PRICE OF ROYALTY

18. Saved Twice

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Look who we have here if not the bastard of Varci,” The leader of the group spoke.  The urge to look up at the people was overwhelming and predictably much, I found my gaze flirting towards them. The one who spoke was a bald-headed giant of a man, with a rusty old dagger on the side of his waist. The rest looked like they could be blown by the mere whiff of wind except for one that seemed taller and a little bit buffy.

“I do not seek any trouble,” Theo’s voice was controlled.

“Do you not, huh? This is my territory and no bastards of the king are welcome. Take your hoe and step out of this tavern,”

“Once again, I do not seek any trouble, Modred. Your tales of harassment of passers-by have reached far and wide but you have no idea who you are messing with. If I were you, I would just let me and my friend have a good time and then be on our way,” How could he not be bothered by the threatening presence of these men? He was only but one and they were five of them.

A small sharp scream, no louder than the sound of a small horn, left my lips when the bald head suddenly moved and attempted to grab my hand but Theo was quicker. He grabbed his hand, twisting it over the wooden table as the man yelled out in pain. Men yell too like little kids; that was certainly a new one.

“I told you to leave my friend and I in peace, didn’t I? Next time one of you attempts to even breathe near her, your head will be next to be eaten by the vultures at the gates of the city,” He threatened as he let go of his arm. Theo’s voice was cold and judging from how the other men retreated, he must have scared them to the deepest roots of their existence.

The bald man quickly scurried off but not before casting one more glance at Theo. Just a moment later, the barmaid came back with our food which did not look as pleasant as it had sounded. The brown pieces of bread were just barely dry crumps and the steak just had too much water and less meat.

“This is not bread,” I complained, turning around a piece of bread. How was I supposed to eat this?

When my orbs fell on Theo, he was seemingly enjoying his share of the meal. Following his lead, I dipped the bread in a wooden bowl containing the steak. After all, since the mention of food, my stomach would not give me quite the rest.

“Not as bad as I had anticipated,” I muttered upon having a taste.

Theo still never said a word. This was the first time I had food that had not been tested by royal taster and there no tint of worry in me. Not being able to worry about being poisoned, made me feel a newfound sense of freedom. I liked being like this with no worries of who would try to take my life next whatsoever.

We had barely been through with our meal and stepped outside to take our horses when we were confronted by another group of three rowdy, drunkards. Was that the smell of cow dung too?

“So you are the bastard who brought us a bastard queen. Got a word that you were here enjoying yourself with a hoe,” the first one, a tiny little man holding a sword, on one hand, spoke. His clothing just like the other two was stained with muck and maybe it was their unkempt state that made them look a bit scarier.

“Step out of my way before this gets too bloody,” Theo warned but as I had anticipated, none of them took heed of his words.

They began circling us, brandishing their swords. While I was terrified to the smallest of my toes, Theo stood completely undeterred. It was only when the first man made a move, did he unsheathe his sword so fast that all I caught was the slight twinkle when the rays of the sun hit it. Swords clashed as Theo fought with only bravery that should have been in the fiction writing of the greatest creative minds. He swung his sword fast and skillfully, dodging the three men while at the same time, pushing me to the ground so I would not get hurt. Crouched on the ground with both my palms covering my ears, I closed my eyes but barely a minute later, Theo tapped me on the shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Concern was painted in his eyes as he helped me to a standing position.

Th three men were lying down, groaning in pain. A few people had gathered to witness the spectacle, whispering amongst themselves.

“Come one, there will soon be more men thirsting for my blood,” we rushed towards the horses, swiftly getting on them before we broke into a full-speed trot.

It was only when we were far into the forest and away from the village, did I let out a breath of relief, my horse slowing down. Theo slowed down, falling into step. His gaze was hardened, jaw grinding.

“You are quite the skilled swordsman despite your haughty nature,” I figured that because he had saved myself, he deserved a little bit of gratitude.

“You know it was enough that the people hated me for being a bastard, but now they hate me too for being the one that brought the bastard woman from their enemy kingdom to be their Queen,” He snapped instead, bringing his horse to a halt as he stepped down.

“I may be a bastard Theo, but I’m not going to apologize for being born one. If the people cannot deal with the fact that I’m a bastard queen, then I’ll change the game of royalty. You and I are people too, born of the will of gods and no one is allowed to make us feel the worst of ourselves for being born,” I spoke as I approached him.

“Change the game of Royalty? Do you have any idea of what you are talking about Elizabeth?” He questioned.

“Yes, Theo. I know exactly what I’m talking about,”

"With all due respect, Princess, how is someone as pathetic, and powerless as you even have ambitions higher than the mountains of Varci? Has it ever crossed your mind that the council would never let a bastard change their way of ruling?" His gaze rested upon me, a daunting look on his features. His snide comments were not a bother to me.

"I've lived my life in fear and being taunted for being a bastard, but now I'm a queen, Theo. Do you really think a few arrogant noblemen would stop me from changing the game?" I fired back with a smirk.