The three riders made good time to Klain. They spent one night in the wilderness, thinking stopping at an inn in town might be too conspicuous until they were all the way to the city.
Ashmayne carefully weighed the pros and cons, given that the soldiers hunting "Beatrice/Betty" could appear out of nothing, but would probably try to avoid being seen themselves. In the end, they camped near a town but not in one.
They spoke quietly, mostly with Amelia explaining customs of the region's people to help Betty blend in with crowds a little better once they reached the city. Before long, the exhausted woman lay down with the infant in her arms to get some sleep.
"Do you think it will be all right?" Amelia whispered to Ash.
"I hope so," He answered honestly but noncommittally. She scooted closer to him on the log where they were both sitting by the small campfire.
"It's been quite a day, hasn't it?" Amelia sighed. "This morning I was working quietly at my job, and now I'm in the wilderness with you in the weirdest situation I've ever encountered."
Ash chuckled, "Well, when you put it like that, yes, it has been a day."
"I know you've had all kinds of adventures before, but this is really my first one," Amelia confided, "I don't know how I'll ever go back to normal life after this. Actually, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to even if I tried."
Ash studied her in the flickering light, "Why is that?"
"I left a note saying I had run away with you. It was easier to tell a technical truth than an outright lie, but people will assume, well... so I wouldn't be able to go back and just live normally. The rumors would follow me forever." Amelia hadn't had the chance to absorb the consequences of what she'd put in the note until long after they'd left.
"I see. Do you want to go back?" Ash asked. He felt some guilt for his role in putting her in such a situation. If he hadn't asked her on a walk, she wouldn't be involved in any of this.
"I don't have any real ties there," Amelia shrugged.
"This does make a strange first outing for a courtship," Ash's brow furrowed, "Normally I would walk you home and be a perfect gentleman above reproach. Now, I'm keeping you out overnight and have ruined your reputation."
"There's no help for it." She shrugged off his concerns. As the daughter of the town drunk, reputation had never been a luxury she'd enjoyed too much. Now that her innocence would be in question, the last shred of it would be gone.
"Whatever your desired solution, I will help you reach it," Ashmayne pledged. He was a man of honor and it wounded him deeply to have cast aspersions onto hers. "If you want a new life somewhere else, I will help you establish it. If you want to go back with a clean reputation, I'll marry you to remove any speck of doubt on your character."
Could someone turn pale and blush at the same time? Amelia wondered if she looked in a mirror which her face would appear to be doing now.
"You're... proposing? But only if I want to go back?" She tried to clarify his perplexing statement.
"I only suggested courtship because I thought your father or guardian would object to an outright proposal of marriage after so short a time. I'll marry you the moment we get to Klain if you'll have me, come what may." Ashmayne stared into her eyes, resolute in his declaration.
"But why?" She asked. She'd never been proposed to before, but this was all very sudden and strange.
Ash sighed. "I'm making a mess of this, aren't I? Yes, I want to do the noble thing and save your reputation if I can, but much more important than that, I love you. I have since we were young. I never said anything because your father screamed at me and threatened me after he caught wind that I might be interested in his daughter. It was only shortly after that when I went away for my military service.
"I don't want to brag, but I excelled at it. I finally found something in the world I was truly good at, and I made my career in it, always intending to find my way back to town and hoping you hadn't married someone else in the mean time. My hopes were realized when that bridge washed out and I had an excuse to stay in town for a few days.
"I didn't mean to say all this so suddenly, but I might as well finish. When I saw you again, it was like the world made sense. These last days have been utter joy. I love you. I want to be with you forever. Please... don't reject me yet. Think about it for as long as you need to." He heaved a sigh as if he'd unloaded a heavy burden.
She let go of the breath she'd been holding. Him asking to court her had been surprising enough. What could she say to a proposal? In the wilderness? At night? Alone? It occurred to her belatedly that he never actually asked her to marry him, just talked about how he wanted to and would be willing to marry her. How very strange.
"That is a lot to consider, and I will think it over carefully. Thank you." She had no more words than that, so shocked was she by all these things.
"Get some sleep. I'll keep watch." Ashmayne offered.
"Thank you, I will." Amelia agreed.
_________________
The morning dawned, and the group had a quick breakfast before heading straight for the city. The journey was going smoothly, which set Ashmayne a little on edge. He had anticipated a little more trouble, but so far none was forthcoming. It made him put his guard up.
They arrived at the city gates in the early afternoon, and Captain Ashmayne announced he had a report to make to the General. The group was ushered in, and went straight to the residence with haste.
Although all went in together as either subject or witness to the report, Ashmayne took the lead at explaining the situation and his findings to the General. The old, grizzled man's eyes widened as he listened.
"This sounds very serious," He finally said. "Tell me, um, Betty," He used her new name awkwardly, "What is this nation from which you have fled?"
"The Rhone." She answered simply.
"What danger do they pose to Klain?" He pressed.
"None yet," She admitted, "I have heard rumblings of preparing for an eventual invasion, but such have been the rumors since I was a child. I have no reason to believe an attack is more imminent now than it was then, except what my sister has told me."
"Which is?" The General pressed further. He did not know if he could trust the information from this young woman, but knowing more was certainly better than leaving it unsaid. Perhaps this young traitor to her people would be truthful in exchange for the sanctuary the city could give her.
"The Great Queen Titania is slowly building her forces and experimenting with magic. She is currently attempting to exert control over mindless animals and bend them to her will. She's also proficient with poisons. The swordsmen that your brave captain fought off, I'm certain even one cut of their swords would have been deadly." Betty concluded.
"You may stay in Klain for the time being. The matter of political asylum for a foreign heir is not one I can make on my own. It must go before the Council, but secretly. I will convene with them tomorrow."
As he stood to usher them out and send them to a safe house for the night, the old man sighed. He walked them out the front door of his home and paused, debating exactly what instruction to give the guard about the little group.
"Soldier, I--" He was cut off as a figure dove from the shadows brandishing a curved blade. It came within inches of the General's face. As the General ducked, Ashmayne lunged, dealing a mortal wound to the man's chest and deflecting him backwards.
The soldier stumbled backward into a void, vanishing from sight.
"He won't go far," Betty said, "It's dangerous to travel wounded in the darkness. He will reappear nearby."
The General scattered several of his guards to begin searching for the enemy. "How does he... do you... do that?" He asked finally.
"For me, I stole an artifact that was bestowed upon my sister as the Crown Prince's wife." She displayed a necklace with a charm in the form of a delicately carved leaf. "Though many Rhone carry them, this one has been treated with herbs and allows only those of royal blood to pass in and out of the Darkness. Since my nephew is royal blood, I was able to escape the Darkness with him."
The General nodded. It seemed the small thing would be useless to him and his soldiers, if this girl were to be believed. At present, he had no reason other than his paranoia to disbelieve her.