The Last Witch Princess

Chapter 7

    Once at the campsite, almost immediately I was welcomed with whistles from strange big muscular men covered in jagged black lines, and all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep, wake up to find out this was all a dream. The savages, no assassins as they said they were called, were everywhere. I wondered if this was a permanent camp, the way there were crude cabins built in the corners, hidden away in the trees. “How far away from my father’s kingdom are we?” I asked Betty, Ana hovering behind me. Betty turned to look at me, annoyance in her icy blue eyes as she turned again to see the campsites in front of us, the heavenly smell of food making my mouth water. At first, I thought this was a simple encampment, a quick little set up while they planned to kidnap me, then to pack it all up and leave; but the more I looked around the more I realized this was a home of sorts, for most if not all of these people. 

    “Why, princess? Planning on getting out messages? I know your witchly kind could send messages to others with fire, nice try. No, as you can see we have children here, this is our home. We wouldn’t risk their safety by telling you where we are, just like we made sure we left no tracks behind. No one can find you here, witch princess. Give it up.” She said with a sneer. 

    I could feel Ana sigh sadly behind me and I looked at her, holding her hand as I felt her exhaustion. The idea that no tracks were left behind was discerning, how would our people find us now? Were we really to be left to these Assassins for the next six months? “Could you do that? Could you send a message with fire Princess Aislyn?” Ana asked me, hope in her eyes. I bit my lip and looked away, her dark brown eyes so innocent, so full of hope, that I couldn’t tell her the truth. How could I tell her that I barely knew how to use any magic at all? That the only time I ever did anything big was during the funeral when I accidentally teleported in fear. How could I tell her the only things I could do were minor, like make the knots in my back go away, steam a dress to be wrinkle-free, heal small cuts, and light fire? I had no grimoire, I had no spells, I had no training. Being the last witch, a species everyone thought was extinct, there was no one to train me, and no more grimoires to study. Everything had been destroyed, or torn apart and sold for a high price. 

    I pulled my hand away from her, holding my head up high as I tsked at her. “Of course I can do that. But I can’t if I don’t know where I am, Ana.” I said to her. I saw Betty looking at me with a curious expression before she turned away, either catching my bluff or thinking I was a spoiled brat again. I felt bad for how I treated Ana, especially when she lowered her eyes and apologized for speaking out of turn to me, but before I could dwell on the guilt a little four-year-old boy ran up to us, his chubby arms outstretched and a big grin on his face. What startled me was his icy blue eyes, and the way Betty instantly fell to her knees, sweeping the chubby little boy into her arms and tickling him. The sound of his giggle was surprising to me. I heard kids before, but to be brought into the castle they had to be quiet and well behaved. This shrieking wild thing full of happiness and energy never would have been allowed inside. I stared at him in wonder, watching the way his pale blond hung in his icy blue eyes as he giggled and shrieked from her kisses and tickles. 

    “Mama! I missed you!” He shouted out loud, getting rewarded with a series of kisses that made him shriek again. I looked at Ana in confusion, remembering Betty’s obvious feelings for Ren, and how Dog had said Ren hasn’t been with Betty in a long time. Was this little boy Ren’s son as well? Jem’s half brother? 

    Finally, Betty untangled herself from the little boy and stood straight, watching with a smile as he ran off to a campfire with a few other women, all just as strangely muscular as Betty, and just as covered in jagged black lines. I shivered in horror and Betty went to look at me, a frown on her face. “Do you have a problem?” She asked me. 

    “No, I was just wondering if he is yours and Ren’s son. If he was Jem’s half brother.” I said to her. 

    Betty frowned, looking at Ana, before looking at me again. Finally, she sighed, running her hands through her thick dry hair. “Well I might as well tell you, Dog has a big mouth and he’ll most likely say something once he finds out about her.” She said, glaring at Ana. “His name is Joey. He is the reason Ren and I broke up. Four years ago I cheated on Ren with a man who came to live with us all. Ren left me, and I stayed with the man. His name was Joseph, but he was killed when Joey was a few months old. A mission went wrong. After a while, I tried to get back with Ren, but he isn’t exactly the forgiving type. I’ll always love Ren, but I know I have no leeway in between true mates. Stop looking at me like I’m going to attack you, Omega.” Betty growled out in annoyance. I couldn’t help the understanding I felt for her. I had no idea what love was, but she seemed to feel it and she was pushing it aside because she understood she had no chance. She was a strong woman, that I could tell. 

    Betty turned again and started walking, probably embarrassed by giving away details of her life, and we tried our best to keep up with her. She wove in and around tents and fires, and it was all we could do to not run into anyone. Finally, we reached a campsite slightly off to the side. There were only two tents set up over here, but they were bigger in length, making me think they had to have been for the more important people. Most likely one was for Jem and one was for Ren. They were the only two sitting on the logs around the fire and Betty gently nudged us to it, before turning and leaving, most likely heading back to her son. Ren was sitting on the log in a way that I wondered if his mountain-sized body would crumble it, his elbows on his knees and a plate piled high with a type of meat I didn’t recognize but smelled amazing. His long braided black hair was flipped over his shoulder neatly. He lifted his brown eyes and instantly found Ana, and I couldn’t help but hear the small gasp she made as she started to quiver by my side. 

    “Your shoes are untied.” A calm disinterested voice said, making me look over at Jem. I sighed in irritation, glaring at him. I looked down at my boots, annoyed that they were in fact untied, and noticed Ana’s were as well. A blush formed on her face as she hung her head. 

    “I’m sorry, Princess Aislyn, I must have tied them wrong. I’ve never had to tie these types of shoes before.” She said. Before I could say anything Ren put down his plate, standing up, and walking over to us. Ana was taller than me, but Ren was even taller than her. Standing in front of her I could see her head came to the height of his chest, and she tried her best to look down at her feet instead of at him. 

    Ren gently lifted his finger to her chin, lifting it to look up at him. She didn’t pull away but I could tell by her eyes she was scared. “Allow me, Ana,” He said, his voice softer as he smiled at her. Ana was shaking and I watched in surprise as this giant man fell to his knees in front of her, calmly showing her how to lace up her boots the proper way, tightening them and tying them. I stared down at my own feet, biting my lip before I looked back up at Jem. 

    “Tie my shoes,” I demanded of him. He was sitting in the same way Ren had been, his elbows on his knees and a plate of steaming meat in his hand. He raised an eyebrow at me. 

    “I already told you that you were going to have to figure out how to take care of yourself.” He said, putting some meat in his mouth and chewing it slowly. 

    I could feel my lip trembling, the exhaustion of the day folding in on me, and the need to be back home hiding under my covers greater than I’ve ever felt before. “Please,” I whispered to him. Either he heard the desperation in my voice, or he liked that he made a princess degrade herself by saying please to a commoner, but Jem put down his plate and motioned me to him. I scuffled closer and he sank to his knees as well, looking up at me. 

    His Amber eyes were discerning as he studied my face, annoyance plain in his features. “Watch closely, I’m only showing you once.” He said. A million harsh words flooded to my lips but I bit them down, nodding my head at him as I tried to concentrate on the way he was tying the shoes. For the most part, he did it slowly, making sure his long fingers weren’t in the way so I could see what he was doing as he wove the laces in and out of holes, tightening it and slowly tying it into a bow. Once he was finished he looked up at me, a momentary softness reflecting at me that was immediately wiped into a disheartened glare as he sat back onto his log and lifted his plate again, not bothering to look at me again. 

    I could feel my cheeks red with embarrassment and decided to blame it on the fire being too hot against my creamy skin. I sat down on another log and looked over at Ana, noticing Ren had sat her down next to him on his log. I watched with wide eyes as he scooped some meat and vegetables out of the pot on the fire and put it on a plate, before handing it to Ana. If he was considered the leader, why was he serving the servant? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Ana was looking at me with wide eyes, but I couldn’t get mad at her, she was stuck there, Ren’s massive arm wrapped around her waist. I could feel Jem’s eyes on me again and I sat up straight, determined to show I was capable of doing things myself even if I've never done it before. I grabbed a plate and scooped a tiny scoop onto it, trying my best to make sure it was small enough before sitting back down on the log. I picked up a fork from the little stool next to the fire that had the plates and forks on it, and daintily poked a potato with the fork. I tried my best to ignore the fact that it was the wrong fork for a potato, or that I was eating from a plate held in my hand instead of at a table with a proper dress and a towel sitting against my lap. I was glad to see there were napkins on the table and I placed one on my lap, ignoring the snicker from Jem. Why was he still staring at me? 

    Anger boiled in me as I realized I was being made a mockery of, that he was having fun watching the proper princess try to do things herself. I did my best to ignore him, placing the potato in my mouth and trying not to moan with how good it tasted. I was never able to eat food like this, rich and greasy, the meat cooked alongside it. I tried to keep count, making sure I wiped my mouth after each bite, before placing the plate down on my knees. My stomach was still hungry, but I had eaten ten bites so I was finished. “That can’t possibly be enough for you. You hadn’t eaten in three days, knocked out while we traveled here. You’re too skinny, you need more food.” Ren said, making me jump. 

    I looked up at him, biting my lip as I tried to ignore the gurgle of my stomach. The taste of the meat was still strong in my mouth, and more than anything I wanted to finish my plate, if not grab more food and eat that as well. “Bellie said I’m too fat, I'm not allowed to eat more than ten bites for meals,” I said, embarrassment flooding my cheeks. I could see Ana nodding, understanding crossing her features as she bit into her meat. She was raised in the castle, she understood protocol. 

    I flinched as Jem stood up, scooping another amount of food onto my plate and handing it to me. The steam curled and flickered against my nose, making my stomach grumble again. “Eat as much as you want. I don’t give a damn about royalty or those stupid rules. You’re not fat, and you need to have strength for the task tomorrow.” He said, his voice rough. I looked up at him, seeing the anger in his eyes as he sat back down and finished his food. I stared at my plate, then at Ana, not sure what I should do. She was eating her own food, so I decided for the first time in my life to do what I wanted to do, and finished every bit of food on my plate. 

    Once we were finished Ren and Jem went into one tent, leaving the other one for me and Ana to share. We laid down in two separate sleeping bags, trying to get comfortable in the thin bags with nothing but simple material and grass between us and the hard ground. Despite the discomfort, I fell asleep quickly, my stomach full for the first time in my life.