Ani made his place on my bed as I strolled across the carpeted floors of the most elegant bedroom I'd seen yet; a little sad I wouldn't be able to sleep in it for quite a while. I washed, then woke Ani with a murmur and a pet, saying my goodbyes for now.
"Don't bully Millie or Notus while I'm gone, Ani." His head bobbed up and down in an imitation of a nod as I gently patted him on his tiny, fluffy little head. He hunched away, and I withdrew my hand, disappointed but knowing I needed to meet my guard sooner rather than later.
He tilted his head, ears flicking back curiously.
Smiling, I said, "Goodbye, Ani," and left. Some type of cat instinct must have struck him, as, unlike when I'd just left him for the day, he dashed across the floor, racing me to the door. With a gentle push of my foot against his sternum, I moved him out of the doorway and shut him in behind me.
As always, he had food and water available, and the maids had been instructed to check on him long after I should be gone. Sera and Helia met me in the hallway, grim-faced.
Sera was fingering the tips of her newly chopped hair, her bob-cut hovering loosely above her shoulders. "Your hair looks nice," I said, a near apology for suggesting it in the first place. I wouldn't apologize, however. It had been a suggestion driven by a necessity of which we were both aware.
She smiled, seeing my words for what it was. "I know," she responded. She dropped the tips, walking sharply down the hallway. Helia and I followed her to the courtyard, where I was to meet my escort.
Waiting patiently in a perfectly still military stance was a friendly-faced, brown-haired, brown-eyed member of her personal guard. At Sera's permissible wave, he moved to shake my hand. "I'm Faustus, and I'll be acting as your temporary bodyguard. It's good to meet you, Sir Hayden." He said with a smile and a firm grip.
I matched his grip the best I could and smiled back. "You too."
Unlike the soldiers I'd spent time with recently, Faustus appeared ordinary to the outside eye. He was fit, like most men were in this world, and tan, like the laborers. He had a kind, round face, and his hair and eyes were a common brown. Next to Helia, who walked like a guard, and Sera, who walked like, well, a princess, he moved in a self-assured and comfortable manner.
Sera and Helia led us further into the courtyard, soldiers standing at attention and saluting as we passed. Two huge nondescript horses were saddled and waiting for us, supposedly some of the fastest in the kingdom. Some part of me had been hoping we'd get to ride magical creatures, like the unicorns, but I suppose those would have been a dead giveaway if we were noticed later.
"We provided you with some clothes according to your new station," Helia explained, pointing to the bags, "Be sure to change once you're outside the city."
Intimidated by the sheer size of the horses, I nodded hesitantly.
Noticing my hesitation, Faustus placed a concerned hand on my shoulder. "Have you ever ridden a horse before?"
"No," I answered. I'd grown up in Chicago and hated the outdoors. Not only had I never had the opportunity, but I'd never cared to learn either.
"You'll learn fast," Helia reassured me, "you'll have to."
I swallowed. They taught me to mount only on the horse's left side and instructed me to trail my hand on the horse if I had to switch sides, so I wouldn't get accidentally kicked by the horse. The addition to the last piece of instruction only served to make me feel more nervous about the beast, not better.
Once mounted, I gripped the reigns tightly enough to turn my knuckles white and bloodless. One of the other guards, a young man with dirty blonde hair who had been helping me, grabbed them and brought them closer to the horse's neck.
"Not too tight, lad. You'll injure her. If you need to move her, gently pull the reins in the direction you need her to go, leaving lots of slack. For the most part, she'll follow Faust's horse, though." he said, giving the horse a gentle pat on the neck. "She's well trained, so you shouldn't have any problems."
After that, I had a very short crash course on how to ride a horse which mostly boiled down to balancing myself properly and not slumping like a sack of potatoes. Once the cover of night fell, we took off, and soon the city lights vanished behind us into the night.
We increased our pace to a trot outside the city gates, our trek long and arduous. This first night, we moved under cover of darkness, our only light the waning moons hanging above our heads. Exhausted, my head nodded, and my eyes drooped as sleep threatened to drag me under. Around an hour in the grip of sleep nearly pulled me off the horse, and the resulting falling sensation allowed me to catch myself at the last moment. Suddenly I was wide awake, and the adrenaline which kicked in every time I looked at the faraway and shaking ground kept me wide awake for the rest of the night. A bit before dawn, Faustus silently directed us off the path, deep enough into the woods that we wouldn't be seen or heard, even during the day.
As we dismounted and Faustus took care of the horses, he explained our travel plans. We would move like this until we convened with Aquila, as her people would be the ones to help us with our cover story. Despite my reservations about this situation, I kept my complaints to myself. This entire plan had been my idea.
Leaves rustled as Faust set up the tent, and the patchy darkness of the trees around me faded in sync with the sounds.
The next thing I knew, my shoulder was being shaken. I woke with a start to see Faustus's illuminated face sitting inches from my own. On instinct, I jerked backward, tangled in a sleeping bag I didn't recall climbing into. The unfamiliar small tent around me was bright and awash with the colors of the daytime.
Brighter than the tent itself was the smile that crossed Faustus's kind face upon seeing me awake. His overall presence reminded me of a puppy I'd had growing up. "Sir Hayden! You're awake!"
Sitting up, I dodged his face and asked, "Sir?"
To my relief, Faustus moved back to give me space, shuffling anxiously. I half expected to see an excited tail behind him. He nodded vigorously. "You appear to be close with the princess." He explained.
To an outsider, I could see why he thought that, so I didn't bother arguing. It was nice to feel respected and to be addressed as "sir," though I was unused to the title.
More importantly, how should I address him? We would travel together for some time, and my life would be in his hands. Staying on good terms with him would be paramount.
Ultimately, I decided to go with the tried and true method of ignoring and dodging the problem, resolving to figure it out later. Yawning, I asked, "What time is it?"
"I'd say around 9, sir."
I yawned. So I'd probably gotten around 3 hours of sleep. Not great. I moved to grab for my saddle bag, intending to change. "And where are we?"
Standing between me and the bags, Faustus gently picked mine up and handed it to me. Here you go, sir. We're about half a day's ride to Lutetia."
I whistled and began to dig through the bag for my clothes. That Lutetia was about halfway between the town I had started at, Erdment, and the capitol. It seemed that in one night, we'd traveled what had taken nearly three days in a carriage. "Wow, we're making good time."
Faustus rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding my eyes. "Actually sir, we're moving slower than expected. Even though we're traveling by moonlight, we should be a few hours closer to Lutetia by now."
I pulled my change of clothes from my pack, organizing them on my cot so I could change. Surprised, I asked, "Really? Then why are we… " he shuffled, continuing to avoid my eyes, and I trailed off, my hands stilling. Oh.
Embarrassed, I cleared my throat. "Well, I still need to change…."
Now that the topic was dropped, he shed his embarrassed posture and met my eyes. "Yes, of course, sir." He said, making no move to leave.
We stared at each other for a few seconds, awkwardness radiating from me and sincerity and obliviousness radiating from Faustus.
I coughed again. No reaction. Faustus appeared a bit confused.
The public baths had made me far less caring about who saw my naked body, but no matter how I tried to look at this situation, it was awkward. "...could you please leave while I change?"
He looked at the clothes in my hands, then back up to my embarrassed face. "Oh, of course, sir." He said, then hastily removed himself from my presence.
I waited a few seconds to be sure he was gone. Once assured, I dressed in the tailor-made clothes, impressed by her dedication to detail. I wasn't sure how she had done it, but I now wore a faded and used-looking grass-green silk tunic, and wool pants, which were surprisingly light enough to breathe in. New boots, too, were provided, worn but of apparently high quality. A weary deep green wool cloak finished the outfit, the cloak looking as though it had been handed down in a once wealthy family.
Now dressed, I stepped out to meet Faustus, who was cooking a light breakfast and boiling water over a fire.