CHAPTER SIX

I woke just before dawn, glad that I hadn’t accidentally slept too long. I quickly gathered my things and rushed out of the theater, the excitement of the journey ahead building in my mind. Although excited, I had to remind myself that there was a possibility Elias would not be waiting at the North Gates for me, and that my perception of him being an honest person could have been wrong.

Too excited to bother eating, I grabbed my pack and headed north. I knew I would eventually find the wall that bordered the city and, in turn, the North Gates. As I walked closer to our meeting place, the darkness slowly brightening as the sun was about to make its appearance, my enthusiasm started to turn into nervousness. What if Elias was deceptive after all? What if he changed his mind? What if he didn’t, and I was about to embark on a journey that would get me killed ?

Another thought then hit me hard, and I stopped in my tracks. What if I get him killed? The quest would be dangerous, surely, with the possibility of running into bandits, wild creatures, and whatever else resided outside the safety of the Four Kingdoms. I was putting a stranger at risk for that alone.

But on top of that, my father – the most powerful king in the Four Kingdoms – would be searching for me the minute he realized I left. Would he think I was taken against my will? Or would he know I left on my own? No matter the case, he would likely put a large bounty over the head of anyone who might be found aiding my escape. Elias might be killed on sight. I took a deep breath and continued walking.

The sleepy citizens of Rimor had not yet been greeted good morning by the sunrise. My steps slowed and I stared at my heavy feet as my nerves increased. But it was too late to turn back. Too late to return to the safety and comfort of my home, to my father’s protection.

“I was wondering if you were going to show,” a low, sultry voice said from ahead. I looked up to see Elias leaning against a stone building close to the entryway to Rimor. Or in my case, the exit. As the sun slowly continued to rise, I could see Elias in much more detail than I had the previous night.

His hair was short with a modest cut, but just long enough to tousle in the slight breeze. Its color was that of dark chocolate. At night it looked almost black, but now I could see the dark brown hues mixed in. He also had dark stubble, which complimented his chiseled jawline. Just as I had seen the night before, his eyes were a honey-gold color, but as the sun began to rise I swore I could see the tiniest flecks of sapphire blue swirling within them.

He wore a white tunic topped with a black leather vest. His large muscles shown through the tight clothing, something I had already taken notice to the previous night. He had dark pants and nice leather boots. The belt around his waist was similar to mine in which it sheathed a dagger. He carried a pack with him as well, presumably full of supplies for the journey.

“Good morning, Elias,” I answered.

Elias stood up from his leaning position and walked towards me, his handsome features more captivating in the rising light. “We should leave before the city awakens,” he said as his eyes locked on mine.

I stared into his beautiful eyes and guilt hit me even harder. The extra danger I was putting him in without him even knowing did not sit right with me. I decided at that moment that I should tell him the truth, before we got too far into our journey. He would likely question why I was about to refuse to take the normal traveled paths anyway.

“Before we leave,” I began, “I…have to confess something.” He maintained eye contact, but his expression did not alter. “I hope this doesn’t change your mind about helping me,” I continued. “But if it does, I understand.”

He said nothing, only stared.

“I didn’t lie to you about my name,” I went on. “I do go by Aura. But my full name is Aurelia.”

I waited for his expression to change to shock or confusion – for him to stumble backwards, or run away entirely.

“Okay,” was all he said.

It was my face which turned to that of confusion. Did he not know the name Aurelia, Princess of Rimor? Even though I hadn’t left Rimor in ten years, had the rest of the kingdoms forgotten my name?

I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, maybe I need to explain further. I am Aurelia, daughter of…”

“I know who you are, Princess,” he interrupted. I looked at him in complete surprise, but he remained expressionless.

“You…you know?” I whispered. He nodded. “How? When? ”

He stepped closer, only an arm’s length between us now. “The moment you walked into the alehouse, I could tell,” he confessed. “The way you walk and speak is different. Regal.”

I always thought I was the least elegant princess to ever exist.

“Then you placed a gold coin onto the bar, and I knew you weren’t a mere civilian,” he continued. “A copper piece or two would have been enough.”

I didn’t even carry copper pieces with me, I could only find gold in our vaults.

I shivered as a thought arose. Had he been watching me that closely from the moment I stepped into the Cracked Hoof? That was…eerie.

“I see,” was all I could think to say.

Elias finally looked away, giving me a second to release the tension in my body. “It wasn’t hard to put it all together,” he carried on. “I’m residing in a kingdom in which its princess is rarely seen by her people. Then a secretive woman walks into a dirty old alehouse with elegance, hiding her face and paying for a pint in gold. The other fools there were either too stupid or too drunk to notice.” When he turned, it was me who looked away this time, finding it hard to meet his eyes. “It’s how I know you’re good for the four hundred gold pieces,” he admitted.

Right. His payment. It all made sense, I suppose. Elias was not only dangerous, but he was clearly smart and perceptive. A deadly combination.

“And you are still willing to travel with me?” I asked.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” was his blunt reply.

Why was he here? Why would he agree to this, knowing who I was from the start? I met his gaze. “My father would set Rimor ablaze to find me,” I warned. “If he finds you with me, you’re dead.”

“I understand the dangers of the agreement,” he affirmed, a seriousness heard within his deep tone .

“Then why agree to it?”

Elias took his time to answer. “I have my reasons, Princess,” he muttered. “Just as you have your reason to sneak out of your own kingdom to go to the Forest of Torment. Would you care to tell me why?” he challenged.

“It isn’t any business of yours,” I snapped.

“Exactly.”

It was fair for him to keep his motives from me when I wouldn’t disclose my own, but the tension of him being so secretive still had me feeling uncomfortable. Elias must have noticed the shift because he let out a breath and softened his posture. His eyes locked onto mine again.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Aura,” he insisted. “I’m not going to steal from you or betray you. Like you, I also have my own reason to go back to the Forest. The four hundred gold is just the incentive I needed to do so. Alright?”

I stared into his honey eyes, searching for any sign of deception. I only saw sincerity in them. “Okay,” I said softly. With no explanation other than hearing his reassuring words, I somehow felt safe. Like this was where I was meant to be.

I put my pack down for a moment and pulled out two leather pouches. I tossed them to him one at a time, and he caught each one with ease. “Two hundred,” I said to him, needing no further explanation. “You’ll get the other half when we get there.” He nodded and placed the pouches into his own pack, not even bothering to open them and inspect their contents.

“Put your hood up,” Elias ordered.

“What?”

“There are two guards just outside the gate. Do you want them to recognize you?”

My eyes widened. “Guards? ”

Elias nodded.

For some reason, the guards posted at the city gates at all times hadn’t even crossed my mind. Perhaps it was because this was the closest I’d ever been to the gates since my mother’s death.

I quickly put the hood of my cloak up, and Elias gestured towards the gates. I took a deep breath and walked, my heart fluttering wildly. Trying to remain calm and collected as I approached, I stepped through the threshold of the gate and passed the guards with my head low. I could sense Elias only feet behind me, providing another barrier between me and the guards.

“Oy!” a male voice shouted.

Shit . Were the guards looking for me? Had my father already realized I was missing, my plan to escape failing that quickly?

I slowed, but Elias pressed into my back, urging me forward.

“In a hurry?” the voice called out.

“Keep walking,” Elias ordered quietly.

“Hey!” the voice shouted louder. “You two!”

“Shit,” Elias cursed. He paused, so I did the same. “What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?” he asked, his voice deadly and laced with annoyance.

“We don’t often see anyone out here at this hour. You in a hurry?” the guard repeated.

I was starting to sweat, and placed my hands into my pockets to keep them from trembling. I remained facing forward, my head down. I didn’t dare turn around. Only listened.

“We were supposed to leave yesterday, actually,” Elias answered with confidence, albeit impatient. “Our travels were delayed because we drank too much the night before. So we’re leaving as early as we can today.”

“Hm,” one guard hummed with amusement. “I get it. Rimorian ale is strong, isn’t it? ”

Elias said nothing so I assume he nodded.

A long, tense pause followed and I wondered if the guards felt as uncomfortable as I did. I tried to relax my shoulders, but my body remained tense as I waited.

Finally, a guard spoke. “Well, I hope you enjoyed your stay in the Stone City. Safe travels to you, sir. And to you, miss.”

I let out a slow breath. Thank the gods.

“Thank you,” Elias and I said in unison, my voice barely a mumble.

Without another word, Elias urged me onward, and I didn’t look back. I waited no less than fifteen minutes until I felt we were far enough away that I could remove my hood. As I did so, I looked around, noting the trees that lined either side of the dirt road. Trees. Forests. Freedom . I was finally seeing what was beyond Rimor for the first time in ten years. Nothing felt physically different and yet life as I knew it seemed drastically new.

A breathy laugh escaped my lips without my control. It felt blissful to have this newfound freedom. I laughed again and peeked behind me to see that Elias had a look of curiosity on his face.

“I haven’t been outside of Rimor in nearly a decade,” I confessed, feeling a little embarrassed.

“How does it feel?” Elias asked. I kept walking, taking notice of how the earth felt under my boots, how the air smelled and tasted.

“Liberating,” I replied with a smile. Elias simply nodded and we kept walking.

We walked along the road for a short time before Elias agreed that we start off the path to avoid detection.

The road led us to a wooded area, and we left the beaten path to walk through the woods, Elias showing me the best ways to hide my tracks. I followed his steps exactly, avoiding loose dirt, stepping on large rocks whenever possible, and doing my best not to disrupt the foliage .

It was a very odd sensation, being in the woods again. The last memory I had of the woods was running through them with my mother, fleeing for our lives. I tried to put the thought in the back of my mind as best I could.

The day went by much quicker than I anticipated. Elias and I did not talk much, as I had this improbable fear that someone would hear us and run to tell my father.

When the sun started to set, Elias told me it was time to make camp. He explained that we should wait at least a few days to start a fire unless absolutely necessary, to further avoid detection. Luckily, the weather was warm and calm that night.

We both put down our packs and each pulled out a small blanket to set down on the forest floor. Elias pulled out a large piece of jerky and began chewing on it. I suddenly realized that I went the entire day without eating, and took out some dried meat from my own pack.

I sat down, my back against a tree, and devoured my small meal. “When we run out of the food we packed,” I started, mouth full of jerky, “what will we eat?”

“We will need to hunt,” he answered, taking a seat on his blanket a few feet away and resting his forearms on his knees, food in hand.

“I’ve never hunted before,” I said, mouth no longer full. “Will you show me how?”

He looked up at me with curiosity. I shrugged and took another bite. “Might as well teach me to be useful if you’re going to be stuck with me for a while.”

Elias smirked slightly. I had yet to see his full smile, but I imagined its beauty. “Yes, I can teach you,” he answered before taking a bite of his own jerky.

I sat in thought for a moment, enjoying getting some food in my stomach after a long day of hiking. “Speaking of being stuck with me,” I began, “how long is this journey?”

“Seeing as we have to tread lightly and avoid most public paths, I’d say about a month. Maybe longer.”

I nearly spat out my jerky. I didn’t know what answer I was expecting, but an entire month definitely exceeded it. That is a lot of time to spend alone with someone. And that is a lot of time for my father to spend looking for me. The turmoil my father would go through had me suddenly feeling a heavy sense of guilt.

Reminding myself that this was the best decision, I changed to a new question. “What sort of dangers are we going to face on this journey?”

Elias met my eyes. “Bandits and raiders often follow the beaten path to find their victims, but it’s possible we could run across one of their camps,” he stated.

“Is that the only threat?” I asked him.

He glanced away, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. I waited patiently, eager to know the answer.

“Predatory animals can be vicious foes as well,” he said finally. “Bears, wolves, cougars. They roam the forests freely and often hungry.”

Wolves. Surely not horse-sized wolves, but wolves nonetheless. I nodded, imagining what it would be like to run into a hungry predator. I shuddered as familiar images of running from a wolf began to dance in my head, but I forced the thought away. I began to wonder how many times I might have the dream during this month-long voyage.

“One of our biggest worries,” he started again, “is some of the mountainous terrain we’ll have to climb. The Forest of Torment lies behind an entire mountain range. Our only option will be going over, and it’s not going to be easy.”

I knew about the Shadow Peak Mountains, but I guess I hadn’t realized we had to go over them to get to the Forest of Torment. The only other alternative would be to travel close to Sprath, and that I certainly did not want to do. And it seemed neither did Elias.

“Luckily I’m a decent climber,” I said to him. He gave a half nod, and we continued eating our food in silence.

Elias agreed to take the first watch and I was relieved, eyes feeling heavy. The long day’s hike made it a little too easy to for me to fall asleep.

When I awoke the next morning, Elias was repacking his blanket and counting his remaining rations. I shot up, realizing the sun was rising. “Did you stay up the whole night?” I pointed out.

Without turning to look at me, Elias answered with a simple, “Yes.”

“Why would you do that?” I sputtered. “I was supposed to take watch so you could sleep.”

“You can have first watch tonight,” he said, still not facing me.

I rolled my eyes. He was maddening. And yet, I also felt grateful. I wasn’t used to expending so much energy in one day, and my body needed the rest. Maybe he sensed that.

He tossed an apple over his shoulder that would have hit me right over the head if I hadn’t caught it. I glared in his direction.

“Eat up, Princess,” he said, finally turning towards me. “We have a long journey ahead of us.”