Chapter 4

Kiara:

I walked back to the campsite feeling somewhat giddy inside, though why I felt that way was something that I could not understand, the way the prince’s eyes met mine did not leave my mind forcing me to involuntarily bite my lip as a smile formed on my face, the mark on my wrist tingling as I approached the campsite, I looked at it to find a faint glow coming out of it making me frown in confusion, I was clearly losing my mind, that was now official.

Searching my belt for my dagger as I walked, ignoring the glow that I think I saw, my eyes widened when I realized that I couldn’t find it, mentally slapping myself when I remembered that I had dropped it, but never bothered to pick it up before leaving.

It was too late to go back now, the sun was already half way set, and it would take me almost half an hour to reach the forest to look for it, and if it were dark, which was most likely, I wouldn’t be able to find it, and Nina would be causing too much of a hassle if I wasn’t back soon, sending the lads to look for me, and that wouldn’t be ending well if she found out that I had went back to the forest to search for my dagger in the first place.

I would simply have to go back and look for it tomorrow, hoping that no one found and took it already, otherwise I’d either have to speak to Ashton about making me a new one, which would result to an hour of scolding from Nina, or I’d just have to steal one, which I honestly didn’t want to do, taking food and some clothes were a necessity to survive, but so was my dagger, I had used it to fight before, I had never killed, but causing a man who was on the verge of sexual assault a few cuts and tears here and there often saved my life.

“Where the bloody hell have you been?” Nina asked the second I entered the campsite, her, Ashton, Celeste, Zed, and Layla were standing at the edge of it as if waiting for me to arrive, we were the eldest of the kids here, well aside from Celeste who was sixteen, I was seventeen, Ashton and Layla were nineteen, Zed and Nina were both twenty, now I know what you’re wondering, why live on pickpocketing rather than working.

Well, most of the girls or guys have either been caught once or twice by the royal guards and now no one wanted to hire them as they simply saw them as thieves, and the fact that we were dirty in people’s eyes, having nothing more than worn out clothes to wear, and stealing for a living, most saw us as unworthy to do anything that would be earning their trusts, and then there was Nina, who believed that we would never be accepted, she had that insecurity of hers, I didn’t blame or question her for it, but it sometimes bothered me that she saw herself that way, and though I could relate to what she believed, most of the girls her age were married and had their own families, when she was here, living on stolen grains and fruits, but she never bothered to even lay eyes on a man that wasn’t the prince, believing that he would be choosing her as a wife for him.

“I got caught up, I’m sorry” I said handing her the bag of grains, if she found out that it was the prince who had me caught up, then she’d probably have my head, no questions or remorse to it, she would believe that I stole him from her, despite him not being hers, and me not technically doing anything, but who knows what went inside that head of hers sometimes, I for one, didn’t want to find out.

“What is all this?” Nina asked wide eyes, excitement now lacing her voice as she saw how much grain I managed to get, honestly speaking, I wasn’t even sure what I got, all I knew was that the man had grains, beans, and different types of nuts inside those bags, what I had picked up was beyond me as everything was sealed and hidden inside those bags.

“I tried getting fruits, but there was too much of a commotion, and the prince was there too, so I couldn’t risk…”

“Did you say the prince was there?” Nina asked, my eyes widened upon realizing that I have, Nina’s green eyes were on my brown ones as she read my expression trying to understand my sudden change of mood “did you speak to him?”

“No” I lied.

“Did he speak to you?” her eyes hardening upon asking that, I gulped looking at her in fear that she would be able to read my expression and find out that I was lying.

“No”

“Good” Nina said her eyes softening once again before she showed me what I had gotten from the man, there were different nuts, rice, red kidney beans, white beans, and lentils, how did I not know that I got all that?

“This is great Kiara, they would at least last us a few weeks before they ran out” Nina said proudly, I smiled, my worry from earlier passing me ever so slightly at the thought that she let the topic of the prince slide.

“Layla, get the girls to start cooking the beans, tonight we dine like kings and queens” Nina said making me smile.

“I’ll go freshen up Nina, I need to wash my dress to, is there anything that I could wear until it dries?” I asked her, I knew that she and Zed went on clothes heist today, we needed new warm clothes for the winter, and this was the only way we could technically find anything to wear.

“There are a few things in my tent, come on, let’s find you two pretty dresses that fit you” Nina said smiling, her and I walked by her side, entering what she called her tent, which was basically an old white, well now somewhat brown, sheet draped on top of two trees, it suited for covering her when she would change or wanted to sleep, but in reality, it was obviously not a tent.

There, in a thin blanket that she used to cover herself when she slept on the ground, were a few dresses, pants, different corsets, shirts, shoes, slippers, even low heels, though why she had gotten those heels confused me as none of us could technically wear them, being in the forest, they would simply get stuck in the mud, which proved them useless.

“Did he change from the last time we saw him?” Nina asked suddenly as she looked between the dresses, taking out three for me to try on to see whether or not they fit me.

“What?” I asked confused, she turned around to allow me to get changed without her staring at me, though we had changed in front of one another so many times that we had lost count, as she cleaned the countless wounds I had and vice versa.

“The prince, has he changed from the last time we saw him?” Nina asked repeating her question, I fought myself so hard not to sigh, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable, though the subject was getting boring to me.

“I haven’t looked at him Nina, such men don’t catch my attention” I said telling her half the truth, it was true, I rarely found myself attracted to men like the prince, in my opinion, they expected so much yet so little of a girl, they saw her for their pleasure, and she saw them for their wealth, it was a relationship that I refused to allow myself into, though the idea of me being with the prince did not seem to annoy me like any other one would’ve.

“I am curious what kind of men do attract you, the prince has money, power, a palace, and need I say that he’s bloody gorgeous, everything a girl could ever wish for” Nina said dreamily, I fought back an eye roll as I looked at the black dress that I was wearing and the purple one that was in my hand, they both fit me perfectly, hugging my body a little too much for my liking, but they were exactly my size, though the sleeves were long, covering the birthmark which I tried my best to hide, finding it looking odd as anyone who saw what looked like the four elements of life thought that I was some sorcerer, I tried my best to avoid it being seen.

“There is a lot more to a guy Nina, he has to be a gentleman, kind, goodhearted, honest, loving, trustworthy, and loyal, what good would his looks or money be if he was an ass?” I asked as she turned to face me when she saw me putting the yellow dress back on her blanket, Nina rolled her eyes and looked at the dresses that I picked nodding in approval.

“One day, you and I will be living in that palace, I would be the prince’s wife, and you’ll see what power and money could be getting you” Nina said smiling.

“If you would be the prince’s wife, what would bring me with you?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“You and I stick together, remember? Through thick and thin, we never leave one another” she said smiling “maybe we’ll even find you a prince of a nearby kingdom, or a duke, or some rich high rank”

Nina teased tickling me making me laugh before shaking my head and hugging her, it was times like this where she was truly herself, the girl that was young, happy, and carefree, the one that didn’t have to challenge the other boys and girls for power, just her old self.

“Okay, go clean up if you want to catch dinner with us” Nina said smiling as she crossed her arms looking at me.

“I won’t be long” I smiled nodding.

“You always say that and…”

“Oh, come on, not always!”

“Whatever”