Annette arrived back at the manor house about an hour after Morgan had left. I'd been asleep in the armchair in her room when she'd returned, as I hadn't gotten much sleep the past few days and the news that my home town would be taken over by General Andreas had genuinely made me feel ill.
“Come on Lysette, wake up,” she said, shaking my shoulder gently. I opened my eyes and rubbed them before glancing around and trying to remember where I was. Annette had changed in to her travelling clothes and had her hair up in a bun instead of being free. It was such a drastic change I wasn't sure if it was the same person.
“I decided to let you sleep a little longer. Also...Morgan told me what happened while walking me here, how he's going to get us to the docks safely,” she said as I stretched and then leaned forwards to grab my boots. “He seemed adamant to come with us...how did he know about...you know?”
“He uh...Andreas told him, clearly planning to have Morgan kill me. I was desperate and didn't know what else to do, and the marks had decided to start hurting again. It was all I could think of given the circumstances,” I said, doing up my laces, not able to meet her eyes. There was a silence between us.
“He told you about his brother, didn't he,” she said softly after a while. I nodded.
“How did you know?”
“When it happened, I was the first person he came to to try and break the binds. But I was still mourning my grandmother's death and couldn't properly remember what she had told me about how to break the binds, so I was...well, useless to him. And even so, back then, there was no way on earth that we'd have enough time to do all the necessary steps. Not like we would actually be able to get out of town anyway. The Generals' rule then had been rather strict at that time, no one got in or out without his approval.”
She pulled out her bag from under her bed and took one last look around her bedroom, knowing that she would never see it again if all went well. We then snuck out to the stables down the back stairs to where Poppy was waiting with Liandri.
“Thank you for taking care of Liandri for me Poppy, I owe you so much for doing so,” I said as Annette climbed up onto Liandri's back. I then climbed up myself and took the reins from Poppy who then stood back.
“Wherever it is that you're going...be safe,” she said before bowing and disappearing back into the house. Annette stared after her for a moment before nodding at me, me then urging Liandri forwards and out of the stables into the night. It had started raining a while ago so we both pulled up out hoods to keep it from obscuring our visions. Having Annette's arms around me to keep her stable, her weight against my back, it was unfamiliar since I had always ridden on my own but it was nice at the same time. For once, it actually felt like I had someone I could rely on. Before long, we were in the middle of town, but the flickering light that was just in front of us wasn't good.
“What's that?” Annette asked, peering around me to get a better look. “Oh no...they've already caught us?!”
Straight ahead of us was a blockade and many soldiers kneeling in front of it, guns pointed at us, the General standing behind them looking rather smug.
“Get off your horse Mage, your kind should not be allowed to live. And kidnapping a lady of our town is certainly not going to help your position,” he called out. We paused, wondering what it would take for them to fire at us straight away.
“Get out of my way! You can't even appreciate how much we helped you during the war! We should have left you to die, you ungrateful bastards!” I yelled, getting really angry.
“Please, like we could ever really trust your kind!” The General looked down at his soldiers. “Get ready to fire.”
“Tch, how annoying.” I glanced back at Annette. “Ready to see some magic, my lady?”
“S-seriously?...Do what you have to,” she answered, a childish glint in her eye. I smiled then looked forwards again.
“I'm giving you one last chance, get out of my way or get burned,” I called out.
“Relinquish our lady at once, you dirty beast!” one of the soldiers shouted.
“I'm going by choice! I don't want to live in this horrid town any more!” Annette cried. The General looked taken aback for a moment, then he sighed.
“A great shame to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Men...shoot them both down,” he said. They paused and looked at him in shock.
“S-sir! Are you serious?” another soldier called.
“Did I stutter boy? Do as I say!”
The soldiers flinched but took aim at us again. I sighed then patted Liandri on the head.
“Light it up girl!” I called out. “Incendium!”
Instantly, Liandri's mane, hooves and tail erupted into flame, her eyes turning as red as a ground cherry. The flames rose up even in the rain, making her look as if she had just risen from pit of fire. The soldiers lowered their guns in shock and stared in a mix of fear and awe. I glanced back at Annette and her jaw had dropped.
“Hold on tight, things are about to get bumpy,” I said. I felt her grasp on me tighten and I then urged Liandri forwards, leaving a trail of flames in our wake. The soldiers, now fearing for their lives, leapt out of the way as quickly as they could, leaving only the General to stand alone. He hardly moved and could only watch as we leapt over him and the barricade and charged to the edge of town. As we went through the town, the people of Bristine came to their windows to look out and see a dark horse of fire with two riders charging down the streets, some staring in shock and fear while others stared in awe.
“After them! Don't let them escape!” soldiers cried as we sped away. The flames on Liandri started to dim and go out as we got closer to the edge of town. We'd have to rely more on the darkness from here on out if we wanted to get anywhere.
“Th-that...was incredible,” Annette said after a while, sounding breathless. I glanced back at her to see she was smiling, and it was a smile that was filled with happiness. “I also can't believe that I'm finally out of that town. Just being out of Bristine is an adventure for me.”
“Well, we've got a long way to go. For now, let's just hope Morgan kept his word and didn't assemble group to shoot us the minute we enter Grimsel,” I muttered.
It was around 3am by the time we reached Grimsel. Annette had fallen asleep and was now leaning against me fully, her grip on me loosened but still there enough so she wouldn't fall off. I was close to falling asleep as well but I couldn't yet, knowing that there could have been other soldiers hiding and waiting to ambush us. I wouldn't be able to cast spells if I was asleep. The town was dark, lit only by the lanterns that hung outside each of the buildings. Morgan hadn't said where in Grimsel he'd meet us, so I just started to lead Liandri to the closest inn.
“My lady...my lady, wake up. We're here,” I said, turning around and giving Annette a shake.
“...Hnnmmm...huh? Wha?” she mumbled, waking up and rubbing her eyes before giving a huge yawn. “W-we're here? What time is it?”
“Not sure, but feels close to 3am I think. Say...did Morgan tell you anywhere to meet him? Because I've got no idea where he expected to meet us,” I said. She thought for a moment and rubbed the back of her neck.
“Hmmmm...I don't think so. I guess we'll just have to go and search for him,” she said, rearranging her hair as some of it had come loose during the ride.
“Or you could turn around.”
We both turned in surprise to see him standing behind us, arms crossed and leaning against the wall of one of the inns. He came over to us and patted Liandri's muzzle lightly.
“You could've told us where to look for you before we left you know,” I said.
“True, but someone may have over heard, and that would've caused a lot of problems for us. Anyway, I reserved a room in an inn closer to the docks. Who knows when you'll have to make a run for it,” he said, gently taking Liandri's reins from me and leading us through the streets. Even though it was quiet, it was somehow eerie, as if we were still being watched by people from their houses. I couldn't help but glance around as we walked, almost expecting to see people staring at us from windows or alleyways. Morgan glanced back at me.
“Calm down would you? Trust me when I say that there is no one here who can do you harm. These people have always been wary of travellers, even more so after an enemy pretended to be one of our soldiers during the war and ended up doing quite a bit of damage here,” he said, sounding a little annoyed. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that comment. Of course they'd be wary if an enemy did something like that.
“So, where are we staying then?” Annette asked. Morgan nodded to an inn that was, quite literally, right next to the docks. The creaking old sign read “Ankrah's Keep”, obviously named in honour of the Egyptian princess who had played a major part in keeping the enemy from advancing any further in Egypt. It was rather cosy inside, but it made me itch in anxiety when they took Liandri to the stables. I was worried that so many things could go wrong in this one night, and losing my horse would be one of the most painful things I would ever have to experience. I nearly went after her, but Morgan grabbed my hand gently and pulled me inside. Thankfully it was empty, with only the innkeeper behind his desk still awake...well, nearly awake. He was slumped over a pile of papers, ink pen in his hand, but it was dripping and his eyes kept closing. The three of us shared a confused look before Morgan led us up the stairs to our room.
“Unfortunately the only room they had available at such short notice was one with two single beds. So that means two of us are going to have to share a bed,” he said, sitting down in the armchair and kicking off his boots, staring at us. Me and Annette shared a look.
“Well...I don't really care who I share a bed with, or sleeping on my own. So it's just down to you two,” I said, pulling off my cloak and folding it up. Morgan turned his gaze to Annette.
“Well a woman such as Annette shouldn't have to share share her bed with anyone, but then again, I don't really feel comfortable sharing my bed with a Mage, let alone a girl.” I narrowed my eyes at that comment but he brushed it off. “But, I guess I'll deal with sharing with Lysette,” he said, looking out the window into the darkness. I looked to Annette to see if she thought it was alright, but she just started smiling at me for some reason. I stared back at her in confusion, hoping for some sot of elaboration but she offered nothing.
“Well then, may we have some privacy to change into something more comfortable for sleep?” she asked.
“If we have to make a break for it, then we can't faff around changing our clothes,” I said, sitting down on one of the beds and untying my boots.
“Oh...that makes sense. Well, I supposed it's for the best,” she said, sitting down on the other bed. Literally seconds after she sat down, her eyes started drooping and she fell to the side, curling up and falling straight asleep. I sighed at her and got up, kneeling beside her bed and gently undoing her boots, pulling them off and setting them just beneath the bed and tucking her feet up. I saw that Morgan was smiling softly when I looked up over at him.
“What's with the grin?” I asked.
“Hmm? Oh, nothing really. I was just remembering the crush I used to have on her when we were kids. But it was a pointless crush. We may have played together and grown up together, but she's an aristocrat, I'm just a commoner like pretty much everyone else in Bristine. I had and still have absolutely no chance with someone like her,” he said softly, almost mournfully. “Then, when the war happened and I started my training, I didn't have time for romance. It would have gotten in the way of me being able to protect the people I care about most.”
I looked at him for a moment then went and sat back on my bed, looking down at the ground.
“Well who knows. If you...if you came with us all the way, then you may just have a chance,” I said, feeling a little empty inside. “I don't know what it's like to have a crush. Considering what I am, it was way too dangerous for me. And what guy would like me anyway?” I couldn't help but give a small bitter laugh at the thought. I could feel Morgan's gaze on me, but I didn't want to look at him at that moment. “Anyway, I'm super tired, so I'm going to sleep for now. Oh...do you know when the ship leaves tomorrow?” I asked.
“It leaves at 10am. So you've got time for a good enough sleep. And don't worry about the soldiers finding us by then. I made certain to throw them off our trail before coming here. So just...go to sleep already, you really look like you could use it. And don't worry about having to share the bed, I'm quite comfortable here,” he said. I glanced up at him for a moment, just a moment, before lying down on the bed and getting comfortable. It had been a good while since I had slept on a proper bed, I usually just stayed in the stables with Liandri because of my fear that I'd need to get away quickly. I stared at Annette for a moment, jealous of how quickly she had fallen asleep, and eventually my eyes started to get heavy.
“Come on Lysette, wake up,” she said, shaking my shoulder gently. I opened my eyes and rubbed them before glancing around and trying to remember where I was. Annette had changed in to her travelling clothes and had her hair up in a bun instead of being free. It was such a drastic change I wasn't sure if it was the same person.
“I decided to let you sleep a little longer. Also...Morgan told me what happened while walking me here, how he's going to get us to the docks safely,” she said as I stretched and then leaned forwards to grab my boots. “He seemed adamant to come with us...how did he know about...you know?”
“He uh...Andreas told him, clearly planning to have Morgan kill me. I was desperate and didn't know what else to do, and the marks had decided to start hurting again. It was all I could think of given the circumstances,” I said, doing up my laces, not able to meet her eyes. There was a silence between us.
“He told you about his brother, didn't he,” she said softly after a while. I nodded.
“How did you know?”
“When it happened, I was the first person he came to to try and break the binds. But I was still mourning my grandmother's death and couldn't properly remember what she had told me about how to break the binds, so I was...well, useless to him. And even so, back then, there was no way on earth that we'd have enough time to do all the necessary steps. Not like we would actually be able to get out of town anyway. The Generals' rule then had been rather strict at that time, no one got in or out without his approval.”
She pulled out her bag from under her bed and took one last look around her bedroom, knowing that she would never see it again if all went well. We then snuck out to the stables down the back stairs to where Poppy was waiting with Liandri.
“Thank you for taking care of Liandri for me Poppy, I owe you so much for doing so,” I said as Annette climbed up onto Liandri's back. I then climbed up myself and took the reins from Poppy who then stood back.
“Wherever it is that you're going...be safe,” she said before bowing and disappearing back into the house. Annette stared after her for a moment before nodding at me, me then urging Liandri forwards and out of the stables into the night. It had started raining a while ago so we both pulled up out hoods to keep it from obscuring our visions. Having Annette's arms around me to keep her stable, her weight against my back, it was unfamiliar since I had always ridden on my own but it was nice at the same time. For once, it actually felt like I had someone I could rely on. Before long, we were in the middle of town, but the flickering light that was just in front of us wasn't good.
“What's that?” Annette asked, peering around me to get a better look. “Oh no...they've already caught us?!”
Straight ahead of us was a blockade and many soldiers kneeling in front of it, guns pointed at us, the General standing behind them looking rather smug.
“Get off your horse Mage, your kind should not be allowed to live. And kidnapping a lady of our town is certainly not going to help your position,” he called out. We paused, wondering what it would take for them to fire at us straight away.
“Get out of my way! You can't even appreciate how much we helped you during the war! We should have left you to die, you ungrateful bastards!” I yelled, getting really angry.
“Please, like we could ever really trust your kind!” The General looked down at his soldiers. “Get ready to fire.”
“Tch, how annoying.” I glanced back at Annette. “Ready to see some magic, my lady?”
“S-seriously?...Do what you have to,” she answered, a childish glint in her eye. I smiled then looked forwards again.
“I'm giving you one last chance, get out of my way or get burned,” I called out.
“Relinquish our lady at once, you dirty beast!” one of the soldiers shouted.
“I'm going by choice! I don't want to live in this horrid town any more!” Annette cried. The General looked taken aback for a moment, then he sighed.
“A great shame to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Men...shoot them both down,” he said. They paused and looked at him in shock.
“S-sir! Are you serious?” another soldier called.
“Did I stutter boy? Do as I say!”
The soldiers flinched but took aim at us again. I sighed then patted Liandri on the head.
“Light it up girl!” I called out. “Incendium!”
Instantly, Liandri's mane, hooves and tail erupted into flame, her eyes turning as red as a ground cherry. The flames rose up even in the rain, making her look as if she had just risen from pit of fire. The soldiers lowered their guns in shock and stared in a mix of fear and awe. I glanced back at Annette and her jaw had dropped.
“Hold on tight, things are about to get bumpy,” I said. I felt her grasp on me tighten and I then urged Liandri forwards, leaving a trail of flames in our wake. The soldiers, now fearing for their lives, leapt out of the way as quickly as they could, leaving only the General to stand alone. He hardly moved and could only watch as we leapt over him and the barricade and charged to the edge of town. As we went through the town, the people of Bristine came to their windows to look out and see a dark horse of fire with two riders charging down the streets, some staring in shock and fear while others stared in awe.
“After them! Don't let them escape!” soldiers cried as we sped away. The flames on Liandri started to dim and go out as we got closer to the edge of town. We'd have to rely more on the darkness from here on out if we wanted to get anywhere.
“Th-that...was incredible,” Annette said after a while, sounding breathless. I glanced back at her to see she was smiling, and it was a smile that was filled with happiness. “I also can't believe that I'm finally out of that town. Just being out of Bristine is an adventure for me.”
“Well, we've got a long way to go. For now, let's just hope Morgan kept his word and didn't assemble group to shoot us the minute we enter Grimsel,” I muttered.
It was around 3am by the time we reached Grimsel. Annette had fallen asleep and was now leaning against me fully, her grip on me loosened but still there enough so she wouldn't fall off. I was close to falling asleep as well but I couldn't yet, knowing that there could have been other soldiers hiding and waiting to ambush us. I wouldn't be able to cast spells if I was asleep. The town was dark, lit only by the lanterns that hung outside each of the buildings. Morgan hadn't said where in Grimsel he'd meet us, so I just started to lead Liandri to the closest inn.
“My lady...my lady, wake up. We're here,” I said, turning around and giving Annette a shake.
“...Hnnmmm...huh? Wha?” she mumbled, waking up and rubbing her eyes before giving a huge yawn. “W-we're here? What time is it?”
“Not sure, but feels close to 3am I think. Say...did Morgan tell you anywhere to meet him? Because I've got no idea where he expected to meet us,” I said. She thought for a moment and rubbed the back of her neck.
“Hmmmm...I don't think so. I guess we'll just have to go and search for him,” she said, rearranging her hair as some of it had come loose during the ride.
“Or you could turn around.”
We both turned in surprise to see him standing behind us, arms crossed and leaning against the wall of one of the inns. He came over to us and patted Liandri's muzzle lightly.
“You could've told us where to look for you before we left you know,” I said.
“True, but someone may have over heard, and that would've caused a lot of problems for us. Anyway, I reserved a room in an inn closer to the docks. Who knows when you'll have to make a run for it,” he said, gently taking Liandri's reins from me and leading us through the streets. Even though it was quiet, it was somehow eerie, as if we were still being watched by people from their houses. I couldn't help but glance around as we walked, almost expecting to see people staring at us from windows or alleyways. Morgan glanced back at me.
“Calm down would you? Trust me when I say that there is no one here who can do you harm. These people have always been wary of travellers, even more so after an enemy pretended to be one of our soldiers during the war and ended up doing quite a bit of damage here,” he said, sounding a little annoyed. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that comment. Of course they'd be wary if an enemy did something like that.
“So, where are we staying then?” Annette asked. Morgan nodded to an inn that was, quite literally, right next to the docks. The creaking old sign read “Ankrah's Keep”, obviously named in honour of the Egyptian princess who had played a major part in keeping the enemy from advancing any further in Egypt. It was rather cosy inside, but it made me itch in anxiety when they took Liandri to the stables. I was worried that so many things could go wrong in this one night, and losing my horse would be one of the most painful things I would ever have to experience. I nearly went after her, but Morgan grabbed my hand gently and pulled me inside. Thankfully it was empty, with only the innkeeper behind his desk still awake...well, nearly awake. He was slumped over a pile of papers, ink pen in his hand, but it was dripping and his eyes kept closing. The three of us shared a confused look before Morgan led us up the stairs to our room.
“Unfortunately the only room they had available at such short notice was one with two single beds. So that means two of us are going to have to share a bed,” he said, sitting down in the armchair and kicking off his boots, staring at us. Me and Annette shared a look.
“Well...I don't really care who I share a bed with, or sleeping on my own. So it's just down to you two,” I said, pulling off my cloak and folding it up. Morgan turned his gaze to Annette.
“Well a woman such as Annette shouldn't have to share share her bed with anyone, but then again, I don't really feel comfortable sharing my bed with a Mage, let alone a girl.” I narrowed my eyes at that comment but he brushed it off. “But, I guess I'll deal with sharing with Lysette,” he said, looking out the window into the darkness. I looked to Annette to see if she thought it was alright, but she just started smiling at me for some reason. I stared back at her in confusion, hoping for some sot of elaboration but she offered nothing.
“Well then, may we have some privacy to change into something more comfortable for sleep?” she asked.
“If we have to make a break for it, then we can't faff around changing our clothes,” I said, sitting down on one of the beds and untying my boots.
“Oh...that makes sense. Well, I supposed it's for the best,” she said, sitting down on the other bed. Literally seconds after she sat down, her eyes started drooping and she fell to the side, curling up and falling straight asleep. I sighed at her and got up, kneeling beside her bed and gently undoing her boots, pulling them off and setting them just beneath the bed and tucking her feet up. I saw that Morgan was smiling softly when I looked up over at him.
“What's with the grin?” I asked.
“Hmm? Oh, nothing really. I was just remembering the crush I used to have on her when we were kids. But it was a pointless crush. We may have played together and grown up together, but she's an aristocrat, I'm just a commoner like pretty much everyone else in Bristine. I had and still have absolutely no chance with someone like her,” he said softly, almost mournfully. “Then, when the war happened and I started my training, I didn't have time for romance. It would have gotten in the way of me being able to protect the people I care about most.”
I looked at him for a moment then went and sat back on my bed, looking down at the ground.
“Well who knows. If you...if you came with us all the way, then you may just have a chance,” I said, feeling a little empty inside. “I don't know what it's like to have a crush. Considering what I am, it was way too dangerous for me. And what guy would like me anyway?” I couldn't help but give a small bitter laugh at the thought. I could feel Morgan's gaze on me, but I didn't want to look at him at that moment. “Anyway, I'm super tired, so I'm going to sleep for now. Oh...do you know when the ship leaves tomorrow?” I asked.
“It leaves at 10am. So you've got time for a good enough sleep. And don't worry about the soldiers finding us by then. I made certain to throw them off our trail before coming here. So just...go to sleep already, you really look like you could use it. And don't worry about having to share the bed, I'm quite comfortable here,” he said. I glanced up at him for a moment, just a moment, before lying down on the bed and getting comfortable. It had been a good while since I had slept on a proper bed, I usually just stayed in the stables with Liandri because of my fear that I'd need to get away quickly. I stared at Annette for a moment, jealous of how quickly she had fallen asleep, and eventually my eyes started to get heavy.
