Chapter 12
Marco (shouting): "Stop, Guinevere! The Princess comes first!"
Guinevere hesitated, teeth clenched, eyes burning with fury.
Guinevere: "Fine… we have to find them—now!"
Marco gritted his teeth.
Marco: "Right… let's move."
---
Night by the River
Night settled quietly over the riverbank. A small fire flickered in the darkness, its light trembling against the cold wind.
The Princess stirred.
Then suddenly sat up.
Princess: "Everyone—"
John: "Easy. You're safe."
She looked around, tense, alert.
Princess: "Where is everyone?"
John: "Alive. We were carried downstream. This place is safer for now."
The Princess frowned slightly.
Princess: "What happened?"
John: "You fell. I followed. The river did the rest."
She lowered her gaze.
Princess (thinking): I hesitated… I wasn't ready.
John noticed her silence.
John: "You're blaming yourself again."
Princess: "I'm assessing the situation."
John: "That's not what your face says."
Her eyes sharpened.
Princess: "And what does it say?"
John: "That you think this was your failure."
Silence.
She didn't deny it.
Princess: "A leader who cannot protect her people has no excuse."
John: "A leader who survives… learns. That matters more."
She studied him carefully.
Princess: "You speak as if you understand leadership."
John: "I understand pressure."
A quiet pause lingered.
Then she noticed something.
Princess: "Your hand is bleeding."
John glanced at it casually.
John: "It'll heal."
Princess: "That wasn't an answer."
A faint smile touched his lips.
John: "I grabbed a rock during the fall. Nothing serious."
Princess: "You jumped without hesitation."
John: "Of course."
Princess: "Why?"
John met her eyes without hesitation.
John: "Because you were falling."
A brief silence settled between them.
Then John reached aside and lifted two fish skewered on sticks.
John: "Also… I caught dinner."
The Princess blinked.
Princess: "After a battle… and falling off a cliff… you decided to fish?"
John: "Survival is attractive, isn't it?"
She almost smiled. Just almost.
Princess: "You're unusually confident."
John: "I prefer prepared."
He leaned slightly closer, studying her expression.
John: "You should smile more."
She stiffened slightly.
Princess: "That's irrelevant."
John: "Not really."
Princess: "You're very bold for someone speaking to a Princess."
John: "Do you want me to stop?"
A pause.
She didn't look away.
Princess: "No."
That surprised him slightly.
Princess: "But don't mistake tolerance for weakness."
John's smile deepened.
John: "I wouldn't dare."
The fire crackled softly between them. The river flowed steadily in the dark.
Princess: "How far are we from the battlefield?"
John: "Far enough that they won't find us easily."
She studied him again.
Princess: "You calculated that while falling?"
John: "I noticed the river's current before I jumped."
She exhaled quietly, reassured despite herself.
Princess: "You observe everything."
John: "I try to."
Princess: "Why did you follow me?"
John: "Leaving you wasn't an option."
Princess: "That's not strategic."
John: "Not everything is strategy."
A faint pause.
She folded her hands, thoughtful.
Princess: "Carrying everyone's expectations… doesn't it get tiring?"
John: "You don't have to carry it alone every second."
Her eyes flicked toward him.
Princess: "A future ruler doesn't get that luxury."
John: "A future ruler who breaks helps no one."
She considered that quietly.
Princess: "You speak like you understand pressure."
John: "I understand enough."
Princess: "You don't talk about yourself much."
John: "Neither do you."
A faint challenge passed between them.
John: "Fine. One question each."
The Princess tilted her head.
Princess: "Interesting. Fine."
John: "If you had a choice—be a princess again or a normal person—what would you choose?"
She looked down, her voice softer than before.
Princess: "I… would still choose this life."
"It's stressful… but I'd rather fight for what I believe in than stay away from everything."
John studied her quietly.
John: "Really?"
She met his eyes.
Princess: "What about you? You once said you want peace."
John: "I do. But that doesn't mean I can't fight for what matters."
"I want a life where I can breathe freely… where my choices are mine."
The Princess lowered her gaze slightly.
Princess: "That sounds peaceful."
A pause.
Then she asked softly:
Princess: "Could you leave everything behind?"
She shook her head gently before answering herself.
Princess: "No. I wouldn't change it."
"I love this kingdom… the people… the land. Being a princess means I can protect them. It's not a burden."
"It's a privilege."
John nodded slowly.
John: "You really believe that."
Princess: "My mother used to say…"
"A true princess isn't someone who wears the crown… she carries it for the people she loves."
John: "Your mother sounds amazing."
Princess: "She was."
A faint pause.
Princess: "And you… you remind me of something she said too."
"The strongest people are often the quietest ones."
John: "I'm not sure about that."
Princess: "I am."
"Because you're stronger than you think."
John gave a small, almost reluctant smile.
John: "You're surprisingly good with words."
Princess: "Am I?"
John: "Yeah… you are."
For a moment, they both laughed quietly.
The weight of the world felt lighter—just for a second.
---
The Riverbank
John stood up first.
John: "Come. You can wash up. The water's clean."
The Princess nodded and moved toward the river, looking at her reflection in the moonlit surface.
Princess (thinking): Why am I still so weak?
If I had been stronger… I could have stopped the Prince.
John noticed the shift in her expression.
John: "Overthinking again?"
Princess: "Oh… no…"
Suddenly—
Her necklace slipped from her neck.
Princess: "My necklace!"
She lunged forward into the water.
John: "Princess!!"
The current swallowed part of her instantly.
Half her body remained above water as she clutched a small knife, struggling to stay afloat.
Princess: "Don't worry… I'm okay!"
But then—
The water behind her erupted.
A massive serpentine creature burst from the river, its body twisting violently as its tail slammed the surface.
John froze.
A memory flashed in his mind—dark water, a monster, helplessness… fear.
His body locked.
Panic surged through him.
The Princess struggled, stabbing at the creature's tail just to survive.
Princess: "John!! My sword!!"
John trembled.
Paralyzed.
The water churned violently. The Princess's determined face flickered between exhaustion and resolve as she fought to stay above the surface.
Every second stretched endlessly.
...CHAPTER 12 ENDS...