Galloping throughout the night of the full moon, the stranger raced across the countryside with the kidnapped princess as if several squads of soldiers were right behind. The princess could do no more than hold on tightly as her hands were tied behind her back and gagged so she could not scream. She had been through so much lately and this was the last thing she needed. She wanted to fall apart, but tried to hold on strong.
She had been captured once before, only a few months ago, but that was after she had gotten herself lost while on a hunt with her royal family. Her sense of direction wasn't really good. She would never admit it, however -- and this pride led to her downfall; instead of staying in once place and waiting for help, she wandered off in a direction that was far away from the castle. An opportunist must have seen her and figured it would be easy money to take her hostage and ransom her out.
But this time she was taken right from her bedroom. Whomever did this was a professional, not an opportunist. She ended up getting rescued just in time last time, but what were the odds it would happen twice in a row?
Racing through the forest and across the plains, much time went by. The stranger reached the base of a mountain with which the princess was familiar. Finally, he stopped. He took the princess from the side of the horse and sat her upright on the horse in front of him; his touch was firm, but he was gentle with her. He could sense her shivering from the cool night air and the cold ride across the country side as he put his hands on her shoulders. After all, she was only dressed in a short white gown. He took off his black jacket and placed it upon her.
"Are you OK?" he asked in a deep voice, running his hands along the outside of the jacket upon her shoulders to create friction and warmth for her. She felt like crying and didn't answer. "This will all be over with in a moment, I can assure you," he said. Her heart leaped -- what did he mean by that? Her life was in danger, is probably what he meant, she thought.
As if he read her mind, he replied, "I won't hurt you, princess." There was something about him...
But as she was processing that thought, a thin black hood was placed over her head. "This is for your protection" he told her. She felt like screaming, but knew it would not do any good as she was still gagged. Holding her tightly with his right arm, and the reigns with his left, he spurred his horse on and up the mountain.
The ride up the mountain was much more comfortable than the ride to the mountain, she thought. Her stomach was still a little sore from being jostled by the galloping horse after they left the castle. The jacket also kept her warm, and his embracing arm holding her tightly against his body also kept the warmth within her. Her hands were still tied behind her back, so she had to completely trust him for balance upon the horse or else she would fall. She was almost grateful that he held her like this to keep her from falling and to keep her warm.
The princess thought that she had caught him leaning forward and smelling her hair. But she figured she was wrong since he started to speak in a whisper in her ear. "...we are almost there, my princess," he quietly said, his breath upon the back of her neck through the hood. She couldn't see through the black cloth hood, but had no reason to believe he was lying.
For the remainder of the trip, she almost started to doze off in his arms. She actually felt comfortable. He was never really rough with her; even when she was thrown upon the horse it wasn't in a violent manner. She suspected something about this man. Someone she knew, perhaps. Maybe this is why it was so easy to kidnap her? Was this someone who knew the layout of the castle and could orchestrate such a kidnapping? Perhaps this was one of the guards even? His voice seemed...familiar. "Say something," she thought. She had to hear. The suspense was driving her crazy.
After a few minutes the horse stopped. The air seemed thinner, as if they were higher up the mountain. The man dismounted the horse while holding her arm to keep her steady; he then swept her off of the dark steed and into his arms. Gently, he stood her up upon the ground. Barefoot even, she seemed to be standing upon some kind of jacket or cloth, even though she was still outside. Quietly he removed her hood.
As the hood came off, the first thing she saw was him... It was the Man in Black!
They were somewhere up on the mountain. The thick fog was still rolling along the ground even at this higher elevation, but the moonlight still penetrated the mist. They were just outside an open cave entrance.
But her attention wasn't on the outdoors; it was on him. With one hand he pulled out a knife with the flick of a wrist. With the other hand he grabbed her and pulled her close. A large sigh escaped the shocked princesses lips, although she wasn't completely frightened. Taking the knife, he reached behind her and cut the bonds that held her wrists tightly.
"Please..." he said, as if he was trying to form the right words without stuttering. "Please, hear me out."
