Chapter 7: 7 – Campfire

I could not phantom why Blake would follow me. Surely he had better places to be, now that he was finally free from prison. I had explained to him that my journey was a long one and that more than one night would be spent sleeping under the stars and eating wild roots. 

He didn't seem to mind, at least at first. 

When we set camp for the night, he didn't even try to hide his relief. He pulled off his shoes and started massaging his sore feet. I couldn't blame him, only a few weeks ago I was doing the exact same thing. Playing dead entailed many things, including avoiding the main roads at all costs.

"Hey Blake, so what did you do before becoming a rogue?" I asked.

I was in a good mood, and striking a conversation was a good way to distract both of us from the fact that we were both too tired to hunt or look for food. In my case, I felt as if a boulder had been lifted off my chest, and that all the resolve that had kept me going had temporarily come loose, like a string that had been stretched out for too long. I believe Blake just as was exhausted from walking all day after a night of thieving.

"Say, how come you don't talk fancy like the rest of the nobles ?" He asked, avoiding both my question and my eyes.

"I do on occasion," I smirked, "But I don't make it a habit."

We sat for a few moments in silence. We had only known each other for just over two days, and there wasn't much we could discuss other than our previous arrangement, and I would rather keep that as secret as I could.

“Say,” I tried again to start a conversation after a few minutes of silence, “I can’t recall if I have introduced myself or not. I would assume I have, but since you’ve never referred to me by name - I’m Lawrence, but my friends call me Law.” 

Those last few words were particularly hard to say. After the coup, most of those whom I had called friends refused to talk or associate with me. Some of them did offer some support but made it very clear that they never wanted to see me again. 

“No last name, sir Lawrence?” Blake joked. 

He had the expression of someone who had forgotten my name and was too embarrassed to ask again.

I smirked.

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“None I’m afraid. Why, were you looking to inherit my title, though marriage perhaps?” I joked in turn.

His face turned red and I couldn't help but be amused. Wasn’t he the one who had started this flirting charade back in prison?

“Yeah, right, like I’d ever marry someone like you.” He said, looking away.

“Why how come?” I feigned to be offended. “Not only am I extremely handsome, thanks to my luscious beard, but I also come with a sizable dowry.” 

I ran my hand through the hair on my chin, which was more a result of circumstances than anything else. But Blake didn't have to know that. With just a little bit of confidence, I could pull anything off. 

“Yeah, you can shave that, you know.” He replied.

I scoffed and looked away, trying to hold back laughter. His honesty and straightforwardness was a welcomed change from the stuck up hypocrisy I had to put up with after the fall of my kingdom.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything -” He began apologizing.

I waved my hand to indicate that it was nothing.

We continued our banter for a short while, but when our campfire began dying out, we decided it was time to sleep. Both of us were too exhausted to think about arranging some sort of night watch or even setting up traps around our camp.

That had been a big mistake.

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