The Forgotten

Chapter twentyfour: Freedom

I occasionally looked back to see if he was still following me, but he always was. Once we were past the walls, I kicked the horse harder and it started to gallop.

Have you ever felt this way? As if rules don't apply to you? You are finally free to do as your heart desires- The man you love... Somewhere to call home... People to call your family...

My brain focuses back on reality to a sudden flush of happiness. I swerved in and out of trees as Arthur followed close behind at the same pace. Freedom.

After a long while, my horse started to slow down so I pulled her to a walk. Arthur walked next to me as I let go of the reins and leaned all the way back so my head was on her rump. There was a long moment of silence before I finally broke it.

"Why did you kill Eris...?" I stare up at the cloudy sky peaking through the trees. I hear Arthur sigh quietly.

"Eris is not dead..." he mumbled and I jolt up straight and look over at him. Arthur hesitantly nods as he clears his throat.

"But Enyo saw her hung an-" I started but he cuts me off.

"George told us to keep her alive because she was, in his words, far too precious to kill," I stare at him in disbelief.

"But she was hung!" I finally spit out. Arthur stares down at the horse, not moving from his sitting position.

"Eris was not hung... That was a random girl George had us pull from the prison. We placed a bag on her head and dressed her in Eris' clothes." he whispers as I stare at him in horror. "Enyo was next... then you... She would be dead if it weren't for George's sense of pity. So he brought her back to her cell and was planning to kill you instead of her, but you weren't awake yet..." I look down at the horse's mane and start running my fingers through it nervously.

"That night, he supposedly done a 'private execution' because when I went to check on you the next morning, you were gone," Arthur's voice cracked and he quickly cleared his throat. There was a long moment of silence.

"So... Where is Eris now?" I change the subject, slowly looking over at him. Arthur looks up at me and shakes his head.

"Not even I know... But she is somewhere in the castle," he sighs.

"So what happened after I left," I grin as I lay back onto the horse again.

"A month later, George became king when he married some girl from Italy. The next month, the king passed away. King George revealed the Queen was pregnant. I was given a mission to go to train the army more than I already was, which was a lot. The next four months were normal and nothing important happened." he says blankly and I sigh. A drop of rain splatters on my chin.

"That could have been me... Married to George..." I continue to stare blankly at the sky.

"I wouldn't let that happen," he mumbles. I slowly turn my head towards him and grin.

"No one could stop him," I whisper, my voice trailing off as I look back up at the sky. My horse huffs and I sit back up. "Shall we carry on? The sun will be setting soon," I pat the horse on the neck.

"We are almost there, anyways. We should reach there by the hour," Arthur responds quickly and I nod in agreement. I squeeze the horses side and she speeds off down the trail.

..

The air only grew colder as the sun lowered in the sky. I hate March, it is too cold and rainy. The trail leads to two stone roads. One veered right while the other forked left. I think Powes is right... Because Italy is that direction... Maybe. I stop my horse and squint my eyes at the sign. Yep, Powes is right. I kick my left foot into the horses side and she takes off down the road.

What is Ares going to be like...? Will he be friendly? Will he try to kill me? The cold air stings my face as I break through the tree line into an open field, continuing down the stone path. In the distance, I saw a small village, like my home town. My eyes widen as I stare at the town. We finally made it! I pull my horse to a stop at the first building I reach... The inn. I slide off as Arthur stops next to me.

"Why are we here again?" He jumps off the horse with a grunt. I hand him the reins.

"I'm looking for someone... Just watch them and I'll be out soon," I smile at him, but his helmet hid his expression. I turn to the door but he grabs my hand and spins me back towards him.

"Don't do anything stupid..." he mumbles, leaning in as he lifted his helmet up revealing just his lips. Arthur kissed me before slowly pulling back. I grin.

"I was going to say the same thing," I slip my hand away from his as I turn back to the door and stride up to the entrance.

I open the door and stand in the door way. It shut itself behind me as I glanced around at the people. They all talked amongst themselves, drinking ale, unaware of my existence. I casually stroll up to the counter where a man was wiping a mug. I sat next to a young woman drinking rum. The man looked up at me then raised an eyebrow, studying my outfit. I look back at him blankly, waiting for him to say something as I sat stiffly in the stool.

"Well, it's not nice to stare," I break the silence and he sucks his teeth at me.

"Best not be here to cause trouble, girl," the man puts the mug down and crosses his arms.

"I'm looking for a young man... He just moved here a year ago or so..." I clench my jaw and he narrows his eyes at me.

"Who wants to know?" he asks, leaning over the counter. Was he trying to intimidate me?

"I want to know," I stand up, leaning forward, getting close to his face. His eyes dart around, studying my helmet. He looks down and picks up the mug and rag and starts cleaning it again.

"He lives in the small house on the very edge of town... 'Keeps to himself," he places the mug down next to a row of others and picks up a new one. I nod and turn back towards the door to see everyone now staring at me.

I casually walk outside up to Arthur, who was now sitting on a stone brick in between the horses. He had his head rested in between his knees. Rain was drizzling from the sky.

"Are you coming with me?" I ask and he quickly rises to his feet and shrugs.

"I think we should rest before we continue," Arthur mumbles and I shake my head.

" You can stay, I'll handle it," I pat my horse on the neck and turn the opposite direction and begin to strut down the road. I don't know what to expect.