40 My Life?

Princess Eleanor covered her body more with the help of the coat. She walked to the side and sat down looking at the bonfire.

Princess Eleanor knew that she needed to be brave enough to face her fear with grace. So what if Sir Kit had seen something, she knew that she needed to act as if nothing had happened and move ahead. Princess Eleanor took a deep breath as she extended her hands towards the surefire. Once she felt like her hands were warm as rubbed them together before putting them on her face.

Princess Eleanor repeated it a few times before she regained her confidence. There were many things that were troubling her.

"Do you come here often?" Princess Eleanor said as she bit her lips. She felt her voice was louder than she had anticipated it to be.

"No." Sir Kit looked at the fire burning.

Princess Eleanor was confused when she did not hear any further explanation from Sir Kit. Her eyes looked at the silent man. His eyes stayed on fire as if he wanted to see the flame dancing in the cave.

"Then why does Sir Kit know where all these things are? The cave is filled with things that can be used to initiate fire." Princess Eleanor tried to maintain her tone but her voice was stiff. One could easily identify that the Princess was trying to maintain her calm.

"I kept them here just in case." Sir Kit said as he finally looked at the Princess. He was sure that now Princess Eleanor's clothes must have dried up. He was satisfied to see that the Princess had covered her body with his coat that was now dry.

"So Sir Kit is lying to me." Princess Eleanor's eyes turned sharp. "You have visited this place often/. That is the reason why you know such a secret cave."

Sir Kit was silent for a brief moment before he sighed. "I never lied to the Princess. I had visited this place once or two. It cannot be called often. And the last time I was stuck here I had transported these things here just in case I needed them during some emergency. Didn't it come handy today?"

"So I should be grateful that it was handy?" Princess Eleanor whispered under her breath. "In any case, how did Sir Kit find this place?"

Princess Eleanor observed Sir Kit's expression. She wanted to know if he was telling the truth or not. "A few years back I was traveling through the forest. There were a few wild animals around and Wind was still young. It was by my pure luck that I found this place."

Princess Eleanor nodded her head. She could tell by looking at Sir Kit's expression that he was telling the truth. His expression was that of a man reliving the past.

"But this is Angevin Kingdom's land? What was Sir Kit doing here?" Princess Eleanor leaned a little near to the bonfire.

Sir Kit looked at this small movement. He could see that Princess Eleanor was tired. She would not be able to stay awake. Her dropping eyes were giving her away.

"Princess Eleanor should know this. It is not an uncommon practice to visit the land of any Kingdom for the knight of the Empire."

Princess Eleanor nodded. "It isn't hard. But won't it create a rift between the Kingdom and the Empire?" Princess Eleanor tilted her head as she looked at Sir Kit. A yellow glow makes Sir Kit's eyes stand out.

Princess Eleanor's eyes narrowed. She could see that he still hadn't removed the mask. As if the mask was a part of his face. A part of his identity.

"Can Princess Eleanor claim that none of the knights from the Angevin Kingdom had entered the Empire unauthorized?" Sir Kit raised his eyebrows as his lips curled up when he saw the Princess's pale face. "No, isn't it? That is because everyone does it. Not only because they want to create tension but because they want to find and eliminate things that can create a rift between the two."

Sir Kit smiled as he leaned back. His body posture relaxed as he looked at the Princess, "And if a person from the Empire or any other Kingdom is able to enter yours, won't it indicate that there is a loophole in your defenses. The same goes with the Empire. If anyone can easily enter and exit from there, it is due to negligence."

Princess Eleanor nodded her head as she understood what Sir Kit was trying to convey. She knew that now she was in no position to complain to the man when her own Kingdom's knights have done it in the past.

Princess Eleanor took a deep breath. The cave was getting colder and the fire was getting smaller. Princess Eleanor's body moved more closer to the bonfire but soon she heard some voice at the side.

Sir Kit realized that the Princess was freezing. He got up and walked towards the dry leaves at the corner picking a handful of them. As soon as he turned he saw Princess Eleanor looking at him. He ignored the Princess as he added them to the bonfire bringing it back to life.

Princess Eleanor could see Sir Kit making a few more rounds repeating the steps. She felt sorry but soon looking at the flame, her guilt disappeared.

Princess Eleanor smiled. Her eyes were filled with joy as the source of warmth was reignited. She looked down as she saw her dress still stained in blood. A sad smile formed on her face.

'Is this going to be my life?' Princess Eleanor thought. But then she remembered something. Something that Sir Kit had done in the carriage.

"I have one more question." Princess Eleanor said as she looked at Sir Kit who had sat down as well. Seeing that the man had no intention of interrupting her, Princess Eleanor asked, "What is the meaning of the number 13? The one you wrote with the blood."