On the Safe Side

Status
Not open for further replies.
He had to remind himself of who the girl was, otherwise he would be acting quite differently, probably hitting the girl for what she said to him. He had more then enough of her accusations, but at the same time, dealing with her in a way that he would use for anyone else was impossible. Celeste was the last link he had that connected him to his previous life. She represented everything he had a few days ago, and had lost right now; without the princess, and without a goal to keep going ahead, Talhad would quickly burden himself with his loss. Gritting his teeth, he took a few steps towards Celeste. Infuriating or not, her hair had to go.

"I'm not trying to ridicule you" he said softly, though his eyes were cold and he was obviously hurt by her words. "But making sacrifices now will help you restore what you had lost, at least a part of it." He tried to avoid talking about the king and the queen. They were dead, and if fate was cruel enough, so was Celeste's brother, but Talhad couldn't be sure about that. The boy wasn't stupid and thanks to his lessons he was able to fight, so there was always some hope he managed to run away and hide somewhere. Maybe later they'll have to search for him as well, but not now. Talhad moved slightly to the side, blocking the entrance of the cave. He had little to no idea what Celeste could do, but letting her escape wasn't going to be an option. He was perfectly fine with her being mad at him, and not interested in running after her in the woods.
 
she scoffed, "obviously, you are! No man would ever try to cut a woman's hair for any other reason! You can't tell me that there are no women in this country with long hair! My own lady's maid had long hair, and she was a servant!" Celeste stood and moved away from him, watching him. She didn't dare let him near her hair. She had lost so much already, she wasn't going to lose anything else.
 
Talhad sighed heavily. Describing and explaining anything to Celeste, who lived a very solitary life, was going to be difficult. She wouldn't believe him, of course, sure for some reason that everything he did was to make her more miserable than she already was. It was annoying, but the knight was old enough to know that gratitude was hardly ever expressed by royalty, no matter the case and time. "Frankly, princess, I am not discussing this with you" he said as gently as he could, taking a few steps towards her. "I am going to do what I think is the best for you, and I am sure your father would approve of it." It was something Talhad knew he shouldn't say, but it was there, in the air, before he managed to hold his tongue back. Even if he was indeed sure the king wouldn't mind his actions, mentioning Celeste's father was in bad taste.

She might have been quicker and more agile than him, but he was a grown man, strong and massive compared to her height. He grabbed her and kept her in one place until she stopped fighting. He didn't want to cut her throat open and doing anything to her hair right now was impossible due to her resistance. Only after a few minutes he managed to get a hold of her twin tails and cut them, enough to make Celeste's hair reach a bit higher than her shoulders. Talhad couldn't care less whether she hated him because of that or not, but was glad they were done with it. Now he had to keep an eye on her in case she would think of something stupid.
 
"............" Celeste, for once, didn't say anything. She fell to her knees staring at her now gone hair. They had been her pride, the only thing she about herself that she was really proud of. Now, even they were gone. She had tried to fight. To keep from losing them. But nothing she did made a difference. Was she so weak? She couldn't even help save the lives of her parents, let alone keep a man from cutting her hair. She couldn't do anything for herself. She was useless.
 
Talhad kept the hair, wrapping it in Celeste's old clothes. It wasn't sentimental, but logical - leaving something like that behind would be a stupid thing to do. He gave the girl some more meat, checked everything and told her to sleep. She didn't respond, or maybe she did, but Talhad couldn't hear her at all. It started raining outside and the sound of raindrops falling onto the leaves and grass was eerily loud and exaggerated. The man couldn't tell whether it was because of his tiredness or not, but truth was, his body started betraying him. The wounds weren't going to close themselves, and if he ever wanted them to heal, he had to rest at least for a little bit.

He looked at the princess and even though he remembered not to smile, he was happy with the results. The clothes and the hair were gone, and although they didn't made Celeste who she was, they had a huge role in identifying her as a princess. The knight moved to the mouth of the cave and sat there, resting his back against the stone wall. The cold breeze that came from the outside refreshed him a bit and hopefully it would keep him from falling asleep. He kept to himself and a good hour passed before he finally spoke to the girl. "We will go to your uncle, my lady. It will take time, but you should be safe within the walls of his castle."
 
Celeste didn't even eat the meat. She barely moved at all from where she was, not even when her legs fell asleep from her sitting position. Whe Talhad said to sleep, she just bit her lip. She stared at the cave floor quietly.

It wasn't until He spoke to her again at she actually responded. Her expression turned to a disgusted scowl, and she clenched her fists, "don't....call...me that....." she hissed through her teeth, giving him an icy stare that could make even a psychotic killer feel like a helpless child.
 
She wasn't going to eat - Talhad was afraid something like that might happen. Unless he wanted to shove the food down her throat, he had to let her ignore the food. Of course, if she would continue her little display, there was nothing else for Talhad to do but to react. For now he simply took the meat back and packed it with the rest. He will try and give it to her on their next stop. Celeste wasn't going to obey him just because - or especially because - he was her father's knight. Hopefully she was going to warm up to him after some time, enough to accept some of his decisions.

He raised his head and looked at the girl when she sent him a disgusted, murderous look. "What is it?" he asked calmly. Talhad wasn't going to argue with Celeste, but he also wasn't going to let her sulk for too long. He understood what she was getting at, and pressed his lips together. Her hair seemed to be of greater importance than he thought, and now he was going to face the consequences of his doings.
 
Celeste stood and walked toward the knight, her fists clenched even tighter now, ".......a lady has beauty and grace. A lady does not sit in caves or run from soldiers. A lady does not dress like a pauper or have hair shorter than her shoulders! A lady does NOT have to change clothes outside in front of a man! Especially not a vulgar, rude, heartless, inconsiderate piece of filth like you!" With that, she stomped out of the cave.
 
Talhad remained silent throughout Celeste's little tirade, but he listened to her every word. Without commenting on any of it, he jumped to his feet and followed her. Even if she didn't consider herself a princess, she was still one in Talhad's eyes - and that was precisely why she was still without a red mark on her face. Talhad was a proud man, and even with his general calmness he was quick to react when someone insulted him and his honour, but usually the situation was different.

He wanted to say something, and in a way ridicule Celeste's way of thinking, but he understood the importance of symbols. Without his, Talhad would feel as lost as she surely did now. That's why in the end, he didn't say anything, just kept walking and following her unless she turned the wrong way. After a few minutes, he couldn't help himself. "But you're not in your safe castle anymore, princess. This is war and you'll have to adapt in order to survive." He shook his head slightly.
 
She stopped, not facing him, "........I'm not stupid.................I can deal with disguising myself.....wearing a commoners clothing......but once something is cut.....it can not be reattached.............I've seen many women in country with long hair that were not royalty! Few even know hat I look like, so why would cutting it be necessary?!"
 
"Because taking any risks, even as small as this one, is foolish." Talhad stopped and raised his eyebrow. "Princess, your hair will grow again. What won't grow back is a limb that's been cut off" he added in a rather scolding tone. Understanding her was one thing, but agreeing with her was something else. Talhad couldn't believe how deeply hurt by the loss of her hair Celeste was, even if it wasn't entirely about the hair as such. "I am not your enemy, princess, and I'd advise you to trust me. I would not be making you walk through these woods clothed like a peasant if I had any other choice."

He simply stood behind her, breathing slowly and with the same breaths checking the state of his ribs. It still hurted, but the pain was dull and no longer so tiring. Talhad was hoping for a moment to rest, but Celeste changed his plans rather quickly with her abrupt move. Now he had no choice but to follow her, though the knight considered forcing Celeste to stay in one place next time.
 
"......I've never had it cut before..........it was never supposed to be cut.....ever.........." Celeste, for the first time since it had cut, touched the ends of her hair, her voice small now. She was mostly talking to herself. She didn't care if the man listened or not. She knew he had his reasons for doing everything, but she just couldn't except her hair being cut.
 
Talhad had about enough of this. "Is this really our biggest problem now, princess?" he asked, and for the first time, his vboice was filled with a bit of annoyance. He wasn't mad, but her constant whining concerning her hair was slowly getting to his nerves. He wasn't going to say that to her, but if her hair was what really defined Celeste as princess, then it would be best for the kingdom to find her brother. Talhad had better contact with the young man and knew that he was going to be a good king one day, given he was still alive. "Please, since we're not resting, we ought to move, my lady." It was still cold outside and they weren't prepared properly for a journey like this. He reached her hand out to Celeste and nudged her delicately, trying to make her walk again.
 
she whirled around and slapped him, "don't touch me! And don't call me that!" Her speed was almost impossible to see when she'd turned around to face him.
 
Talhad froze. The slap barely hurted, and the man was impressed she managed to slap him in the first place, considering he was way taller than her, but nevertheless, it was more than Talhad could - and wanted - to handle. He didn't slap her back, because that would mean he gave in, and he didn't want to lose his honour to something that petty. But getting slapped in the face by her opened his eyes just a little. She was his duty and he had to get her to her uncle's castle. Up until now, he wanted the journey to be as comfortable to her as it was possible, even with their surroundings being what they were. But right now, Talhad couldn't care less. Her father respected him, and Talhad wasn't going to take anymore of that kind of attitude.

He stepped to her and grabbed her wrist, squeezing lightly. He didn't do her any harm, but his grip was firm. "I am sorry, but this cannot keep up." He jerked her up just a little and soon he put her over his shoulder, wincing, when his ribs protested again. He ignored her punches and kicks as he started to walk. "You need to calm down, princess - otherwise I'll have to put a gag over your mouth." His voice was now free of the soft tone that was there before.
 
She taken by surprise when he grabbed her wrist, a flash of fear sparked her eyes for a second. Before she could react, she found herself over his shoulder.
"how DARE you carry someone like this!! Put me DOWN! this so HUMILIATING!!"
Celeste was quiet for a moment when she heard his threat, "....I can have your head cut off for something like that" she growled
 
"If that is indeed your wish, princess, then let me at least carry you to the castle, so that you can order your uncle's knights to do it" he responded coldly. It was obvious Talhad wasn't moved by Celeste's threats, but it was also easy to notice that his attitude changed. "Until then, please keep quiet. We're surely being followed. If they catch me, they'll just kill me - you are more important." Talhad took another careful step. Celeste wasn't especially heavy, but carrying someone like that wasn't that comfortable. "If they get to you, princess, there are many things they can do before killing you." He spoke in a calm tone. Normally he wouldn't mention this, but he wanted to scare her a bit. Maybe that was going to help convince her she needed him. Maybe not. He was out of ideas, having no experience with dealing with girls her age.
 
"......l-like what....?" Celeste's curiosity was peeked by this. That, and she'd rather have an idea of what could happen than none at all.
 
Talhad kept walking at the same pace, sighing heavily when Celeste asked him her question. "I won't go into details, princess, but there's nothing you'd like to happen to you." Telling her the truth had its own for and against. It was probably best for her not to know everything. She was a princess of a kingdom that was already lost - she held no value as a prisoner, so she'd probably end up dead or - which was more probable - a plaything for whoever found her first. Talhad wanted to scare her, not traumatize her. On the other hand, telling her meant she would have more knowledge about some things: her importance and the importance of not being caught. Maybe it'd make the journey easier, but for now, Talhad wasn't going to talk about that with Celeste. All she needed to know now was there, within his few words.
 
"..........anything like the Grimm brothers' stories?" Those stories were fairly messed up, and she had had them read to her almost every night when she was little. Usually by a maid or her brother. She hoped, quietly, that nothing like what happened to the maid from the Goose Girl happened to her. The woman in the story had deserved it, of course, but Celeste didn't wanna be put in a barrel with nails and rolled down a hill.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back