"I will not be able to join your crew," in the next part, Amelia spoke in a hushed tone so that the other three had to lean in to hear her properly. "The truth is I come from Rodea and need to go to Lavia. On my way there, the guards accompanying me died during an assassination attempt. My carriage got burned down, and I am the lone survivor. I cannot share all the circumstances of what happened, but ultimately my goal is to find out who tried to kill me. Hence I want to pretend that no attack ever happened to lure out the killer. To do so, I must find a carriage and some men to accompany me as my guards."
The three men took a moment to digest what they had just learned. 'Either she is crazy to think something like this could work, or she is lying…." Lucius thought to himself.
"I will find a carriage tomorrow to leave for Lavia, and instead of me joining your crew, I would like to suggest you three become my guards." Amelia finished with an insecure look.
After a second of silence, the three men laughed out loud. They laughed so hard that some of the guests turned their heads to look at them. Amelia just sat there, unsure of how to react.
"Oh god, this must be one of the best stories I have ever heard!" Torres finally said, still laughing in between. Lucius agreed, saying, "Truly, what are you on about? First, why on earth would we join your quest and go to Lavia? Second, who the f*** are you that people want you dead? And third of all, if your previous guards died protecting you, how can you ensure the same fate also doesn't befall us?"
Amelia took a moment to gather her thoughts and words, "Well, I am offering you a fresh start—your status as soldiers and, if you want, in the future, as knights will be reinstated. No one will know that you used to be thieves. Furthermore, you can have my share of today's heist as a prepayment but rest assured. You will earn good money once you start working as my guards."
She paused before answering, "Regarding my identity, I am Princess Aurora, the only princess of Rodea, and am promised to the prince of Lavia." The three men gasped at this revelation and looked shocked.
"That explains a lot…." Torres commented.
"As for guaranteeing your security, that I cannot do. As my guards, you will be responsible for keeping me safe, not the other way around. But I can promise you that your life will matter just as much as my own does to me." Amelia said truthfully.
Lucius kept staring at her, trying to determine if she was lying. But it seemed that she was genuine about the things she said. He looked around at his men, trying to read what they thought of her proposition.
Torres was disinterested, which was no surprise, but his brother seemed intrigued. He knew Julius didn't enjoy their lifestyle and wanted to become an honest person again. This would indeed get them back their lives. The only problem was that there were too many unknown factors.
Amelia started to get anxious when he finally said, "I have two questions: You were surprised to see us here and give you your portion. How come you can suddenly trust us with this information?"
"You proved that you keep your promises by doing that, and I don't have much time to find anyone else. So, I had to trust my gut feeling."
"I see… Second question, why should we believe you to be Princess Aurora?
"The prince and I met a year ago. Therefore he knows what I look like. I can't fool him and pretend to be someone else anyways, so I have no reason to lie."
"Hmm… I think it best for us to take the night to consider your offer."
"Sure, let's meet again in the morning. You will have to give me an answer then, though. As indicated before, I don't have a lot of time."
--
Back in the room, the three men were having a heated discussion about what to do next. "I say we rat her out and ask for a reward."
"A reward for what exactly, Torres? She didn't do anything wrong. I don't think ratting her out is an option because we will not get anything from it. The only point we need to decide is whether we want to become her guards or not…."
Julius communicated with his sign language, saying he wanted to follow her. Since he first met her, he understood that she was meant to do great things. He wanted to get his old life back and would be honored to support someone like her. On top of that, she had saved his life, and he owed her for that.
Lucius had felt the same way. Besides her beauty, she had an addictive aura and a strong presence. He had tried to ignore that but to no avail. They were standing at a critical crossroads, and if they were to decline this opportunity, he knew they would regret it for the rest of their lives.
Torres could understand sign language as well and could read Lucius's silence. They both had made their decision which made him beyond displeased. "You can't be serious, guys. She must be a witch to have convinced you to join her stupid hunt!"
He stormed out of the room to calm down. Roaming around in town, he tried to comprehend the situation. Deep in his heart, he knew they had to accept the princess' suggestion.
While watching a group of boys fooling around on the street, he was reminded of his time in the army. The training was hard, and the commanders were strict. Getting into shape for him was challenging since he always had been a bit chubby. Others would make fun of him. Until one day, Lucius stood up for him and beat the culprits so severely that they had to go to the hospital.
Ever since then, Torres has been loyal to him and his brother. They were his family, but seeing them admiring that witch made him angry. He hadn't always been so antagonistic toward women. It only started after his wife had left him for another man.
He didn't want to think about that and decided to go back to the room. It was apparent that he had to protect those two fools from getting too involved with the princess. Hence, he had concluded to join them.
--
The following day the previous thieves became guards for the only princess of Rodea. Amelia was thrilled to have succeeded in requiring the needed guards. The only thing left was for her to get a couple of dresses, a carriage, and a coachman.
The four working together accomplished all the tasks by noon, so Amelia was ready to resume her journey to Lavia.
The three guards were riding alongside the carriage on their horses. Torres led Amelia's horse as she sat inside the carriage. The coachman they had found would return to Zeles once he delivered the princess.
Amelia kept watching the scenery outside until she fell into a deep slumber. It had been six days since she had left Rodea, during which she had been traveling, fighting, mourning, and planning, meaning she was exhausted.
She only woke up once Lucius knocked on the carriage door the following day to inform her about their immediate arrival in Lavia. 'This is it. You can do this. You will find Aurora's killer, revenge her, and leave all of this behind you.' Amelia tried to compose her anxiety.