Josselyn stood up from where she'd been crouched down in front of an old chest. In her hand she held a lit torch. She grinned.
“Thank goodness I still remembered where that chest was. It's been at least ten years since father brought me down here.”
Her grin faded at the reminder of her father, and she quickly stooped to look back in the chest. She pulled out another torch, which she lit off of hers and handed to Alex before starting off down tunnel. They walked on in silence for some time, each lost in their own thoughts.
“So where exactly does this tunnel take us?
“The other end comes out in the northern forest, about a quarter mile outside the city wall.”
“We should figure out what we're going to do once we get out.”
“I'd like to head south toward Devon and try to meet up with General Weston. That, however, could prove to be a bit tricky, seeing as we're on foot. If Prince Stefan is bringing in an army from Antos, it'll probably be approaching the castle from the southwest. I wouldn't want to run into them by accident.”
“We could head east, keep to the fringes of the forest for cover,” Alex suggested. “Follow the Eastern Road until we reach a village. See if we can secure some mounts.”
Josselyn nodded. “East it is,” she said, as they came to the end of the tunnel. Alex extinguished his torch, placing it in a wooden chest next to the ladder leading up to the surface.
“Best not to come out all lit up.”
He started up the ladder first, pushing open a wooden door at the top. The opening was in the middle of a large stump, who's sides were a good two feet higher than the center. Leaves and dirt rained down on his head as he pushed his way out.
He peered over the edge of the stump before pulling himself out completely.
“Well, at least the rain has stopped,” he whispered, shaking the dirt out of his hair. Drawing his sword out of its scabbard, he kept a wary eye on the dark forest around him, as Josselyn made her way up.
They took a moment getting their bearings, before Alex pointed to the right. “That way.” He started forward, leading the way. Josselyn followed behind him, only to stop a moment later as she muttered a few very unprincess like words under her breath.
He glanced back to see her fighting with her gown, which had gotten tangled up in the sharp thorns of some nearby brambles.
“This is why I hate wearing dresses,” she hissed, pulling her dagger out of its sheath and hacking away at the lower half of her gown. There was a loud rip as she freed herself, leaving a ragged hem that fell well above her knees. Creamy white skin gleamed in the moonlight, and Alex felt his neck heat as his gaze locked onto a pair of shapely thighs.
He forced his gaze back to the forest ahead of them. “You good?”
“Good enough.” Josselyn stuffed the ruined fabric into the bushes. “Let's go.”
They picked their way through the trees, weapons at the ready as they listened for any sign that they were being followed. A wolf howled in the distance, and Alex felt Josselyn's arm brush against his own as she shifted closer. He looked down at her bent head as she scanned the forest floor, most likely checking for any more brambles that might take a run at her bare legs.
“I'm sorry about your father. He was a good man and an excellent king. I respected him a great deal.”
Josselyn kept her head down, but he heard a soft sniffle as she lifted a hand to her face, wiping it roughly.
“He deserved better than to be poisoned by that vile rat who calls himself a prince.” Her voice cracked, and she lifted her head, looking up at him with eyes full of hate.
“I might be running now, but someday... someday I'm going to kill that bastard with my own two hands. He won't get away with this.” She spat the last bit out, her lip curling into a snarl as her entire body seemed to vibrate with the need for vengeance.
Alex held her gaze, his face a hard mask.
“Not if I get to him first.”
The corner of her mouth lifted in a humorless grin. “You're on.”
They fell back into silence for a few minutes, and then Josselyn spoke again, softer this time. “Did you see Edmund? I saw them strike him before I was taken away, but I don't know... was he alive?”
A stab of jealousy shot through his gut at the reminder of the king's last announcement, declaring Edmund as Josselyn's fiance. Standing guard by the door as he witnessed the arrogant cad proposing to her on the terrace, putting his hands all over her. Not that he could hear them, but they weren't so far away that he couldn't see the outline of their figures, sequestered on that damn bench.
“Alex?”
The concern in Josselyn's voice grabbed his attention, and he pushed the scene out of his mind. He knew she'd have to marry someone,what did it matter who? That wasn't important right now.
“As far as I know, he was just unconscious. They'll probably throw him in the dungeons.”
“The dungeons, right. That's what they said.”
Alex flexed his free hand, fighting the urge to bury his fist into a tree. As much as he disliked Edmund, it killed him to hear Josselyn in distress. It was even worse than hearing her laugh as Edmund twirled her around like a damned fool.
Barely.
“He'll be all right. He's too valuable as a hostage for them to get rid of him.” Probably.
“That's true. Aunt Merri, too. They'll be fine, at least until I can stick the pointy end of my sword into the bastard's gut.”
He let out a mirthless chuckle. “That's the spirit.”
“Hey, Alex...?”
“Hmm?”
“Did you really put in a request for a new position?”
He stopped, looking down at her in surprise. “What? Where did you hear that?”
She avoided his eyes, lifting her shoulders in a little shrug. “Is it true?”
He groaned and rubbed his hand over
