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Runaway Princess (EveraJayde & HaseoGentsu1)

E

EveraJayde

Super-Earth
Joined
Dec 13, 2012
Sofia tried to act as calm and natural as possible as she turned to the two guards that had accompanied her out into the garden. "You may leave me here." she said softly, the guards nodding in unison, both giving a small bow before turning back to the entrance of the castle. This certainly wasn't the first time she had shooed them away while she went out to explore the grounds of the castle, but this time, she hadn't sent them off because she wanted time to herself. Taking a deep breath, she waited until the two had disappeared before making her way towards the south end of the garden. Several weeks before, she had found a breached spot in the wall that surrounded the castle, probably from lack of care. Everything there was old, built for her great great great grandfather over a hundred years before when he had been crowned king. It wasn't like anyone had ever ventured this far into the garden to notice it anyways, no one except for herself.

Reaching the broken section of the wall, Sofia's hazel eyes scanned the area surrounding her, her long auburn hair blowing slightly in the wind as she made sure no one was around to see what she was about to do. She'd explored what was on the other side briefly when she first found the breached section, the hole in the wall leading her into the forest. After being informed of her arrangement to marry the prince of the north, she found this as her only escape. The fact that it lead into the forest would make it easier for her to leave the kingdom without being found, or so she hoped. She just couldn't stay. All her life, she had been confined. All she wanted was to be happy, do the things she wanted. Not what her father wanted. She didn't want to marry a man she knew wouldn't love her, he was only marrying her for power.

Still, the young princess was naive. She had lived a life of royalty, she knew not of how to take care of herself. All her life, she'd had the things she needed and wanted handed to her, never having to do anything on her own. She didn't realize how difficult the journey she was about to take would be. Though she wasn't aware of it, there was no way she would be able to do it on her own, not without getting caught at least. Nonetheless, these thoughts didn't cross her mind. She simply, snuck through the hole in the wall, completely unprepared as she turned her back to her kingdom and ventured off into the surrounding woods.
 
Sai Shuhei, a knight of twenty-five, and a loyal protector of the kingdom for over nine years. Born from a family which has been supporting the king since many years back. So being that far into the lineage, had no way of getting out. Though he was made fun of for many years, Sai kept a high standing than anyone else in the kingdom holding the rank of a knight. He had been given many supporting roles that it was getting to be tiring. Not once had he been in charge of an army, a mission, or even a daily chore. For some reason he wasn't given too much respect in the higher ranks. Possibly because his higher officers were younger than he was. Or that he was caught looking upon the princess at times. Not that it meant anything to big, but it was still against the law. But that would be a different story in his life.

Today, Sai was given the chance to go hunting. Since a big season shift was about to happen, the more food the better. Give a menial task to someone of no worth. Easy enough. Luckily, it was in the forest, so he could do what he wished. A bow along his back, and his blade on his waist, he began his journey into the forest. Setting traps here and there, there wasn't much to do while waiting. So Sai took a seat in a tree and waited for one of the strings he had placed, to jiggle and wiggle, showing that something was caught. In his mind, he was calm and collected. But on the outside, not so much. He smiled and waited as this was one of the easier jobs for him to do so.

Around a few minutes later, the thought of the upcoming wedding crossed his mind. Sai didn't like the idea of marrying off a young girl to some prince just for power and trust. And it can only happen once, since the young girl would probably be ravaged on the first night, then everything would be ruined. He shook his head. It was around that time that one of the strings gave a tug. Sai jumped out of the tree and headed for one of the traps, only to find it pulled from the ground and out of its sockets. "Only a bigger animal, or being, could have done this..." He thought to himself. Sai looked around and noticed that this trap was close to the kingdom's garden's back wall. There seemed to be a hole in it and wondered if someone had gone through. Deciding to follow the tracks, he ventured forwards and continued on the trail. It wasn't too long afterwards that he sees what went through the trap. Long auburn hair, a bit short, and taking a rest. He shook his head as he made his way towards her. It was quite obvious. Once behind her a few feet away, he intentionally broke a twig. "You know, your highness...If you wish to run, do it in less flashy clothes. You stick out like a sore thumb." He said with a joking tone.
 
Sofia walked for awhile, her eyes scanning her surroundings as she made her way through the forest, heading towards some unknown location. She'd never even been in the woods before, and it was all so new to her. Her hands brushed against the tree trunks she passed, her eyes following the birds as they fluttered through the air. She'd only been out of the kingdom a handful of times, so really, everything outside of the kingdoms grounds would be new to her. Preoccupied with the scene around her, she truthfully wasn't making much progress, stopping to look at and touch almost everything she came across. Though she been wandering through the forest for a good thirty minutes, she was probably only about five minutes away from the wall.

Though she really hadn't done much walking, Sofia decided it was time to take a break, sitting down on a nearby log and pulling out a piece of bread she'd wrapped in a cloth and brought with her. That and a couple of apples she had stuffed into her dress pockets were the only things she had brought with her. Still, she had yet to realize how ill prepared she was. Sitting in silence as she ate the bread, a cheerful expression rested on her face. For the first time, she was truly alone. She felt free. There wasn't a single ill feeling or emotion inside of her, at least not yet. Not once had she thought to be frightened when she had ventured into the woods. For the first time since she found out about her engagement, she felt cheerful. At least until she heard the twig snap. She dropped her bread at the sound, standing quickly as her eyes scanned the area around her. What was that? Not once had she thought of the dangers that could potentially be lurking around her in the woods, but now, that was all she could think of.

Sofia jumped at the sound of a voice, her eyes landing on one of her father's knights. The look on her face quickly turned into a scowl aimed in his direction. "You're not funny.." she muttered, every ounce of cheer and happiness now gone from her. She was caught. With a groan of frustration, she sat back down on the log, tears welling in her eyes as she realized she was never going to make her escape. Had she honestly thought she was going to get away? Who was she kidding, she'd never make it on her own, and it took her until now to realize it. Still, she wanted it so badly. She craved the freedom more than anything, but it would be impossible for her to achieve.
 
Sai watched her reaction and what she added verbally. He could easily see that she was pretty upset to be caught this early. And that she didn't really want to go back either. He couldn't blame her. She was basically being sold off just because she was a girl. Not a great thing to do to family. Sai didn't appreciate this sort of behavior in the kingdom anyways. He hated how fathers would sell off their loved ones for fame, power, or money. It was unbecoming. Sai walked around her and leaned against another tree facing her. Tears were welling up in her eyes and he knew that she was upset beyond belief. He sighed and looked to her. "Do not worry your highness, I am not going to force you to go back. I'm actually on your side on this manner. Being forced to marry is not in my definition of family trials. But I do give you warning. This woods, and especially the surrounding areas are very dangerous. Someone of your stature will find it rough, especially in the dress you have on. As I said before, you stick out pretty easily. If only you had someone willing to go with you, and protect you from all the bad things. Someone who knows the area and the areas beyond this place. If you only knew someone..." He said with a smile.

Then the thoughts hit him. What was he doing. Wouldn't this be an act of treason against the crown. He was trying to get the princess to leave, instead of forcing her to go back. Sai wondered why he would do something like this for a girl, especially royalty. He shrugged mentally and looked back, seeing if she had caught his drift.
 
Her eyes remained cast down as he moved closer to her, not wanting to look at him for two different reasons. One, he was the reason she was now going to be forced to go back and marry a complete strange her who cared nothing for her. Two, she didn't want him to see how weak she was. For everyone else in the kingdom, she had put on a facade, acting as though the marriage didn't phase her. She acted strong and unaffected, just as she was supposed to, but on the inside she was aching, which is why she tried to leave in the first place. It wasn't until he spoke again that she finally looked up at him, his words confusing her. He wasn't going to make her go back? He was her fathers knight.. why on earth would he just let her go?

Sofia stared at him intently as he continued, shuddering at the thought of what kinds of things could be wandering through the forest. She had been terrified enough as it was when she'd heard him step on a twig, so she could only imagine how she would handle something that actually posed a threat. In reality, his words weren't making her feel in better. So what, he wouldn't make her go back, but now he had filled her head with thoughts that made her too fearful to venture any further. The smile he offered as he spoke though seemed to suggest something. Suddenly, it hit her. He wasn't trying to frighten her, he was trying to get her to allow him to go along. For a moment, she was appalled, after all, he would be killed for doing such a thing if anyone ever found out. "You.. you would go with me?" she asked, a hint of hope in her voice as she sought to confirm the message he had given her.
 
Sai looked at the princess as she was trying to figure out his words and how he worded it all. He smiled again once she figured it out and nodded. "If that is what you wish for me to do you highness, I would be honored to escort you out of here." He said lightly. He then went into his bag and scavenged for something. A brown, not so royal more like poor looking cloak. He handed it over to the princess. "Until we can reach my house out in this village, you need to wear this. Once we reach my house, you can wear something of my little sister's. Her clothing would definitely fit you, and we can restock there as well. I would be thinking that you wish to go far away from here, I presume?" He asked her quietly. Sai didn't wish to let anyone else hear their conversation. This, alone, was pretty dangerous. The first thing that would happen to him was to be killed on the spot.

Sai knew though, that without a stable condition of living, which could only be given later in the travels, the two of them wouldn't last for too long. He wondered if this girl has had any form of training in taking care of herself in all of her life. Then again, his sight of royalty was tainted pretty badly of how he grew up. Snobbish, thinks everyone lower than themselves. That's the type he was always around. Sai hoped he was making the right decision.
 
Sofia returned his smile, unsure of how to express how grateful she was to have him escort her, knowing that with him, she would have a much better chance of getting away from the life she loathed so terribly. "Thank you." she said softly as he handed her the cloak, putting it on over her dark purple dress. Excitement was flowing through her veins as she realized that she was truly going through with this. She was leaving. After this, her life wouldn't be about her role as a princess and doing what was best for the kingdom, it would be about her, and that was all she had ever truly wanted. Though she didn't know how things would turn out in the end, she hoped for the best. Either way, at least she could say she tried.

"I want to go as far from here as possible." she told him, adjusting the cloak so that it covered the majority of her dress. Her eyes scanned the area one last time, wanting to be certain that there wasn't another knight or guard lurking around somewhere while to two of them plotted their escape. Finally, her eyes landed back on Sai. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, still unsure as to why he felt compelled to help her. After all, he was risking his life to do this, and she needed to be certain that he truly wanted to help her.
 
Sai nodded to her thanks and stood up. She had scanned once too, but now it was time for him to do so as well. His eyes were trained better to search for possible encounters. No matter how many people had said that he was a horrible knight, there weren't many better than himself. He looked back to hear what she had to say, both things. He nodded to the first. "Yes, I am sure. Maybe my reasoning is selfish or irresponsible, but it is my duty to keep you safe. So follow closely to me until we reach my house. We can't let anyone recognize you. And we need to be sure that your dress doesn't give us away either." He said quietly and quickly. Sai took her hand and brought her out of the forest. It would be easier to navigate the town in broad daylight, but to be sure to keep close to the forest, just in case they were spotted by any high guards.

The house was a few blocks away, so they needed to be pretty technical on their movements. The only thing that made sense to him was to keep her close. "Forgive me, but this must be done." He said quietly to the princess. Sai put an arm around her and pulled her close, linking their arms. It kept her close, under suspicion, and her dress was covered. Luckily the cloud cover was pretty decent. One, so that they could go unnoticed. Two, so the princess didn't see that his face was becoming quite red.
 
She wondered what he had meant in saying that maybe his reasoning was selfish, but refrained from asking, not wanting to complicate things. Really, all she wanted was to get out of there, and she knew that they only had so much time to do so before people began to look for her. It didn't take long for her to realize how much he seemed to know that she didn't. At first she had been angered when he found her, but now she was grateful, knowing that she wouldn't have been able to do this without him. On her own, she surely would've been caught. Either that, or something worse.

Since he was taking such a big risk for her, Sofia wanted to make things as easy as possible for him. She didn't question him, simply going along with what he did and doing the things he asked, knowing that if she did as he told her, the outcome would be better for the both of them. Though she went along with it, she couldn't help but blush a bit as he held her so close to him. Whether he knew it or not, she'd never been so close to a man before. "Where will we go after we reach your house?" she asked as they walked through the woods, both her curiosity and excitement building as the two went on.
 
Sai looked down to the girl at his side. She was a little red, which made him feel a bit better about the whole thing. But there was still this scratchy feeling that something bad was going to happen. Hopefully, whatever it was, it didn't occur until later on. Once she had questioned on what to do, he had to think for a second. They were only a few hundred feet from his house, and before they got there, he chuckled. He unlocked the door and they stepped inside. It was a nice little house, but there wasn't much in it. He wasn't a noble knight, so he was sort of a poor man. He didn't mind though. Sai brought Princess Sofia to his sister's room and opened the closet. Most of the things in there weren't in the least glamorous, but it got the jobs done. He smiled. "Pick your poison. Whatever you need, go ahead and take it. My sister is actually a little older than you, and she's pretty much all grown. She's out on a military job out a few villages south." He said lightly, then walked over to the doorway. "As for where we go. I heard from a few merchants there are some nice villages up on the northern bank. They accept anyone out from the blue, so we could start there. But it is a few days trip to the closest ones. Let me grab some things and change, then we can head out. Unless you wish to eat first." He said lightly.

Sai went to his room and got out of his armor. He didn't need all the metal for where they were going, but he did grab some lighter armor. Leather typed, easy to carry around, and easy to move around in. Once he had everything that he needed, he went out to the kitchen and waited for her answers.
 
Like they had done when she first entered the forest, Sofia's eyes wandered, looking over everything inside of the house. It was incredibly smaller than what she was used to, but she liked it. Unlike the castle, Sai's house looked comfortable, a welcoming place to live. Overall, it just seemed to have a good feel to it, where the castle seemed so empty and fragile. This was the kind of place she would enjoy living, though she didn't tell Sai that. Trying not to hold him up, she quickly tore her eyes away and followed him into the room he led her to. She scanned through the dresses, letting her hand run over them as she debated on which ones to take. The fabric was soft, whereas the dress she wore was stiff and scratchy. Grabbing a few, she realized that she was somewhat anxious to get into one of them.

Not wanting to keep him waiting, Sofia made her way into the kitchen, the dresses slung across her arm. "Could we bring something with us?" she asked, feeling a little unsure about staying and eating. She wanted to get as far away as possible, as soon as they could. By now, it was quite possible that someone had noticed she was gone.
 
Sai watched as Sofia came out of the room. She had a few dresses slung over her shoulder and he laughed. He had already changed out of his knight's outfit and put on something easier to travel in. He walked over to her, took her hand, and brought her back into the room. "Get out of the purple dress and into one of those first. The other knights know what you were wearing when you left. We can't have you wearing them now. But we will keep the dress with us too." He said lightly. They could use the materials from the current dress to get some money here and there, when needed. Or just to trade for other items. One person's treasure is another's profit. He chuckled and closed the door behind him, waiting for her to change. Sai went back out to the kitchen and began grabbing a few loaves of bread, a couple jars of honey and jam. And even some apples and pears. Just enough food for them to make it to the next village. If they could get to the closest one to the border, they would be set. Some of his family lived out there, and would put them up until they found a different way.
 
"Right.." she mumbled, hurrying back into the room to change. The dress had about four layers to it, making it difficult to get off. She hadn't even put the simpler dress on yet, but already she had a feeling she would be enjoying it more than the ones she was used to wearing. It wasn't until she had stripped down to her chemise that she realized she would need help getting the corset she had on beneath it off, being as it laced up in the back. Part of her was tempted to just keep it on, but it was already terribly uncomfortable, and she knew that traveling in it would only make it feel worse. With a sigh, she opened the door, peaking out as she called for Sai. "I need your help." she called out, her cheeks flushing bright red as he came to the door. She didn't even say a word, simply turning around and lowering her chemise enough so that he could undo the corset.
 
Sai was just putting the bag together when he heard Sofia call for him. She needed his help. At first he was going to her, then he realized something. Why was it that she needed help? Help getting undressed? His face flushed, but he was able to shake it off before he went in. When she lowered her chemise, his face really did light up. He looked down to see her corset was still on and it finally dawned on him that she would need his assistance. He smiled and went to undoing her corset. It took a couple minutes to undo all the lace, but after he was done, he could see that relief that came across on her body language. "I'm glad to see you feeling better Milady. I'll just be out there." He said gently, as he turned and walked out of the door. Sai was pretty red once he was done, especially since she was half naked right in front of him. Why was he thinking that way? He had no idea.

Sai shook his head, trying to get the images out of his head. For some reason, he wanted to just take her right then and there, but he knew it wasn't the right time. Maybe later? He shook his head again.
 
Sofia tried to keep from tensing up, not wanting to seem ungrateful, but no man had ever seen her so exposed before. This itself would be considered a crime if anyone in the kingdom new of it, though him seeing her this way was certainly the least of their worries. As soon as the corset was off, she quickly lifted the chemise back up to cover her exposed breasts, only turning around once she was covered and he was making his way towards the door. "Thank you." she said sheepishly, quickly shutting the door once he was out of it. From there, she slipped on one of the simpler dresses over her chemise, the dress going on with ease, taking no time at all to get on unlike the ones she typically wore. She had been right in her assumption that it was much more comfortable. Less layers and a softer material. Traveling would definitely be easier now.

Finally, she emerged, her cheeks still a light shade of pink, though she tried not to let him see her embarrassment. "What will we do for shelter while we're traveling?" she asked, hoping that by striking up a conversation, she wouldn't feel so awkward. She truly was curious though, knowing that they wouldn't always come across a village or place to stay.
 
Sai looked back when Sofia came out in his sister's dress. "You're pretty cute, you know." He said lightly with a small laugh. Then he went back onto the subject at hand. "If we're lucky, when we stop, there should be some kind of inn. If not, we find a nice shaded area and you sleep. I keep watch. Simple as that. Then. when we get closer to a town, we'll stay in an inn and I can finally sleep in peace, but they have to be the same room. I don't have enough money to support both of us for too long. And we can't go around using your status. As of right now, you are a poor girl just like the rest of us." He said with a smile. Hoping that she didn't take offense to it though. Being poor came with their ups and downs. Yeah, things are more comfortable and not so stuffy, but there are always hardships along the way. Hard to stay away from any of that.

He sighed lightly and looked back to the girl, who seemed a little embarrassed by all of this. "Until we get to the first village at the end of the border, we still won't be safe. If we get stopped, we will need a convincing story. But that won't be necessary until the time it comes up." He said in a serious tone. Trying to get the princess away from the responsibilities was going to be a rough journey, but Sai hoped that it would be successful.
 
The color had just faded from her cheeks, but as he called her cute, she could feel the warmth rushing back to her skin. She didn't understand why he seemed to have such a strong affect on her though. Pushing the thought aside, she focused on what he was saying, trying to make sense of it all. As he spoke, she felt the familiar sense of guilt that she had felt when he first offered to take her on the journey. Not only was he risking his life to help better hers, but he was spending what little money he did have to get her to safety. And it wasn't like he could go back to his duties at the castle after this. If he wanted more money, he would have to find another way to get it. If only there was a way that she could repay him for what he was doing, then maybe she wouldn't feel so bad.

Sofia nodded as he spoke, desperately hoping that they didn't get stopped. If they did, she would without a doubt be recognized. "If we do get caught.. I'll tell them it was all my idea. I'll tell them I threatened to ruin you if you didn't take me. I won't let you go down for me." she told him, realizing that was really the only thing she could do for him. She just hoped it wouldn't have to get to that point.
 
Sai listened to what she had to say and shook his head. He stepped forwards and put a hand on her shoulder. "If it may come down to that, you will say nothing in the sort. As a knight, I shall take full responsibilities for what has, or will come to happen. Give me that at least. I am, sort of, your knight." He said with a gently, but saddened smile. If only he was a little younger and was closer to the family's king. If so, he may have been appointed as her knight and things may not have had to happen this way, but alas, that was in the past. He turned and walked to the table, taking his hand off her shoulder. "And don't worry about the money issue. I'm not just trained as a knight. I'm not useless. If this becomes a life, I'll support you in any way possible. That's a promise to you, Sofia.." He said gently. Sai hoped that using a first name basis was okay to her. It was a big step in intimacy, but that also needed to happen.

He checked outside of the house for any suspicious movements, or any guards. Since they were pretty far from the castle, he doubted to see to many, and he was right. There were a few, but not many at all. The most were about eight or so, and they were scattered around. Easy to get around. They needed to get out of the gate and about a mile down the road before they could let down a little bit of their guard.
 
Sofia truly did admire the way he seemed to be so willing to take responsibility for everything they had done, even though he wouldn't be stuck in this mess if it wasn't for her. Even then, she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she let him take the blame so easily. "It's not like you'll be able to stop me." she told him matter-of-factly, "But hopefully we won't ever be presented with that situation." she added, holding to her faith that they would make it out of there without facing any trouble.

Her eyes seemed to light up when she heard her name leave his mouth, a small smile forming on her lips. No one ever called her by her name, no one except for her parents. It was nice to hear it for a change. It made her feel more like a person. Staying close to Sai, she felt her heart beat seem to increase as she took note of the guards. Were they looking for her, or simply doing their job? "Are they always here?" she asked, tugging on his sleeve to get his attention.
 
Sai felt the tugging on his sleeve and he looked down to her. He nodded. "Usually there are about three or four around here at a time. It may be increased since your departure, but I know how to work the knights around these parts. We'll be okay. Don't worry about it." He said, speaking about the problem at hand. He chuckled lightly at what was said earlier though. "I hope that doesn't come up either. But we shall see. Just pray for it not to." Sai said quietly. He watched as the guards all collected, spoke, then went their separate ways. That was a good time as any. As casual as he could, he grabbed everything in the bags, including the food, money, and clothes for both of them. They were dressed as peasants and even looked the part. Sai hooked his arm with hers and they casually left the house. He looked back for a moment and they began their walk. As they passed by a merchant, Sai stopped for a moment and peeked his head into the shop. "Hey, I'm leaving with my girl on a hunting trip. Take care of my house will you?" Sai said quietly into the shop. He smiled and waved as Sai did the same. He looked back to Sofia. "Let's go, shall we?" He asked her with a smile.

They were passing by the merchant's lane, nothing had gone wrong, and everything was going smoothly. It was probably a big difference than back at the castle. Sai looked down to see Sofia smiling pretty widely.
 
It was somewhat of a relief to her as she saw the guards go their separate ways, but even then, she knew she wouldn't feel completely at easy until she was far away from her home. It wasn't until they made it past the merchant and further away from the house that she finally started to relax, a smile spreading across her face as she realized that they were actually getting away with this. It suddenly hit her that this whole time, she hadn't felt one regret about leaving. The only thing she felt bad about was getting Sai involved, but other than that, she was fine. In a way, it saddened her to know that she had been so miserable to the point where she wouldn't even miss her family, but she told herself it was their own fault. To them, she was an object, not a daughter. It was strange, and she didn't plan on admitting it to him any time soon, but Sai had honestly been the only person who had ever seemed to show any kind of concern for what she wanted. It didn't make sense to her, after all, what had she ever done for him to make him want to help her? Either way, she was more grateful than he ever would've been able to imagine.
 
Sai had taken her hand into his and intertwined their fingers as they walked. It looked more becoming than just linking their arms. As they got closer to the gateway, he noticed a grouping of soldiers and guards. They were checking for suspicious people going through the gateway. They were even checking the carts that went by. Sai knew it was becoming too easy. He pulled Sofia off to the side of the road and took a cloak out of one of the bags. He threw it over her shoulders and put the hood up, shadowing her face and features. "Just be quiet and nod. I'll get us through this." He said to her seriously. They wandered to the gates and they were about to pass through when one of the other knights stopped them. "Shuhei! Where are you going at this hour? And who is this lovely being next to you?" Sai stopped the hand that this man was about to put on Sofia and pushed it aside. "You should know better than to put a hand on another knight's girl friend. But you wouldn't know that, now would you Kensei? Step aside. I'm going on a hunting trip that the king assigned to me." Sai said with a tone of annoyance. Kensei put his hand on his sword, but wasn't fast enough. A hidden blade appeared in Sai's hand and was already at the man's throat. "Back down." Sai said sternly. Kensei put his hands up to defend and say sorry. He moved out of his way and Sai kept walking with Sofia. One hand never letting go of her.

They were about a hundred feet away from the gate when he looked back down at the girl. "Sorry about that. Are you okay?"
 
Sofia tried to remain calm and composed, but as Sai pulled her aside to cover her with the cloak, she felt her nerves starting to get the best of her. There was a nervous expression on her face, her eyes continually darting over towards the direction of the guards. She knew that this was going to be the make or break moment. If they could make it through the gate without being noticed, their chances of getting caught along the rest of the journey would be far more slim. She prayed silently as they moved towards them, her eyes cast down as she tried to avoid making contact with anyone. It wasn't until she suddenly heard the loud, booming voice address Sai that she finally glanced up, her grip on his hand tightening as the man moved towards her. She practically clung to him, her tight grip remaining even as they made it through the gate.

It wasn't until he spoke to her that she loosened her hold on his hand, her body relaxing as she nodded in response. She could've let go now that they had made it through, but she didn't, keeping her fingers intertwined with his own. After a moment, she looked up at him, a smile spreading across her face. "We've done well so far." she said, feeling more positive now that there were no longer any guards in site.
 
Sai nodded to her. "Yes, we have. Let's keep this kind of pace up and we should be to the next village in no time. We have a good few days walk though, unless we can catch a ride." He said with a laugh. He could have let go, but he didn't really want to. It seemed right, for them to be together like this. Maybe he was thinking too much into it, but he couldn't help it. They began their walk down the side of the road. Just forests, fields, and empty skies ahead of them. Their journey had only just begun.

It was about thirty minutes down the road, Sai looked up. The empty skies thing he had just said may have been too positive. The clouds were rolling in and it seemed as if the skies were already darkening. They were about an hour away from the nearest inn. He looked down to Sofia. "I know I promised a break from walking, but if we don't keep going, it seems the storm will catch us. You okay with us to keep going?" He asked her gently.
 
The were was an overall feeling of happiness and cheerfulness that seemed to take over Sofia as they walked. It was something she hadn't experienced in a long time. Like they had done everywhere else they'd been, her eyes wandering as they travelled, taking in all the new sights as they walked. Even in the silence, she felt comfortable. It seemed to sink in to her that maybe one of the things she had been longing for had been companionship. Of course, there were people in the castle she had interacted with, but she'd never had a true friend. Though she wasn't completely sure, she was almost certain that she could consider Sai a friend, at least she hoped.

Sofia nodded, taking note of the darkened clouds that seemed to be taking over the blue sky. A part of her wanted to feel the rain. She'd never been aloud to. As a child, she'd always wanted to go dance and play in the rain like she had seen the servant's children do from her window, but her parents had forbade her to do such a thing. It wasn't something a princess should do, or so they told her. She knew though that it would be best for them to beat the rain and get to a dry place, but she told herself that one day, she would stand out in the rain.
 
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