Signal

Before Rose had decided to stand, she thought of every possibility to free her companion.

The blonde had even begun to climb down the other side of the rockface in order to look for help when two of Kent's men came rushing around the corner. The princess had barely scrambled back on top of the ridge without them spotting her.

Rose had only half a plan when the knight of Lakyle had begun to count for her to reveal herself, but half a plan would have to be enough. She would lure Kent as close to Fireball as she could. If the princess could buy Ethyn enough time to get free, they might have a chance at escaping.

Either way, the young royal needed to remain in control as much as possible. Steering the conversation would not be easy, but she was trained for it, was she not?

So just as Kent was reaching 'three' Rose stood from her hiding spot and placed her hands on her hips. "Stop!" she commanded with all her authority. "Don't harm him!"

"Ah, little mouse. I am glad to see you show yourself at last." Kent subconsciously complied with her demand, though whether it was from her words or her appearance was unclear. Either way Ethyn's head was no longer in danger as Kent's foot moved to the man's back. "I was beginning to think you were going to let the man die."

Rose swallowed as she saw the blood trickling from Ethyn's neck. Yet his steady gaze let her know that he was still alright. Tilting up her chin, Rose regarded the knight of Lakyle using her most regal voice. It was time to put her plan into action.

"Take my horse and the saddles as bounty, but let my friend and myself go."

A soldier with bushy eyebrows squinted at her with his lips pursed. Then his eyes opened wide as he hurried forward to whisper in Kent's ear. While a dastardly grin formed on Kent's face, Rose began to feel a sense of deep unease.

Kent gave a small bow. "Forgive me, but I cannot do that. It would be rude to accept a measly horse in exchange for a Princess."

Rose's mask fell for the briefest of moments as her head spun. They knew who she was! But how?

A party from Lakyle had come a few months before to talk about the raids along the border. Rose had been asked to sit in on the meetings to get a feel for the politics of the two countries, but it had mostly been the emissaries claiming they had no knowledge of the men in question.

Perhaps one of the men here had been with that group and had seen her face. That meant that not only was she exposed, but that the king of Lakyle was lying to them about the raids. This was a helpful revelation...if only she lived long enough to share it.

All of those thoughts passed in barely the blink of an eye before she furrowed her brow. "Princess?" Rose asked. "My name is Haven."

Kent scowled at his soldier, but the bushy-browed man nodded emphatically. The soldier was positive he was right. Even in the plain purple frock, he could see the regal bearing. "Don't play games with us, Your Highness! Brig prides himself on the ability to see through disguises. He wouldn't stake his reputation if he wasn't sure what he saw."

Rose took a step backwards, nearly losing her footing. She glanced behind her. The two men were already scaling the wall to capture her. She did not have much time.

"Fine, you think I am the princess? Then let us strike a deal."

Kent raised his brows and leaned on his raised knee, causing Ethyn to groan. "I'm listening."

'Think fast.' "If you let us go, I will sign anything you like. I can pardon you and your men. No one would dare defy what I have said. Even the king will listen."

"I am already free, Your Highness. Try again." Kent planted his sword in the ground dangerously close to Ethyn's head.

Rose's attention was split as she heard the groaning and cursing of the men on the rock face behind her. They seemed displeased to have been given the task of capturing her. But she needed to find some sort of leverage before they reached her or it would all be over.

"Let him go, and I will give myself up willingly. You might get me eventually, but I will injure at least a couple of your men in the process." Rose could see immediately her words had no effect. She was bluffing and he knew it.

"If my men are going to get hurt by a woman, then it is their own fault." Kent laughed. "Be on your guard. The lady is a killer!"

All of the men chuckled except those behind Rose. They hadn't heard the joke, it seemed. Or they were too close to the top and didn't want to give away the element of surprise. Rose felt a chill go down her spine.

"It is my turn to propose an agreement that you cannot refuse. You come down here and go with me quietly. We will make a short journey back to King Willric. He will give you a warm dose of his hospitality... and who knows? Maybe you will even find that you fancy one of his sons for your future husband." Kent flashed a greedy smile.

He could already see the reward that he would receive. With this service to his monarch, he could easily enter the king's inner circle. Having a king owe him a favor like that would help him greatly in his ambitions.

"In exchange for being our gracious guest. I'll let this man live. It is my final offer. The alternative is that we kill him and take you less than willingly. The choice is yours." Kent bowed his chin and looked at her with malicious glee.

The princess heard movement behind her on the boulder. Rose's time was up. She turned around to face the enemy with what was left of her courage with a rock in her hand. Her eyes opened slightly as she saw the man come over the wall.

"Wait. I will only be a moment," she said calmly.

Turning back to Sir Kent, her face became hard.

"Very well. Have it your way. Please bring my horse closer so it will catch me if I fall. I do not trust your soldiers not to man handle me." Rose looked down with all the disdain she could muster, but Kent was not fooled.

"I will not let you leap onto your horse at the final moment just so you can ride away. Tie him up." Kent watched as one of his men sent a loop around Fireball's neck.

Sheathing his sword, Kent took the horse's new lead and patted Fireball's black neck.

"Beautiful horse. I am sure he looks forward to being reunited with you once you come down."

Rose looked at Ethyn, trying to communicate just how sorry she was with her eyes. The princess knew what she needed to do, and the young woman only hoped that her companion would be ready to deal with the consequences.

"Give me a moment, I'm coming. I just need to put on my cloak." Rose disappeared from sight.

'Cloak?' Ethyn caught the word and it filled him with confusion. Rose had not come with a cloak. His eyes opened slightly.

It was a signal.