Tor didn't like how smug Jason still was after she showed up without her horses and with a paper from her solicitor that showed legal separation of her assets from his. Now she was free to do as she pleased, no longer under his thumb. At first, he was angry and threw the paper back in her face. He had grabbed his mare and rode out on her. That was days ago. This morning he had returned and was walking around as if he still had control of her herd and wagons.

She didn't trust him. As such, she kept Eric under constant surveillance. It wouldn't be at all beyond her brother's insanity to try and lash out at the only things of hers he could right now--Eric and Idiot. But her big-boned stallion was still having none of interaction between any of her brothers. He would only let her handle him. He had already taken a chunk out of Brad's thigh when the Elder man had tried to walk up to him and pet him. Tor had slipped the stallion several of his favorite apple treats after that, praising him and telling him how good he was. The black stud didn't even trust Mick, her twin. But, she was thinking less of her twin all the time. He was spineless, bending to whatever the older three boys said to do. 

That left Eric. Despite his protests, she had kept him either shut in her wagon-cabin or on her person at all times. She had left Eric in the wagon as she went to use the restroom across camp and was returning when she saw Brad leaning against her wagon, Eric dangling from his fingers. The familiar fire of rage burned inside of her as she stomped up to him. Despite his obvious height advantage, she was determined to get her Princeling back safely.

"Put. Him. Down." She growled. "He didn't do a damn thing to you or Jason." 

Brad bobbed his fingers and laughed as Eric choked on his cloak. The human boy gasped and tried to breathe, clawing at the fabric around his neck. His face was bright red, tinging purple around his mouth and nose. "No. Humans are pretty useless except as toothpicks and toys. But this one is too small for both. Pff! Barely three and a half inches. He can't be any sort of fun for you at all." He laughed when Tor's face went red. "Whatever. Better not leave him alone next time. Locks don't mean much when I have the key." He dangled Eric high above his head when Tor lunged for him. He pushed away from the wagon and carelessly dropped Eric at the same time.

Tor dove for her charge, catching him and instantly pulling the boy close. "Ssh, it's alright," she consoled him. "I'm right here. We're leaving in the morning. This hell-hole will be a nightmare come morning. I promise." Her fingers gently grazed his back in a comforting way. She hated to see him cry, hated seeing him so terrified. She was supposed to protect him, not allow him to be tormented. "Creator help me, I'll see them dead," she swore.

Eric didn't have any words. He was clinging to Tor's shirt like the lifeline it was. He was shaking all over and his throat burned. He was probably going to have bruising in the morning. He coughed and wheezed as he struggled to catch his breath. The princeling bobbed his head in assent to Tor's oft-spoken words. He was just fine with the brothers being killed or something. 

Once he was breathing easier, Tor slid him back between her breasts. "I've got some work to finish up. There's a few things I need to get and load in Idiot's saddlebags. We'll head out in the morning at first light." Truthfully, she was still trying to get Mick to come with her. He may have been weak-willed on occasion, but he was still her twin. He had stuck up for her often in the past; she had to give him this final chance. But come morning, she was leaving, with or without her brother.

She spent the last couple hours of light packing things away and preparing to set out in the morning. It would be a long, tiresome ride, but the payoff would be completely worth it. Supper was a light affair. It was a reheat of the beans and cornbread from lunch.

Eric made a face at the meal. "It's got meat in it, so that's better. But really? Leftovers? And beans? Don't you have anything different?"

Tor rolled her eyes. "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit. No, I don't have anything different. Not right now. We'll resupply in town tomorrow. But this is a lot of what we'll be eating on the trail to our new home."

The princeling sighed. "Yick. Oh well. The place we're going, you said it was far from my father's territory?"

She nodded. "It's up in The Cradle. Past the mountains, in between the Twin Rivers. It's far, far away from human territory. No human has ever been up that far. Not of their own free will, anyway. It's beautifully fertile, the perfect place to raise horses. And they'll still be in need of the stock horses I breed. There's farms and other ranches up there that are in desperate wont of good, working horses. They'll pair a fair price for the good ones I breed."

To help her human visualize the distance, Tor unraveled one of Mick's rarely used maps. She marked where Eric said his father's home was and then showed him where the Twin Rivers were and the Cradle that lay between them. The princeling was overjoyed. There was no way his father could reach him that far from human lands. Eric smiled at the thought. "I like the sound of that. I can't wait to see it." 

Tor gave a little half-smile. "Good. I'm sure you'll enjoy it." The rest of dinner went quickly. When it was over, Tor cleaned the dishes and made the bed for the evening. "Change into your bedclothes. And this time, remove your boots. I don't fancy dirt and mud in the sheets."

He laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I promise to remove my boots." He was feeling better about his place with her. She had been more open with him the past days while they waited on Mick's decision. It was like the whole kidnapping and abuse and horse stealing situations had never happened. He bounced to the bed from his spot on the dresser and trekked to the pillow, promptly curling up on the edge of it. 

Tor, dressed in an oversized shirt and pants, slid into bed as well. She made sure the door was locked before drawing the sheets up to her shoulders. Eric curled against her forehead and drifted off with idyllic dreams of the future in his head. The Elder woman wasn't far behind him.

It was late, or was it early? when the pounding on the door woke Tor. Her name being screamed by Thomas, saying something about Idiot slipping and getting stuck in the corral boards, instantly brought her to her feet. She threw open the door, ready to help her horse, and was grabbed by two pairs of rough, calloused hands. They hauled her down the steps and out to the large fire in the center of the camp. She struggled and cursed and tried to free herself from her brothers. She called over her shoulder for Eric to hide, run, anything to stay out of sight. 

But Eric was too slow. He was grabbed up in another pair of hands and carried down the steps. He squirmed in the fist, trying to free himself. But Jason had an unbreakable hold on the human. Chuckles flowed from the mouth high above. "Poor little human, kidnapped by a giantess and forced to be her pet. Don't worry, though! I'll save you. I got in contact with the humans sent by your father. I saw them wandering around town the other day. I told them exactly where to find you. And now? Now they're here." 

He swung his fist around to show Eric the small group of humans astride their horses waiting on the outskirts of the light of the fire. "No!" the human shouted, recognizing the men at once. They were mercenaries, hired by his father to drag him back to the hell hole of a keep and be forced into an arranged marriage. After a proper punishment. He could tell this by the coat of arms band they wore on their sleeves the sigil on their tunics. It was his father's. They were working for him, here to take him back. "I don't want to go! I want to stay. I don't want to go! No! No! No!" He was in a full-blown panic, screaming and crying and trying desperately to escape. He searched for Tor and found her held back by two of her brothers. Her arms were forced behind her back at an awkward angle as the men restrained her. "Help!" he pleaded to his owner-turned-friend. "Please! I don't want to go back. My father will kill me. He'll kill me!" Tears flooded his face as he was lowered amongst the other humans.

"Let me go!" Tor shouted. "Let him go! He doesn't belong to you. He belongs to me. You have no right to do anything with him!" 

Jason shrugged as he dropped Eric between the throng of humans. "Papers are ridiculous out here. You realize that, right? They mean nothing. Nothing. I'm the oldest. I get to decide what goes on in this camp. And I say I don't want spoiled little humans that do nothing hanging around. So? I'll send him back to where he belongs."