As she sat on a rotting abbey chair, her hands moving as she explained why she had run away, Eric felt a small sense of wonder at just what sort of girl Princess Zara was.
He'd been told of her numerous times, but he never expected to find before him the image of an angel with...he paused in his thoughs. Hadn't the portraits of Princess Zara shown her with blond hair?
The last time he'd seen her, she'd been twellve, and still looked like a babe from the nursery. Now here she sat, in his secret abbey, looking for the world like a Queen directing two servants as to the reason for her flee from her home.
Finally Eric held up a hand. "Please Princess...I think we understand."
Zara frowned, but returned her hands to her lap and stared up at them. "What are you two doing here?"
Eric frowned back at her. "That, little Princess, is not important. What is important is that we get you safelty back to your parents."
Not only did Zara gasp but Marius too. Both of them turned to him and simultaniously began to argue over such an idea.
Eric silenced them both with a look.
"I won't tell anyone you were here...I promise."
Eric shook his head. "No. Princess, you know nothing of the world, you are lucky to have found the two gentlemen you see before you as apposed to any cut throat or theif that run rampant in this country side."
Zara thrust her chin out at him. "I've made it for three days on my own, thank you very much."
Marius groaned and turned his back to both of them, muttering something about women and bad luck.
Eric rubbed his mud stained hands against his blue breeches and sighed. Little Princess needed to be tought a lesson in reality.
Before Zara could guess his intent, he swopped down and grabbing her arms and began to drag her towards the west wing of the abbey.
Zara screamed, scratched and pounded her small delicate fist into his back.
"Unhand me you monster!"
Eric quickly climbed the stairs to one of the corridors with the abbandoned nunnery rooms. He opened a door and thrust Zara inside, she stumbled and fell on the ground. As she did her clock fell off..including the black wig she was wearing. Ahh..this was more what he expected.
Zara rose to her feet and pushed the tangeled web of her lond blond curls out of her face. Eric slamed the door and bolted it with a piece of wood from the ground before she could reach it.
On the other side Zara pounded against the door. "I demande to be released at once!"
Eric laughed as he walked away from the door, heading back downstairs. "You can demande away highness..but it won't happen."
Marius was still standing in the main hall when Eric came back down.
He frowned at Eric. "What will we do with her?"
Eric waved his hand. "It doesn't matter Maurice. She doesn't know about the cave."
"Still..."
Eric silenced him with a flourish of his hand. "It also doesn't matter because in less then four months, I can command her not to tell anyone of this place."
Marius came closer, his brow furrued. "What do you mean?"
Eric smiled, "That little Princess upstairs, happens to be my bride."
Marius shook his head. "You're joking!"
"Afraid not...remember she told us about the Prince she hadn't seen in four or five years, and had no intrest in at all?"
Marius smiled, the first hint of one since Zara's untimed arrival. "You?"
Eric slapped Marius on the back. "Excactement!"
************
Zara sneezed as soon as she woke up.
She pulled herself off of the cold wodden floor, the small window in the room showed just a hint of morning daylight.
She stretched her aching back and arms, turning her head around, she saw more clearly now that the room was just as empty as she though. As soon as that scoundral...hmm..she didn't even know their names. That blond haired man had thrown her in the room and of course, with no light. As soon as the door had shut, the light had left the room.
She shivered and pulled her royal clock closer to her body. What was going to become of her? Would they ransome her to her father? The blond haired man had said he would send her home...did she trust him.
Zara hissed in pain as she moved. No, she most defenitly didn't trust him!
She reached a hand up and found her messy hair, even more of a mess. Her coil wrap was on the ground. She picked it up and as best as she could, pulled her tangled hair back from her face.
"This might help."
Zara jumped and whiped around.
Her golden haired captor stood against the door frame holding her leather sackle.
"That's mine!" Zara said, moving forward to snatch it away.
"Ahh ahh!" The man lifted the bag far above his head. "What is the special word?"
Zara stamped her foot. "Now!"
The man laughed. "No. Try again."
Gritting her teeth, Zara managed to hiss out the word. "Pl..Please."
The man let the bag fall to the ground.
Zara gasped, if anything was broken she'd kill him!
Zara knelt by her bag, ignoring the man beside her...or at least trying as much to.
She made sure each item was secure, then finally took out her silver hair brush. She took her bag and moved away from the man, instead looked out the window.
She undid her hair, then turned to find the man still there. "You may leave now."
A corner of the man's lip twitched. "Have you ever even brushed your own hair Princess?"
Zara gave him a hauty look. "Of course!" She lied.
The man chuckled. "Then go right ahead."
Zara turned her back on the man and quicly ran the silver brush through a section of her hair...and prompty screamed.
"AHH!!" she tried to pull the brush from her hair, but it only hurt more.
Just as she was about to cry tears of pain, fingers removed the silver brush from her tangled hair.
"Like this." The man said.
He brough a handful of her nearly waist length hair forward for her to watch. He gripped the hair and ran the brush gently through it. There was no pain.
"Oh." Zara said, feeling most foolish. As a Princess, certain things she never learned, certinaly she'd brushed her hair with tiny combs, but not with her larege brissled silver brush.
She suddenly realised that the man was still brushing out her hair, he turned her around and started on the back.
Zara had the uneasy felling to say 'thank you', but held it in. He was nothing but a common theif of some sorts...even if he claimed to be a gentleman.
"There." He said finally, handing her the brush.
Zara nodded her head, taking the hair brush back. The man's grip on the brush remained strong. She looked up and met his eyes. If he was expecting a thank you, he was going to be disapointed.
The man gave a small chuckle then turned his back on her and walked from the room leaving the door open.
Zara clutching her bag, quickly walked out of the room and down the staris.
The other man stood next to the blond haired man, he glanced her up and down.
Zara ignored them both and made a bold, head high march to the front door.
A hand stoped her on the elbow. "Oh no Princess." The blond haired man said. "I meant what I said, we're taking you back to your home."
Zara wretched her elbow away. "No thank you!"
"You have no choice...Princess."
Zara was immediatly weary of the soft threatening tone of voice the man used.
Her eyes shiffted to the french man who only glared right back at her.
"Who are you?" She finally asked both of them.
The man smiled, once we are on our journey, you will know. Now come along."
The man gripped her elbow and led her to the back entrance of the abbey. Outside was a small wodden cart used for hauling hay.
Before she knew what happened, the man held her about the waist and hauled her up next to the drivers seat. He followed beside her, a hand still gripped her arm to prevent her from jumping.
The French man threw a number of bags into the back of the chart and then settled himself at the end. The two impressive black horses jumped a little nervously at first.
"Oh yes, introductions." He pulled out a small chain, leaning down he hooked one end on his belt. "This French giant behind us is Maruis De Gaul."
Zara directed her attention to Marius for a few seconds, a defenit mistake.
Next to her, the blond haired man had taken the other end of the chain and clipped it around her imbedded belt on her dress.
"And I am Prince Eric Von Dietrum."
Zara gasped. "You lie! Unhook me at once!"
The man who claimed to be Eric Von Dietrum snappe the riens so quickly that Zara had to hold onto the side of the cart to avoid stumbeling out.
"I am Eric Von Dietrum, Princess. I was coming back home to marry some Princess whom I was told was the propietry of good breading, manners and looks. I see only one remains true."
Zara didn't think she would stop gaping at the man. The golden hair, the blue eyes, the way he smiled. Oh no! It was the Prince.
"I am NOT marrying you." Zara commanded.
Eric smiled, not bothering to turn to her. "I never asked you to."
Zara whipped her head away and crossed her arms. Behind her she heard the French man's loud snooring. This couldn't possibly be happening to her!
**********
Eric guessed that she was probably in total disbelife of her situation. Chained to her posible husband, found runing away from her parents. Had she ever turned into an impossible little minx and brat!
Near to half way through the journey, after Marius had driffted even further into sleep so his snooring becamea humm. Zara herself tipped her head to one side, nearly driffting off.
She was near to slamming into him when he pushed her slightly upwards. She bolted stright awake, acusted him of trying something funny, then returned to silently mopping beside him.
When the sun was near to drifting behind the horizon, Eric pulled the small cart to the side of the road near to a small forest.
"Alright, out we get Princess."
Zara tried to ignore him, but she couldn't get over the cart without his help.
Again she tried, "Take this chain off."
Eric rubbed his chin as if he were really thinking about it. "No."
Zara made to storm away, but stopped when the chain didn't budge. She stood back straigh, arms crossed.
"Come on, Princess, this way." He moved, and she would follow, or be dragged in the mud.
Marius raised his eye brow at his friends behaviour. Eric mearly shrugged his shoulder. Perhaps he was being slightly brutal, but she was defenitly not a walk in a rosey garden.
Marius did most of the building. The campsite with a nice fire and the meat, which only took him fifteen miniets to catch.
"Hungry Princess?" Eric asked. Knowing she was, since she had had nothing except the chesse and bread from the mid-lunch break they'd had.
"No." she lied, just as her stomach growled.
Eric handed her a bowl of broth and rabbit meat. "Eat up."
"Where are the spoons."
Eric rolled his eyes. "Use your mouth and fingers Princess."
She blinked.
"You act like an animal sometimes Princess, I would think you would eat like one too."
Eric shouted when the hot broth and rabbit meat was dumped over his head.
He turned around, eyes glaring murder.
Marius's hand came down on his shoulder. "Don't, highness."
Zara looked truly afraid now, if anything she had learned not to push him. He was not one of the fops she knew at her court.
Marius handed her the bowl with more broth and rabbit, but his eyes told her not to be foolish again.
When had Mauris decided to defend the spoiled little brat!
*********
Zara did everything but gulp the broth and rabbit down. She had been absolutly starving. When she glanced at Eric however, her appitite died. The brooth and veggies from the broth clung to his hair and clothes.
As soon as she was done, he suddenly hauled her up and began dragging her to the trees.
Behind her Maruis leaned back and pulled his clock about him, he seemed as though he were going to sleep.
Eric was dragging her towards a small stream in the forest.
He sat her down on a tree stump, then unclicked the chain from his belt and then attached it to the log. This time, he locked it with a small key which he placed on the ground, far away from her.
When he pulled his shirt over his head, Zara jumped. "Whatever are you doing!
Eric threw the shirt on the ground. "I am taking a swim so I can clean myself of the soup you poored on me."
Zara swallowed, "You could have left me..."
"No..you would have run away."
"...tied to the log back at the camp."
Eric turned to her, the darkness was deeper now, but she could still make out his face. It was amused.
"Is the poor innocent Princess afraid?"
Zara picked up a twig and flung it at him.
Eric caught it and tossed hit behind him.
Zara quickly turned her head away and closed her eyes. She would not look, she would not look. She did not care!
She heard a splash and knew she had nothing to fear, she turned her head and saw him swimming along the side of the small river.
"Enjoying the show Princess?" he called from the river. "Why not come and join me?"
"I'm tied to a log idiot!" she called back.
"I could untie you now."
"Don't come near me!" Zara nearly shriked when he moved slightly up the bank.
"Ahh...I think I've found something the Princess fears more then anything...would it be seduction Princess. Have you not been seduced, I would have thought you to be. You are after all nineteen."
Zara stood up, taking the chain in her hand she pulled with all her strength.
Eric laughed from the water. "It's useless Princess-"
Suddenly the chain snapped.
Zara was too stunned in one second to think, then she turned and ran towards the woods across from the log.
"Zara! Don't!"
She ignored his warnings and kept running, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Behind her she heard splashing water. And Eric's voice yelling, "Mauric!"
Zara ran, the branches kept hitting her but she trudged on. She unhooked her cloak and let it fall behind her, she ran even faster without the hindres it the cloak had provided.
