Heart Over Sword

Evanna slowed the horse down after riding for an hour; her heart was pounding to the sound of hooves galloping on the ground, her anticipation for an attack never faltering. But Conrad and his men never pursued them, which made her highly suspicious of him. The Prince did see her; whether he believed her to be the princess or just some thief, either way, he would never let someone take his horse. 

Something wasn't right, but her senses weren't alerting her to an ambush of any kind, and where they were now, it seemed okay to dismount. Ronan was the first to jump off and extended his hand out for her to take; Evanna slid off easily and patted the horse's neck. "Thank you, Shardeigh," She whispered for the horse to snort and flip its head back. But as soon as Ronan came closer, Shardeigh tapped its hoof in a warning. 

Ronan backed away at a reasonable distance until the horse seemed to calm down. Evanna patted Shardeigh again and spoke soothing words into its ear before letting go of the reins and turning to talk to Ronan. "Raven.." Ronan wrapped his arms around her, pulling the princess into a hug, almost making her fall backwards from how he clung to her. "I'm so glad to see you are alive."

Evanna's shock was replaced with a chuckle. "Oh, Roach, did you really think I'd be dead?" She patted his back like she was consoling a young child.

Ronan pulled back and stared at her masked face, shaking his head in disbelief. "You were caught by the Flori. What else was I meant to believe? Unless they found out who you are..?"

Evanna grinned and relaxed her hands to her sides. "They did not figure my identity out, but they also couldn't kill me. I had information about the gem.." Her smile faltered as she was reminded that the gemstone was no longer in their possession but with the Lyvarians. Her heart wanted to burst in despair at the loss and hopelessness she was starting to feel. Evanna knew until she heard from her mother and Killian, she would not rest well, and even then, would it be the news she is so desperately seeking? 

"Still.. that white-haired elf.." Ronan shivered and stared at her in concern, "Did they.. do anything to you?" Evanna blinked momentarily from her daze and was brought back to the conversation with Ronan. 

The white-haired elf, do anything..

Evanna tilted her head to the side in confusion as Ronan rambled on. "Did they.. you're a woman .. a gorgeous woman at that-"

"They did not," Evanna interrupted once her mind started working again and before he could continue with his compliments. "Arawn would never let that happen, and I was treated.. very well. The Flori aren't.. brutes." 

She only wished things were different, and she could have stayed. 

"Arawn?" Ronan stepped back to look at her properly, and the horse turned to look at them, its ears flickering. Its eyes changed to the colour of honey, but neither noticed the change because Ronan had pulled Evanna's mask down, staring at her intensely. "Who is Arawn?" 

"The white-haired elf.. He is the Crown Prince of the Flori." Evanna looked away from him.

Ronan's brows rose at her statement. "And he was the one to chase us. And you.. you even fought him!? Hold on, you didn't call him Prince.. Are you.. friendly with him?" Evanna looked back at him, watching as the wheels spun behind his eyes, adding together that she started to consider Arawn as more than an acquaintance in their time apart. 

Evanna pursed her lips and turned to the horse, grabbing the reins once more and started to walk. "We should keep moving. The Flori are after me, the woods are full of the faceless, and now it seems Prince Conrad and the knights of Dunhurst are after me," She grumbled, changing the subject. 

Ronan didn't persist further in questioning her about the Florian prince and instead followed along by her side, patting her shoulder. "You know the King is just worried about you."

"I told him not to waste resources on me. It would have been best to keep my disappearance quiet; who knows how much this could weaken the kingdom. If Conrad is searching for me, I can only imagine that my father sought help from the Hatherland kingdom, and either the King or Conrad struck a deal with him for my safe return," She grimaced, thinking back to how he used to be her betrothed. But they were just children then, now they were both of marital age.

She clenched her fists tightly, and Shardeigh made a small whinny. She relaxed her hands and rested her head against the horse without looking at him. "*If your master was a fine gentleman, then maybe things would have worked out differently and maybe.. we could ride to our heart's content.*" She whispered wistfully. The horse snorted and moved its large head into her more, making her chuckle. 

"I can confirm from overhearing Sir Baldwin and Prince Conrad speaking. King Osian did ask for Hatherland for help; he showed the knight a scroll that said so," Ronan began, then quietened after seeing her brows arch together in annoyance. "Did you not expect your father to reach out to them? Hatherland, are our allies correct? You have been missing for six to seven weeks now."

"Hatherland is our ally, but.." Evanna sighed and pulled her mask up once more after feeling a slight chill down her spine. She looked behind her and glanced warily at the trees, but there was no one, nothing following them. She glanced at Ronan, wondering if the politics of the kingdoms was worth going into. 

They were allies, but Hatherland was a force to be reckoned with. At the moment, it looked like the King was becoming greedy and taking over kingdoms to create his own empire. Ally or not, they needed something more concrete to stop them from invading Dunhurst. 

"But?" Ronan peered at her, but she shook her head. 

She cleared her throat and looked at Shardeigh after feeling the horse's eyes on her. Which was strange, but she felt a sense of déjà vu. Looking back at Ronan, she said, "Nothing. I just hoped my father would have listened to my wishes. Unless I was near the palace, nobody knew who I was. But now.. travelling will be much harder.. that is.. until we get to Lyvaria. "

Ronan stopped in their tracks, taking Evanna a few moments until she realised her companion was not by her side as she thought of the elven kingdom. Turning her head, she looked at Ronan. "Lyvaria? That is our next destination?" He asked before marching towards her. "Tell me, what is your plan going forward?"

Evanna sighed, "Let us speak when we make camp. I fear that Conrad will not let us go so easily. Shardeigh has rested enough now."

Ronan nodded and approached the horse pausing and rubbing his eyes. He swore he saw its eyes were glowing golden in colour. "I must be tired," He muttered after being pulled up once more by Evanna onto the horse that snorted and started to stamp its hoof again. 

"*Easy Shardeigh, please for an old friend. You have let us ride you this far...*" At the princess' words, the horse seemed to sigh and start to trot ahead.