Abeloni had to partly support Y/N as they hurried up the narrow staircase that led out of the prison, spending the whole night kneeling on the cold stone floor and leaving Enicia behind making her steps slow and unsteady. Once they reached the top of the spiral stairs and slipped through the door they were blinded by the bright morning light filling the hallway outside.
Y/N stopped cold and let out a gasp when she saw the two guards who had been standing by either side of the door slumped on the ground with an arrow protruding out of each of their heads, a trail of blood running over their faces.
Noticing that she had stopped Abeloni wrapped his arm more securely around her as he unslung his bow from around his arm. "I know that this has all been hard on you Y/N, but we have to keep moving otherwise-"
"-Who goes there?! He was cut off by the sudden shouting of two patrolling guards who had appeared at the end of the hallway. They stood in shock for a moment, staring at the two dead men, and Prince Abeloni holding a bow and woman hidden in his cloak.
"Run, Y/N RUN!!" He gripped her by the shoulders to keep her from stumbling as they took off at a sprint through the halls.
"STOP!" The guards commanded, their heavy metal boots thundering on the stone floor as they gave chase. "WE CAN'T LET THE CROWN PRINCE ESCAPE WITH THAT TRAITOR!" They got the attention of more guards as they pursued them.
Prince Abeloni guided Y/N along as they raced through the halls. He held her up to prevent her from stumbling as they tore up and down stairs, around sharp corners, and through green courtyards. "Come on Y/N, this way!" He urged her after several minutes of running as they slipped through a narrow doorway and found themselves in a claustrophobic hallway barely a shoulder's width wide. He tugged her along the narrow space, having to run sideways to fit through. Eventually, they reached a tiny spiral staircase, and Abeloni encouraged Y/N on, saying reassuringly. "We're almost out, don't worry!"
At the top of the stairs, there was another narrow door that Abeloni threw open. The sun shone down directly on them and after being in the dark space in between the bricks for so long Y/N was at first entirely blinded and had to trust that he wouldn't lead her astray as they continued to run. Blinking several times her eyes adjusted enough to realize that they were on top of the great wall that surrounded the entirety of the Palace grounds.
She could see the end of the wall in the distance, and the large main gate she had first entered the palace through which felt like a lifetime ago, but before she became absorbed by all her memories at the Palace she was startled by a whistling that passed by her ear. Turning her head, she saw that more guards had burst from the door behind them and some were holding crossbows pointed in their direction. "Kill that Traitor but don't hit the crown prince!" They shouted as they reloaded the bolts in their weapons.
Y/N stumbled in fear, her heart hammering in her chest, but Abeloni steadied her and pushed her in front of him. He moved between her and the pursuing soldiers, protecting her from being shot by standing in the line of fire. By this point they had nearly reached the end of the wall, only two guards stood in their way.
"OUT OF THE WAY!" He snarled at them, unslinging his bow from his shoulder and notching an arrow as they raced forward.
The two men knew how skilled of an archer the crown prince was and quickly dropped their weapons and crouched down on the sandy stones that composed the battlements. "W-what now?!" Y/N asked, a touch of panic in her voice as she gasped for air. They could go no further on the wall and even if they could she doubted that she could run much further.
"We jump!" He answered, a wide grin stretching his handsome features and a devious twinkle appearing in his teal eyes as before she could react he had picked her up and jumped over the stone battlements. Y/N screamed as the cobblestones came closer and closer, but her cry was cut short as the wind was knocked from her lungs and a cloud of white powder rose in the air around them.
"Are you alright Y/N?!" Abeloni asked, his brown curls appearing graey from the powder that had exploded upon their landing, checking her over for injuries at once. Her body hurt from the landing but she felt fine all things considered, still too winded to speak she simply nodded to affirm that she was alright. "Good," he said as he pulled her to her feet. Looking at the ground she saw that their fall had been broken by a pile of flour bags that appeared to have toppled from a millers cart.
"T-the horse and the provisions you requested your-your Highness," she nearly jumped as the stammering man approached, leading a large white horse with bulging saddlebags and a proud arch to his neck. He handed the reigns to Abeloni, shaking with nerves.
"Very good," he told the man as he took the offered straps and tossed the man a pouch that jingled metallically. "Here's you're compensation - you better get out of here if you want your head to stay on your neck." He warned sternly as the guards that had been pursuing them finally drew close enough for the soldiers manning the front gates to hear their shouting.
"Alright Y/N, I hope you can ride-" He asked her earnestly as the guards at the front gate began to catch on that something wasn't right, Y/N had barely nodded her head in response to his question and he was already hoisting her up into the saddle. "-good!" He exclaimed, tossing her the reigns before climbing into the saddle himself.
"Stop them!" The soldiers shouted from atop the wall, alerting the men who stood at the gate that the couple on horseback needed to be caught. "Stop that horse, but don't hurt the crown prince!"
"Get us out of here Y/N!" Abeloni shouted as he hooked his legs under the back two pommels on the saddle* facing backward and notching an arrow as Y/N urged the horse forward. He sprung forward eagerly, despite carrying the weight of two people, and in a few strides had reached a gallop.
"Go that way!" The harsh barking shouts of the soldiers rang out over the clatter of their steed's hooves against the pavement as they quickly mounted their own horses and took off in pursuit. "Down that street!" The guard who seemed to be leading them commanded, trying to protect his men from the arrows that the prince was firing at them, pointing towards two adjacent roads that connected to the one that Y/N and Abeloni were on. "Cut them off!"
Upon hearing their words she pulled the reigns on their steed, and they turned sharply down a much narrower street. They wove swiftly around carts and pedestrians, while the soldiers in their heaver armor were unable to follow them. Abeloni laughed at that and yelled mockingly, "Ha! Try and follow us now you spineless-" his mockery was cut short when he was hit on the head by a wooden sign hanging out over the street. "Ouchie!" He exclaimed, clutching a hand to the back of his head.
"Why didn't you tell me to duck Y/N?! You know I can't see where we're going-" he scolded her as they continued to race down the alley, nearly running down several unsuspecting pedestrians, but he was interrupted when he was hit by another sign. "Ouchie! Again?!" He exclaimed in pain and disbelief.
"Sorry Abeloni," Y/N apologized carelessly, the majority of her attention on the path ahead of them as they exited the alley and crashed into an open-air market, toppling several carts of produce. "I'm a little bit preoccupied at the moment!" She exclaimed as the shouting and clattering hooves of the horsemen pursuing them caught up with them much sooner than she would have liked.
Turning his attention back to the soldiers he began to fire arrows behind to keep the soldiers from drawing too near. A couple even struck their targets, knocking them from their saddles, but not as many as he would have liked. Even as skilled of an archer as he was having trouble being as accurate. "You know," he remarked to Y/N, trying to shield her as the soldiers began to return fire at them. "If what we were doing wasn't complete madness this would be an exciting-AAHHH!" He let out a scream as his right shoulder was pierced by a stray arrow and he nearly dropped his bow as he gritted his teeth at the unexpected pain.
"Abeloni! Are you alright?!" Y/N turned her head back at the sound of his cry and gasped when she saw the shaft of the arrow protruding from his shoulder, his face contorted in pain. "Just hang on, we're almost to the outer wall. I can see it - Oh no..." Her heart sank as she saw that the guards who manned the gate of the outer wall of the city were watching them closely.
"CLOSE THE GATES TO THE CITY!!" The captain of the soldiers shouted, drawing closer to the white horse now that Abeloni was unable to fire arrows back at them. "DON'T LET THOSE FUGITIVES ESCAPE!!!" Upon hearing these words the guards began to turn the crank and the giant drawbridge began to rise.
Y/N pulled on on the reins, their steed slowing down. "We're not going to make it in time!" She cried, all was lost.
"We're dead if we don't try!" Abeloni said firmly as he struggled to turn around in the saddle and wrapped his good arm around Y/N's waist. "Come on - COME ON!"
Seeing the determination in his eyes she felt the same determination flair in her heart and she urged the horse forward again. Their white steed took off, springing forward from a meandering pace to a flying gallop. They raced towards the draw bridge that continued to rise. The horsemen perusing them slowed, but they didn't.
The horse's hooves thundered as it struck against the wood of the draw bridge, running up the increasingly slanted surface. Reaching the top the mighty beast jumped, sailing over the gully that lay beneath the bridge, landed safely on the dirt road, continuing to run at a galloping stride.
"We did it! We're free!" Y/N exclaimed, daring to even laugh as she looked behind them to see that the gate of the city was closed, keeping those pursuing them at bay for a while.
"And you're safe Y/N!"Abeloni added, smiling through the pain in his shoulder. Kissing her cheek he said in a more serious tone. "I swear that for as long as I live I won't let anyone hurt you."
A/N
*the kind of saddle described in this chapter has four pommels, or horns, instead of the more contemporary stirrups. These horns had a slight curve and were positioned on the four corners of the saddle, enabling the rider to counterbalance about as well as with stirrups.
I hope you enjoyed today's chapter, I have known I wanted a scene like this since the book's inception and I hope I did it justice. ^~^
Until next time I'll see you on the other side
~J. C. Coltt.~