Reunited...

Prince William struggled with his assailant. He tried to free himself from the grasp, but he was unable. Nonetheless, he kept up his struggle.

"Prince William," whispered the man into the Prince's ear. "Calm yourself."

With the man's hand over his mouth, the Prince was unable to respond. However, he did stop struggling.

"That is better," the man continued. "Now, I am going to let you go. Please be quiet and refrain from running."

The Prince nodded, and the man released him. The Prince turned to look at his attacker.

"Who are you?" asked the Prince. "How do you know me?"

"It is me Lars Thomsen. We practically grew up together in the castle."

"Lars? Is that really you?"

"It really is."

"What are you doing here?"

"I am scouting for Lakeland."

"Scouting?"

"The Lakeland army is on the move. They are attempting to get into Kaanfed without being noticed."

"That sounds like quite an undertaking."

"I thought so too, but the Kaanfed army seems to be concentrated in a few towns. You are the only person I have run into this entire trip."

"That makes sense. They are probably preparing for a siege on those towns."

"We have been giving those towns a wide birth. Hopefully, we will be in Kaanfed in a few days."

"Well I have not seen any soldiers on my trip."

"Why are you scouting the same area as I am?"

"I am not a participant in this military action."

"No? Then what are you doing?"

"I am headed to the peninsula."

"For what purpose?"

"I am not wanted or needed in Lakeland. It is the only place I can go."

"You are a member of the Thorbjorn royal family."

"I am the only member left. That can only spell trouble for me."

"Oh yes. I suppose that is true."

"That is why I am leaving. I may return once this conflict is over."

"I should join you."

"What? And be a deserter? You best continue with your duties. Do what is best for Lakeland. Do not worry about me."

"I should report you to the generals."

"No please!"

"They should be aware of your movements, and what if you are captured?"

"Captured by whom?"

"I do not know, but there may be hostiles out there."

"They will not get anything out of me."

"Let us hope not."

"Please do not report that we have met. No one needs to know where I am."

"Okay, I will not."

"Thanks! Good to see you Lars. Be safe."

"Good luck on your trip -- sire."

Lars walked down the road and disappeared. The Prince stood and watched for quite a while. The shot of adrenaline he got from the encounter had worn off. He was now quite sleepy.

He got another bucket, and poured it on his fire. It was now very much out. He stirred it a bit to be sure. The logs were cool to the touch. It was out. He gave a heavy sigh. His encounter went better than it could have, but it was still a lesson learned.

He had proclaimed his presence for miles around. He thought about this. He began to worry again. The words of Lars rang through his head. There may be others out there. There may be entire squads closing in on his position.

Thus, he decided to hide his suncar. He pulled it farther up the road and near a clump of trees. He gathered some twigs and branches to camouflage it. It would not be perfect, but in the dark it may look like a bush.

Once the suncar was hidden to his satisfaction, the Prince turned around real fast. There was no one there. He almost expected someone to be there, but he was mistaken. He was glad of that.

He took a circuitous route to his tent. He back tracked a few times. He waded through the water in the ravine. He did not want to draw attention to his tent. When he was satisfied with these efforts, he climbed into the tent to attempt to sleep.

With the conversation with Lars, the hiding of the car, and the stealthy return to the tent, it was pretty late. It seemed like the events of the day were ages ago. He shivered as the memory of the warm fire washed over him, but there was nothing other than a damp chill in the air.

The Prince attempted to sleep, but every sound in the night put him on alert. A breeze would become an army sneaking through the woods. Each animal sound was an alert to some strange creature moving in on him. A brief shower sounded like gunfire as it dripped on his tent.

As the hours went past, he just lied there with his muscles tense. He was ready to move at a moments notice. He thought about the euphoria he felt sitting by the fire. He wished he could take that all back. He would trade that feeling for a good nights sleep. Eventually, he drifted off into a shallow dreamless sleep.

The area came alive with noises just as the sun broke above the horizon. A raven sounded like a teenage boy shrieking with joy. The jays were arguing with other birds. A bunch of sparrows twittered and chirped around the wooded area.

A squirrel pealed a pine cone just above the Prince's tent. The pieces rained down upon the fabric of the tent like small explosions. When the Prince left his tent in a rush, the squirrel chattered at him in defiance.

The Prince was exhausted, but he survived the night. He thought that he just might make it to the Pirate Peninsula on this day. It looked like the weather was going to cooperate. While the morning was damp, there were few clouds in the sky. The sun would clear the light fog that surrounded the area.

He broke camp. He packed up his tent, and threw a pine cone at the squirrel. Once again the squirrel chattered in defiance. He gathered up his camping equipment and headed to his suncar. He looked around, but did not see anyone. He also did not see his suncar. What happened to it? He did not need another delay. He did not think he could take another night like the previous one. He needed to get into his suncar and go, but he did not know where it was.