Lyra's POV

I wake my company in the pale morning light. I had slept little last night after my conversation with Kaladin, though we had both lain awake for hours afterword, neither of us spoke again.

I cast a glance over the ashes of our fire at the cousins, and weigh the stone in my hand thoughtfully. I toss it in between them, and it skids across the stones, sending them all a clatter. They wake with a start, then seeing me across from them, look at each other and haul to their feet.

We eat our breakfast and pack up our things, fill our flasks, and a half an hour later we are on through the woods again.

Today, the king's dogs ride together at the middle of our company, between Kaladin, who is leading as always, and the siblings behind him. Jed and I take up the rear, and watch the two in front of us carefully.

Jed casts a glance at me, but I don't pay any attention to it, as I am occupied speaking with Lance again. I tell him about what happened last night that had startled me, and then we continue with our conversation as it was.

So, what happens if our companies run into each other? I ask, eyes staring, unseeing into Moriar's back.

There is a moments pause before he answers. Do what you must.

I know that he means do what I think is right, and what won't blow my cover.

You might get hurt. I argue.

If it keeps you from danger, so be it.

I swallow. I don't know if I can do this. What if they expect me to be the one to let my arrow fly?

He is silent for a while. I will do what I can to assure that doesn't happen. I won't let your mark hit him.

-

"You've been distracted." I look over at Jed, who brings his mount as close to Lasreal as the gelding would allow. Jed's face laced with concern.

I smile, hoping to distract him from any questioning. "Sorry, just thinking."

The look he gives me says he knows what must have been worrying me, but he says nothing, instead casting a glare at Grander, who had glanced back at us curiously.

Something makes Lasreal stop suddenly and tense up, and he snorts nervously as he surveys our surroundings.

Feeling his uneasiness, I send a soft whistle to the rest of the company and they stop as well.

Kaladin walks his mount over. "What is it?" He asks in a low whisper, and I raise a hand to cut him off, shaking my head in an answer. I hold up a closed fist to give a sign of silence to the others.

A few more beats of silence pass before an arrow whistles passed my face, grazing my cheek.

Las tosses his head and rears up, and I reach for my bow that is strapped to the saddle.

By the time Lasreal's hooves hit the ground again, I have my weapon strung and aimed at the trees in the direction of the assailant.

Several more arrows fly out of the thick wood at ones, and I let an arrow back in return, expertly notching another.

Syl and Moriar also have their bows strung, and the others, including Kaladin, have their swords drawn.

Shadows dart between trees and I catch a flash of silver as another arrow flies, glinting in the sun that trickles through the tree tops.

"Oi!" Adolin exclaims as it whooshes passed me, a dull thud signifying that it had hit its mark.

Of course I am worried about him, but I don't dare take my eyes from the tree line. What the hell is going on?

"Robbers!" Kaladin cries to our company, having identified our attackers.

He's seen this type before.
One of Syl's bolts hits its mark, and a body falls out of the trees, into our view.

The man's green cloak is quickly seeped through with blood, and at the fall of their comrade, the others jump out, enraged.

There are three of them, all men, and they each have a bow that has an arrow trained at us.

One stoops down to check the breath of the fallen, and seeing that he is dead, frowns and comes back to his feet.

"Give us the girl." The one in the middle says, whom I am assuming is the ringleader. He wears a dark cloak, and like the rest of them, the hood casts a shadow over his face.

If they are robbers, why do they want one of us?

Syl barks a laugh, and aims her bolt were his forehead would be beneath the shadows of the hood. "I am not going with you."

The leader turns his head to his comrades on either side of him, then back to us. "Not red over there, the one on the black beast."

All of my company's eyes fall on me, and I feel my face flush as I tighten my grip on my bow as I prepare to release. This idiot is going to blow my cover. How do they know? Perhaps my father started to hire out bands of men to find me.

"Excuse me?" I hear myself say, at the same time that Lasreal let's out an enrage snort, tossing his head.

"The princess. Give her to us and the rest of you live. " The man speaks again.

"What?!" Grander barks from behind me. "This pipsqueak is the missing princess?"

"I knew that beast seemed strange! A water horse!" Cries Moriar.

Kaladin stares at me in disbelief, and I glance back at Adolin, who's eyes had gone wide. His mouth is open, but no sound comes out, and I see the offending arrow stuck into the tree behind him. Only a trail of blood runs down a gash in his tunic sleeve, and he is otherwise unharmed. I can't help the sudden pang of guilt that riddles me. He trusted me, and I took advantage of him.

I swallow, and slowly lower my bow. "My father payed you didn't he?" I ask, letting my feminine voice come through, dropping my male facade. There is little sense in trying to hide it any longer. I should have known that I couldn't do this forever.

Maybe it was idiotic to try.

There is a moment of stillness, in which the leader of the opposing group steps forward, lowering his weapon. When he speaks, his voice is strangely familiar. "We've been following you for days. We want no harm to come to you, so if you'll just come with us-"

"Get out of here before we kill you." I look to Kaladin, startled.

The man casts back his hood, the crown upon his dark brow giving him away immediately.

The two men behind him throw their hoods aside as well, and I stare in astonishment at the one to the Prince's left.

Lance stands, holding my gaze as he also lowers his weapon. I only now notice that he was aiming at Kaladin, not at me. None of them were aiming at me.

My warm blood trickles down my cheek and drips off of my jaw, onto my shirt but I don't take my eyes from my brother's.

My Lance. The one person that I trusted... Betrayed me. He's taking me back to the thing that I ran from.

My eyes threaten tears but I force them down, with great difficulty. It takes every ounce of will power that I have had to use pretending to be a boy, all of my personal training to keep my face stoic.

'You will not show weakness.' I scold myself, dragging my clear eyes back to the son of the man I am supposed to marry.

His fair face is clean of emotion, but his green eyes speak more words than any face can. He'll do what he must to get this done.
He turns back to Kaladin. "I am afraid that I cannot do that."

I swallow, as something like fear grips me in a sudden remembrance. Moriar and Grander.

No sooner do I think this, than an arrow tares passed me with such force, that loose pieces of hair fly about my face.

I watch with great horror as Lance lunges forward, as if in slow motion, and shoves the Prince aside. My brother falls to the ground the next instant.

My world stops and I hear someone scream his name, hardly realizing that it is my own voice.

I jump from Lasreal's back, my long since forgotten bow falling uselessly to the ground as I rush to my brother's side blindly.

I forget his betrayal and my bitterness towards him as I slide over leaves and mud on my knees, finally reaching his side.

My tears now flow freely, as I frantically look him over, immediately expecting the worse. "Lance, Lance!" I call repeatedly, lifting his head out of the mud and onto my lap.

He opens his eyes, and my heart skips a beat. He is alive.

There is yelling in the background as some fire is exchanged, and I vaguely hear someone call my name. I want to look over, but I can't take my eyes from Lance, except when Lasreal screams, making my head turn over anyways.

He rears up, frantic with my anger and sorrow, and he silences the sounds of the fight.

My whole company is off of their mounts, and Jed was attempting to sooth Las, to avoid any injury of them or the horses when my beast reared.

My eyes lock onto Jed's as he jerks back from Lasreal's black head, avoiding being bitten. He has his sword drawn like the others, and he looks afraid. Of what, I'm not entirely aware, but my gaze is torn away when Lance sits up.

He had been wearing some sort of strong chain mail under his tunic, the arrow had barley made it to his skin.

In my brief dismay, I hadn't noticed the lack of blood around him, and he looks at me with terrible guilt, but it is quickly covered with stone when someone walks up behind me. Feeling anger rise up in me again after a brief flash of relief, I am about to open my mouth to say something when I am hauled to my feet.

"Let go of me!" I snarl while struggling against the body behind me, holding me firmly to them.

Now facing my company, I see them freeze up, and the person holding me speaks with extreme authority in his tone.
"Enough."

Syl lowers her weapon, though Grander and his cousin stare at them in awe.

"Are you fecking serous! Kill him!" Moriar exclaims. "What are you waiting for?!"

Kaladin speaks, his voice low like a growl. "Shut it. She is one of us, you know nothing of the subject."

"Don't speak to him like that, we don't answer to you!" Grander snarls, taking one of his knives from his belt.

Syl rolls her eyes, and turning, looses and arrow into his throat. She does the same to Moriar, and I flinch a little at the sudden murder.

I am so shocked at Kaldin's comment that I momentarily forget to breathe. One of them? But he knows who I am now! He knows I am no mercenary.

I can do nothing but stare at Kaladin in dismay, my body seeming to work on its own as I stop struggling.

"She is not one of you." The Prince speaks from behind me, his grip lessening, so not to hurt me. "She is my father's  bride."

My eyes widen at the words,and they spark a new flame in my belly. I step back onto his foot, and shove my elbow into his ribs.

He falls back, losing his balance, and I take the opportunity to lunge forward, out of his grasp.

Lasreal, having known what I was thinking, had already been way ahead of me, so to speak.

I leap onto his back, and I hear the Prince shout at Lance or the other henchmen, I am not sure.

Like we are running from the devil himself, Lasreal gallops towards the woods to our right, opposite from where the prince and Lance had sprang out of. We go as fast as the dense trees will allow, and I feel only numbness as branches reach out and tare at my face.

There are shouts from behind us, and I spur Las on with our bond, wanting to get as far from the prince as possible, before he calls his own beast and comes after us.

But by the sound of the metallic clangs echoing through the trees, I would assume that he will be tied up for a while.

I let a single tear slide down my cheek at the betrayal I feel, and for the look on my comrades faces when I was discovered. I have no idea were to go or what to do now, especially since word of my sighting will spread quickly, if any survive after this. I know that I should go back. I should put an end to the fighting. No one has to die. Not because of me.

Before I know it, Lasreal had turned around, and we are heading back to the fight.

We will end this. I will face my fate and go back to Nordic. My time of running is done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks guys, finally got some action in here... the ball is rolling now :) thanks for comments and votes guys, it really means a lot! A picture of the Prince of Whales' son is posted. Hope you continue to read and (hopefully) like it!

- A.