Light of the Unexpected Adventure

Chapter 26 What's That?

Gabriella's POV

I try to slowly stand up on my own, but it takes me longer than I would like to admit. Once on my feet, the pain is almost unbearable, but the inner strength is telling me that I need to do this, and surprisingly enough this strength is much stronger than the pain. I look up and around just to see that he looks distracted with his anger as he continues to pace back and forth, getting lost in his own head. He almost looks as if he is having an argument with himself, which can be worked in my favor. I look around just because of the only idea I can come up with at the moment. Is to maybe sneak away into the darkness that has completely taken over everything around us, before he notices.

Before I have the chance to even steady myself, I feel his hands instantly wrap around my waist as he grabs me again, throwing me over his shoulder like before. "I am not just a sack you can toss around as you please." I state as he laughs and declares. "I beg to differ. I have thrown you around as I pleased the entire time." I grunt out, hitting his back, but this doesn't stop him or deter him as he tries to start going back up the hill. The most that it does is hurt my body as I try to get out of his hold. None of my moves seem to work making this seem like I am stuck whether I like it or not.

I give in, trying to come up with another way out as I watched the ground underneath his feet crumble entirely too easily. I can tell that it is making it so we can't get back up the hill just as easily as we got down it. I hear him grunting with each failed attempt. I would assume out of frustration from that failing realization as he starts walking further down the flattened walkway. I think he is trying to find another place to climb up with me on his back, but I am assuming that won't be happening for a while.

"Just put me down, and I will climb up there by myself, and you could do the same. Or you could climb up and then find something to help pull me up behind you. That would make this so much easier and probably faster than you wandering aimlessly." I state, just wanting him to put me down, as he let out a forced chuckle. "You really think I would trust you to do all that on your own and not try to get away." He sarcastically asks, I think, knowing exactly what I would do if given the chance.

"Fine then, make things harder on yourself. I'll just wait until you figure out that my idea is better than yours." I declare, causing him to grunt and scoff at my comment but not objecting. "Ok, challenge accepted." he states, storming down the flattened area we are using as the walkway at the moment. He keeps attempting the hill every now and then, but each attempt is only met with the same results. I will let him wear himself out as I get a break and gain my strength if that is how he wants it.

---- A seemingly endless amount of time passes----

I am annoyed, still hanging on his back, feeling like I will be meshing into his shoulder some time soon since I have been lying on here for a long period of time. My stomach is hurting from being flung over his shoulder as if I am meat to slaughter for a long period of time.. and to top things off, we haven't even gotten up the hill like he wanted, and this is exactly as I had declared would happen. The urge to tell him 'I told you so' is on the tip of my tongue at the moment, wanting to come out as soon as I will let it.

I slap his back to get his attention, "Just put me down already.. you... you.. Hold on... It's not fair that you know my name, and I have no idea what to call you besides an annoyingly persistent pet to the King." I spat at him as he groans out, hopping, making me bounce on top of his shoulder as I groan out from the discomfort and slap his back again. "It's Leoric." He spats back at me as I nod thinking about that. "Ok.. Leoric.. No, no.. I don't like that.. I like my nickname better, but it is too long and I think Leo will be easier for me to remember and say." I spat as he grunts automatically.

He sounds annoyed which is what I want because that will help me get down from here. So I keep this game going. "But King's Pet isn't too bad. Which one do you like better.. King's pet or Leo?" I smirk to myself when hearing another groan from him at my comment as he gets mad at that, "It's not Leo.. It's Leoric." He declares as I laugh at that comment.

"No, not that.. So I have decided that Leo it is, whether you like it or not. You're making me uncomfortable so I will be sending the same gratitude back to you. So Leo, this is exhausting for me, and it's not even working. Just admit that my idea was better, and we would be back on top of the hill in no time at all if you would have given it a chance." I spat slapping his back again, making sure I have his attention. But he doesn't respond at all.

I listen for some type of response but he just mumbles something to himself while huffing out again. "Got something to say.. Leo? Um.. like.. 'You were right, Gabby'." I mock him as he scoffs again. "More like just wishing you would learn to keep your mouth shut, but somehow that has not been an option for this entire trek. Oh and just so you know, no one asked for your opinion, so just do me a favor and keep it to yourself.. I am doing just fine anyway.. This was the direction I was planning on heading, and besides, I am much faster than what you would ever be with that hurt leg of yours." he spats right back as I scoff. "Sure you are."

I roll my eyes, putting my elbow on his shoulder to help prop my face up, out of the annoyance of his hold on me. "This is the way I wanted to go." I mock under my breath as I roll my eyes once again. "I am so much faster than you with that hurt leg." I mock again as he tosses me up, letting me go, shocking me as I try not to fall, gripping his back before he catches me on his shoulder, causing me to squeak while he chuckles in response, then adding on innocently, "Oops.. Sorry.. I needed to readjust. Never meant to scare you."

I know he meant to scare me, so I slap his back as he chuckles more. This makes me mad as I start, "Leo.. you are soooo.." he interrupts me before I even have the chance to say anything else. "Admirably strong, Incredibly smart, ruggidly handsome.. Oh you don't have to gush over me my dear. I know this already." he states as I scoff at that, wiggling around in his hold. "That is not what I was going to say." I declare smirking to myself at his comment I never expected. "But I imagine you were thinking it." he states as I shockingly gasp out not knowing what else to say to that.

"Seriously Leo.. You are ridiculous.. Were you drinking before all of this.. really?" I snap back at him but this just makes him laugh louder. "You didn't deny my words.. suspicious, did I hit it right on the nose?" I scoff even louder at that comment before retorting. "I bet you would like if I thought that, wouldn't you?" He gives me a little toss before stating, "It is an intriguing thought.. Isn't it?" I roll my eyes at that comment, but he is right about that idea, doesn't mean that I need to let him know that he is right. "Think what you want, but it doesn't make them true." he chuckles at that comment as he continues on.

I sit up looking over his shoulder, propping my face again, while slapping his metal armored back over and over again as he groans out in what I would assume is annoyance. I am going to make sure that he is hating this just trek just as much as I am, because I am getting tired of hanging here. I glare out into the darkness, imagining all the ways I could get out of this. Some are pretty much brainless with little to no thought behind them and only brute force.. and some are even creative, but all end with him down and hurt as I try to get away, which is the hardest part.

I find myself just wishing I could just run away from him to end this. But no matter what I do, I won't be able to run from him and that is the biggest obstacle. I huff out staring out into the darkness, being pulled away into my deep thoughts, until I see something moving in the distance and darkness off to the side of us. I stop hitting his back and looking out as I see something shifting in the night. It looks low enough that it seemed to be stretched out over the ground. Maybe it's about the height of a child. I don't know any child that would be out here in this thick darkness.

So I squint my eyes, trying to see what it is, as it shifts from side to side, showing its silhouette from the side, looking bigger than I thought. "What is that?" I whisper under my breath as I lean out, hoping to get a little closer and a better look at whatever it is. "What are you going to say now? Something demanding and exhausting, I would suppose." he declares under me while shaking his head as he continues on his trek. I glare down at him, slapping his back again to try to actually get his attention. I can see whatever it is getting closer as I start shaking my head. "No.. what.. is.. that?" I ask, pointing out at it in the darkness just hoping he would look, but he just shakes his head more.

"You won't fool me with your distractions again. Everything you seem to do distracts me somehow, as if you have some hold on me, but I won't let you keep this charade up. I have things I have to do and places that we need to be." he says as I can see that this something is creeping up behind him. "I am not trying to fool you, Leo.. I swear, there is something behind us." I declare as he scoffs. "It's not Leo... My name is Leoric." He spats, not even listening to what I am saying. I scoff loudly as I wiggle in his hold before I say it louder. "Leo, shut your mouth and listen to me. There is something behind us."

He pushes out a fake laugh as he retorts, "Sure, there is something behind us.. and what does this mysterious thing look like?" This is said in a mocking tone as I tap his shoulder over and over again. "I'm serious. There is something in the darkness, so I can't see it.. but I can see it. It looks like a shadow in the night." I say as he scoffs again, shaking his head as he laughs at me. "There is darkness everywhere, so I am not sure how you can see and not see something.. But either way, I'm sure it is a tree off to the side since they are everywhere.. Or you are making stuff up to keep me distracted." he spats, causing me to groan out.

"Seriously? Are you not going to look, Leo?" I ask with panic of what this strange thing might be as I watch it getting closer by the second. It is pretty silent, which is surprising, but it is moving just as fast as we are. "I can't hear a thing, and you're telling me that you can't see a thing, and yet you want me to turn around. For what? You can't even make anything better than this up, just to get me to turn around or stop? Are you out of ideas already? That's surprising. That head of yours looks like it is full of ideas and thoughts." He mocks me more, sounding smug in his comment as I shake my head.

"Just look." I demand from him as he quickly turns to spend only a second looking back and of course not seeing a thing because he wasn't taking me seriously. "See.. Nothing.. Now will you stop?" he mocks me as I huff out in frustration. "Ugh.. No I won't because I don't want to die tonight.. I just wish you would pull your head from the King's behind to listen to me for one moment.. But of course, you have to be too thick-headed, and not even listen to a word coming from my mouth because of me being a distracting woman." These harsh words easily leave my lips as the frustration and fear takes over.

"It has nothing to do with you being a distracting woman, and all to do with the fact that you get pleasure out of distracting me while making things much harder than they ever needed to be." he declares making my eyes roll now. I shake my head just wishing to punch him in the handsome face, but since I cannot do that, I just keep squinting my eyes, keeping them plastered on the being I know that is out there and not made up in my head. I have fallen down many times today, but I don't think it was enough to imagine things in my head.