When they had lunch and Ylre suggested leaving town early so they wouldn't run into Nielle, Rue didn't object. They bought bread, a few small dishes for the journey and went to the gate leading out of the city.
"I think he understood what I said. I explained to him normally that we have nothing to do with it." Rue said after a moment.
"He didn't look like someone who would understand an explanation... and you don't look like someone who beats people up for disagreements. So it's better to leave if you don't want to solve things violently," Ylre pointed out.
"I don't want to...things can be solved by words," he said.
"If everyone shared this opinion, yes, but Rinsel is a military country," Ylre clarified, "They act first, ask questions later...if at all."
"If it's their kind of culture, then it's not their fault...all the less reason to treat them violently. It wasn't the most appropriate way you reacted back then." Rue scolded him in a way that sounded more educational than angry.
Ylre was silent for a moment before continuing, "I won't let him attack us wrongfully, he has no right."
"He didn't behave politely, but he didn't attack. Next time, act hostile only in self-defense, don't encourage conflicts." Rue said as if to teach Ylre, even though he had only known him for a while.
However, Ylre did not get upset and instead of objections, he gently nodded: "I'll try."
Pleased that Ylre understood, Rue smiled softly, "You seem the most reasonable person I've met here yet," he complimented.
Ylre laughed with pleasure: "It doesn't sound like a compliment in a bunch of idiots."
"Idiots?" Rue didn't understand, seeing all the locals more like the descendants of people he'd seen once, who were just learning to live, who were too young to know how to behave. People who didn't know and it was his job to guide them on the right path, though not everyone was listening. Rue saw humans as children and his own nation as their guardians, even though they hadn't functioned that way for many years. However, he didn't think anything would change on that principle...regardless, in what time he lives.
They walked slowly through the streets of the city until they reached the gate, where they were suddenly stopped by a pair of guards: "Stop, town is closed," they said.
"Closed?" Rue was surprised, "I went here yesterday."
"There has been a murder, the city is closed until it is solved," the guard explained.
"We have nothing to do with the murder," Rue objected calmly.
"No one will pass... I say, the whole city is closed until further notice, go back." he commanded.
"We have nowhere to go, we don't live in the city...we were just passing through," Rue explained slowly.
"Find a place in the inn," the guard said, "a few days won't ruin you."
As he tried to argue and continue the negotiation, other guards joined the conversation: "Any problem?"
"Nothing new...they want to leave the city," he sighed.
The guard looked at them casually: "What don't you understand? The city is closed, get lost!" He raised his voice and moved his palm to the sword.
"Don't you find it inappropriate to yell at innocent people?" Rue asked with a soft smile, "If you can't let us go, call someone who can." he declared.
The guard laughed amusedly, "Prince Nielle gave the order."
"I spoke with the prince recently, we made it clear that we are not suspects," he said.
The guard frowned slightly and looked at his colleague. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before backing up and asking him something. Subsequently, they called several guards from behind and after one of them handed the first a bound paper, they carefully examined it. They then looked at the couple in front of them and after chatting for a while they approached again.
"You will come with us," one said.
"Where?" Rue asked.
"You are suspected of murder." They slowly surrounded them, catching the attention of a few passers-by, who quickly turned back on their way, knowing full well that they mustn't get involved in arresting people in the city, especially when Nielle's people were doing it.
"We are suspected?" Rue didn't understand the nonsense.
"Are you going voluntarily?"
"We didn't do anything," he said, but the guards drew their swords in a second and pointed them in their direction.
Rue just blinked slightly as he didn't understand why they wouldn't let things be explained and listen. However he still didn't lose his patience and looked at Ylre, "Strange people." He sighed.
Ylre looked at him, "You don't want to be locked up, do you?"
"Locked up?" he looked at the guards with swords and asked, "Where would we go?" Rue wondered.
"Take a guess." one said.
"To the dungeon...Prince Nielle needs to interrogate you," another explained.
It took a moment for Rue to imagine, "Your country is really...unfair." He said, gently extending his fingers towards the sentinel's blade pointed in his direction.
The sudden lunge forward made Rue flinch slightly, "Once you are proven innocent, the prince will release you," he declared.
After Rue gently lowered his hands, he said, "I'm not going to the dungeon," he smiled, "It would be best if you let us through." he clarified.
"You have the last chance to come with us voluntarily," the guard shouted, after which the circle around them narrowed again. Rue and Ylre only slightly approached each other.
"I'll get rid of them," Ylre promised.
"Didn't you listen to me?" Rue asked, "Only in self-defense, people should only use violence in self-defense."
Ylre just nodded, "As you say."
When the guards saw that the two suspects didn´t seem like going with them voluntarily, they didn´t hesitate any longer and stepped forward. Several swords approached their bodies, Ylre didn't move from his spot while Rue took a step back, gaining distance from the two swords that were rapidly approaching him.
When the blades came close enough to almost touch him, Rue lightly moved his hand up and simply blocked the two swords' lunges. His palm scraped against the flat sides of the metal, causing the guards to stop in surprise. But that was a mistake, because Rue didn´t hesitate and with a sharp lunge knocked the sword out of the hand of one of the guards. The weapon landed in his palm, and before the other guard could recover, he disarmed him too with a powerful swing.
A gentle gust of air from behind forced him to react, whereupon he sharply blocked an attack coming from behind his back and sent the guard to the other two with one well-aimed lunge.
The pair of men was only falling to the ground in confusion when a third guard rammed into them. They all lay there in surprise for a moment and when they tried to get up, Rue was already standing over them. He aimed his sword n their direction, and although there were only one blade, no one of them dare to move.
"When someone tells you he´s innocent, listen...don't attack," he advised and quickly hit all three in a sequence of blows with the blunt side, knocking them out.
He wanted to take care of the remaining attackers, but when he looked behind him, he saw only a pile of bloody bodies on the ground at Ylre's feet. Ylre threw his blade at one of the guards and looked at Rue who sighed deeply.
Ylre declared inocently, "Self-defense," raising his hands as if giving an explanation.
"You didn't kill them, didn´t you?" Rue asked, walking up to the guards.
"I didn't," he declared, "but we should go before the new group arrives."
After making sure they were all alive, Rue nodded and headed out through the gate. As soon as they left the city, reached the river, and gradually passed to the forest from which he actually got here, he finally asked:
"Do we know where we are going?" he wondered.
"I know, don't worry," Ylre nodded, "but it often happens that I come across a place where I stay for a while unplanned, sometimes I turn in a direction I've never been and come back to the original path later. So when we wander somewhere, our journey will be longer if you don't mind." he clarified.
"It sounds tempting, I want to travel," he smiled, "but I hope they won't follow us...we didn't do anything." he sighed.
"When they show up, I'll take care of them," Ylre promised.
"Ylre." he admonished him.
"In self-defense," Ylre smiled.
"But who would kill people in the capital?" Rue didn´t understand the reason for the violence.
"Someone who got pissed off," Ylre said, "if you want, I can at least have a sword made in the nearest town."
"No need, I don't like to carry weapons," he admitted.
"I know, I'll buy it for myself, let's have at least one," he said automatically.
Rue stopped in surprise: "You know?" he didn't understand, "How do you know?"
Ylre blinked slightly as he didn't realize what he just said, "Oh...it's just," he hesitated, "I just figured...you look like you have good fighting skills, but you don't carry a sword, I thought you probably wouldn't like it or something." he blurted out.
"Ah," Rue smiled calmly, "I used to have a sword...I loved it, I still do. However, I rarely took it with me on trips, since I couldn't use it here anyway. So even now I don't want to carry any sword. It's just a habit from a time when people would be terrified if I did. However, I always had someone to protect me when needed." he clarified, not knowing how strange the explanation sounded.
Ylre stared at him for a moment before asking, "Where is he now?" he asked.
Rue thought for a while before he said, "I don't know...unpleasant things happened to him because of me. He was almost killed and I honestly don't even know where he ended up. I hope he doesn't remember me," he said.
"Why shouldn't he remember you?" Ylre asked.
"I always acted like I was raising him and leading him to good things, teaching him the rules and everything he needed...but in the end I was the one who broke the most important rules," he explained.
Ylre objected: "The rules are not always right."
"Some of them are...when they are created by someone who is clearly not wrong," he clarified, "but it was my fault we got into trouble...my problems were his problems...he got himself involved wrongly and he didn't end well...I don't know how he lives, but he must hate me." he said.
"I don't think he hates you," Ylre argued, "If you raised him, he should be indebted to you for everything you've done…if he doesn't appreciate it, he doesn't even deserve to live." he clarified.
"Of course he deserves it...at least more than I do...I don't know why Luck didn't understand," he said, "but luckily he's alive."
"How do you know he's alive?" Ylre wondered.
"I know," he gently gripped his chest and added, "if not, I would feel...he has my luck...I know my luck doesn't look like much, but when it's working normally...it really is...really intense," he smiled, "he's the only one who can draw from it now...he's definitely alive, my luck isn´t something that anyone can oppose," he added, "I hope he's happier than he was then...I hope Luck is on his side." he clarified.
Ylre listened to him for a moment before declaring, "I think you're still incredibly lucky...you met me," he said.
Rue´s soft laughter was interrupted by his words, "True," he smiled, "I'm glad we met...I thought lucky coincidences wouldn't happen to me anymore, but it did." he pointed out.
Ylre smiled softly and said, "You know what else is a lucky coincidence?"
"What?" Rue wondered, looking at Ylre who nodded ahead of them to a brighter part of the path. It led from behind the trees to a small meadow before continuing further into the forest. Several horses stood by the path, grazing on the grass while behind them stood a man cleaning the cart.
"I see a cart with apples," Ylre smiled, "I think he could show us around if we ask. Maybe he'll even sell us a few apples." he said.
"Apples?" Rue cheered and added to his step, as if he wasn't that interested in the possibility of transportation.
"You see, a lucky coincidence," Ylre smiled and followed him.