“I daena ken who they are, or what they want. They hae their own vessel, why dost they want mine? But they might want aroyal princess, if they knew yer true self — we must be quiet about ye.”
I sniffled. “How did they find me? The minute after you told me I was a princess, they found me.”
“Aye, tis as if they were listening in.”
“This is all your fault.”
He nodded.
“You didn’t answer me — do they want to kill me?”
“They would hae tae go through me, and they winna go through me.”
Tears were streaming down my face. “You can’t die, Torin, I don’t know what to do.”
He groaned. “I canna tell if ye want me tae go or want me tae stay with?—”
“You can’t leave me!”
I said it so loud that the guard at our door slammed his hand against the wood in a loud bang.
Torin said under his breath, “Och nae... he is a dead man.”
I sobbed. “Don’t leave me, Torin, please. I don’t have anyone in the world, no one, everyone is gone and I don’t know where I am.”
His head was back against the wall, he said, his voice weary, “I would never, Prin — Yer Highness, I wouldneverleave ye. Ye hae my word.”
My face was damp with tears and my nose was running and my hands were bound behind me so I couldn’t wipe my face, tears and snot rolling down it— I raised my knees, but my dress slid up my thighs, too short to give me any fabric.
“Och, ye are despairin’.” Torin had his arms tied in front. With another sharp intake of air, he raised his arms so that his sleeve was in front of my face. “Ye can wipe yer tears, Princess.”
I blubbered, “On your sleeves, Torin? That doesn’t seem…” But I leaned forward and wiped my face on his sleeves.
He said, “Good.”
His head dropped against the wall again, exhaling.
My voice sounded small to my ears when I asked, “Are they going to kill us?” Then I said, “Maybe don’t answer.”
“I think if they wanted us dead we would be dead already. They want us alive — this gives us a chance tae escape.”
“Do you have any of your weapons?”
“Nae, I hae been relieved of them. Dost ye hae a weapon on ye?”
I shook my head. “No weapons... I don’t suppose you have a vessel?”
“Nae, tis gone. This is nae matter, Princess, we will escape, and I will use whatever I can find as a weapon. A rock will work, ye ken, I see one there in the corner. I can beat ten men with a good rock, daena worry.”
I huffed. “But without a vessel I’m never going home.”
I glanced at his face, he was chewing his lip, breathing heavily.
My chin trembled, despairing again. “Do you have any idea where we are?”
“By my best guess, we are in long-ago Scotland, verra far from yer time, closer tae m’own.”
My teeth chattered. The fear was getting on top of me. I was wearing his cloak, but it had fallen off my shoulders and there was nothing I could do. I was really cold, shaking with fear. “This seems really bleak, it must be winter.”
