Like meteorites. Under the mercy of gravity and a nitch of faith. They cut through the space downward causing the air to fill their mouth and pinching their eyelashes. Seeing the land coming closer, she closed her eyes and sighed in fear. Even if she was to die, she didn't want to see it coming.

For a part of the second, They felt the silky cover of the vast tent ramming their bodies like two spears charging at a leather armour. They crashed causing a complete annihilation of the composure of the tent under their own weights.

All the goods and clothes fell on the streets and in front of the merchant who had a wide opened jaws that were covered by her hands. Seeing all her handmade work licking the flat road just like that.

People were given a good fright at the moment of collision, causing some to panic and others followed through the curiosity, thus a crowd gathered around the tent.

The couple was traumatized by the impact. Both of them moaned badly, but Louis endured more of the huge unimaginable pain that struck the prince in his arm. It was a bad move.

Yet, The truth of feeling the pain and enduring it , pointed out that the plan had worked.

They made it out alive.

The female merchant tried to gather her fallen mouth and stood there shocked at the viewed impact and destruction. Ignoring the pain of the fall and the looks on the people's faces, they pressed on over their dizziness and burst into another run to the main street. Louis had that urge to return back and request forgiveness from the merchant. But he scratched the idea quickly off his mind.

"Wait, the people. Won't the locals recognize you!?" Diana halted him for a second as she recalled who she was truly running with.

"Don't worry about it. Only a handful know my relativity to the royal family. I am not that public figure anyway" he answered in his exhausted voice

They dived between the crowds, pushing left and right through the forest of the people walking by. They could hear the guards cutting beside them, yet without noticing them. They were running at every corner, asking about the girl everywhere, trying to spot her face from the swarm of buyers and sellers in that large-scale market. It was a maze for the guards and a good cover for the couple.

Luckily, their consumed legs managed to get them far enough to a back alley, giving them some rare moments for their lungs to take a rest.

"I think we lost them. What now?" Diana halted. Still breathing fast from all that running. She wanted to know where all her depleting breaths would lead in the end.

"There is a caravan leaving from the capital to a far town, that is our way of the capital" answered the prince.

After running for more time between the crowds evading stray guards at every corner, and withstanding the tremendous amount of exhaustion and tiredness. They finally reached the caravan behind the old alley.

Basically, the caravan was consisting of 2 Flat cargo carts with 2 horses each and 4 men guarding them with keen eyes. Those men who were waiting in patience spotted the couple running in a hurry and they approached as to welcome them.

"Jeez, you too. Take a breath or you gonna choke yourself "One of the merchants stood forward giving the two some water. They both dived the liquid into their systems. The water was so sweet in their mouth as It cooled their burning bodies a bit.

They gasped a deep breath after the refreshing drink. "Glad you got the message, men. What is the situation?" Louis began.

"We are ready, my prince, awaiting your command," said one of the men excitedly.

From the way they were talking, Diana noticed that they were mere merchants, and they were not from the residents of the capital either. Their clothes and figures simply describe them. They had that funny accent of farmers with tough skins and solid faces. They weren't any special in any way, just some folks from a farmland nearby.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"On the cart, hurry!" Said another. They instructed Diana and Louis to stay still and not resist...

...Soon enough, Diana saw what she shouldn't be resisting. She saw it as a large pile at the corner. Her eyes sparked with the past. And within the past...There was...

"More hay, of course, It had to be hay". She smirked with tired low eyes.

"Beggers are not choosers, Hon". He said while jumping beside her on the same cart.

With them in a sleeping body state, the faithful men buried them below the yellow fodder.

The hay was crazy sturdy and had a huge weight over her chest unlike how the eye judged from the first sight. She questioned in herself whether that was the hay or the horse that was on top of her.

Once everything was settled , the two carts began to move, fast but calm, so it didn't raise suspicions.

Time was limitless in those natural coffins. The journey was unbearable as the hay began to harden their breathing, and it began to uncontrollably enter their clothes. Pinching them, making them feel uncomfortable in the cargo, her lungs were about to be crushed under the collective mash over her chest. All of this while staring at the complete pitch-blackness.

Some time passed. No one knew exactly how much. But it was enough for Diana's body to begin to panic due to low oxygen. Despite how Louis tried to calm her down. Her body had enough of being buried alive and to make it even worse, the reference to the past had been fully refreshed.

So in a spontaneous reaction, she made a sudden move and managed to push most of the pile of hay above her and Louis to the ground

Both of them gasped and coughed. They could breathe fresh air again.

They flicked their eyes at their surrounding. Diana's hand stood in front of her eyes. Shielding her from the relaxing light of the full moon guarding the clouds and the sky full of stars again.

She looked around to see that they were still moving. They were on a road of flat terrain. There were no buildings and no people. There was only the quietness and peace of nature.

"W-We made it," she said, struggling to believe what she had been through.

Louis spits a straw out of his mouth. "Yeah, well let us not try this again" he chuckles.

"Quite the rush, ha Lads?" One of the drivers said.

Diana smiled

"Yea, Thanks to you good men, we owe you our lives"

He poked his strange smile back. "No problem, young lad. But if you feel yourself in debt, you probably should deliver it to our lady. It appears that our queen does have a reserved room in her heart for you"

She stiffened back when she heard the name. She looked at Louis with query. "Q-queen Ana? Wait, weren't you the one who brought the men?"

"Nah, it was my aunt. The whole plan was her design. Though that jump was an improvised action of mine"

She glimpsed.

"Louis, Does she..."

"Yes, she knows. I told her everything about us" he said with a planked face while staring at her.

"And her reaction?" Diana asked.

The boy blinked. He put his hand in his shirt and pulled a rolled paper, handing it to her.

"What's that?" She pointed.

"Your answer" he stated.

She stared at the rolled paper, noticing the royal seal on it. It was a message for her.

She shared a sceptical look with Louis. Only to meet a serious face and lost depressed eyes. His face changed upon the subject of the queen.

"You ok?" She sensed his sadness.

"Just read it, and you will understand"

She looked at the sealed letter before her finger got a hold of the solid reddish wax.

Tick

She broke the blood-coloured seal into halves, still gazing momentarily at him before her eyes began flickering while reading.

~~

My dear, this is your mother-in-law.

Please, before I begin I want you to know that I am not mad at you. Not even in the slightest, I should have predicted such chemistry after the day you went on with that visit.

I say this because my nephew here told me how he confessed his love to you. I was surprised at first. But I would never hope for a better bride to him than you, my loyal girl.

Please forgive my handwriting. I have a bad habit of not controlling myself at farewell moments.

For you, my devoted servant was my light that dug through that darkness that succumbed to me for many years, since my two sons and husband's tragedy.

My men here will escort you and your future husband to a town called Zenda. Where from there you should get back to your Town and stay low for a couple of months.

In the end, I wished you would forgive me, for I couldn't protect you from that lunatic on the throne. If I could see you now, I would hug you goodbye in person. But given the circumstances, you will have to do with my blessings for now.

I love you and miss you already.

Yours, Queen Ana

~~~

She closed the letter. She was taken aback by what she read. She didn't feel herself hugging the paper.

Then something snapped in her brain.

"Wait, she called herself mother-in-law, does that mean...!?" she looked at Louis, seeking a reaction to confirm her curious suspicions...

But Louis didn't meet her gaze, he just kept his head fixed on his foot. It was the first time he ignored her when she spoke to him.

"Louis, there is something you aren't telling me, are you?," she asked with good intentions, not knowing what was laying deep under his petrified reaction.

"I think it's time..." He fixed his posture while a line of strong wind messed with his hair..."...to answer your question...For how I got this dagger..."

He pulled his dagger out of its sheath as it reflected moonlight right back at him, making his dangerous eyes glimmer within as he mustered all the courage he had in him while preparing himself to speak...