"We have to go west," Delilah insisted sitting behind me on the horse.
"We will go north," I replied as I shook the reins.
She and I had been arguing for a long time, as we walked along the Royal Road bathed in moonlight. She insisted on turning to the west, to leave the Royal Road, since that path was the main road of the entire Kingdom, so it was very busy and we could be found by the troops of the Duke of the South.
I instead rejected the idea from the beginning, as the alternate west route would take longer to travel. And I wanted to reach my sister as soon as possible.
"On the alternate west route we will be safer," Delilah repeated to me.
"I know, but it will also take longer."
"It's better to take a little longer, but not get caught."
"That is why we travel at night."
"I did not know that the night makes us invisible."
"Plus, more travel time means more food," I continued, "and we don't have the money for that."
"I can hunt or look for fruits. The territory of the Green Wall is quite fertile. "
"If it worries you so much, why don't you come back?" I protested as I brought the horse to a halt.
Delilah opened her eyes, in which I saw a small reflection of the moonlight.
"Don't you want me to travel with you?"
"I don't want you to get caught, Delilah," I confessed. "If anyone must fall, it is me. I can go on alone. "
"Excuse? I remind you that I was the one who saved you," she replied. "I am never going to separate from you again, Bachué. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. Never again," she told me, caressing her face.
I wanted to kiss her at that moment.
"You do have a… particular… relationship," Queen Catherine mused.
I nodded and continued our ride.
"Aren't you cold?" she asked me.
"No. And you?"
"The armor keeps me warm."
She hadn't removed the black knight's armor since she rescued me. She wrapped her arms around my belly. It felt good. I felt her warmth.
When the dawn came, we left the Royal Road to go into the forest and camp.
The landscape became more and more green and with lush forests of tall trees as we approached the border with the Green Wall. It was very different from the arid, ocher, and dusty landscapes of Barranca.
We put the horse to graze, we lit a fire to cook a broth, and we began to eat.
"Bachué ... What about Marco?" She finally dared to ask as she took the portion of the broth from her.
"What about him?" I played dumb.
"Are you still with the idea of marrying him?"
"You say it like the idea was mine," I protested.
"Well, he proposed to you and you said yes."
Didn't answer.
"I don't think he wants to marry you after you've run away like this," she asserted. "If he is looking for you, it will be to execute you for treason."
Didn't answer.
"Is… Is she jealous?" The Queen asked.
"Bachué ... listen to me," Delilah told me as she put her hand on my shoulder. "This is an opportunity to rebuild our lives away from everything and everyone."
Didn't answer. I continued with my broth.
"After going for your sister, let's run, Bachué," she continued. "What do you say?"
"And where are we going to go?"
"We can go to the other side of the West Sea; it would be an adventure. Discover the world. "
The truth is that it sounded quite attractive, but ...
"No, Delilah."
"Why not?" She asked me with a frustrated tone in her voice.
"Because I still have a mission to fulfill in Alba Terra."
"What are you talking about, Bachué?"
"Don't tell her, dark-skin," Queen Catherine warned me.
I looked into Delilah's eyes. I wanted to kiss her and then tell her the whole truth. Everything that I didn't dare to confess.
"Dark-skin, no ...," the Queen repeated.
I set my broth aside and took Delilah's hands in mine.
"If you agree to accompany me on this journey, you will have to trust me," I told her. "This may be the most important thing I have ever done in my life. It could change everything. "
Delilah looked confused.
"Bachué ..."
"Tell me that you trust me."
"And you won't tell me anything?"
I shook my head.
"No, Delilah. All in its due time. "
She hugged me. It felt very good. I wanted to stay like that all my life.
"You ... you two ...," the Queen stammered.
I released Delilah and turned to see the spirit of Her Majesty behind me. I saw the terror in her eyes.
"It can't be ... You ... are abominations ..."
"I can explain ...," I told her.
"Who are you talking to?" Delilah asked me confused.
"No, no, no, no…," the Queen wailed. "Dark-skin and an abomination too! "
I gulped.
"Bachué? Are you okay?" Delilah asked.
Suddenly, we hear footsteps. We got up and went on alert. The footsteps seemed to get closer and it seemed to be a single person. Delilah put her hand on the handle of her sword, ready to draw.
And then we saw him. A dark-skinned boy, maybe two years younger than me, with torn and dirty clothes. When he saw Delilah with her hands ready to draw her sword, he stiffened.
"Forgive me, my ladies," the boy screeched. "I just saw the smoke from the campfire and I thought of coming over to ask for some food."
I looked at Delilah. She shook her head.
"He's a boy and he's hungry," I told her.
"He is a witness who saw us," she replied.
I was startled by that answer. What was she planning to do?
The boy looked me in the eye and I saw the surprise in his.
"Red eyes ...," he mused.
«By the saints!»
"The boy recognized you, he must die," the Queen warned me.
"We are not going to kill children!" I protested.
"You promised to do what I say, dark skin," Queen Catherine reminded me.
"Yes, but I never thought that was killing children," I objected.
"Dark-skin, that child is starving, he will not hesitate to sell you if it means that he will be able to eat."
Didn't answer.
Delilah looked at where the Queen's spirit was supposed to be.
"Who are you talking to, Bachué?"
Didn't answer.
Delilah stepped forward, hand ready to draw.
"Bachué, the boy recognized us ..."
Little by little, she was removing the sword from her sheath.
The boy understood what was happening. He must have felt the tense atmosphere, the suspicious looks and he started to back off.
Delilah gripped the handle of her sword and looked at me as if asking my permission to act.
"No, Delilah ...," I refused.
"Dark skin, you will regret this…," the Queen affirmed.
The boy started to run. Delilah started to follow him, but I stopped her.
"Delilah, no!"
"Bachué, that boy is going to sell us. In no time we'll be surrounded by the Duke's soldiers."
"We are not going to kill children!" I screamed.
Delilah snorted in frustration and released the handle of her sword.
Queen Catherine gave me a murderous look.
"Perfect, we just left a loose end. Your girlfriend is right, dark-skin. Don't be surprised when we see the Duke's troops arrive. "
I lowered my head and had to accept the idea that I had been rejecting for so long.
"Delilah, let's go west," I said.