Kory carried the princess all through the night. He followed the road , going in a south westerly direction and although he heard wolves howling in the distance , none came near. He carried her cradled in his arms with her head nestled in the crook of his strong arm and marveled at the way her face seemed to glow . Somewhere behind the scratches and bruises ,  there was a beautiful creature. Kory also noticed how light she was and how  he could feel all her bones like he was carrying a bundle of sticks. It brought a bitter taste  to his mouth at the thought of those brutal men.  How could they do such a thing to such a fine creature as her. He could see slap marks on her face and her hair was tangled and dirty. Her lips were dry and in need of care.<br/><br/><i>Food please .. I’m so very hungry </i><br/>Her voice sounded so meek and mild . She was at the mercy of a bandit. A former slave and a robber. Kory had taken the girl out of curiosity and greed. He was thinking about selling her when he cut those ropes back at the brutes camp. “ Don’t you worry. I’ll get you something to eat in a minute. I need to get off this road before the sun comes up. Those men are going to come looking for you . “ He felt funny talking to her because he’d been alone and traveling without a companion for so long.<br/><br/>He found a trail that forked away from the main road and he followed it until he came to a meadow. A small pool of blue water was in the center and giant, purple mushrooms grew in abundance. He lay her on the lush , green moss next to the pool of water  under a willow tree  . Kory fed her by hand. He  pulled little bits of bread from a loaf and put them to her mouth. “ Rest now .Eat and rest “<br/><a class="username" data-user-id="3881" data-username="@PrincessCrystal" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/3881/">@PrincessCrystal</a>