Knights of The Dauntless Princess

Chapter 15: Tent

What happened last night felt like a dream for Amara, and she couldn't help but wonder if it actually happened.

Did Dravis really... hug me? A-And did I really hug him too? Sh*t!

Amara's face turned crimson as they prepared to leave. Cyrus noticed it and furrowed his brow in concern.

"My princess, are you feeling unwell?"

Amara was slightly taken aback by Cyrus' question, bringing her back to reality. "H-Huh? Oh, yes, I'm fine. T-There's nothing to worry about me! Eheh!"

"Your face is all red," Cyrus remarked, leaning towards her as if to touch her forehead. Amara suddenly avoided him and didn't know why she reacted like that.

Oh, gosh! Why am I like this? I hope he didn't misunderstand.

"N-No! I'm perfectly fine! This really happens sometimes. Thank you for your concern," Amara said, unintentionally shifting her gaze to Dravis. Still, she quickly gasped, and her heart raced when she noticed that the young man was already looking at her. There was no expression on Dravis' face, but Amara couldn't explain why she felt that way with just a simple glance.

"Let's go. We shouldn't be caught in daylight," Dravis said, seemingly unaware of Amara's embarrassment.

Cyrus and Amara followed him. They left that inn behind and continued their journey. Dravis wanted them to leave Erin before daybreak. He thought concealing the princess in daylight would be more complicated, so they needed to hurry.

As expected by Dravis, there were soldiers guarding the large gate leading out of Erin. If they continued on, they would indeed be questioned and discover their true intentions of taking the princess out of Erin.

"What should we do?" Amara asked.

Dravis narrowed his eyes on the soldiers. He thought they shouldn't know that Amara had already left Erin, as he intended to make them search for her there. To make it happen, Dravis thought of changing their path.

"We'll go around! Let's pass through the forest!" Dravis declared, pulling his horse's reins.

Dravis believed fighting wild beasts in the forest would be easier than confronting the soldiers. They would be able to put the princess away from those soldiers and escape that area without anyone knowing.

That's what they did, and just as they expected, they were met by ferocious animals. They fought against them and killed every beast that tried to attack them. Dravis regretted not being able to sell those beasts; however, he set that thought aside since Amara's life and their mission were more important.

They finally left Erin and reached a small river that served as a boundary between Erin and Priya—the Florencia River. It was named after the abundance of beautiful flowers and plants surrounding it, resembling a paradise. Amara's eyes sparkled at the sight; it was her first time visiting the place.

"I didn't know such a place existed in Erin," Amara happily exclaimed.

Cyrus nodded, "Yes, not many people know about this part. Moreover, it's not easy for people to come here because they have to pass through the forest we crossed earlier. Only hunters are familiar with this place as they are capable of traversing the wild beasts in the forest."

Upon hearing that, Amara's smile widened. She felt grateful to have seen such a place.

"Is that so? I'm so lucky—" Amara paused as she noticed a knife coming towards her. As she was startled by what happened, her hood fell, exposing her face.

She was so shocked she almost got hit by it. Immediately, Dravis and Cyrus turned their sharp gazes toward the source of the knife. They saw four men who, in Dravis' perception, seemed to be... hunters.

"I knew it was you," the man with long curly hair grinned creepily. "Beloved princess."

Dravis' eyes darkened. He knew they were in a dangerous situation, but he thought it was fortunate that those men had found them instead of the soldiers.

"Lady Amara, are you alright?" Cyrus asked out of concern.

Amara nodded at him while keeping her eyes on the men who attacked her.

These men, they are after me!

"Who are you, gentlemen? Did you capture her? Are you going to take her straight to the palace? Hmm? I don't think so because the palace is on the other side of Erin. So, where are you going to take her?" the untrustworthy-looking man observed.

"They will probably hide that girl in Priya," said the mustached man with a broad physique.

"Seems like it," said the long-haired guy. "But I won't allow that to happen! There's a huge reward for that girl's head."

"You insolent fools! Who are you to call the princess like that!?" Cyrus exclaimed angrily, but they just laughed at him.

"Princess? Does she still see herself that way?" another man said, continuing to laugh and mock Amara. "Stop deluding yourself! A murderer shouldn't be a princess! She's a criminal!"

"What did you say?!" Cyrus grew even more furious, but he was momentarily silenced when Dravis calmly dismounted his horse.

"Dravis," Cyrus called out and finally understood what was on his mind. Cyrus grinned and also dismounted.

"Don't waste your time arguing with these pea-sized brain people. We're running out of time," Dravis confidently said, drawing his sword from his back. "Let's quickly rid the world of these useless creatures."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing!" Cyrus swung his ax, signaling that he was ready to fight. "Lady Amara, stay here and watch. We'll take care of these scoundrels who dared to insult you."

"But, I can also fight—"

"Just stay here," Dravis quickly said, as if commanding her. "This will only take a moment. It won't last long."

The men seemed annoyed by what they said and became alert for battle. They wanted to get Amara, and they didn't care if they needed to fight just to get her.

"You arrogant fools! Prepare yourselves, for I will offer your heads to our king! Hyah!!!" shouted the man with long hair, and the battle began.

Four hunters against two brave former soldiers of the kingdom. The hunters were skilled at handling their weapons, but it wasn't enough to overcome the two young defenders of the princess.

In a matter of moments, Cyrus and Dravis had slain two of them, leaving the other two fearful. But what they did, disrespecting the princess, was unforgivable to them, so they made up their minds to get rid of them all.

"W-Who are you? W-Why are you protecting that girl?" the man asked, trembling but still determined to fight. He couldn't understand why Dravis and Cyrus were protecting Amara when they knew that she was the one who killed the former king.

"Wait, Amos! I-I think... I think I recognize them from somewhere!" another hunter said, staring intently at Dravis. But, Dravis showed no interest in whether he really did recognize them or not.

"If I'm not mistaken, the young man with the ax is Cyrus! And this man with him, I'm not quite sure, but I think... I think he's Dravis, the former general of Emmett!"

"W-What?! W-What are you saying?" the man asked in shock.

"Cyrus and Dravis, they're known in the town of Erin because they were former soldiers of the kingdom! Dravis was well-known in this town for being the youngest general before, and he was always with his former lieutenant, Cyrus, who was very skilled at handling an ax as his weapon! If he really is Cyrus, then the other one is probably Dravis!"

The hunters' teeth gritted in fear upon discovering their opponents' identities. Dravis' eyes, though emotionless, were terrifying to behold. However, driven by the large bounty, they stubbornly insisted on fighting.

"I don't care!!! I don't care who they are!!! I will take the princess—" The man's words were cut short as Dravis swiftly swung his sword, slicing through his neck.

In fear of the remaining hunter, he turned his back and tried to flee, but Cyrus hurled his mace, hitting the back of his head. Their bodies fell onto the green grass, lifeless.

"Let the wolves clean up their bodies," Dravis said, mounting his horse once again. "Let's go."

Cyrus retrieved his ax and mounted his own horse. He followed them, and they continued their journey towards Priya.

In Amara's mind, she admired the young men, Cyrus and Dravis. She thought that if she hadn't been with them, she would likely have been captured or dead by then.

They reached the boundary of Priya, and unlike Erin, where there were scattered guards, they entered Priya without any difficulty. Amara wondered why but was grateful for it.

They stopped by the shade of some trees to rest. They drank water to refresh themselves. Dravis dived into the river to catch fish while Cyrus prepared for cooking. They set up a small tent for Amara so she could rest for a while.

Dravis emerged from the water carrying a couple of large fish as Cyrus gathered some fruit. It was enough to satisfy their hunger for the day.

Amara peeked outside the tent when she heard the voices of the two men talking. She saw Cyrus grilling the fish while Dravis leaned against a tree, seemingly resting, shirtless. Amara felt her throat dry up again at the captivating sight of the man. She quickly hid inside the tent, holding her chest as her heart raced during those moments.

W-What the hell am I doing!? A-Am I being a p*****t? N-No! I-I'm not like that! Geez!

"Hey, princess—" Dravis said as he parted the tent's flap, but he was surprised to see Amara's beautiful shocked face so close to him.

Their eyes met, and time seemed to stop for both of them. They were equally shocked by the close proximity of their faces. Amara's heart was nearly going insane, and she didn't know how to calm herself as she stared at the incredibly handsome face of the man.

After a moment, Dravis smiled sparingly, then gently put his lips to hers. The young lady's eyes widened in surprise as she didn't know that Dravis would do that. Dravis kissed her without her consent, but Amara didn't do anything to stop him or push him away. She couldn't believe that was happening, but in her thought, Dravis's lips felt like a sweet fruit she wanted to taste even more. She wanted it more.

Is this... really happening? Did he just kiss me?

When their lips finally separated, the man acted as if nothing had happened. "Come on. Let's eat."

Amara lowered her head to hide her and turned crimson. She just nodded and didn't show her flushed face. Dravis left, and the young lady once again hid inside the tent. Her whole body felt hot, and she couldn't understand this strange feeling caused by a simple kiss. She was confused about why Dravis did it, but Amara couldn't deny to herself that she liked it. And because their lips had touched for a few seconds, she seemed to desire to taste it again.

Do kisses... really taste that way? It's... so sweet and heartwarming. What am I thinking? I must be going crazy! W-Why does it seem like I want him to do it again? Sh*t!

"Hey, princess! Come out already. Let's eat," Dravis said with a mischievous smile, thinking of teasing the girl further. "Oh, do you want me to come in again—"

"N-No! Wait! I'm coming out!!!" Amara suddenly interrupted upon hearing his words. She was filled with intense nervousness and embarrassment, not knowing how to go out when she knew her face was burning red.

Dravis, you're such a fool!