Little Red's Riding

A Good Liar?

Dahlia's head ached the second time that she opened her eyes after another long sleep. This time she was sitting up, two strong arms holding her in place, astride the back of an enormous horse.

"Awake so soon Baby Dahl?" her brother's voice whispered in her ear when he felt her body tense. "Indigo said that you would sleep for at least a day. Maybe two. And it's been what?" She felt his body move as he tilted his head and looked up at the sky. "Six hours. You only slept for six hours." She felt his chest fill with air and then deflate as he sighed. "It would have been better if you went on sleeping. We still have a long way to go until we get to the Capital." Her eyes widened at this news, her head turning to take in her surroundings. Pain, far worse than the aches that had begun to fade in her head and limbs, exploded in her chest at the thought of leaving her mate behind in her woods. Their bond was new, he was unmarked and she simply could not be away from him.

"Looks like the little bird woke up." Dahlia immediately stiffened in her brother's arms at the sound of another man's voice off to her right hand side.

"Quiet, Lieutenant." Her brother's voice was sharp as he pulled her close to his chest.

"Where are Tucker and the girls? You need to let us go." Her voice was firm and commanding as she spoke, or at least she hoped that it was. "I need to be with my mate."

"Don't call him that." Deckard's voice was low but sharp. "Don't mention him at all if you have any hope for your future happiness." His arm around her waist tightened uncomfortably. "No one can know what has already happened to you in those woods. Your virtue needs to be unquestionable."

Dahlia snorted and rolled her eyes, although she knew her brother couldn't see the expression on her face. "You didn't answer my question." she continued.

"You'll be happy to know that the boy escaped. His wrists and ankles slipped through every pair of shackles that we had, but we weren't worried about him, down in that basement, because we didn't think anyone was small enough to slip through those bars. Apparently he was though.

When Indigo and I had patched you up and come out to load up the wagon he must have slipped out of the house. When we went down to get the girls a good while later, after loading all the supplies I needed to take to mother in the village onto the wagon, he was long gone. So we loaded the girls onto the wagon, which, to answer your question, is where they are now, and you have been riding with me the entire time because I don't trust you not to disappear on me. You don't know what's good for you. The officer who captured the girls is watching them because he's the one who is going to get paid when he sells them."

"How many day's ride is it until we arrive at the Capital?"

"At this pace it will take a week. We may decide to leave the wagon behind and split up once we reach the province capital, Forfax. That's where the rest of our Battalion is waiting. We knew if the entire group came in it would draw too much attention. But now we're all being called back by the King. For a while longer."

"If we don't go at this pace?" Dahlia asked in a quieter voice. Her mind was working fast. If they were traveling cross country on horseback for a week she couldn't imagine that Silas wouldn't track them down and rescue her. She felt her body relax slightly at the idea.

"If everything goes according to my plan we'll reach Forfax, before the moon rises above the trees."

"Fuck you and your plan brother. I hope my mate tears it all to pieces." She kept her voice low but she knew that he heard her.

"He isn't your mate, Baby Dahl. Not anymore. He's your past. You have an entire future ahead of you in the Capital. I'm an officer in the King's Guards Dahly. The King himself knows my name. You'll be going to balls and mingling with the finest in the land. This is the life you always dreamed of, isn't it? It's what you always talked about. Getting out of the village and seeing the rest of the world, starting with the Capital. This is the beginning of your fairytale Dahl."