We traveled until evening, pushing on as quickly as possible without Arden and Rowan getting too exhausted.

But about an hour after the sun went down, Rowan began to stagger a little.

“You good?” I asked, frowning in the darkness.

“Yeah, just starting to get tired.” he muttered.

“Me too.” Arden sighed.

“Let’s stop.”

“I mean, I might be able to-” the centaur cut off as he stumbled again.

“Marri’s right. We should stop. There’s no point in trying to continue if we’re exhausted. You might wind up twisting your legs or something.”

“Let’s just find a nice clearing or something.” Rowan muttered.

It was only about five more minutes before we walked into a small clearing.

“This will do just fine.” I told them.

“Yep.” Arden nodded.

“I’d like to go on, but I just can’t.” Rowan said apologetically as Arden came and helped me dismount, then put me carefully on the ground.

“That’s alright.” Arden waved away the centaur’s concerns.

He dug in his magically expanded bag once more and began to pass out our evening meal. It was just more bread and cheese, but he included some dried meat this time instead of another apple. “We have to rest. And so will our pursuers. Although I’d like to come up with something that would maybe confuse our trail, if they’re still on it. I’m hoping us running for a good portion of today will have helped a little, but I guess it depends on how they’re tracking us.”

“Once we’re done eating, you two should try to get some sleep. I’m happy to watch all night, need be.” I told them.

“I’ll take at least one turn carrying you tomorrow so you can sleep. Rowan might be able to go on longer if he has a break, too.” Arden told me.

“Sorry.” I grimaced. “I know I’m heavy.”

“It’s alright!” Rowan smiled, “Don’t feel bad! I’m glad I’m here so that I can carry you!”

“I just…feel useless. I know merfolk don’t have legs, but still.” I mumbled. “Sometimes I wish I wasn’t a merperson, so I could be more useful.”

“You’re not useless, Marri.” Arden said firmly, reaching out and gently taking one of my hands, then squeezing it gently. “You literally just don’t have legs, and you’re right, you’re not supposed to have them. You’d outstrip us all if we were trying to travel in the water.”

“I can’t imagine a scenario that would put us all in the water unless it was just for fun.” I frowned.

“Maybe we were captured by pirates instead of a maniacal circus owner, and Arden was helping us escape them.” Rowan offered.

“That could work. I have fought pirates before.” Arden shrugged, going with the admittedly somewhat silly topic.

“I guess…If we had our own little dingy or something, I’d even be able to take a rope and pull you all along.” I told them, smiling a little. “My tail is very strong.”

“Exactly. This situation just isn’t tailored for you to shine.” Arden shrugged, “Not that you aren’t doing what you can to make it easier for everyone. The only reason we made it so far today was because you energized us with your magic.”

“Thank you for that.” Rowan smiled at me.

“You’re welcome!” I grinned back, feeling considerably better. “And I’m going to keep watch too, so I guess that’s pretty useful.”

“It is.” Arden nodded. “I think that, if we can make good time tomorrow, there’s a chance we’ll get to Lear and Winna’s cottage sometime the day after. But again, it just depends on how far we can get tomorrow.”

“You think we’ll be safe there?”

“I hope so.” Arden said, “There are protective runes that surround the entire area their cottage is in. We’ll be entering that area through one of the very few places that doesn't have a mountain in the way, so it’ll be easy enough, but I’m really hoping those runes might serve to keep Bellows from being able to track us much past that. I don't know though because I’m really not sure about how they work. We’ll have to see. If he does still manage to track us, then I expect Lear and Winna both will get involved, which won’t be very pleasant for Bellows.”

I grinned, “Good. I’m not going to lie, I’d like to see him squirm…not that I actually ever want to set eyes on him again, but if I had to, a squirming Bellows would be my preference.”

“I’m sure.” the half-fey soldier snorted.

“With any luck, Bellows will lose track of us.” Rowan yawned, having finished eating already. He shifted from sitting to lying down. I never thought he looked particularly comfortable when he lay down, but he clearly managed to sleep easily and deeply, so it must have been at least somewhat comfy.

“We’ve had good luck so far.” I murmured.

“Yeah.” Arden agreed.

It was quiet for a little while as we kept eating. Rowan was soon asleep though.

“I swear that centaur can sleep anywhere, at any time.” I giggled, watching my good friend sleep.

“It’s quite the skill.” the fey soldier beside me agreed, smiling. “I know you were slowly starting to heal, but were you sleeping better before we left camp?”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Yeah. Pippa was able to do enough that I’m sleeping alright now. Thanks for asking, though.”

“I worry. I can’t help it.” he shrugged.

I studied his face as he took a sip from his water skin. We’d filled them up at the stream we’d stopped and rested at earlier in the day.

He couldn't lie. So when he said he wasn’t much of an actor, he hadn’t been lying.

“You…said you weren’t much of an actor.” I tilted my head to the side, still watching him.

“I’m not. Lear said it was alright, I’m normally pretty unassuming. Well, if I don’t have white hair and golden eyes, anyways.” He shot me a wry smile.

It was a cute smile.

“So you’re really this nice?” I tilted my head to the side.

Arden grimaced, “I don’t know if nice is the word. I don’t know if you can call a sometimes-assassin particularly nice, but…I can’t hide my personality, no. This is me…disguise pendant aside.” he shrugged.

“Good.” I murmured. “I…I like who you are. I’m glad you can’t exactly hide it. I mean, personality-wise.”

He blinked, and looked away. Even in the dim light of the moon, I could see he was blushing. “Thanks, Marri.” he paused, “You…don’t care that I’m not fully fey?”

“Why would I? You’re the only person, other than my fellow captives, that has bothered to treat me with such kindness in over forty years.”

“I’m sorry.” his voice was barely a whisper.

“It’s not your fault, so don’t apologize. I’m just grateful you decided to do anything about it.” I shrugged.

“I can’t abide slavery, taking advantage of other people.” he muttered, jaw clenched.

Something about the tone in his voice told me that his vendetta against slavery was personal. It ran more deeply than being incensed on behalf of a mermaid he’d only known for a little while. I suspected he’d have tried to help us anyways, even if it wasn’t so personal, which was good, although it was personal, for him.

Studying his expression, I got the feeling that it might not be the best time to pry into exactly why he hated it so much. We were friends, yes, closer than I’d have expected to be with anyone so quickly, but I didn’t want to push too far and upset or anger him.

So I let the silence hang for a moment before asking, “So, are you from the feylands, or what?”

Arden shook himself and smiled, “Yes. I’m actually from the feylands. Grew up there and everything. Although I’m something of a homebody, I joined the military as a way to get away from there and have been everywhere since, it feels like”

“Why join then?” I smiled, “If you only wished you were home?”

An expression of pain flickered over his face. “I…had my reasons.”

I grimaced. “Sorry, you don’t have to tell me. I was just trying to make conversation. I like talking to you.”

Arden blinked, then smiled, “It’s alright.” he paused, adding, “I like talking with you, too. I’m just…not…good at opening up. Sometimes things are painful.”

“Don’t I know it!” I snorted, then sighed, “You don’t have to tell me anything, Arden.”

“It’s not like I’m trying to hide anything else, I promise,” he muttered.

“No, I know. Some things are private. You can tell me when you’re ready, or never. That’s okay.” I smiled at him.

Arden was quiet for a few moments, then his hand rose and he plucked one of my curls, sending it bouncing up, “Thanks, Marri.”

“Respecting your privacy is the least I can do after you literally rescued me and Rowan from captivity.” I rolled my eyes, hoping he didn’t notice that my face had flushed when he’d touched my hair.

“All the same.”

It was quiet for a few moments.

“Have you been a soldier for long?”

“Yep. A few hundred years now.”

I grimaced, “You’re…much older than me. This is weird because I had it in my head that you were so much younger. And me only being sixty or so…That must be weird, me teasing you. I’m sorry.” A sinking feeling filled me. His tolerance of my flirtation, or indeed his embarrassment, might have only been because I was so much younger, and that had made him uncomfortable. “Goodness, that must be like a kid flirting at you! I hope you weren’t uncomfortable.”

“You’re squarely an adult by the standards of your people.” He shrugged, now very red in the face. “But yeah, you’re younger than me.”

“Sorry.” I mumbled.

“Don’t apologize.” he snorted, “I’m just…awkward with women. It’s not that you’re a child. Merfolk come of age around forty or fifty, depending on the culture. You’re pretty young, but still an adult, and I do see you as one.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” he smiled at me, despite still being a little red in the face.

“Okay.” I mumbled, and let myself lean into him.

Who was I kidding? I was in love.

It was quiet for a few moments.

I turned the realization that I’d fallen in love so quickly with Arden over in my mind. Maybe I was just young and stupid. Or maybe he was just genuinely good. Because he was. I was realizing that more and more with each moment I spent with him.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “You should go to sleep. I can keep watch.”

“Wake me up a few hours before dawn, alright? I’ll take over and you can sleep for a bit. Then you can sleep again when we’re walking.”

“I’d say yes, but I have no idea how to tell when it’s a few hours before dawn. I don’t have a watch.”

“Oh here.” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a watch on a chain. “Can you read a clock?”

“Yes!” I nodded. Rowan had made sure that I could read and count and do basic math, among other relevant life skills that he could teach me while we were both enslaved. He’d really been a good father to me.

“Good. Sunrise is around six-thirty these days. Wake me around three, okay?”

“Okay.”

Arden started to move, but I caught his arm, “Would you…stay close?” I asked softly.

He blinked, then murmured, “Yeah, of course.”

“I just…it’ll be dark. I don’t think I’ll get scared or anything, but if you’re close I know I can wake you quickly, need be.” I told him quickly. In reality, I just wanted him close. It felt like if he was close, nothing in the world could hurt me.

“It’s fine.” he nodded, rummaging in the bag and pulling out some blankets. “I know it’s not cold enough for us to feel it, or anything, but do you want a blanket for comfort?”

“Yeah, sure.” I nodded and the fey soldier draped one over my tail. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Think Rowan would want one?” he asked, glancing over at the snoring centaur.

“Nah, he doesn't sleep with a blanket. We usually stick to the south during the winter, otherwise he’d probably use one when it’s really cold, but I’ve never seen him use one otherwise.”

“Alright then.” Arden shifted, pulling a blanket up over himself, and then lying down beside me. “If you need me for anything, just wake me. Alright? Anything.”

“Okay.” I murmured.

It was quiet for a few moments.

After a little while, one of his hands reached out, and his fingers wove through mine.

“Goodnight.” he murmured.

“Goodnight.” I whispered back.

Arden’s hand soon relaxed around mine, but he didn’t pull it away, even though he’d fallen fast asleep.

The crickets chirped softly, and the trees shifted in in the light breeze, the leaves rustling.

This was nice. I was free, and holding hands with someone I loved. Even if he didn’t feel the same way, he was at least kind to me, and cared about me in some way. Enough to want to get me out of captivity, and that was something.

Yes, this was very nice. Even if he broke my heart in the end, I was much happier for having met Arden, and I’d always be grateful to him.