The Greater Challenge Beyond (The Southern Continent Series Book 3) (6 page)

"But I'd rather freeze to death than be married to old, fat Victor," Hope said at that moment.

"Let me put on my clothes and we'll try," she suddenly said.  She released the tent flap that she held, and he was alone again in the main chamber of the tent.  The flap opened again a split second later, and Hope suddenly hugged him.

"Thank you, Grange," she whispered.

She released and closed the flap again.  A moment later he heard the sound of her rummaging in the other room, then two minutes later she came out, wearing a bulky outfit of multiple layers of clothes.

"Let’s go," she said.

Grange went to the back of the tent, dropped down, and looked out through the opening.

There was a pair of guards stationed just twenty yards away, talking quietly to one another.

"We'll have to wait," he whispered back to Hope. 

"We can't wait," she answered.  "They'll be here any minute to take me to Victor," she said urgently.

Grange closed his eyes and dropped his head in frustration.

"Alright, be silent," he ordered, before trying to creep out of the tent without being detected.

Just as he got his body through the opening, the guards started moving, and he froze in place.  They didn't look in his direction but disappeared around the corner of the tent.

"Hurry!" he hissed, as he realized that they were probably the very guards assigned to fetch Hope away.  The pair of escapees were only seconds away from being caught, and they hadn't even gotten out of the tent!

"Move out of the way, you blockhead," Hope commanded, as she crawled and she bumped into his rear while she barreled out into the open.

"Which way?" she asked before she even stood up.

"Princess?" a guard's voice called from the front of the tent.

Grange grabbed Hope's hand and pulled her to her feet, then began to lead her swiftly away from their impending capture.  He dragged her as he wove through the camp towards his pack and the path to freedom.

A series of shouts arose behind them, and Grange knew that Hope's absence had been detected.  It was hopeless to go on, he knew, though he might be able to escape alone if he abandoned the girl.

"You go on without me," she said at that moment, echoing his thoughts as she relaxed her grip on his hand.

"No!" he was galvanized by her concern for him.  He wouldn't leave her to face her fate alone, he knew.  He tightened his grip on her and kept her running in his path, running as best he was able on his sore leg.

Seconds later he swerved into the bushes around the perimeter of the settlement, and by either skill or luck, came immediately upon his hidden pack of supplies.   He grabbed it with his free hand and kept plunging into the foliage as he attempted to put as much space as possible between the camp and Hope and himself.

"Grange, stop!" Hope called in a clear voice.

He halted and looked at her.

"Every branch is hitting me in the face," she complained.

He pulled his pack on his back, then spoke to her.

"Put your hands on my hips and your face against my pack," he suggested.   "We've got to keep moving."

He turned without waiting, and felt her comply with his direction, as the uproar in the settlement increased.  He resumed traveling, using a slightly slower pace to allow Hope to hold on.

They moved in what Grange hoped was a northward direction, a cloudy sky leaving him uncertain, but plunging on, anyway, recklessly, as he sought to put distance between them and pursuit.

Grange trotted on and on and on, until Hope's grip on his hips tightened.

"Stop!" she said urgently.

"Are you hurt?" he asked with concern, fearful that they were being followed.

"No, I have to pee!" she explained.  She let go of him and disappeared into the growth around them.  Grange heard her grunt and rustle as she removed layer after layer of clothes, and he chuckled in spite of the tension that gripped his soul.

After Hope reversed the process of restoring her clothing they began running again, until Grange heard a sound not far away.  He instantly stopped, and they heard the tramping and talk of a squad of guards pass by, only yards from their position.   The guards were speaking in the Southgar language, frustrating Grange who listened without comprehending.

"What did they say?" he whispered the question into Hope's ear when the voices faded away.

"They think I escaped on my own," she said.  "They're convinced they're ahead of me, and they'll set up a cordone just ahead to catch me if I get this far," she reported gleefully.

"Let’s get going then and get around them before they realize we've been through here," Grange urged.  Hope resumed her grip on him, and they moved ahead.

They crossed an established trail, the route the guards must have used, then they angled slightly away, weary but determined to escape.

When the sun finally rose, Grange saw that they had been moving in a northwest direction, away from the Bloomingians and Southgar both. He adjusted their course to go due north, and they continued on, their steps growing slower and slower until finally. Grange knew they had to rest.

When he stopped, Hope immediately released her hold on him and collapsed.

"Do you think it's safe to rest?" she asked wearily.  She looked up at him and he saw the exhaustion in her face.

"Yes, princess," he replied as he dropped down.  "We can rest," he said.  He removed his pack and positioned it so that they both could use it as a pillow, then he rested his head and closed his eyes.   He opened them suddenly moments later, when Hope pressed herself against him.

"This is only to help us stay warm," she told him. "Remember that."

He closed his eyes again and grunted his agreement.   He was so tired and cold, and the number of layers of her clothing were so numerous, that he had no thought of anything remotely approaching an inclination towards romance.   But images of the faces of a girl with red hair, and one with very dark skin and a warm smile, flashed through his consciousness for the fleeting moments before he fell asleep.

Chapter 5

They awoke in the early afternoon, following too little sleep.   They were pressed against each other, Grange's arms around Hope, who had her face buried against his shoulder.

"Hope, wake up.  Do you want something to eat?" Grange asked.

She sat up as he did, and looked around in confusion until she recollected their situation.

"We're still free," she stated.  "What do you have?" she asked as Grange unlaced his pack to access the contents.

"We've got this and this," he handed her two small portions of food.  He'd only had barely enough for himself to begin, and now it would have to last longer for two people.

She looked at him. "Thank you for sharing," she seemed to understand the situation, and ate her portion silently and quickly.

After they finished they stood and resumed trotting due north.  They moved throughout the afternoon and well into the night.   As they traveled, trees began to appear in the landscape, and Grange was convinced that the air around them felt warmer.

They didn't talk.  Grange had little to tell the girl, until he finally stopped for the night, in a small patch of trees atop a gentle slope.

"I think it's safe to say you're free, Princess Hope," he told her with a mock formality, and a smile.

"Oh Grange, those are the happiest words I've heard in days!

"In the name of the Kingdom of Southgar, I award you the title of Royal Protector," she said in a serious tone, and Grange could see the serious expression on her face.  "I name you as my own knight, to be housed at the palace as my own guard," she said.

"If you want to be," she added with an anxious note.

"I'm sure it would be an honor," he answered.  "I don’t know exactly what else I'm supposed to do when we get to Southgar, but if I can, I'd be honored to protect you," he told her.

"Can you fight?" Hope asked forthright.

Grange sat down and opened his pack to pull out their evening ration.

"I can fight pretty well," he assured her as he handed her the small amount of nourishment.

They slept, they arose the next morning, and they traveled all day, going northeast. And by sunset they began to pass farm cottages, and even small, rough manor homes.

"Should I turn you over to the local gentry?" Grange asked as they walked on a small country lane, no longer confronted by untamed bushes, and walking side by side.

"Not in this duchy," Hope answered quickly.  "My father's true allies are further north.

"I don’t think there would be any problem, but we'd be smarter to not take chances," she advised.

They slept that night in a barn, under a roof for the first time Grange could remember since his awakening at Yellow Spring.

The air was cool but not frigid, and they slept apart, though Grange secretly missed the contact with the girl, and he was pleased when he awoke in the morning and found that they were together again.

"This is the last food we have," he told her when he distributed their crumbs of rations after sunrise.

"By tonight we'll have a good meal - maybe a feast!" Grace said cheerfully.  "Just hold that thought.  We'll have beds to sleep in and even baths to soak in!"

Rain started falling in the mid-morning and drenched them all along their course through the countryside of Southgar.  They ducked under trees and when they reached a village, they stood under the eaves of the buildings to let their clothing drip away the worst of the moisture, before they started slogging through the sloppy, muddy farm tracks.

The rain stopped and the sun came out just when Hope pointed across the green fields surrounding them.

"That's it!" Hope exclaimed.   "That's my uncle's castle.  We'll be home in just a few minutes!"  She grabbed Grange's hand to pull him across the fields on a direct line towards the structure, but slipped on the wet clay and splashed into the muddy water of the roadside ditch.

"Grange, help me!" she laughed, and Grange lifted her upright.

When they arrived at the castle gate, the servant tried to chase them away.  They looked like tramps, disreputable and filthy.  Grange stood by, grinning and uncomprehending as Hope argued with the man at the gate, but his demeanor instantly changed when the castle man placed his hand on Hope's chest and pushed her back.

He pulled his sword and had the point pressed against man's throat a second later.

"Apologize to the princess," he growled.

"Grange, no," he heard Hope order and he felt her hand on his shoulder,  as he stared into the startled eye of the man he faced.

"He has to apologize first," Grange said through gritted teeth.  A shadow appeared behind his captive.

"Grange, let him go.  The archers are aiming at you," Hope said urgently.

Grange dropped the point of his sword, stepped back, and looked up, where he saw a pair of men with bows, arrows pointed at him.

"Pa ruffians ydym wedi darfu ar yr heddwch?” a voice asked.

Hope spoke loudly in response, and within moments a man pressed the servant out of the doorway.  He stared at Hope, then exclaimed loudly and enfolded her in a hug, as the girl burst into tears.

Grange stood off to the side, observing the reunion for a moment,  until Hope and her uncle split apart.

"Uncle," she spoke in Grange's language once again, "this is Grange.  I have named him as my own Royal Protector.  He's the man who rescued me and brought me to safety," she explained.

"I am pleased to welcome my niece's Protector.  You've been given a title of great honor," the man turned to Grange and held out his hand.

Grange extended his own hand to grasp the nobleman's, and as he did, the two sized each other up.

The Uncle's eyes grew wide as he studied Grange's face, and he released his grip.

"How did you two meet?" he asked in a stern voice.  "And why are we speaking in this barbarous tongue?"

"I'm sure it would be much more pleasant to hold this discussion after we bathe and eat," Hope said warmly, “we've had a journey you won't believe!"

The nobleman looked at Hope, then at Grange.  "Of course. My dear," he opened the door wide and motioned for the two to enter, while he called loudly in the native language,  bringing a trio of servants scurrying from hallways to approach.  Grange turned his back to the servant he had held his sword to, and followed Hope inside.

There was a brief conversation, then Hope turned to Grange to translate.

"We're going to go to separate rooms to bathe and change, then we'll meet again to eat in an hour," she told Grange.   "You should follow Mira," she explained, and motioned towards a female servant.

"I don't really have any other clothes to change into," Grange informed her in a low voice, embarrassed for the first time by the evidence and admission of his poverty.

"They'll provide something suitable," Hope told him with a smile and a quick comment to Mira.

The servant girl smiled politely at Grange,  gave a brief bob, then motioned for him to follow. Grange obliged and started to climb the massive stone stairs the servant ascended.

"Thank you Grange! You saved my life," Hope called to him.

He smiled at the words all the way up the stairs and into the room that Mira showed him.

He closed the door, then gave a sigh of relief.  He was alone for the first time in days, in a comfortable and friendly home for the first time, about to eat a warm meal for the first time.

Those thoughts missed the mark, he told himself.   There was a hint of something in the uncle's demeanor that wasn't exactly friendly.  It was unclear what and why, though undoubtedly, delivering the princess in such a dismal state of appearance hadn't spoken well for his service as a Royal Protector for those who didn't know the epic tale of the journey to reach the castle.

Grange heard a knock at the door just before it opened and several servants entered carrying steaming buckets of water, which they quickly and quietly emptied into the tub in the bathing chamber.