''Flying''

''Thank You.''

The ride back to the Castle is a silent one, the silence only being cut by the grunts of their prisoner. Halfway back, they meet up with Jared and a handful of his men. A quick nod between the two men was all that was needed before Jared took over the prisoner and Henry was free to get Alexis back to her mother quickly.

Henry and Alexis ride through the back gates a few minutes later. Arabella is there and as soon as she sees her daughter, she calls out her name, the relief clear in her voice.

Henry brings his horse to a stop and climbs down, helping Alexis down as well. As soon as the young woman's feet are on the ground, she sprints for her mother's open arms, hugging her tight, tears slipping down both their faces.

He hears Arabella ask if Alexis is alright, before she answers that she is fine thanks to Henry. He looks over at that moment, seeing Arabella nodding at him and mouthing a "Thank you.".

Josh approaches him at that moment, asking what happened. Henry gives him a quick rundown of what he encountered when he arrived and what happened after that. He adds that, per Alexis request, the man that was trying to take her was spared and brought back for interrogation, before excusing himself and heading for his room.

As soon as the doors of his room close behind him, Henry isn't able to contain his anger any longer. Swiping the contents of a nearby table to the ground, he can't help but think how lucky Alexis was. He can't bear the thought of what could've happened if the Rogues had managed to take her.

Taking deep breaths, he paces the room, trying to calm down. There's a knock on the door and, after a few more breaths, he tells them to come in.

-"You have a moment?" - Josh asks as he enters the room, seeing the broken pieces of whatever was on the table scattered around the floor.

-"Sure."

-"I just wanted to thank you for going after Alexis and if there's anything I can do to repay what you did, just say so."

-"I didn't do it with the expectation of getting something in return. I know the Rogues very well. All I wanted was to make sure Alexis got home safely."

-"She is safe now. And who knows? Maybe this will make Bella more willing to allow you to court her."

-"That's not what I want. I don't want her to think that she has to accept my request just because I saved her daughter. What I did has nothing to do with my request and everything to do with not wanting to see Alexis hurt."

-"And that, my friend, is the right answer."

Josh smiles at him before leaving.

Henry can't help but smirk, thinking that if he didn't know any better he would believe that Josh just tried to test his feelings for Arabella. He looks out onto his balcony and smiles softly, knowing that maybe by saving Alexis, a tiny piece of his soul has been saved as well.