𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴, 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘦𝘴

The Capture (part 3)

I looked over to Wymond to see him struggling against the restraints that had been placed around his wrists. I then looked past him and saw familiar shapes through the trees.

I risked everything when I yelled this: "go. Go now. Do what we need to do. Go."

"Cut the crap." The man holding me snarled.

I stopped fighting then and let them take me. My escape was over. So was Wymonds. Lena and Kamden's was still on. They could still finish what we had started.

Wymond and I were bought to a halt. I risked looking over my shoulder at him - it was pointless because the dark swallowed everything up whole.

Then we were being dragged onto horses.

"Let's move." Esmond said after a while of sorting our restraints out and securing us to our captors.

***

The sun was rising after a long night of riding. Lena a Kamden had got away and were positive they were safe - that was the only positive thought.

They had made their way down the valley and would be at Oxbourne by noon. They had attached Storm and Ebony to their own horses as they knew that they could not lose them too.

They rode in silence, the only knowledge of time was that the sun was almost straight above them. As Lena realized this, Kamden spoke. His voice was husky when he tried the first time so he cleared his throat and spoke again.

"We should go carefully now, Oxbourne is not too far away. I am not sure how well they take visitors - especially people from our town."

It was as if his voice called for the gates to rise up from the landscape at that moment but Kamden was correct - they had all but reached Oxbourne by noon.

They carried on, their gazes not leaving the their destination.

Before long the gates were looming up above their heads. They were barred and either side there were stone turrets with windows placed in lines, showing different floors. Above the metal gates there was more stone forming what looked like a walkway from one top of a tower to another.

As Lena took the sight in, she came aware of voices from one of the towers. They were muffled so she could not decipher what was being said. At that moment, a face appeared on the walkway.

It was a man who spoke, a low rumble of importance etched into it from years of interrogating visitors. "Who are you? What is your business here?"

Lena looked across at Kamden and he spoke. "We have escaped from a town and we wish to talk with your Queen."

The mans eyes narrowed. This dark skin creasing as he took the information in.

"Where do you come from?" He asked

Kamden took a deep breath and simply said, "Mythgrave."

At that, the man straightened up and raised a weapon that Lena had not noticed until that moment as it was obscured by the wall.

"Please." She said, the first time she had done for a while and she was surprised at how strong she came across. "Please, I am Princess Lena and I - we - ask for your help."

She waited but there was no response.

"Listen." She said. "I need to speak to your Queen. It is very important and ever so urgent."

The man took a few drawn out moments to straighten his thoughts as to what he should do.

"Very well." He eventually said. "Wait there, I will be down there in a moment."

Lena breathed a sigh of relief. She and Kamden would help end this, but first they needed to get it started.