Escape the Dark, Hold the Light

Chapter 17: Gift Horse

After the whole shell debacle, it was so late and everyone was exhausted. Too exhausted to carry on to Neserdnia. So Rapunzel suggested that they spend the night in the closest town they could find. Luckily, there was one town called Hildegard just up ahead. The princess could vaguely see the sign that said "Welcome to Hildegard."

Catalina and Kiera were in the back of the cart fast asleep. Ruddiger and Pascal were curled up with their respective humans. Varian was trying his hardest to stay awake, despite Rapunzel's assurance that it was okay to sleep.

"Really, sweetheart. It's fine. You can barely keep your eyes open as it is." she told her boy.

"Once I'm in a warm bed, I'll go to asleep. I promise." he yawned.

Soon, the group came up to an inn that doubled as a horse ranch. The sundrop woke up the girls and everyone walked up to the inn's front door where Rapunzel knocked on it. The door opened to reveal a young man on the other side.

"Hi. My name is Rapunzel." the princess spoke in a friendly tone. "I hope we're not bothering you, but we're looking for a place to stay the night. And this cozy inn looks like it might do a justice."

"As in Princess Rapunzel?" the young man gasped excitedly. "Wow. We were wondering when the princess of Corona would grace our little ol' town. This is such an honor. Of course you and your friends are more than welcome to spend the night. We'll put your goods away for safekeeping and we even have a nice stable ready for your steed."

"Thank you so much for your hospitality." Rapunzel said with gratitude. "I promise we'll pay you back, Mr..."

"Oh, no need for formalities, Princess. Just call me Jedidiah." the man introduced himself.

The Coronans were soon politely escorted to their room. It was a simple, medium-sized bedroom with a dresser, two queen-sized beds, and a nightstand in between them. Varian and Rapunzel took one bed while Kiera and Catalina occupied the other.

It didn't take long for the girls to zonk out by the time their heads hit the pillows. Varian, on the other hand, took a while to settle in as he stared out the window, even with the moon glistening on his skin. Suddenly, the young alchemist saw something in the distance: the silhouette of a man.

"Did you see that?" Varian asked, pointing out the window and turning to Rapunzel.

"See what?" the princess asked.

The child turned to the window again, but the peculiar figure was already gone. It baffled him that the stranger could've somehow disappeared into thin air.

"Uh, never mind. I thought I saw something out there." Varian replied dismissively before softly yawning. "I guess my eyes were just playing tricks on me."

"You really should get some rest, Varian." the sundrop advised as she climbed into the bed and helped lie her boy down. She then pulled the blanket over the both of them as the little one slipped into a deep sleep. Afterwards, Rapunzel tenderly kissed Varian's forehead. "Sleep tight, pumpkin."

Soon, she fell asleep as well. Not even the distant sound of a distressed whinney could stir the princess or her tiny bedmate.

The next morning, the group of Coronans were led by Jedidiah to the stables where Maximus was being kept to check on him before breakfast. That was when a loud neigh got everybody's attention. Varian ran to see what all the commotion was about, the girls right right on his tail. And that was when they saw it: a beautiful, young mare struggling with some ranchers. She had a mahogany coat, a beige muzzle, a blonde mane and matching tail, green eyes, and most noticeably of all, a white crescent moon on her forehead. The teenage alchemist couldn't help but be awestruck by the sight of the gorgeous creature, even while she was fussing with the handlers.