Disappearance Under Their Nose

I wake in the water and it caresses my body. The back panel was open so I could look out into the woods below. The steam was so warm, it made me want to sink in deeper. I sink down till my lips are under the surface. I breathe out, and I hear the muffled voices of the two boys talking outside the door. I open my eyes frustrated.

I can barely make out the words," I'm not the only one that thinks Ivory hasn't been acting like herself today." I hear what sounds like Liam speaking.

"No, she gets like this around this time ever year," I hear Cloud respond.

"I never noticed before," Liam says.

"That's because this year it's a little bit more than usual. She hasn't been like this since the first year I meat her."

"Strange."

I new they'd be able to tell, I was especially naive to think I could hide it from Cloud. It's because today was his birthday. Maybe this is why I gave in last night so easily. I shake the thoughts out of my mind and distract myself from their conversation. I lift my hand out of the water letting it slide off my hand and drip back into the body. I lift my hand up and I feel the energy leave my fingers as I focus it to my hand. My hand glows with mana swirling around as I form a small rose in my hand. The crystals glow a white aura I drop it into the water, and as it floats up to the surface the white rose emerges, the magic residue washed away. I touch it with my finger, and the pedal quivers from my touch, it reaches towards me. Magic's was an ability the royal line was capable of, and I was the last one. The ring on my necklace glows a pink shade. I touch it and feel the power tingle in my fingers. I wasn't able to use magic like my mother, or those before me. I was only ever able to make small things, but even then I hadn't really tried to go any further.

The royal family was blessed with the gift of magic by the goddess. Each of us had the ability to do something different with this power. I never tried to do anything with them, so I wasn't sure how far I could go. My mother was a summoner, she taught me how to create flowers. Some jems and stones react to the magic when there nearby, like the ring on my necklaces wich is made with pink opal and diamonds. It was my mother's ring so I keep it close to me, she said she liked the feeling of the stones living off her power.

I get up out of the water, and grab a robe, I was going to leave when I looked at the open wall panel.

'I should probably close that,' I thought as I walked towards it. I grab the handle in my hand and slide the door shut. I walk to the other one and as I get a grasp of it I feel something grab my leg. My feet are pulled out from under me, I gasp as I fall. I'm caught, but not by someone safe, the man presses a towel to my mouth and he smiles at me.

"Night night princess."

I fight to breathe, but as I do so I feel my eyes force there way shut though I try my best to keep them open. I don't know when I gave out but I did.

———

I remember glimpses, riding threw the forest, coming to a camp, the singing of men in celebration around the fire, being tied up and thrown in a tent.

"Haha, you really jacked her up, huh?"

"I didn't think it would be so effective."

"Well she does have a smaller figure, just hope you didn't cause any damage, the boss won't be happy if you did."

I crack my eyes open, looking around the room cautiously before opening them fully to look at the men in front of me. 

"Oh look, our little princess is awake," the one who caught me says with a smile.

I don't say anything, I look to the other one.

"Are you sure this is the princess? I imagined she'd be dressed up more."

"The two warriors, black and green, were outside the door so I would think so."

"You got her and didn't alert them, impressive."

"Well I think they probably noticed, wich is why we're getting a scout to collect her."

The other one walks towards me, he bends down next to me reaching for my face.

"Don't touch me," I warn him.

"Oh, making demands are we?"

"I don't think you are in any place to do that, your majesty," the other jokes.

"Touch me and I'll rain a fire on you like no other," I glare at him.

"If you can get back home to see daddy maybe."

"You lost one of your loyal little dogs, now you only have six. And you're healer at that, if we mess you up enough no one would be able to help you would they."

I freeze up when they mention him. One of them lifts a strand of my hair to his nose and smells it.

"You're lucky boss told us to bring you unharmed, otherwise I couldn't promise what would happen to you here."

"Do you know how far from home you are?"

I pray that he doesn't say over the border, because then I'd be in some real trouble.

"You brought me here on horse back, so not that far."

"Maybe on a map, but you don't have one of those do you. If you even tried to leave this camp, you'd die before you'd make it back to town."

The curtain opens from the outside, a tall man dressed in a garnet red and black stands at the tent entrance.

"Get out of here troublemakers before I tell boss what you've been entertaining yourself with."

The two of them run out of the tent, but not before shoving a gag in my mouth. They slide past the tall man. He bowed under the entrance and walked in. He had blond hair, but it was almost more like a silver pink, and he had purple, pink, irises. He walks up to me and my first reaction is to move away.

"It's ok," he stops moving showing me his empty hands," I'm not going to hurt you."

You don't have to hurt me to be bad, I still don't want him to get closer. And I would have told him that if I didn't have a dammed dirty rag in my mouth!

He creeps forward, I shuffle back to the back of the wall. He bends down to the floor by me.

"All this tying is a little over kill isn't it?"

He undoes the cloth on my mouth. Then the one holding my legs together at the ankles. I try to scooch away from him farther, but I fall over onto my hands and I can't get up on my own without them undone. The man crouching walks over to me. With the mention of James earlier and this predicament, the memory flashes in my mind when he gets closer. I move away from him.

"No, don't touch me, don't touch me, stay away, stay over there."

I lean up against a wall to get up without flashing him. I feel my body give a reaction to the thought I had,  my body shakes and I pant out breaths.

"Whow whow, that's ok, I'll stay over here,.. you're ok."

I slow my breathing and I feel the pain in my legs and the burning in my arms. My forearms were covered in red pricks, and long scratches form some type of thorns or something of the sort. My legs also had similar marks, but they were bleeding from where I had moved around so much.

I look at the man," what do you want." I demand in a strong voice, but even so I'm still shaken up and it shows in my voice.

"I'm in charge of your delivery to the boss, so your safety and happiness is my top priority."

I squint my eyes at him in suspicion.

"I only came to bring you to some were with a bed, it's not good for a princess to sleep on the ground."

I look to the side not saying anything, he gets closer but this time I don't scooch away, I just let him get close while I watch his movement.

"Turn around I'll get the ropes, I'm sure having them behind you're back isn't that pleasant."

I do as he says, and he unties the rope. He holds my hands as he brings them to my front. He drops my left hand onto my lap as he inspects my right.

He sighs," I knew I should have gone," he lift his eyes," does it hurt? I can get you something, and I'll get some salve to prevent scaring."

I don't say anything, I just look to the side.

"Ok here," he takes out a ribbon of soft fabric to tie hands and ankles.

The fabric is a drastic difference from that scratchy rope. I was grateful that it also wasn't as tight. He slides his arm around my shoulders then under my knees, then scoops me up as he stands.

I start to wiggle around," don't worry I'll put you down in a moment, but the more you move the more likely it is you'll fall."

This reminded me of that time with Cloudio. It was different this time though instead of the feeling of safety I was full of worry.

He walks out of the tent, everyone looks at me, and I tuck my face into the mans chest. I secretly wished that he was Cloud and could sweep me away to safety. In that moment, I closed my eyes and imagined it. My heart twisted, I fight it down. He walks into another tent, he crouched down laying me in a temporary bed. He walks away to a box in the corner of the room. He returns with a jar of cream.

He scooos it on his finger and was about to smear it on my leg.

"What is that made of," is ask pulling my legs away.

"I'm not sure," he answers.

"By chance," I start," did they grab my necklace with the pink ring on it?"

"I'm not sure I'd have to look, why?"

"It's a blessed item, it will basically help me heal faster."

"I'll go ask," he says wiping the cream off his finger and back into the jar.

"thank you," I say as he leaves.

I fiddle with the strings on my wrists and ankles, I had never been outside the castle, or rather not far out of its reach. It was strange being far away from the guardian crystal. The guardian crystal is a massive crystal that is stored in a shrine under the castle. There is no other like it on the planet, like diamonds and other stones, it resonates with the royals magic power. The only other peace of gaurdanium was used on the king and queens crown. The two peace's were passed from each crown, to the next the old one being replaced with different stones.

Usually I'm not away from it's presence when I'm not home, but now that I'm so far away, I can feel it's spiritual presence. Even if I can't find my way to a village at least I know what direction home is in.

The curtain to the tent opens again and the man walks in.

"Sorry, I don't think it's here, and if it is there hiding it well."

"That's alright," I say," I highly doubt that there is any of the specific thing I need around here."

He takes the cream back out and starts to apply it to my legs. I feel my face get hot, I had had people touch me before of corse, but most of the time I knew them or they were maids. It was strange to have a man do this for me.

"Are you ok you look uncomfortable?" he asks me.

"I've never had a man take care of me that I didn't know."

"Oh, it must be awkward, you don't even know my name, but of corse I know yours."

I stay quiet as I look at him.

"My name is Lander," he tells me as he continues to rub the cream on to my legs.

He unties my hands then proceeds to run the treatment on them as well. I don't know if I should say anything, I didn't feel as if I could, like my mouth was glued shut.

"It's ok if you don't want to talk," he lets out a meek laugh," I don't expect you to trust me or anything, it's ok if you take your time."

He backs away,"thank you Lander," I say.

It's not that I don't want to talk to him but, this is not normal, so I don't know what to say, or how to say it.

"No need my princess, I'm perfectly content with helping you, you don't have to thank me."

It is weird for me to thank him isn't it? I should be angry and crazy, but a strange calm is in my body, and I'm not sure why.

"You should sleep now," he tells me sitting down in a chair," I have to watch you here, since the others arn't that trust worthy."

I turn over in the bed, facing away from him as I shut my eyes.