𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄
COMPLETED
❝She's the girl with the magic finger,❞
❝and you're the boy with the magic mind...❞
Unable to return home, Caron and James must live life on the run. An unexpected complication rips the pair apart as they have...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"LEON HAS NOT RETURNED FROM HIS SCOUTING," AERONA SAID, SNATCHING HER CLOAK FROM BESIDE JAMES. "I'm going after him."
"You can't go alone," James said, head resting on his pillows, not even glancing up at Aerona. "At least take someone with you."
"Then you come," Aerona said, standing still. "If you are so worried about my ability to look after myself, the least you could do is join me."
"Fine." James sat up, pulling on his own cloak. "But I'm sure he will be fine."
"Just because he's a knight doesn't mean he will be 'fine'. I suspected something would happen to him and now that he has missed his deadline..." Her voice faded as the possibilities slam around her head.
"Don't worry," James said. "We will find him. I promise."
"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep."
"But I will keep this one." He gave her a swift kiss upon the head before taking her hand and leading the both of them towards the stables.
Aerona's brilliant white horse – who she had named Starfire – looked up at her as they approached, already prepared to do whatever she asked. "Come on," James said, pulling his own horse out of the stables.
"I'm worried about him," Aerona admitted. "What if he's in danger?"
"Then we will save him. He's going to be alright." She nodded, mounting Starfire as they both made their way into the forest.
#
Though neither of them were hunters, the signs of Leon's path was too fresh not to notice. Hoof prints were embedded into the soft mud of the ground, the twigs were snapped from where Leon's horse would have walked. There were no footprints for most of the journey, the only sound those of Aerona's breaths or the horses neighing.
Eventually, they stumbled upon human prints. "They're roughly Leon's size," Aerona said, glancing down at them. "If we follow them, we should know where he went."
"This could be dangerous," James muttered.
"You're the one who said everything was going to be okay."
"In my defence, I didn't exactly expect him to be kidnapped or anything."
"Look over here," Aerona said, leaping off her horse. "A fight must have broken out. None of these prints line up and the ground is a mess."
"There's Leon's sword," James said, stepping towards it. He picked it up in his hands, feeling the balance and weight. "I wouldn't imagine anyone else with such fine craftsmanship."
"He made it himself," said Aerona. James passed it to her and she glanced down at the handle. It had been painted gold but it chipped away in places, revealing a silver material underneath. "He's poor, you see. A family of kitchen slaves. They couldn't afford the armour and the swords of the other knights. So, Leon studied. And, eventually, managed to put this together. He hates the thing."
