Chapter 6
By the fourth day without water, the convoy had fallen dead silent.
Everyone's lips were cracked. Their eyes were dull and unfocused.
Even the horses let out desperate screams.
I had reached my limit too.
Darkness flickered before my eyes. My mind began to fade.
Penny held me and kept crying, "Bella, wake up. Don't fall asleep."
I didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.
Just when I thought I would really die in this desert, a squad of cavalry suddenly appeared on the horizon.
They moved really fast, kicking up clouds of dust, like a black whirlwind.
Philip gave the order at once. "Everyone on guard."
All the soldiers who could still stand drew their swords and formed a circle around my carriage.
The cavalry came closer.
I looked through a gap in the curtain and saw them.
They wore leather armor. Their heads were shaved on top, with the remaining hair at the sides and back braided.
They were tall and broad-shouldered, with hard, cold faces.
Every one of them carried a wild, fierce look.
They were from the Torgun tribe.
They had come to take me.
The young man at the front looked barely over 20.
He rode a fine black horse, like a leopard poised to strike.
His features were sharp, his nose high and straight.
His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, full of scrutiny and contempt.
He pulled his horse to a stop in front of the convoy.
His gaze swept over our miserable, beat-up group. Finally, it stopped at my carriage.
"Which one is the princess for the marriage alliance?" His voice had a thick accent. It was as cold as ice.
Philip stepped forward and bowed. "I am Philip, deputy commander of the Royal Guards of Valenor.
"I was ordered to escort the Princess here for the alliance. May I ask who you are?"
The young man did not even bother to lift his eyelids. "Lester Torgun. The High Chieftain's younger brother."
The High Chieftain's younger brother.
My future brother-in-law.
Philip's face changed slightly.
By rights, the High Chieftain himself should have come to receive the princess. At the very least, a high-ranking tribal official.
Sending only his brother was clearly a sign of disrespect and humiliation.
Philip wanted to say more. But I lifted the carriage curtain.
"I am." My voice was terribly hoarse, but my words were clear.
All eyes turned to me, including the eyes of the young man named Lester.
His gaze lingered on my face for a moment.
His eyes were blatantly judging me, full of critical scrutiny, like he was sizing up a piece of goods.
I didn't look away.
I met his gaze and straightened my back.
I was dressed in old, travel-worn clothes. My face was pale, my lips cracked, my hair a mess.
I was as ragged and disheveled as anyone could be.
But my eyes were steady and calm.
Lester seemed a little surprised.
He probably hadn't expected a princess from the Central Kingdoms to have such poise on the edge of death.
He showed a mocking smile. "Women from the Central Kingdoms are just like water, I see. You haven't even arrived, and you're already falling apart."
His words were dripping with malice.
The warriors behind him burst into mocking laughter.
Philip and the royal guards turned livid with anger.
"You..." Philip was so angry that he reached for his sword.
I raised my hand and stopped him.
Then I looked at Lester and smiled, "We have an old saying back home.
"Water looks soft and weak, but it can wear through stone. It can even sink a boat.
"So I wonder, are the warriors of the Torgun tribe like the stones in this desert?
"Hard on the outside, but crumble the moment one squeezes?"
My voice was not loud. But in that silent desert, it carried clearly to everyone.
Lester's smile froze on his face.
The mocking laughter behind him came to an abrupt halt.
All the Torgun warriors glared at me with fierce eyes.
The air grew so tense that it felt like swords would be drawn at any moment.
Lester narrowed his eyes.
A dangerous glint flashed in those eagle-like eyes.
He stared at me fixedly.
Then, after a long moment, he suddenly threw his head back and laughed, "Interesting.
"It seems my father and my brother didn't pick a dull sister-in-law for me."
He waved his hand.
The cavalry behind him quickly took out their waterskins and tossed them to us.
Philip and the others grabbed them like treasure.
Penny also hurriedly took a waterskin and handed it to me.
I took a sip of water.
The sweet, fresh spring water soothed my dry throat. And it woke me up completely.
I knew that my real fight had just begun.
Lester looked at me and pointed his whip toward the distance. "Let's go, Princess. I'll take you to meet my brother. I hope you survive that long."
After saying that, he turned his horse and rode off in a cloud of dust. He didn't wait for us.
I watched his back disappear. Then I drained the waterskin in one go.
I turned to Philip and said, "Let's go."
Yes. I would survive.
Not just survive. I would live better than anyone else in this savage land.
I would make everyone who looked down on me pay, including Joseph and Evelyn, far away in the capital.