The princess, however, was already starting to stumble. The dim light hid branches and roots, which snagged her clothes and pulled her neat hair. Princess As'rya didn't complain, though, merely steadying herself and continuing on, doing her best to watch her footing.

"It will be better if we can cover more ground while it's dark," Dagger told her, glancing back to see her reaction. She was carefully maneuvering over a log, pulling the white dress up while carefully stepping over.

"So I expect we will continue on in this fashion for some time?" As'rya asked, looking up. He nodded in affirmation, expecting her to try and change his mind or finally put her foot down. But she merely nodded back.

"Very well. In that case, I would ask that we find a suitable place for me to change," As'rya told him. "Now that we are out of the city, this current attire has indeed become a hindrance to our progress."

Dagger admired her straightforward and tenacious attitude and quickly found her a mostly private spot, behind some dense juniper bushes.

While As'rya slipped out of her boots, Dagger turned his back and took a moment to scout the area.

One perk about his abilities at night was the absolute scope of them. If he stopped and focused, he could feel and hear anything touching shadow within a mile's radius. He had been able to stretch it further, but the amount of information got confusing and muddled and it became less useful.

He reached his mind out through the webbing of darkness, the shadows beneath the ferns and the inky black spots in the hollows of trees. He sensed animals waking, owls and bats, as well as animals sleeping, like mice and rabbits. A herd of deer were bedded directly in front of them, nearly a half a mile out, so they would need to go around them. No humans, Dagger thought to himself. Good. No humans meant no one was following them. Or if they were, it was far enough back that they would be able to escape if needed. Despite this, he still felt anxious and wanted to put more space between them and the Capital.

He wouldn't feel so on edge if he had more details on the situation. Or any proper information, really. Who was even chasing them?

"I'm finished." As'rya, who had been standing for a few moments silently, spoke up. Dagger turned around. She now wore a much more sensible pant and shirt set, akin to riding gear. The pants were a sturdy material, the shirt a mossy green. With the leather cloak over the top, As'rya looked almost like a proper traveller. Almost.

"So far, we have no one following us. We still need to cover as much ground as we can tonight. We will rest at dawn." The second princess simply nodded, taking a sip from her water flask.

"I will have trouble navigating the terrain, due to my inexperience and lack of light," As'rya contemplated. "I would assume a lantern isn't an option?"

"No," Dagger replied flatly. Of course not. It would make them so obvious they could be seen by anyone, hungry animals or malicious humans.

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"If you're not opposed, I would suggest us holding hands while we walk," As'rya told him. "Since you're more used-"

"No!" he replied forcefully, sounding more angry than he'd meant. The princess flinched and he tried to backtrack.

"No, I...can't," Dagger said more calmly. "Part of my...curse is that I cannot touch anyone without killing them. So, us holding hands is out of the question."

"But, you're wearing gloves?" As'rya pointed out, indicating to the black gloves he constantly wore. With a dark chuckle, he replied, "Do you really want to chance it?"

As'rya said nothing.

"If you're done, we need to go. We've wasted enough time," Dagger began walking again. As'rya stood up, hurrying to pull her pack on and follow after.

Dagger felt a little bad; he didn't want to scare her, but it was better if she kept her distance. He didn't want to kill her.

He was dangerous. That's just the way it was.

Behind him, he heard As'rya trip, hitting the ground with a hard thud. She didn't cry out, only getting back up and brushing her pants off. Dagger sighed and stopped.

He didn't want to use the curse more than he needed...but they also needed to get this girl there in one piece. The whispers in his head were quieter and it was less difficult to use his power at night. He would just have to use them anyway.

With a motion of his hands like parting something in half, Dagger pushed some of the shadows out of As'rya's footpath. It wasn't bright, by any means, but it was clearer and she could avoid the worst of the obstacles with ease.

"I can't talk and keep this up at the same time," Dagger warned her. "If you want to see, stay quiet." The last part was mostly to keep her from bothering him, but it would help with his focus, too.

"Thank you," the princess replied genuinely, despite his cold tone.

Continuing on, Dagger stifled a inking of guilt and focused on scouting the path ahead.

*****

As'rya had never been so tired in her life.

That probably wasn't true, but she certainly couldn't remember a time she had been more tired. Not only had she not slept since the night before, they had been walking for hours. Just how many, she couldn't be sure, but it was probably seven or eight. It felt like more. The terrain was also difficult, despite the mercenary helping her with the issue of vision. It was one thing, being able to see the tree root. It was another getting her foot to cooperate and go over it. She was managing fairly well, all things considered, As'rya told herself as she once again caught herself on a tree. Her forearm hurt from catching herself, as well as her knees from when she hadn't been fast enough.

It had to be dawn soon, right?

But she had to get through. Once again, the princess stood up, forcing her feet to take another step. This marriage was her ticket to freedom.

For years, As'rya had tried to do everything to please her mother. As the second princess, she knew that unless something happened to Velora, her older sister, she would never be Queen of Raizakar. That didn't bother As'rya in the slightest; she would be happy to be a royal advisor, a scholar, or maybe a diplomat. She had always wanted to help her kingdom alongside Velora.

But her mother had different plans.

Not at first. When As'rya was young, her mother let her tag along with Velora to her studies, watching with a gentle smile as the girls went off hand in hand. But after the...incident...she had been cold, uncaring, and cruel at times.

"You are not even fit to hold the Sophera name, let alone help the Kingdom prosper," the Queen spat, glaring at the young girl. "If you meddle, you will surely be the downfall of the kingdom!"

Velora stopped inviting her to join the sessions and As'rya stopped asking.

As she grew older, her mother grew more suspicious and angry. The Queen continued to restrict the second princess's privileges and movements until she was confined exclusively to the second floor of the castle.

But that's exactly why this marriage was so important. It didn't matter that it was probably just a way for her mother to send her far away. As'rya would use the opportunity to the fullest. If she did really well, maybe she could help in the establishment of trade relations between Raizakar and Lysima.

A branch slapped her face.

As'rya sighed, holding her stinging cheek.

If she could make it through this night, that is.