Knights of The Dauntless Princess

Chapter 52: Pete and Pollie

The heavy rain continued, and they believed it wouldn't stop anytime soon due to its intensity, so they decided to spend the night there. They took turns sleeping to ensure their safety, not only from enemies but also from wild animals that might attack them while they slept.

Amara lay down on her mat and wrapped herself in the blanket they brought. She closed her eyes, but when she heard Dravis's voice, she immediately opened them again.

"Oh, you're awake," Cyrus said.

"You should sleep now. I'll take your place," Dravis said, sitting beside Cyrus.

Amara couldn't see the two young men because she had her back to them. She didn't want to face them because they would realize she hadn't been sleeping. She thought it was better for her to pretend to be asleep. Even though she didn't want to eavesdrop on their conversation, she couldn't help but listen.

"Dravis," Cyrus called. Dravis glanced at him briefly and then returned his gaze to the pouring rain. Cyrus furrowed his brow and sighed. "I'm sorry, it seems like I've been talking too much again."

"It looks like it," Dravis replied shortly, which seemed to surprise Cyrus.

"Y-You know?" Cyrus asked, sounding puzzled.

"I heard everything you said, i***t," Dravis said, scrutinizing him with his eyes. "Anyway, I let you be earlier, thinking you could control yourself, but it seems I was wrong."

"I-I'm sorry, Dravis," Cyrus apologized as he smiled awkwardly.

"There's nothing we can do about it now. Besides, that's all in the past, and it's pointless for me to dwell on it," Dravis replied coldly.

Cyrus lowered his head and clenched his fists, "B-But... are you really serious that the person we're going to see in Niall is—"

Dravis nodded immediately without hesitation, "As I said if we want to have a spy inside the palace, the only person I can think of who can do that is none other than that man."

"B-But—"

"Don't worry about me," Dravis said, his gaze still serious and distant. "The past won't affect me."

Amara pondered on what they were discussing. She felt like the person they were about to see in Niall had a connection to Dravis's tumultuous past, and that's what Amara was mulling over.

The early morning arrived, and the rain momentarily ceased. They continued their journey to reach Niall. After a few more hours, they could already see the town, but there were many guards patrolling and watching over the borders of it.

"What should we do? They'll find out we're not from Niall," Orson asked.

Dravis stared at the guards as if assessing the possibilities they had to surpass them.

"If we manage to get past them, we're not even sure if we'll be able to get past those inside! There's bound to be a lot in there too," Ranz said.

"Dravis," Cyrus called out, and he looked at him. "Do you still remember the exact path to get there?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but according to my calculations, it's in the far eastern part of this town," Dravis replied.

"I read a book that mentioned Niall was once a hideout for escaped prisoners many years ago. According to the book, they created secret passageways to come and go through those pathways in Niall!" Cyrus exclaimed.

"Yes, I do remember my father mentioning something like that back then," Dravis added.

"But how will we know or find those if they are indeed secrets?" Louie asked.

"I'm not sure," Dravis replied. "That's what I'm also thinking."

"It seems like we need to plan carefully on how to enter that town!" Ranz suggested.

They continued observing from a distance for a while, but they knew they wouldn't spot the signs unless they took action and explored. Dravis recounted to Cyrus what he had read before and seemed to have found a clue about where the secret passages might be located.

"If that's the case... we don't need to approach Niall's front gate," Dravis said. "Because the secret passageways might be right here around us. If the prisoners used those passages to escape, they wouldn't choose the main gate where guards are stationed. Most likely, it's in the rear part of the town where there aren't many patrols."

It appeared that everyone agreed with Dravis' assessment. They planned and searched for potential passages that would lead them into Niall. Night fell once again, and they still hadn't found anything.

"Are there really secret passages to Niall? Maybe they've sealed them off!" Ranz questioned.

Cyrus furrowed his brow, "Possible. It's possible that they've sealed off the passages, so the soldiers aren't concerned about enemies infiltrating anymore! Tsk!"

"But who knows, we might not be aware; there could be other passages they didn't notice! Let's keep searching!" Louie said.

Dravis looked up at the sky as darkness began to consume it. "I think we'll have to resume our search tomorrow. It's going to be difficult to search in the dark. We can't use lights because they would definitely notice us. For now, let's find a place to rest."

And that's what they did. Once again, they found a cave not far from Niall. The rain started pouring again, and they were grateful to have found shelter before it began.

"Are you okay?" Nina asked Amara, noticing her quietness.

"H-Huh?" Amara turned to her, seemingly surprised, and then forced a smile. "Yes, I'm fine."

But the truth was, she was once again reminded of the conversation between Dravis and Cyrus from the previous night. Amara glanced at Dravis, and just like before, he was sitting quietly in the corner. It seemed like the young man felt her gaze, so he looked her way. Amara was taken aback, but she couldn't immediately tear her gaze away from him. They locked eyes for a moment, and the spell was broken only when Nina addressed her again.

"Here, have something to eat. You might be hungry," Nina said, and Amara nodded.

"Thank you." As Amara lowered her gaze once more, Dravis was engaged in conversation with Cyrus, Ranz, and Louie. She felt a pang of sadness and an urge to approach the young man and embrace him, but it wasn't the right time for that.

The rain continued to pour, and it was one of the factors hindering their mission. The night grew deeper, and the rain intensified even more.

"It seems like this rain won't stop until tomorrow," Ranz remarked.

"It's likely that there's a storm passing near this area right now, which is why it's so strong," Cyrus said.

"Just let it be for now," Louie replied and looked at the two young women beside them. "You should rest for a while. It's better for you to get enough sleep so you don't get sick."

Louie smiled at Amara and Nina. Nina nodded and gestured for Amara to sleep.

"Come on! Let's sleep over there," Nina said, pointing to a spot within the cave. "I also want to rest."

"Okay."

Amara followed her, and they moved a bit away from their companions. They were still within the reach of the firelight, but it was getting darker. Amara could also feel the overwhelming sleepiness, especially since she didn't sleep much the previous night. Moreover, it was quite cold due to the rain, so she could really sense her body longing for rest.

Amara slowly closed her eyes and succumbed to drowsiness. She started to dream and saw the likeness of her mother in her dream. Her mother was smiling at her and calling her repeatedly, as if... waiting for her to approach. In Amara's dream, she took steps forward, but her mother seemed to move farther away even though she was just standing still. Amara couldn't figure out why, even when she started running, she still couldn't catch up with her mother.

"M-Mother... mother!!!" Amara mumbled in her sleep.

"Miss... miss..." she heard a small voice, but she couldn't tell whether she was still dreaming because the voice was unfamiliar to her. Amara felt a small finger tapping on her cheek as if trying to wake her up, and the voice called softly, "Miss? Miss!!!"

Amara slowly opened her eyes, and it felt like she wasn't fully back to reality when she saw the image of a young girl sitting in front of her. She blinked her eyes shut and then opened them again, and it was only then that Amara realized it wasn't a dream – there was indeed a young girl who had awakened her and was sitting right in front of her.

Amara jolted awake and sat up from lying. The child was startled, and she was about to run into the cave's interior when Amara's hand reached out and gently restrained her.

"Who are you?" the princess asked in a soft voice.

Nina seemed to awaken because of this, as did their other companions, including Dravis and Ranz, who also turned their attention to them. The child appeared anxious and trembled. She quickly pulled away from Amara's grasp and fled in fear towards the depths of the cave.

"Wait!!!" Amara cried out, swiftly rising to her feet and chasing after the child.

"Princess!!!" Nina called.

Due to the quick response of the two young men, Dravis and Ranz immediately followed Amara. They entered the cave and were surprised to find that its interior was even more vast than they had imagined. The child continued to run, with Amara hot on her heels.

"Wait! Wait for me! I have no ill intentions towards you!" Amara pleaded with the child.

The young child was running out of breath from her sprint. Exhausted and with her tiny legs giving out, she was eventually caught by Amara. Amara gently held her hand and pulled her to a stop. The child burst into tears and still struggled against Amara's grip.

"Let me go! Don't hurt me! Have mercy! Let me go!!!" the little girl cried, appearing to Amara as no more than nine years old.

"No! I won't hurt you, I promise! I only want to thank you," Amara reassured, trying to soothe the child.

Dravis and Ranz arrived, and the child became scared again. However, Amara smiled at him to provide assurance that they weren't bad people.

"You don't need to worry, they're kind, I promise," Amara said with a sweet smile, loosening her grip on the child.

"They're kind?" the child sniffled and Amara nodded.

"What's your name!? Why are you here? Are you alone?" the princess asked in succession.

"Pollie!!!" another voice shouted.

"Big bro!!!" the relieved young girl exclaimed, the same one whom Amara had chased earlier, running towards the arriving boy.

Amara stood up from her kneeling position earlier, with Dravis and Ranz now standing behind her.

"What are these children doing here!?" Ranz asked. "Are they lost?"

"I don't think so," Dravis replied. "The little girl wouldn't be running towards us if her brother weren't here when she was lost."

"Then why are they here?" Ranz asked irritably.

"Who are you!? What are you doing here!?" the brave young boy demanded.

"Hey! Hey! We should be the ones asking you that!" Ranz retorted.

"Please don't shout at them. They might get more scared of us," Amara said, stepping forward to speak to the two children.

"Hi, um, I'm Amara," the young woman introduced herself. "These two are Dravis and Ranz. And you, what are your names?"

Amara's sweet smile seemed irresistible to the children.

"I'm Pollie!" the young girl happily introduced herself.

"I'm Pete," the 12-year-old boy said, avoiding direct eye contact.

"Where are your parents? Why are you here at this time of night?" Amara inquired.

"T-They're at home," Pete replied. "Back in Niall."

"In Niall?" Amara asked, approaching the children.

The young boy nodded and then looked directly at them. "We'll also be going back there shortly after we've delivered Grandpa's medicine."

"Going back? Wait, isn't it forbidden to enter and leave the town of Niall without the soldiers' permission? How did you manage to leave there when they only allow merchants and wealthy people who bring money into the town?" Ranz asked, puzzled.

"A secret passage!" the young girl replied, widening Amara's eyes in surprise.

"A-a secret passage?"

"Yes, our grandpa showed it to me when he was still strong. That's the way we come and go from Niall and send his medicine to him," Pete answered.

"No one else can take care of Grandpa. He lives not far from here, but we can't go out because of the heavy rain. We're worried that something might happen to him because he hasn't taken his medicine yet," Pollie responded. "Grandpa's health is weak, and he's sick. We hope he's okay in his hut."

Amara could sense the sadness in the children's eyes. She glanced at Dravis and Ranz, and it seemed like the two young men understood what was on her mind. They nodded and Amara gave them a subtle smile.

Amara extended her hands in front of the two children, which puzzled them. They looked at her with curiosity, and a sweet smile was returned by the princess.

"We have a skilled doctor with us," Amara said. "Come on, let's go see your grandpa!"

The faces of the two children brightened up, and they immediately reached out their hands to the young woman.

"Let's go!!!"