The Eternal Queen

Chapter 3: Ardele

The door shut quietly, and I jump over the fence before hiding behind my tool shed. Once I make it into the forest, it will be practically impossible for the guards can track my steps. This forest has been unkempt for many years now, the bushes and brambles so thick, light can barely pass through. The forest leads into uncalled for land and is my ticket way out. I have never been so grateful to live on the outskirts of Clairemont since this moment. The commute up to the castle was a pain every day, but it has paid off. Thank the Lord it has paid off.

All the trees look the same now. The same height, the same array of colors of drab greenery. The shadows of the trees are the same, the shape distorted into a black silhouette lining the forest floors. About three hours have passed now, and I am making good haste. Leaving at twilight was a good and bad decision as it is easy to lose your own tracks, but at the same time it makes it harder to navigate. The sun is fully down now, and I am walking in the darkness with a lamp to aid to me. The lamp is very dim on purpose; I do not want to cause any larger disturbances that may catch the mercenaries on my trail. My eyes squint in the darkness, and I sigh. I am trying to reserve my magic, as I do not want my mana, which is virtually my magic tank to deplete too quick. That is only advantage I have over the mercenaries tracking my steps currently. I need to use it sparingly.

I have crossed the kingdom's borders ages ago, so I reluctantly slow down my pace. I will pass out soon if I do not. The mercenaries that likely on my trail should have given up by now. It is off-putting to know that the creatures I regularly surround myself with and who I thought were my friends yesterday, are now my enemies today. It is an uncomfortable thought.

Currently, I am in no-man's land, meaning that no one is going to care if I die out here. This area has not been taken by neighboring kingdoms yet, leaving it alone as a wasteland. I need to get into a kingdom fast as bandits thrive in these areas.

The closest kingdom is likely not a good idea as the king there is a good friend of King Maximus. My best options are quite limited here. The human kingdom south of Clairemont is a good option. I think that I could blend in easily over there. A witch coven is always an option as well, but I immediately cross it off my mental list. I am not that desperate yet. The witches who reside in covens are selfish and naïve, turning a blind eye to the world around them. And my list ends there. I sigh, I might as well choose the better option of the two. The option where I can actually live. Mind made up, I walk south with no direction hoping to run into an empire there. Most of the lenient kingdoms reside in the south. It is my best choice. And my only choice.

The travel is draining, but I am resilient. I have to be. I portion out my food to last the longest, rationing the small piles of nourishment in stubborn rations. That alone would likely make some people go insane. But I keep my mental state in a grey state. From a young age, that was all I knew. You could not take sides if you were neutral. And that was how I lived my life, and still do. Rarely take breaks, I wear down my feet until they went numb. Numb to the pain and exhaustion is the best way to go. I will continue going until my legs break off. I don't care if it is literally or figuratively. I am going to make it out alive. I have to.

I have been roaming south for about a couple days when I stumble upon a lone horse. He is a grey stallion and is a tad too thin to be called healthy. He is peeking at me from behind some tall bushes that cover his body. His coat is littered with dirt and dead leaves, his eyes bright and joyous in comparison. The horse tenability strides over to where I am, and I pet his muzzle. Turning to my bag, I pull out a moldy apple.

"Sorry. This is all I can give you."

He nuzzles my hand before taking the apple. I pet his mane, untangling some of its snags while he eats. After, I take off. And he follows. Eventually, I tug on his reins to stop after a long distance. Mounting him, I swing my bag over my shoulder, and I pat the horse's crest. He wants a companion. And I need one as well. Might as well take him up on the silent offer. And together we head south with his soft, fast-paced strides.

The people trailing me are deliberately giving themselves away, which is rather annoying. I thought that I would have lost them in the thick woods on the outskirts of Clairemont, but it seems as though King Maximus is very determined. Luckily for me, I am quite ahead of them, and soon I will lose them in the mountains. Hopefully.

The Enumerate mountains are known to be very dangerous, and many attempt to go around for safety. It is time consuming but in the winter time, it would be best to do so. However, the faster way would simply to go straight through. And in my case, I am doing exactly that.

I have my magic though, which gives me an advantage over the pests tracking my trail. Shivering, I look up at the top of the mountains gauging for the safest mountain to go through. There are many peaks and the tallest, frosty peak is to my right, thank the heavens. I do not want to make this journey harder than it already is and to get caught in a huge avalanche.

A middle-sized peak is directly in my path, and I motion the horse in that direction. The breath around me is cold enough to crystalize my breath the second it leaves my mouth. My fingers threaten to fall off, but I clench them harder. I was able to trade with a merchant for heavy winter gear before reaching the mountains.

He drove a hard bargain, and the gear was quite expensive. He must have sensed my desperateness. I was about to enter into a winter region with only a thin cotton dress and a cloak. If I did not get winter gear, the frigid temperatures would have claimed me first. The stallion and I trek upward on the uneven terrain with the biting winds eating away at our bodies.