back.”
“It’s going the wrong way,” Conner said. “It’s going to Tyre”.
She looked at him curiously and then looked back out the window. She chuckled and said, “Well, it can turn around, you know.”
“It’s full of cargo and heading up river. And besides, Marcus is getting us horses.”
“You shall go talk to the captain, he shall change his plans and take me back home.” She turned towards the mirror, turned her head left, then right, and then smiled.
“The horses will do,” Conner said. “The boat has business elsewhere.”
“Horses? You have ordered a carriage, of course,” Elissa said, grabbing a brush from the dresser. She looked at him and gave him a wide smile before continuing to brush out her hair.
Conner was left speechless. This was no longer the girl that he found in the forest, on the verge of being killed – or worse. This was a young woman who had little experience with life outside of her castle, and until now, it had never crossed his mind. She fussed over her looks, primping her hair and fixing her makeup, while not realizing that the very men who would kill her could be standing outside her door. Of course they would have had to get by Lawry first. Her cares were not on her livelihood, but on her material being. She was beautiful, the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. And yet, she was missing something, something very important.
“Do you realize how close you were to dying?” He asked.
“Of course,” she said flippantly. “Those men would have done so if not for you.” She stopped touching up the makeup around her eyes long enough to give him a thankful smile.
“And spending the night in the cave, almost freezing?”
“A dreadful experience for sure," Elissa said. "But if not for you, again, I would not be here.”
Conner could only shake his head at her. She spoke the words, but her tone indicated that she did not understand what she was saying.
He grabbed her hand and said, “Come on, we’re going for a walk.”
She tried to pull away, thinking he was playing some game, but Conner squeezed tighter. She let out a sharp cry. “That hurts! What are you doing?!”
“We are going for a walk.”
“No, I am not ready,” she said, still trying to pull her arm from his grasp.
He yanked hard, causing her to stumble and fall to her knees.
“What are you doing?!” She screamed. “I am Princess Elissa! How dare you treat me that way?!”
Conner stood over her, unsure what to do. She was a princess, the embodiment of the ruling class. With her fine clothes and perfect grammar, she played her part in the game of classes. She lived her life pushing others around. Not necessarily by choice or purpose, but by her nature. It was the way she was raised and it was the way the culture worked. She wasn’t mean on purpose. She wasn’t spoiled on purpose. She didn’t demand the fanciest room in the Inn because she was purposely being a snob. It was who she was because that was how she was raised and how she was expected to act. But it also wasn’t just how she was expected to act, it was how others were expected to act around her. She was the princess and others expected that they would serve her and meet her every whim because she was the princess. The culture expected it, and that is what happened. Not because she was a mean and demanding ogre, it was simply what was expected of everyone.
But as Conner looked down at her, with her face red with anger, her eyes burning with fury, he didn’t see a princess. He saw a young woman who was scared, running for her life. Wet and cold. Huddled together in that cave, they were two young people fearful of dying, wondering how they were going to survive. It wasn’t a princess and a peasant, it was a young man and a young woman.
He held a hand out to her, and said softly, “I am sorry, Elissa.”
She looked at him for a moment
“It’s going the wrong way,” Conner said. “It’s going to Tyre”.
She looked at him curiously and then looked back out the window. She chuckled and said, “Well, it can turn around, you know.”
“It’s full of cargo and heading up river. And besides, Marcus is getting us horses.”
“You shall go talk to the captain, he shall change his plans and take me back home.” She turned towards the mirror, turned her head left, then right, and then smiled.
“The horses will do,” Conner said. “The boat has business elsewhere.”
“Horses? You have ordered a carriage, of course,” Elissa said, grabbing a brush from the dresser. She looked at him and gave him a wide smile before continuing to brush out her hair.
Conner was left speechless. This was no longer the girl that he found in the forest, on the verge of being killed – or worse. This was a young woman who had little experience with life outside of her castle, and until now, it had never crossed his mind. She fussed over her looks, primping her hair and fixing her makeup, while not realizing that the very men who would kill her could be standing outside her door. Of course they would have had to get by Lawry first. Her cares were not on her livelihood, but on her material being. She was beautiful, the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. And yet, she was missing something, something very important.
“Do you realize how close you were to dying?” He asked.
“Of course,” she said flippantly. “Those men would have done so if not for you.” She stopped touching up the makeup around her eyes long enough to give him a thankful smile.
“And spending the night in the cave, almost freezing?”
“A dreadful experience for sure," Elissa said. "But if not for you, again, I would not be here.”
Conner could only shake his head at her. She spoke the words, but her tone indicated that she did not understand what she was saying.
He grabbed her hand and said, “Come on, we’re going for a walk.”
She tried to pull away, thinking he was playing some game, but Conner squeezed tighter. She let out a sharp cry. “That hurts! What are you doing?!”
“We are going for a walk.”
“No, I am not ready,” she said, still trying to pull her arm from his grasp.
He yanked hard, causing her to stumble and fall to her knees.
“What are you doing?!” She screamed. “I am Princess Elissa! How dare you treat me that way?!”
Conner stood over her, unsure what to do. She was a princess, the embodiment of the ruling class. With her fine clothes and perfect grammar, she played her part in the game of classes. She lived her life pushing others around. Not necessarily by choice or purpose, but by her nature. It was the way she was raised and it was the way the culture worked. She wasn’t mean on purpose. She wasn’t spoiled on purpose. She didn’t demand the fanciest room in the Inn because she was purposely being a snob. It was who she was because that was how she was raised and how she was expected to act. But it also wasn’t just how she was expected to act, it was how others were expected to act around her. She was the princess and others expected that they would serve her and meet her every whim because she was the princess. The culture expected it, and that is what happened. Not because she was a mean and demanding ogre, it was simply what was expected of everyone.
But as Conner looked down at her, with her face red with anger, her eyes burning with fury, he didn’t see a princess. He saw a young woman who was scared, running for her life. Wet and cold. Huddled together in that cave, they were two young people fearful of dying, wondering how they were going to survive. It wasn’t a princess and a peasant, it was a young man and a young woman.
He held a hand out to her, and said softly, “I am sorry, Elissa.”
She looked at him for a moment
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