Chapter Three

A/N: Sorry for the wait. Enjoy!

Radiant Night

Chapter Three

When I woke darkness still hovered over the village, covering it like a blanket. I clumsily stumbled out of Alfred’s little medical tent, watching the people around me scramble about, working. Two women were carrying buckets of water to fill a basin, and young kids were lining up to be scrubbed down. They were all dirty and grinning impishly. Each of them held a bar of blue soap and a canvas blanket to dry off afterward.

Destry appeared out of nowhere, standing right in front of me to obscure my vision of the kids.

“Alfred told me you were up and about,” he said, a hint of disapproval in his voice. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah,” I responded, rubbing my sore arm. It was wrapped in canvas, like a bandage. “It’s still dark?”

Destry cocked a brow. “It’s always like this.”

“Where’s the sun? The clouds?”

He frowned.

“What are you talking about? I’ve never seen the sun in my life. I only know of it from my tutoring as a Knight.”

“No sun…?” I whispered.

“Do they have it in your Kingdom, Mia?” he asked more gently. “I keep forgetting you’re foreign around here.”

“Yeah… they have it….” I tried to collect my thoughts. So it was always dark here. Fine. I could handle that. I could see clearly, after all. That was possibly the strangest thing I had experienced since my arrival. Special night vision, useless in my own country.

Destry motioned for me to follow him, and he took me to a large fire. Meat was cooking on a rack, and he took some to offer me. “Try it,” he said. I was so hungry, I didn’t ask what it was. When I put in on my tongue it dissolved and crumbled satisfyingly. I smiled at him. “The Rapids we killed,” he explained. “A good source of vitamins and nutrients.” He broke off a chunk for himself.

“Destry!” I jumped and shrieked softly. The voice was commanding, authoritative. It reminded me of my father when he was particularly angry.

Destry completely changed within seconds. He jumped to attention, putting the fingertips of one hand to his brow in a salute. I saw the Radiant Guard do it often whenever Ambrose yelled.

“Sir!” Destry’s reply was curt, swift, and loud. He stared with focus at the newcomer.

Said newcomer was in very expensive robes, slightly frayed and tattered around the edges, and dressed like nobility. His bright blue hair was messy, and his dark skin shimmered with a stronger glow than the others. His eyes, I noticed with a gasp, were shocking amber and luminescent in the darkness around us.

I swallowed hard when those red eyes landed on me. He had only been meaning to sweep them over my face and look away, as he was doing with the others around us, but they caught and held my gaze.

“Who are you?” he demanded. He held a staff with a glowing orb on the top, giving off a soft purple radiance. The glare he gave me was hard; he knew I was an outsider. Perhaps it wasn’t the hardest mystery to solve, but he did not have to cross me off like that so soon.

“My name is Mia,” I replied strongly, holding my head up like a true princess. Beside me, Destry hissed.

“Bow, you idiot! Bow!”

“Why?” I asked from the corner of my mouth. A princess never bowed to one below her, and from the condition of his robes, he was certainly below me no matter how noble he ranked.

The man seemed to sense my resistance. He narrowed his eyes.

“Are you from Day?” he demanded harshly. “Have you come to claim more of our lands?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not here to claim anything.” I could feel myself growing annoyed.

He lifted the staff and rammed it into the ground. He seemed to be growing annoyed, as was I. “If you do not tell me why you are here, I will personally see to your imprisonment. Do you understand?”

“Idiot!” Destry hissed at me again. “He’s the Prince! Bow to him now!”

Prince? What Prince?

Oh. Of course. The Prince of Night.

Well, aren’t I the idiot? Of course I am. It’s my new nickname, apparently. I hadn’t thought the Prince would be here with us. Silly me, I had assumed he’d been killed with his father, or imprisoned by his uncle. That would be the logical thing to do, in prevention of the Emperor’s new claim on the throne being stolen by the heir. Apparently the Emperor wasn’t as smart as he thought he was.

But princesses still don’t bow to princes unless engaging in an activity of enjoyment and thus bowing of mutual respect. As they are of the same station and such.

“I’m here accidentally,” I said, deciding he at least deserved his question answered. He had the power here, not me. “I was running away and stumbled upon this Kingdom by mistake.”

He didn’t look like he believed me, but Destry started in on the story of the battle with the Rapids, and the Prince held up one hand to stop him.

“I already heard. I want to see our new hero for myself,” he said, looking at me like I was something disgusting. “You may stay here until you heal, Daylighter. After that, you must leave immediately. Understood?”

I nodded mutely. That should be enough time for the Radiant Guard to stop looking for me so intently, and I could ask directions to Rain or Snow and visit there. A few days in Night was more than enough fun for me.

But that was no way to thank a Princess for saving the life of his little Knight-in-training.

Without another word, the Prince turned and left. Two fancy-looking men followed him, their white beards flapping in ponytails.

“What were you trying to pull, peasant girl?” demanded Destry, running a hand through his vibrant red hair. “Oh my…” He grunted loudly, and then came at me wagging his finger. “He could have had you killed, you know. If you hadn’t helped me save Adan’s life and destroyed a scout, he would have had you killed. He has no mercy for people from Day!”

“Sorry,” I muttered sarcastically. I had some serious adjusting to do, with this pretending to be a peasant. How did a peasant behave, anyway? I was possibly doing it wrong. In fact, I was sure of it.

“And that… confidence! Are you sure you’re a peasant? Because even the Knights bow to the Prince, and they’re right below the Royal Family. Well, now we’re not, because of the Emperor, but that’s the way it always was! All His Majesty is trying to do is bring it back to the old ways and overthrow the Emperor!”

I sighed loudly and held up a hand. “Okay. I understand. I’ll bow next time, I promise.”

He didn’t seem satisfied. He rolled his eyes and backed away.

“If there is a next time, I’ll force you down myself,” he promised.

I wasn’t sure, but it sounded strangely like a threat.

Hours later, after enjoying a meal of Rapid meat, I was playing a hand game with Adan. He was only nine years old, and had begun his Knight training at the age of six. His mother came before long to collect him for fruit gathering, and Alfred came to change the bandages on my arm. As much as I appreciated his work, he was not the gentlest of medics.

I had wanted to gather fruit as well, to learn this great new custom of the Formerly Royal Night Tribe, but Alfred would not let me until an entire day of recovery was under me. So I sat by the fire, watching the flames lick the chilly air, and wrapped myself in one of Destry’s thick, Rapid fur cloaks.

I heard someone clear his throat behind me, and I looked up. Right into the eyes of the Amazing Prince of Night.

I did not say a word. I just sat there, hoping he would walk away and leave me be.

He did not.

“You are in my seat, Daylighter,” he said softly. I could hear the harshness behind the voice, and also hear him try to suppress it. My eyes widened and I leapt to my right as if he’d placed a hot brand on my back. I couldn’t move fast enough. He did not say a word, and seated himself beside me.

Silence descended upon us like a shroud, and I allowed it to leak through the air like the smoke of the fire. I would not try a conversation, for the thought alone was enough to burn me.

I didn’t have to worry about it. He began to speak.

“I heard that, in your Kingdom, the sun stays in the sky all the time,” he said softly, trying to keep the metal bite out of his voice. “Is it true?”

I nodded. “Yes. It’s never dark, nor cold.” I tried to laugh, but was too nervous to make a real sound. “Sometimes it’s too warm, and people are walking everywhere with water skins in their hands and their proper wool jackets slung over one shoulder.” I glanced over at him and saw him watching me. I remembered to say it after a moment. “Sir.”

He heaved a deep breath and looked out over the flames. It was such a sight as I had never seen before, flames against the night with stars shining cheerfully above and the beams of the moon illuminating the dark trees dimly. It was truly beautiful.

“I understand your customs may be different from ours,” he began, his red eyes roaming everywhere at once. “And I also understand that I am not your King, nor your Prince, nor any royalty of this Kingdom any longer. It’s a difficult thing to come to terms with, but true nonetheless. And I… apologize… for the prejudice I have against you. You saved one of my young Knights and killed one of my uncle’s scouts, and for that I am grateful.

“And you may call me Joaquin. Not sir, please. I cannot command respect where it is not deserved, my lady.”

“Mia,” I corrected, feeling uneasy and a little stunned. Royalty never apologized, at least not in Day. And they never allowed mere peasants the use of their given names. “Call me Mia.”

He smiled at me, and I did the same. The ice between us was already beginning to crack, though it would take much more time for it to break apart completely. Still, I felt a little fluttering start in my abdomen, so I had to look away.

The fruit gathering group returned after many interminable minutes of silence with Prince Joaquin, during which he only spoke to offer me as much time in the lands as I wanted. I accepted his hospitality wholeheartedly, glad to have more time away from the Radiant Guard.

Adan put down a canvas sack stuffed with down and stitched up tight, right near the fire, once the fruit had been properly cared for and he was preparing for bed. He dropped a blanket of flannel cloths sewn together over it and plopped down. His mother told him a story about a knight, a princess, and a dragon, the same one every child was told before bed across the countries, and he went to sleep eager for pleasant dreams. Destry would not speak to me as he prepared himself, and I did not push.

It was maybe halfway through bed time when we heard it. My sharpened sense of hearing picked up the wailing from far away, but I was not alone. Prince Joaquin also sat straight up as I did, across the clearing from me. He frowned in my direction, furrowing his brow to concentrate.

Horse’s hooves, I detected, as they came closer. Loud shouts. Angry voices.

“Someone’s coming,” I said, as loud as I dared, which was not very. The Prince was the only one who heard me, and he nodded. Leaping up, he ran to me.

“You know how to fight, correct?” he asked, tossing me a sword and a sheath just as Destry had.

“I suppose,” I said softly, tying it around my waist while I spoke. “I killed a lot of Rapids.”

He froze over Destry, whom he had been about to wake up. “The Rapids…” he whispered. Then his eyes widened. “The scout! It’s my uncle!” He turned to me and tossed another sword that he had been tying to his waist. He kicked Destry in the back and ran over beside another tent to pick up two sharp, metal sticks that he twirled in his hands. Destry coughed and sat up.

“What time is it?” he groaned.

“We’ve got company, Destry! Look alive!” The Prince called out. Destry ran to a tent and grabbed a shield and his sword. On the way back he woke everyone he came in contact with.

The Prince’s extra sword would be more of a burden than anything, since I did not know how to use two at once, so I passed it on to a boy of about ten, who was scrounging around for a decent weapon.

Then they were upon us. I hadn’t noticed, in all the chaos of our shouting and that of the Emperor’s guard, one burly man come in front of me, slashing his sword to try and decapitate my head. I looked up, with no time to pull out my own sword and take his expansive chest by speed, and predicted my death by closing my eyes.

There was a loud clanging of metal on metal. I looked up, surprised to see the Prince himself fighting off my attacker. It took five seconds flat for Joaquin to take his life. He looked over his shoulder at me.

“All right, Mia?” he yelled. I nodded.

The next one I heard as he tried to sneak up behind me. In one liquid, speedy motion I spun and whipped out my sword. His chest became a geyser as the blood spewed from the deep wound and he fell to the ground. He had been big as well.

Three minutes into our brawl, I realized they were all huge and lacking in brains. They had a lot of strength, but our villagers, even Alfred and that little boy I’d given the sword, could take them on easily.

I also noticed the Prince rarely left my side. We killed one man together, the Prince on the left and me on the right. Together, nothing could stop us. After that man went down, the Prince patted my shoulder and said, “Nice work!” Then he moved on to another big man, and I turned to two more.

I killed them both, taking advantage of my new speed, and sent three more running for the trees to hide. The Prince and Destry were both amazing, and little Adan had climbed a tree and was shooting arrows using small bows and tiny darts on his sling shot.

But it was just minutes before our victory when the scare of my life was upon me. Five men surrounded me out of nowhere. One punched his fist into the palm of his other hand.

“This gots ta be da one, boys!” he yelled. “She lookses diff’rint.”

I rolled my lip in disgust. Then, using my amazing speed, I swiped through the whole circle of them and watched them collapse.

Except the one who’d spoken. He grabbed my sword, with me still hanging onto the hilt, bent the blade and tossed it and me into the bushes. My right arm, still bandaged but more useful than when I was first given the injury, smashed into the ground as I landed. No one saw this. The Prince and Destry were both too wrapped up in their own battles to care. I watched them each take another big man down, and I silently cheered, trying to sit up and get to my sword.

The big man who’d thrown me got me from behind, lifting me like I was a sheet of canvas and throwing me over his shoulder. He walked right out of the clearing without anyone noticing. I beat on his back with my fists, but it hurt too much to use my right arm so I had to make do with my left. I learned I am definitely not strong enough to make a man made of pure muscle slow down or stop, or even inflict the smallest kind of a bruise or irritation.

He laughed the whole way, while I beat and kicked against him. We soon left the clearing far behind, but as he walked out, so did the members of his army who were still alive, falling into a small, single file line. Most were limping. One was missing half of his face.

“The boss knews ‘choo was ‘ere, girly.” He chuckled, tossing me slightly so I would land higher up his shoulder. “He sawed you just soon’s ‘choo walks in our lands. He wants… a wood wit ‘choo.” Cat calls echoed out behind me. I swallowed hard and stopped pounding him. It was no use. Unless the Prince or Destry came after me, I was going to go to “the boss.”

I knew who that was. It was the Emperor. Of course it was.

And he wanted a “wood” with me. I think he meant “word”, but I couldn’t be too sure. The dummy had obviously not been too endowed in the brains department, and I could only hope the Emperor was the same way. Maybe a little smaller, but not too smart.

I hoped with all my heart Destry or the Prince would follow me. They just had to. Why wouldn’t they? I had saved the life of a young Knight, after all. I was a hero. It was just a matter of waiting.

I began to hum. It was a song my mother had often sung to me when I was younger, and I loved it very much. It always reminded me of comfort and safety, neither of which I was feeling right now.

“Shuddup!” yowled the man who was carrying me, and before I could see it coming, he lifted his fist and punched my head in just the spot to make pain and sleep leak into my vision at the same time. It all went blacker than the night.

A/N: This chapter had two drafts. This one and one just like it that had a lot of sentence structure issues and a not-very-likeable Prince. I wanted the Prince to be semi-likeable without going over the top. He doesn’t particularly care for Mia, but he’s trying to be nice because she did them a favor without asking for anything in return. So that’s pretty much that explanation, in case you were wondering why he became nice all of a sudden. I think it’s also a little obvious that their countries are not on the most civil of terms with each other, so there are prejudices there on both sides.

Now as a side note: This isn’t my main story, for those of you actually reading past the first chapter. My other story is, and that’s probably why the quality of writing for this is a little less than my best. I will fix it. I just want to move on. I’m not perfect, after all, so this won’t be either. But it’s a lot of fun to write, and a good break from the suspense of my other one. Mia’s a pretty round character, I think. There’s depth to her, like she doesn’t want to be a princess and yet she can’t help it because it’s all she knows.

I love getting reviews, and I want to know what you honestly think. I’m going to finish this whether or not anyone likes it, but I really hope you do. Questions are more than welcome, and if you hate it, tell me. I can’t fix it if I don’t know there’s a problem!