“At ease, Leiman.”

  Waking to the sound of shuffling noises within the tent, I roll over in a fur covered bed seeing the large shape of a man with long wavy hair gathering scrolls. Caspian?

  “You have 10 minutes before they’re tearing tents down. I’ll be outside.” Caspian announces softly in a deep voice, keeping his back to me in case I am immodest. I see the soft colour of the sun outside and realise it’s just hit sunrise. So it wasn’t a dream…

  Still keeping his body turned away from me, he pushes open the flap of the tent and exits, leaving me to hurriedly pull on my brown woollen trousers and comb my long strawberry blonde hair with my hands. Rubbing my arms to warm up I exit the tent, meeting Caspian outside. I watch as he hands his scrolls over to a knight holding the reins of a gigantic horse. Looking down at me, Caspian hands me a cotton bag filled with a light weight of unknown contents.

  “May I help you onto the horse?” He asks so I'd feel respected if he touched me. I turn to the very large horse with an unsure look, being slightly intimidated going anywhere near the beast.

  He seemed quite important in that tent yesterday…We must be leaving early to avoid most dangers. Ugh, the nobility putting their safety above others, how criminal.

  “Have you never ridden?” Caspian frowns in confusion, leading me to shake my head with pursed lips.

  Caspian just raises a brow slowly nodding at the information I gave him. He walks up behind me and grasps my waist, hoisting me up onto the horse as I clutch the bag he gave me. Why is it that the men of this place are so handsy? After making sure I was seated comfortably on the horse, Caspian’s swings onto the beast with ease, shifting his weight to align my body comfortably with his. Pulling at the reins, the horse trots off leaving the camp.

  “Open that bag, eat something, today will be a long day.” A long day huh? So he plans to keep me alive until at least late tonight...I need to figure out a plan of escape. I blow hot air into my hands, clasping the bag so it doesn’t fall. He’ll never leave me alone. Like yesterday he’ll have someone to watch me if he can’t. Surely he’s noble enough to allow a woman to use the bathroom without company…Surely?

  I need to get back to that forest if I have any hope of getting home.

  With the beginning of a rudimentary plan in my head, I focus on warming the parts of my body that aren't directly affected by Caspian’s body heat. Opening the bag I reveal chunks of bread and cheese within, my stomach inwardly rebels at the unpalatable food. I should be grateful I have something to eat, but…Stiff bread and cheese? I get a few mouthfuls in before I realise that nobody is following us, we are entirely alone, riding to a destination unknown to me. Getting tense, I swing my body to face Caspian and try to push him so I can get off the horse. He’s going to kill me!

  Caspian, just drops the reins from one hand and uses that arm to tightly wrap around my upper body so I can’t move.

  “LET ME GO!” I scream at the top of my lungs, squirming in his arms to free any part of me to at least facilitate some movement for escape.

  Riding through a small shrubby area next to a small stream, Caspian brings the horse to an abrupt halt letting go of me. I immediately attempt to slide off the horse, Caspian grabs my arm to slow my descent to the ground. Jumping off the horse, he unsheathes one of his swords and throws it on the floor in front of me. I pick it up without hesitation and hold it out awkwardly in front of him as he ties the horse to a branch nearby. Caspian unsheathes another sword, hidden under the half of his body covered by his fur cloak and walks slowly towards me.

  “Lie, and without a word of a warning, I will cut you down where you stand.” His brows deepen, a face filled with an ominous threat directed to me.

  “Where have you come from?” He demands with a harsh stare making me feel small and incompetent against him, I bring up the sword in a weak defense against his gaze.

  “I don’t know! I told you yesterday! I was hanging out with some friends and I fell in the forest and ended up here!” I scream at him, shaking in a quivering mess.

  “In the sacred forest? Where no man without great strength can pass through?” He shouts, not believing a word I'm saying. He’ll definitely kill me if he knows I'm not from this world. What else can I say? I’m screwed no matter what if he’s already determined to kill me.

  “Who do you serve spy?” He snarls, advancing his steps towards me, cornering me against a large trunk.

  “Spy?! I was just lost! You and y-your thugs kidnapped me!” I croak out, my arms beginning to wobble and tire from holding up the large sword. Why would my dad’s shadow lead me here? To get killed? Hurt? Kidnapped?

  “Yet you never spoke. You never once spoke out. Spy.” He raises his sword up, I close my eyes and hold my sword up to possibly block his attack? But in truth, I just cower, hoping fate would be kind to me in my death and Caspian would give me the mercy of a swift end.

  “FIGHT ME!” He taunts, but I just clench my eyes tighter together, holding the hilt of the sword so tense my knuckles turn white. I hear Caspian step forward and I brace myself for my impending doom. The clank of metal shakes me as my sword is lightly tapped by another metal object.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “Drop your stance.” I slowly open my eyes, murmuring as tears silently slip down my face. I watch as Caspian walks over to me and carefully plucks the sword out of my hands, sheathing it once again and thrusts a handkerchief at me.

  “I’m not a spy…I teach history to teenagers. Please don’t kill me.” I wail out, wiping my tears with my hands like I've reverted back to a childish state.

  “Yeah, yeah I believe you.” Caspian huffs, using his hand to smooth his forehead before pinching his eyebrows together and looking down. “I truly had hoped you would’ve fought back…” He flashes me a concerned face, as if he was anxious at the truth that I am just an ordinary woman.

  “A spy would never be untrained.” He scoffs, seemingly amused at the reality of the situation he's in. That I'm no spy, but an ordinary lost woman without “ferra”? Whatever that is.

  “I said I wasn't…” I mumble crossing my arms, huffing at the large barbaric hard-headed man.

  “That doesn't mean you're not hiding something, which I know you are.” I can't deny that, but I can't tell him about another world where I belong. He looks chaotic enough to want to take it over with his weird magic hand friends.

  “I won't attack you again, unless you prove otherwise, so you can step away from that tree.” Caspian speaks with his back to me as he unties the horse and brings it over.

  “I'm not going anywhere with you.” I spit at him with a snarl, tensing my brows in disgust towards him.

  “Is that so?” He smirks back at me.

  cxxx{}::::::::::::::::::::::::::::>

  With my head popped out of Caspian's fur cloak he wrapped and pinned around us, I frown deeper in annoyance and hatred to the large man sitting behind me. Who throws a woman on their shoulder and puts them on a horse. He may act like a gentleman but he's just a brute! A barbarian! As if he thought that sharing a fur cloak with me would help?! ‘Oh she must be so cold, I'll let her use my cloak as well’.

  “If you keep frowning, it'll stay like that.” He chuckles deeply into my ear before moving his head back to an upright position.

  Seeing a small army of men with horses, wagons and banners, I realise that the camp has been fully packed up and we are back to travelling. Caspian had mentioned that he needed to report to the capital of this world, Arrton. Wherever the hell that is? Swiftly riding past most of the war weary men, Caspian makes it to the head of the troop. Where a well dressed silver armour clad knight, with a purple scarf draping his shoulders, is leading the troop.

  “My lord, everything is on schedule. Sir Leiman's troops should be leaving the barrier now with a mage to properly close it up.” The knight salutes Caspian.

  “Thank you, Pavlore. Is Ester following the vanguard?”

  “Yes my Lord, you'll still be able to catch up with him.” I watch the interaction between the two with my hands under my chin as they rest on the edge of Caspian's large brown fur cloak.

  “Once we are done here, can you send me all the information you know about the Pawell people?”

  “Yes, my lord.” Caspian urges the horse from its slow trot to a gallop. Racing through the large grassy plains, I can begin to see the faint distant shape of a large wall with battlements.

  That must be the ‘great capital’, Arrton.

  As we speed through the vast green plains, the landscape began to change as the city walls became sharper and larger in view. The once long wild grass has changed into maintained crop fields, with men and women with rolled up garments working the land. Another group of men isn’t far in front of us, within a minute of steady motion we meet up with a group of men in long decorated blue tunics. I hadn't noticed before, but the war weary men have cleaned themselves up. Grime and muck was washed away, and their outfits neatened or new ones were put on entirely. It was clear they were all trying to impress someone, as if that person was behind the gates of that magnificently sized city ahead.

  We canter to the front of the troop once again, and I'm met with a familiar face. Ester.

  Upon catching our eye, Ester follows Caspian as he moves aside from the men, at least a good ear listening length away. Once we are a comfortable distance away from prying ears, Ester spoke, seeming a little confused at my presence.

  “So…” Caspian just shakes his head to Ester's words. Giving him a clear indication that whatever answer he had to the question in his head was cleared with certainty.

  “I don't think the lady even knows.” Ester stares in befuddlement, purely baffled at Caspian's words.

  Know what? It's clear they're talking about me, but about what?

  “How is that even the case?”

  “I don't know, but the fact that it's happening now…” I can hear Caspian breathe out a deeply anguished sigh. I look up to him and he, in turn, looks down at me with great concern, causing me to pop out a confused face.

  What's going on? Why is he looking at me like that? It's not like I'm a ticking time bomb.

  Upon hearing Caspian's words, Ester looks onto the landscape with a deep frown, seemingly contemplating his entire life.

  “I'll get onto researching, until then…” Ester states with the same mournful look.

  “She will be entirely under my duty of care, I expect you to keep this between you and I. Nesseth and Aaedan cannot find out.”

  “How do you expect that to happen when you'll be bringing her directly to them?” Ester scoffs in disbelief, throwing his hand out in the direction of the capital.

  “You said you aren't going to kill me!” I gasp, turning my head as far back as I can to face Caspian. Who in the capital is so dangerous that they can't even know my presence?! “Are you taking me to my death?!” I continue before they can speak, my breath deepening as panic starts to set in once again.

  “I never spoke such a sentence.” Capsian scowls at my abrupt screech of concern. I pull my face back at the harsh tone. Seeing that he intimidated me with his voice, he sighs. “If I could avoid taking you here I would.” Caspian lets go of a rein and grips my upper arm, looking at me in the eye with an apprehensive gaze. “Genevieve, you must listen and follow every order I give you if you want to live.” His intense stare was anything but dishonest. I know I shouldn't trust this situation, man or his words…But everything in me tells me that he wants the best for me.

  I nod to him, accepting his demands.

  “Genevieve, I need you to say that you agree.” Is he the only one I can have faith in? The only one putting me out of harm's way? Can I even rely on his words?...Yet he, himself, has vowed for my safety. Who else can I depend on in this screwed up world besides… Him?

  “I trust you…” I whisper out, still looking into his eyes. He appears slightly taken aback at my words, a small furrow on his brow at the thought he must fulfil his words without any injury to keep my trust. His gaze suggests it'll be a hard request to keep faithful too.

  Trusting him is better than trusting those in the capital that might want to hurt me. I think Caspian is the only option I have if I want to survive.