Veliona's horse neighed in adamant refusal to go over the rickety drawbridge in front of them. But it was the only way forward, finding a different way would set them back hours.
She held highly to its reigns and tried to calm it down. Gazing over the edge of the cliff revealed a fairly high drop with water rushing along at the bottom.
"Is everything alright, princess?" Larian asked. He and his horse were already halfway across the bridge.
Veliona nodded. But she was almost as nervous as her horse. She could use her dagger to get herself across, but opening a rift big enough to fit a horse wasn't something she was sure she could do.
She sighed and urged the horse foward once more. Luckily it complied this time, although reluctantly. It placed one hoof on the wooden bridge, as if testing it, before beginning to walk forward.
Veliona walked in front of it, leading it by its reigns. She stepped as gingerly as she could manage. Who knew how old these wooden boards were.
They were about halfway across when she heard a loud cracking sound.
And a second later, her horse's frightened neigh as it tumbled through the bridge. Pulling her along with it.
It took her a second to realise she was falling. Her hands scrambled to her waist, trying to find her dagger. She scrambled nervously, her mind busy picturing the sharp rocks waiting for her below.
Once Larian saw her fall he jumped in after her immediately. The wind whipped at his face as he reached out a hand for her to grab on to. She stopped whatever she was doing and did so.
Once she was safely in his arms he closed his eyes and concentrated. From the opposing cliff's wall large vines burst forth, towards their falling figures. He landed on them feet first, princess still in hid arms, and slid down it for a few metres.
Once they had stopped moving, he made the vines rise and set them safely on the other side of the chasm.
Veliona's heart was still pounding in her ears. She had just almost died.
"Are you alright princess?" Larian asked, looking down at her.
His voice snapped her back to the present. She was alive... and his face was really close to hers.
"I-I'm fine!" She replied, flustered. He set her down gently.
"Are you quite certain? Your face is looking a bit red."
Veliona spun around so he could no longer see it. "I said I'm fine, okay? What about my horse?"
Larian gestured in the opposite direction. Her horse stood a few metres away from them, a bit shaken but still in one piece. He had grabbed the horse at the same time and placed it safely atop the cliff.
"Thank you, for saving me. That was... incredible."
Larian did a small bow. "Please, think nothing of it. I said I would protect you, and so I will."
He helped her back onto her horse before getting onto his own. And then they continued their journey.
×
Myrn was a quiet little town nestled in a valley south of the capital. Veliona's horse was much calmer now, walking through the green grass littered with colorful flowers or all kinds.
Veliona took in a deep breath, the open country smelt a lot different than the city.
"Aren't these flowers beautiful?" She asked, laughing. She had been cooped up in the castle for a little too long.
Larian eyed them disdainfully. "There's an... unrefined charm to them, yes. Personally though, I prefer roses."
She should've seen that coming, Veliona thought to herself. She slid off her horse and picked a flower off the ground. She held it up to her nose.
Its smell was so much less intoxicating than Larian's roses. She smiled as she pocketed it.
The sound of Larian shifting on his horse all of a sudden made her turn. His eyebrows were furrowed. Was it because of the flowers?
"Is something wrong?" Veliona asked. She followed his gaze all the way to the town at the centre of the valley.
Larian didn't answer for a few seconds. Then his gaze softened. "I sense something... out of the ordinary. Get back on your horse princess, and be sure to stay close to me once we reach the town. No matter what."
Veliona nodded and quickly got back on. She followed close behind his horse, on high alert. Even though she wasn't sure what was going on.
The sound of children's laughter grew louder as they approached the town. The place was strewn with decorations for a festival. And they weren't the only travelers who had arrived. The streets were packed with all kinds of people.
They would have to continue on foot if they wanted to get through the crowd. Larian objected at first, saying they should make way for them. But Veliona insisted, she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself.
Right now she was not the crown princess of Yves. She was just another adventurer.
She nudged Larian with her elbow. Carefully avoiding the spikes on his armor. "Come on, you don't have to look so serious. We got here safely. Plus, it's a festival.
Also, we're going to have to walk through a lot of crowded places. So you might want to take your spiky armor off first."
Larian didn't seem to thrilled by that. But she was right, he wasn't sure what he had felt before but he didn't feel it anymore. For the moment, atleast. He took of his armor piece by piece until he was left standing in his crimson gambeson.
"You really like the color red, huh?" Veliona commented.
He handed his armor to some vines he'd brought forth from the ground. They sunk back into the soil, and would await the moment he needed them. He wasn't leaving his sword though.
Then, leaving their horses tied with others, they made their way into the crowd.
Perhaps she had underestimated the density of the crowd, Veliona thought to herself as she was jostled by the endless stream of people's shoulders. She couldn't even see Larian anymore.
She was about to call out his name when a hand grabbed on to hers, pulling her forward.
"Please remember to stay close princess." Larian reminded her. She nodded.
Finally they broke through the mass of people and found themselves in front of a local inn. Larian gave a disapproving sigh at the sight of a group of people at the counter.
"It's fine. We'll just wait in line." Veliona said to Larian.
Larian had folded his arms. "You are the crown princess of this kingdom. You have no need to wait in lines."
Before she could protest he had already began walking towards the counter. She hurried after him, trying to call him back. There was really no need to make a fuss.
"Sir Larian!", she shouted as quietly as she could. "There's really no need."
Thankfully he stopped walking, if only to reply to her. "There most certainly is. You are the princess-..."
"That doesn't matter."
Larian turned his head to find where the voice had come from. To his side stood a figure in a brown cloak. They lowered their hood, revealing a man with dark purple hair cascading over his left eye which was hidden by an eye patch.
He had a large smile on his face but it definitely wasn't a happy one. Larian regarded him warily.
"Excuse me?"
The man repeated himself plainly. That made Larian raise an eyebrow, he hadn't been expecting him to just say it again.
"Who even are you?" Larian questioned.
The man shook his head. "That doesn't matter either."
Larian was a bit exasperated at this point. He pinched his forehead. "Then what does matter?"
The man suddenly perked up, pointing at him as of he had gotten a question right. "That's exactly it! Nothing matters. So why bother, minion of Lucyfer."
Larian's hand shot to his side and clasped over the hilt of his sword. He kept his eyes on the man as he began to slowly slide it out of its scabbard.
"Sir Larian! The counter is free now. We can go." Veliona exclaimed, making Larian's gaze flicker to her for a split second. By the time he looked back the strange man was gone. Veliona didn't seem to have seen him.
He took one more look around before sighing and slowly releasing his grip on his sword. Then he followed the princess to book a room.