seen him lose his temper like that before, especially at my Father.

"I know you're afraid Jeoffrey," He said quietly, "But causing panic and worry isn't going to help the situation, we have to go about this rationally."

A single tear slid down the King's face. All at once he seemed to deflate as all the fight went out of him. "You're right of course, I'm sorry. What do you propose we do then?"

My Father began pacing around the room thinking about it. I was still standing by the fire, forgotten, taking it all in.

"Well, first of all, we have to get word out that John is spending some extra time away from the castle, getting some experience in the field, and then we send one, maybe two people out to find him and bring him home"

The King shook his head. "You're right about telling everyone his trip has been extended, but you know how stubborn John is. Even if he wanted to come home, he wouldn't if we tried to force him. Sending any of our men to bring him back is pointless."

"Then we'll just have to send someone else"

"Like who?"

"Me." The word burst out before my mind even registered it, but I knew it had to be me all the same.

Everyone looked in my direction startled and confused. "I'll go after him," I clarified.

The King looked thoughtful, thinking it over, but my Father addressed me first. "You? But Celia, it's dangerous out there, and to go after him alone?" He reasoned.

It would have been easy to back out, but the more I thought about it the more sense it made, I just had to convince my Father of it.

"Father" I said in my diplomatic voice, "I've had more training in the field than John has and I'm better in arms than men several years my senior. Besides, I know John, I can get him home and make him think it was his idea in the first place." I was only half sure about that. We might just end up fighting and make things even worse, but someone had to try.

He looked at me worriedly but I could see him wavering.

"She has a point Dimitri."

"And if anyone notices I'm gone you can say I've gone to Anna's." I quickly supplied, heading off the objection before he could even bring it up.

He sighed and I knew I'd won.

"Fine you can go, you'll be leaving in the morning, I'll have everything you need ready." And with that he swept out of the room. I knew this was hard for him, and I felt bad, but someone had to go after that fool.

"Thank you for your generous offer Celia, I know you'll bring him home safe." The King smiled gratefully at me and I was pleased that he was so confident that I could get his son back home. Now all I had to do was live up to it.

John's POV

I had done it.

And no one had suspected a thing. I felt bad leaving the Knight's like that after all they'd done for me, but I didn't have a choice.

I couldn't be King, I just couldn't. I was doing the Kingdom a favour by running away. Right, I just had to keep telling myself that.

I was surprised at how flawlessly things had gone. I'd casually asked around for information about Redwood Forest and people had happily obliged thinking nothing of my curiosity.

I now knew there were no dangerous animals in the forest to worry about, and the vagabonds who lived there were probably harmless, but of course it would be better not to run into them.

My biggest risk was being recognized, but I'd done what I could to take care of that too. I had bought some coarser garments from town, and gotten hold of rags to put over Shadow's expensive tack. And once my beard started to grow out over the next few days I felt confident that I would be unrecognizable to any but those close to me.

What could go wrong?

Celia's POV

I left early the next morning and rode hard. I knew that when it came to tracking every second counted, especially in the forest when any minute something could cover up or disturb signs of passage. I also had a speed advantage over the Knights because they had been carrying a lot more and stopped to eat along the way. By nightfall I should reach Newberry, and then the real search could begin.

John's POV

This lighting a fire business wasn't as easy as it looked.

Sir Roden had gotten our fire started in seconds, but I couldn't seem to get one spark off the flint.

I threw the stones aside frustrated. At least I'd found a good place to stay the night. It was fairly sheltered and there was room for Shadow to graze nearby. I'd found a small stream that I assumed was an offshoot from the main river. Of course I didn't want to be too close to it, just in case anyone else happened upon it.

I looked around restlessly; I'd already hung most of my belongings and food in the trees, set up a latrine, and was now bored. There wasn't much to do in a forest was there? If only someone had thought to warn me about the boredom... with a sigh I picked up flint and stone again and crouched by the twigs.

Here goes round two...

Celia's POV

I reached Newberry just as the gates were closing for the night and the guardsmen pointed me in the direction of the closest inn.

After paying for a room I headed to the dining area and picked a table in a shaded corner to listen to the cavern talk.

"An I told him 'e aint wanna be goin' in there, what with 'em wildy-men a'runnin 'bout. Bu' 'e said 'Don't they all live around the river' and I says we'll surely they do but it's the one that don't what gets ya"

"Bought some flint off me he did. I said to myself, now what would a Prince 'o-mine be wanting with that? Them folk aint used to rubbing two stones together I reckon but I say good for him. That there's no idle boy whats gonna take the Throne"

It seemed the town was still riled up about John's visit because that seemed to be the only topic for conversation tonight. I felt a pang of worry thinking about him alone out there. What did he know about living out in a forest?

He brought it upon himself, the idiot. All the same I wish I could set out this minute to go find him, but I knew that would only get me lost, and then where would we be?

It looked like he was on his own for tonight.

John's POV

I finally got that damn fire started. And just when it was getting too dark to see. I was relieved that I had found the right kindling so there would be no smoke to give me away. That would show everyone. I wasn't some helpless Prince, I could take care of myself just fine!

I dragged my pallet close to the fire and curled up under a blanket. See I could do this.

...

It sure is quiet out here.

...

Except for those... crickets? I think I could do without that noise...

...

What was that sound? I sat up in a panic.

Oh, just the wind causing the branches to creak, nothing to worry about.

...

I laid back down slowly. Couldn't I handle just one night alone out here? What a stupid idea. Cece would be calling me all kinds of idiot right now.

If she even knew I was gone yet.

If she even cared...

I suddenly wished I hadn't left things the way they were, so what if it wasn't my fault? I should have forced an explanation from her anyway.

Never mind, who knows if I'll ever see her again. Good riddance. Exactly. I didn't need some girl complicating my life. That's what my Father never understood. I couldn't just get married on the spot. No way.

I needed to do this, there was no other choice.

I tossed about for a few more minutes and looked up at the stars.

They did wonders to clear my mind. It was a reassurance to see something familiar. Those were the same stars she'd be looking at tonight I thought as I finally drifted off to sleep.

Celia's POV

I started out first thing in the morning before anyone else in the inn was up. Tracing my path back the way I came I did a sweep of the tree line looking for where the Knights had set up their camp a few nights before.

There, the scattered remains of a fire.

I dismounted from a distance and tied Coriolis to a nearby tree so that my tracks wouldn't spoil the older ones. Kneeling down next to the ashes I surveyed the surroundings with a careful eye.

I saw where the foliage was bent from passage and pushed aside branches to see the ground. I ran my hand over the soil, feeling patches of loosly turned dirt that contrasted the firmly packed ground around it. Surely a sign of recent tracks being covered.

I smiled to myself; let the hunt begin.

I had to search on foot and lead Coriolis along from a distance so it was slow going. I had to admit, John had done a pretty good job of hiding his tracks, and I only had little hints to help me along the way. He walked over rocks and moss whenever he could and it would often take me several minutes to pick up the trail on the other side.

I looked tensely up at the sky, it didn't look like I'd be finding him tonight. Soon it would be too dark to follow the trail. With a sigh I ripped off a piece of the rags I'd gotten from the town and tied it to a branch as a trail marker. With that done I pulled Coriolis in the opposite direction to a large oak tree we'd passed earlier. Tying him up I threw down a pallet and quickly lit a fire hoping he'd be okay alone for one more night.

John's POV

Day two.

I had managed to get a handle on working with the flint and it had only taken a few minutes for me to get the fire started last night. I grinned. In a few days I'd be like one of the natives. The sounds of the night hadn't even bothered me that much, so I guessed I was making progress.

I walked around restlessly. There was just nothing to do out here. The sheer boredom alone would drive me out. I picked up my sword and started working through the pattern moves Celia had shown me during our lesson. I practiced them whenever I had a few minutes to spare and by now they came naturally to me. I didn't even have to think about them anymore, my body just moved from one stance to the next. And, though it pained me to say it, she had been right about my footwork. Now that I balanced my weight properly I could feel more power behind my swings and had much better control over my weapon.

I practiced for a while before calling it quits. There was only so much you could do without an opponent. The sun had moved significantly into the sky, it must have been around midday. Great, only the rest of the day to go. And still no concrete plan of action. I couldn't stay in this damn forest forever.

I idled about checking over my food stores and fresh water supplies, did some physical training without a weapon, and even climbed a few trees to see where I was relative to the village, River, and main road.

What now?

The sun had gone down beyond the trees now but I could tell it would still be several hours before nightfall.

There's got to be something to do out here. People live here don't they? But not alone I realized. They had company to wile away the hours.

I was leaning back against a tree when the snap of a twig caught my attention. I scanned around looking for the source of the noise and wondered if I had imagined it when a shadow began stepping out of the trees. I scrambled up and grabbed hold of my sword while the figure edged forward.

Wait... was that? No it couldn't be...

I rubbed my eyes. I must be hallucinating. The person's lips tugged up into a smug smile.

It couldn't be... and yet it was.