“Aye, this is nothin’, and I am nae scared out of m’wits. Dude inna scared at all, he is a courageous lion. I will get ye tae safety as soon as I think of what tae do.”
Dude meowed and put his paws up on Torin’s chest and nuzzled against his beard.
I said, “He likes you so much.”
“Aye, he is a good lion, and he complicates this greatly. Now I hae two of m’favorite people tae save.”
“Dude is one of your favorite people?”
“Aye, he ranks among the top three best discoursers tae speak with in the night.”
“Doyou have this all under control?”
“Aye.” Dude sat beside my head, beside Torin, and quieted.
“How much longer will the ties take?”
“Just a moment more. Tis hard tae see with m’swollen eyes, but I am managin’.”
I sat quietly trying to be patient while he worked. “...Dude followed us all this way.”
“Aye.” He spoke to Dude, “If ye are goin’ tae be part of m’rescue of the Princess, ye must use stealth, follow along, daena cause mischief.”
Dude meowed.
I chuckled. “He’s going to be trouble, he’s independent, he only does what he wants to do.”
“Nae, he is loyal, he only does what he can do tae stay near yer side.”
“I suppose that’s true too.”
He tugged at the rope with a yank.
I said, “You also said I was one of your favorite people?”
He was quiet, tugging a bit more. Then he said, “Aye Princess... ye are m’favorite.”
A last final tug and the rope pulled away from my wrists. I rubbed them and swung my arms to get the stiffness from the shoulder joints.
Then I sat on my knees bent over his wrists in his lap and began trying to untie the knot on his bindings. I could feel his eyes on my face, it caused me to go hot. Hot angry and hot passionate, both.
I brushed my hair from my forehead, feeling flustered.
I was reminded how he had kept his eyes averted and how cold it had seemed, how it had made me so angry, and now he was warming me with his gaze, it was intimate... and unexpected. I raised my eyes to his.
And we stared deep into each other’s eyes.
He was so familiar...
Tis as if I hae known ye.
I nodded and returned to working on his rope.
It was thick, the knot tight, I tugged and pulled as I said, “I’ve been having a dream… a recurring dream and in it, I’m very young, and I’m scared. I’m in a dark room lit only by firelight from a hearth. And there is a scary man in the room and he is beating the man who was taking care of me... a little like... seeing you beaten.”
I got an end loose and began wiggling it through a loop. “Then a bigger man grabs me and carries me away. And then…” I breathed before finishing. “Then he puts something in my hand and tells me not to let go. That’s when I wake up.”
“Hae ye ever been in that room before?”
