But… nothing happens.
No shout. No movement. No pain.
By now, he should have grabbed the knife and stabbed me.
Slowly, I open my eyes, just a little, trying to see why he hasn't done anything.
I look at him, and he is staring straight into my soul. If his eyes could shoot arrows, a hundred of them would already be buried in my chest.
He takes one step forward.
Fear makes me take two steps back. My body tightens as I retreat, and my arms rise instinctively in front of me, trying to shield myself from an incoming blow.
He takes a deep breath and says, "I have told you enough times—you can't escape me. There is no point in even trying. Next time, if you do anything stupid, I will feed you to the wild. And this time, it is not just a warning."
That terrifying voice strikes straight into my soul. I guess I will have nightmares about it.
He steps forward, and I step back—but my back hits the wall beside me.
There is nowhere left to move.
He sighs and rolls his eyes. He steps aside and says , trying to lowering his voice to hide anger and frustration , "Go back to the mattress."
I obey immediately. I sit down and lower my head, trying not to make any sound so I don't add fuel to his anger.
He picks up the knife from the floor and places it back on the shelf.
" And Why aren't you eating anything? You—" he snaps again, but Richard cuts him off.
"This time its not her fault. I mean , she couldn't eat even if she wanted to. She was unconscious," Richard says.
"Well, she still had enough time to run," Arthur replies, but I am looking at Richard. It feels like he is trying to protect me from that beast.
"She will eat now, right?" Richard says.
I quickly nod twice. Because if I argue now, I might not even have my head on my neck.
Richard goes through his bag and takes out a pouch.
He pulls out a stuffed bun and hands it to me smilingly.
"Here, have this."
I take it and glance at Arthur, who is already staring at me. I take a bite. It tastes really good—soft on the outside and filled with warm potato stuffing.
"Let's eat. We can't cook now because they'll see the smoke rising, so this is all we have," Richard says as he picks up my old plate filled with pottage and stands up.
Arthur grabs three plates while Richard places my plate in the washing area and brings a mat for them to sit on.
Richard takes the stuffed buns and places four on Arthur's plate and four on his own. Then he looks at me and asks, "How many do you want?"
"This one is enough," I say, showing him the bun in my hand. I already ate pottage in the morning, and I am not hungry.
But Arthur takes one stuffed bun, places it on a plate, and sets the plate in front of me.
" No .. I " I stopped as he looks at me with his cold eyes.
As he place the plate, I notice the bite mark on his arm, just above his wrist. It is still clearly visible. I realize how hard I must have bitten him—it looks as if a wild animal attacked him.
He notices where my eyes are fixed. Without saying anything, he slides the plate closer to me and pulls down his sleeve, hiding the mark.
They begin to eat. The echo of my name in the forest has stopped. I can no longer hear it.
What did they do? How did they manage all the soldiers? Did they kill them?
My mind races with terrifying questions. But they are still wearing the same clothes as in the morning, and there is not a single drop of blood on them.
So… what really happened? My thoughts get interrupted by Richard's voice, "He also bought you clothes."
I look at Arthur. He is staring at Richard with widened eyes, as if Richard has said something he was not supposed to.
"We -we bought you new clothes," Richard says, glancing at Arthur and then at me.
"Show her," Richard adds with a small smile.
"Why don't you eat first , and let me eat too?" Arthur says, still watching Richard.
Richard nods and starts eating his bun.
I finish my first bun and keep staring at my plate. I have no appetite for the next one. I don't feel hungry anymore.
Richard lets out a loud burp.
"Aghh… that was really good. I'm full, but I wish we had more."
"You can have this," I say, pushing my bun toward Richard.
"Are you already full?" Richard asks, tilting his head slightly in surprise.
"Yes, I am."
"Do princesses eat only this much? Even sparrows would eat more," Richard replies.
"It's not like that. I'm just not hungry, so you can have—"
Arthur cuts me off. "It's because of those herbs that made you unconscious. You don't feel hungry right now because their effect is masking it. You haven't eaten properly, and when the effect fades, the hunger will hit you. Eat it, or you'll be starving at night."
"No, I won't. I know my own appetite," I say coldly to him.
Then I turn to Richard, smiled politely, and add, "You can have it."
"He's right. People feel extremely hungry after being unconscious from that herb," Richard says.
Arthur scoffs.
"Fine. Don't eat. Just don't come begging for food at midnight, when your stomach starts crying for mercy."
I don't look at him , ignoring him and continue talking to Richard.
"If that happens, I'll eat the apple you gave me in the morning. That will be enough for me."
Richard looks at Arthur.
Arthur gives me a mocking smile and scoffs . "As you wish , Princess," he says sarcastically.
Richard happily takes my plate and eats the stuffed bun.
Arthur rummages through his bag, pulls out another bundle, and throws it at me.
I try to catch it, but it hits my face instead.
They both giggle.
I look at them. Arthur quickly returns to his cold expression, but Richard is still smiling at me.
I ignore them and look at the bundle. Inside are simple red cotton clothes. They are not as soft as the silk I am used to wearing, but at least I don't have to keep wearing these dirty clothes anymore.
Richard finishes eating, grabs all the plates, and walks toward the washing area.
Arthur stands up and goes outside. He closes the door behind him so I won't run again.
He returns within a minute with another rope in his hand.
Richard is washing the dishes when Arthur comes to me and is about to tie me.
I want to change my clothes first. These are dirty, torn, and soaked with sweat. I can't stay in them any longer.
He starts tying my arms, and I keep thinking whether I should ask him about changing my clothes. I have already done too much today. I am not in a position to ask for anything.
He ties my wrists tightly and then moves to my ankles. As he works, his sleeve slips up, and I see the bite mark.
NO. I won't ask him anything.
I will ask , Richard, when he leaves. He might agree, but this one will only throw more rude words at me. So it's better to stay quiet.
A sharp ache spreads through my wrists and ankles. He has tied me far too tight.
Richard finishes washing the dishes and places them on the shelf.
Arthur starts walking out of the room.
Richard smiles at him and says, "Good night."
Arthur only replies, "Hmm."
He leaves, and Richard starts preparing his bedding near the door.
"Richard," He hummed without turning towards me , placing his bedding. I gather my courage and ask, "my clothes..... are dirty, and I can't sleep in them....." He looks at me . I hesitate but asked , Can I..... please change them?"
He looks tired and just wants to sleep. "Why didn't you ask before he tied you?". His voice sounds like he didn't have any energy left .
"I…" What should I say? I look at Richard pleadingly.
"Fine." He comes closer and starts untying my hands.
I smile. "Thank you so much. You are so kind… not like him." I whisper under my breath .
Richard heard it and gives me a look.
"I mean… you… he—" I run out of words.
"He is not a bad guy," Richard says while working on the rope. "He is sweet and nice—"
I scoff. Sweet? Nice? Him?
Is he really talking about Arthur?
Richard stops and looks at me, his gaze saying, Let me finish, girl.
"Sorry," I murmur.
"He is a nice guy. Once you know him, you will find out. He is the best. He is kind, and caring. He cares about his people. You know, he is good at everything. He can do things that seem impossible to others. He always has a solution for everything."
It is hard to believe he is talking about same Arthur. To me, Arthur seems rude and commanding, someone who wants everything under his control and expects the world to move according to his will. He cares about himself, not about anyone else.
But then, I remember their pottage fight—how he handed Richard the bigger portion.
A small smile forms on my lips at the memory.
Richard notices me smiling. "You don't believe what I'm saying, right?" He finishes untying the rope.
"No… I wasn't smiling about that."
"It's okay. You don't know him yet," Richard says as he stands up. "Get changed. I'll be outside. Tell me when you're done."
He walks out and closes the door behind him.
I take the clothes out of the bag. There are two dresses—one red, and the other… also red.
They are both the same. They must have picked the first one they saw.
I start changing my clothes when I hear Arthur's voice from outside.
"Why are you standing outside?" Arthur asks.
"She is changing her clothes," Richard answers.
And now he will say something bad about me again. Ugh, this man…
"Why didn't she ask before I tied her?" Arthur says calmly.
Oh, He isn't angry? I thought he would either scold me or taunt me.
"Why do you think, she didn't tell you before?" Richard says.
"Don't put it on me. It's all her doing. She keeps making things worse for herself," Arthur replies.
"She is only doing what any of us would do , if we were in her place," Richard says.
After that, there is complete silence.
I finish changing. "I am done," I say.
The door opens, and Richard comes in.
Arthur is standing outside, looking at me.
For a moment, I see something in his eyes… pity?
He seems lost in thought. Then, suddenly, that softness disappears. His eyes fill with rage again, and he turns away and walks to his room.
What was that? I sit on the mattress, confused.
What is wrong with him? Sometimes he is calm, and the next moment he becomes cold, as if I have done something terribly wrong to him.
I remember his words — he called my father a traitor.
What did we ever do to him?
My father is kind and good king. I don't remember him ever fighting another kingdom. There is no history of him starting or joining wars or harming anyone. So how could he have hurt Arthur?
Richard finishes making his bed. He takes one blanket and gives it to me and said , " Do you want anything else. Tell me now, I am not going to wake up once i lie down on my bed".
I nodded my head signing No.
Then he kneels and picks up the rope. He is about to tie me again, but he stops and looks at me.
"Do you still, plan on running?" he asks.
What should I say?
I want to escape the first chance I get.
But I am also afraid… because if I am caught again, Arthur might really kill me.