Though the rain was falling gently, Maude was riding Celerity into it, so it was soaking her to the bone. Fall was coming once again. Maude shivered under her clothes. In spite of the effort it took to ride a horse, the rain was driving out the extra heat.

Just keep going, she thought. I just need to keep going. I need to get to Jaspar. I have to make it before the battle begins.

She sighed heavily, taking one hand off the reins to wipe the water away from her eyes. Why did the troops go so far away? She thought. It’s going to make it so difficult to make it in time.

She had already been riding for a day and a half, which meant she was roughly at the halfway point of the trip. Celerity hadn’t even complained once at the speed at which Maude was urging her to go. Maude just hoped it would be enough to get there in time. This horse lives up to her name, Maude thought. Though, I would expect nothing less of a horse that Melissa Wright loaned to me.

Her mind drifted back to Jaspar. Please, if there is a god, let him be alive when I get there, she thought, conjuring up an image of him sitting at his desk in his study, smiling at her. I can’t live without him. And I was foolish enough to think that I could. If he’s gone when I get there, it will be my fault for not realizing soon enough that he was worth fighting for.

She swallowed hard, her emotions threatening to pull her under. She gently hit the reins harder. “Hiya!” she exclaimed. Celerity picked up only a little bit, which meant she was already sustaining at her max speed.

Maude’s back ached from bouncing around. I hope that someday I’ll get to ride a horse for leisure, she thought. Maybe then it will be better than such a negative experience.

“It still beats walking,” she murmured to herself aloud, gently patting the horse’s mane.

What will I do if I get there and Jaspar is already gone? A voice in her heart questioned. He is the reason I have to fight. Will I still defend Aulbert if I don’t have him to fight for?

Maude chewed on her lip, unsure how to answer her own question. “Is Aulbert worth fighting for?” she asked aloud.

She thought of the Rosenberg manor, and Helena, pregnant with Jakob’s child. She thought of the baker that she had met, who said that he was going to bake soldiers food for the war. There was also the best blacksmith in Aulbert that lived in the Rosenberg territory. Was he worth saving?

Jaspar came to mind, saying that the people of Rosenberg needed him as a leader. She remembered that he didn’t want to marry her when they went their separate ways so that he might be able to have a legitimate heir. Then, memories of Helena telling her that Rosenberg used to be a crime haven came to mind.

Maude sighed heavily. When did I become this way? She wondered. It happened without me noticing at all. If Jaspar is gone… She paused, closing her eyes tight from having to think about a world without Jaspar in it.

Even if he is gone, though, she thought, Aulbert is worth fighting for. I will do it in his honor. He loves the people of Rosenberg, and he loves his country. Even if he is not alive anymore for me to have, I’ll defend this country with everything I have because it would be what Jaspar would do. It would be what he would want.

What about after? She thought. How would Jaspar want me to live my life after the war if he wasn’t here to share it with me?

She wiped the water out of her eyes again, thinking. What would he want? She cocked her head slightly to the left. I’m not really sure, she thought. In spite of the fact that we were eventually going to be going our own separate ways when the war progressed, it was something that he and I never really talked about.

Maude pulled the compass out of her pocket and looked down at it. The road still seemed to be heading the direction Melissa said it would, which gave Maude a sense of relief.

At the very least, she thought, slipping the compass back into her pocket, I think he would want me to find some kind of way to live happily without him.

Maude tightened her grip on Celerity’s reins. But at the very least, I’m going to do everything in my power to have that not be the case, she thought, her resolve tightening. As long as he is alive when I get there, I will do everything I can.

It was clear that the sun had fully set on the horizon, as darkness was beginning to fall rapidly. The rain wasn’t letting up. Maude clenched her jaw. Just a little more, she thought. Just a little more and I’ll stop riding for the day.

She could tell that Celerity was starting to tire as well, from going with very short breaks, for so long.

Shit, Maude thought. We just need to go for maybe another five miles to get a bit ahead on tomorrow’s ride.

Darkness was beginning to engulf the road in front of them, and Maude had to slow Celerity down to be able to see the road. The rain coming down made the road even darker.

Would it be better for me to get up before daybreak? She asked herself. And just go to bed early to get a good early start tomorrow?

She sighed, frustrated that there was no real good way for her to know how close to the end of the road she was, before she would make her turn into the woods, towards Aulbert’s campsite.

It would have been different if I had traveled with them, she thought. Someone would have known landmarks along the way. And I only know where I am when I pass through a town.

She had passed through the first town early that morning, and when she’d looked at the map, it didn’t seem as though the next town was that far away. She figured she’d make it to that town within a day. Yet here she was, drenched, cold, and tired, and darkness had fallen. Yet she still had yet to come across the second town.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

She pulled the compass out of her pocket again and looked at it. Surely I’m not lost? She asked herself. The compass still suggested she was going in the correct direction.

She sighed, feeling Celerity slow down even more. Will I even be able to make it in time?

She rode, in silence for another half of an hour, straining her eyes to see any kind of light that might suggest that she’d made it to the next town. There was nothing.

She gently patted the horse’s mane, feeling incredibly tired. I should rest soon, she thought. Tomorrow will be another full day of riding. She sighed again, wishing that she might be able to see Jaspar tomorrow.

What was I thinking going off on that trip by myself? She thought. I had to have been out of my damn mind.

Suddenly, she saw the faintest twinkle of lights up ahead. She urged Celerity forward, who, surprisingly, obliged Maude’s command. The lights came into a sharper focus.

Finally, Maude thought. I never thought I would see this town at the rate we were going!

It was another thirty minutes until they made it to the town. Much like Melissa had suggested, and much like the town before this one had been, it looked fairly deserted. However, Maude quickly found an inn that seemed to be open, or, at least, there were lights on inside.

Maude carefully steered Celerity into the stable, and then got off the majestic horse. She found a bucket filled with water in the stable, and pulled it close to the horse. Celerity happily partook in the water, and shook her mane to help get some of the rain water out of her coat. Maude giggled softly and patted the horse gently before tying her reins up.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, bright and early,” Maude promised the horse. “Rest well, Celerity.”

The horse grunted at Maude as if it understood her words. Maude turned and headed back into the rain, walking up the steps to the entrance of the inn. Much to her surprise, the door did, in fact, open. Maude stepped inside, her clothes dripping everywhere, creating a pool of water at her feet.

“Welcome!” Maude heard a voice say. “Would you like a room?”

Maude turned to see a young woman, certainly no older than Maude, manning the desk.

Maude smiled warmly at her. “That would be wonderful,” she replied. “How much does it cost?”

“Twelve copper,” the young woman replied.

Maude was a bit taken aback at the price. “Only twelve copper?” she asked.

The girl scowled. “You’re my first customer in quite some time. The war has taken all of my patrons away.”

Maude heard herself chuckle a little bit. “Understandable,” she replied, ruffling through her duffle bag and pulling out a silver. “Keep the change,” she said, walking over and putting the coin on the counter.

“You’re very generous, my lady,” the young woman said with a bow. “Let me show you to your room.”

Maude followed the young woman down a hallway and was beginning to notice how exhausted she felt. I probably rode for a little bit too long, she thought. I’m certainly going to pay the price tomorrow. But sleeping in a warm and dry inn sure beats trying to sleep in the rain.

“Here you are, my lady,” the young woman said. “I’ll get the fire started for you as well.”

“Thank you,” Maude replied, following the woman into a large room with a queen sized bed. The fireplace was enormous. I wonder if she gave me the best room, Maude thought. How kind of her.

Maude gently put her belongings on the floor and began going through the duffle again, this time to find dry clothes. The young woman worked quickly on building a fire in the fireplace for Maude.

“Can I get you anything else for a more comfortable stay?” the young woman asked, bowing at Maude once the fire was roaring.

“That will be all,” Maude replied. “Thank you kindly.”

The young woman nodded and left the room. Maude quickly changed into the drier clothes and put all of the ones that had gotten wet out on the floor in front of the fireplace to dry. She chowed down another one of her rations, and then laid down on the bed, feeling her exhaustion crashing into her even harder than before.

It’s almost fall again, she thought. That means it’s nearly been a year since the war began. She shook her head, thinking back on her first memories of Jaspar, when she’d been trying to escape from the Rosenberg manor.

He was so belligerent at first, she thought. I could have never imagined that a year later I would be riding into battle for that man. She chuckled softly and shook her head.

At least, for now, he and I are still under the same sky, she thought as she closed her eyes and her exhaustion pulled her under.

~

Sunlight streamed through the window of Maude’s room in the inn. She squinted her eyes, noticing the room was cold, and that the fire had died long ago.

Maude rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach dropped. She sat up abruptly.

Shit, she thought. I overslept. After years of training from her father, it was a rare occasion when she did. Of course, it had to be on a day when I absolutely needed to be up as early as possible, she thought, kicking herself internally.

She sighed heavily, not wanting to leave the cozy sheets of the bed, but knowing she didn’t have a choice. If I make it out of this war alive, I’m going to spend as much time as I can laying in a cozy bed, she promised herself, gingerly pulling the sheets off of herself.

She shivered, touching her bare feet to the floor, dreaming of the slippers she’d left at the Rosenberg manor. “I don’t have time to dawdle,” she muttered to herself, standing up and walking over to the clothes she’d left in front of the fireplace. They were all dry now.

She grabbed the outfit she had been wearing the day before, and switched back into it. Grabbing up the rest of the clothes from the floor, she began to prepare the room for her departure. She quickly shoved the clothes into the two duffle bags, and put on her shoes. She grabbed her belt and reattached both of her swords to it.

Maude took a deep breath, eyeballing the room for any additional belongings. It was only a short stop, but she wasn’t about to leave anything behind if she could help it.

She nodded and then sat down on the bed, pulling open the duffle that had her rations in it. She pulled out one of the packs, and quickly began to devour it, while pulling out her map to look it over.

Let’s see, she thought. Today is the second full day of riding, which means I should arrive fairly early tomorrow. She swallowed hard. Tomorrow is also the day that the battle begins, she thought. So I need to get as close as possible.

There was one more town on her journey, and it was also the point at which the road she was on would end, and where she would need to go into the forest. She looked over at Melissa’s written notes in the margin of the map. How far of a distance is it between the town and where the Aulbertian encampment is? She wondered. Did Melissa note it?

Off in the margin, it was clearly written, “Aulbertian campsite is roughly a half a day’s ride from Fayetteville.”

Shit, Maude thought. If I only make it to Fayetteville tonight, I’m going to have to get up early, early if I’m going to make it to the campsite before the battle.

She swallowed hard. I’m grateful for the sleep, but sleeping in was a mistake!

She paused, studying the little icon that represented Fayetteville. Though, she thought, I doubt the stay will be anywhere near as comfortable as it was here, she thought. So maybe it was a good thing to get as much rest as I could last night. Hopefully it doesn’t rain again.

She looked outside. The sun was shining and there was not a single cloud in the sky that she could see out the window. Hopefully it stays this way. The last thing I need is a cold right before I go into battle.