We took off into the darkness, aiming straight for the hole in the fence. It took a bit of squeezing to get Elias and Bear through the opening, but they fit soon enough. It was easy to see the capital at night since the castle towers were always alight with watchmen. With heavy feet and racing hearts, we ran like never before.
chapter twenty-one
It didn’t take long before we had to stop and catch our breath. The adrenaline from the whole altercation left us both whirling in a daze. When Elias finally put Bear down, he seemed to walk fine on his own, aside from favoring his front paw. We carried on through the dark, taking regular stops along the way to rest.
“How’s your head?” I asked as we sat against a shadowed tree. I reached out gingerly to brush his hair to the side and made out a large knot forming beneath his cut.
“What, this puny scratch?” He pointed toward the growing lump. “This is nothing. In fact, I’ve always wished for a menacing scar. It will really fit the “street kid” persona once it heals up. Do you think I should consider an eye patch, too?” He placed a hand over his left eye and raised his eyebrows in jest.
I laughed at his self-deprecating humor. “You’re ridiculous!” I gave him a gentle shove, and he winced from the touch. “Oh sorry! Did he get your arm, too?” I retracted my touch to avoid flaring up any more injuries.
“It’s only a bruise.” He waved off the pain nonsensically. “He has a powerful grip when he’s angry. The good news is that he never hurt my hands,” he slyly slipped his hand into mine, “so you can touch those as much as you please.” He flashed me a moonlight smile.
I smiled back, still giggling at his cheeky move. “Well, that’s certainly reassuring.” I squeezed his hand. “I’m glad you’re alright. I didn’t realize how far your father would go, or your mother, for that matter.” I shuddered in remembrance of her steel voice.
“I didn’t know, either.” He pulled his hand out of mine to wrap it around my shoulder. I nuzzled into his neck, relishing in his warm presence. He rested his head atop mine and tightened his grip. “All I know is that I have never been more terrified.”
“I’m so sorry,” I expressed guiltily. “I should have come out sooner. Things shouldn’t have progressed as far as they did... you could have been terribly hurt or worse.” My chest tightened at the terrifying thought.
He lifted his head from my mine, turning to look at my moonlit features. “Aurelia, I wasn’t scared for myself.” I lifted my head to look back at him, not entirely sure what he was implying. “I was terrified that they would find you, that they would hurt you or even kill you. I was prepared to take on a thousand beatings if it meant keeping you hidden.” His dimly lit eyes met mine with such intensity I almost forgot to breathe.
“Elias, I— “My words stopped flowing as he placed a hand gently upon my cheek.
Time seemed to freeze as he leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “I love you, Aurelia. I think I loved you since the moment I saw you gazing out my window, with your beautiful hair reflecting those endlessly blue eyes.” His words spiraled through my ears, my mind replaying the words. He leaned back from my ear, his face only inches from mine. In that moment nothing else mattered. No engagement, no scandal, no injuries, no family, everything was completely perfect in the realms.
I placed my hand on his cheek, both of us embracing the other. I opened my mouth to say the words I longed more than anything to admit. “Elias, I lov— “
“Freeze!”
The barked command startled us into separating. Bear lifted his head sleepily at the noise, having napped through the entire conversation. Due to his sleep, he hadn’t been on alert for anyone approaching. I reached for Elias’s hand, hoping to take it and run. But before I could even rise to my feet, an arrow whizzed above my head and implanted itself in the tree.
I yelped in surprise, and Elias pushed himself in front of me. The shadow of our attacker slowly came into view, but we couldn’t make out his features until he sparked a lantern alight. The harsh features of Mr. Colburn registered in my mind as he placed the light on the ground. His hands returned to his bow with a second arrow notched.
“I just need the girl,” the hunter stated starkly. “I have no business with you boy, so you best run off.”
Elias remained in front of me, not even flinching before the drawn weapon. “You can’t have her,” he said fiercely. “She has the right to choose her own life. You have no right to take that away from her.” He calmly rose to his feet, taking dangerous steps toward the hunter’s drawn bow.
“Elias, be careful!” I called out frightfully, but he never wavered.
“I don’t want to shoot you, boy,” the hunter said emotionlessly. His arrow never flinched from its hold, the shot directed straight for Elias’s heart. “But I will.”
“Elias, please!” I begged desperately. “This isn’t worth your life.” I ran up to where he stood, but he blocked me, keeping me behind him.
“Listen to the lady.” The hunter tilted his head in my direction. “She wants to make the right choice. Just allow her to go home, and live happily ever after with her white knight.” He huffed in amusement, and I could sense the anger seething off Elias. He took a step forward to let off his steam, but I held him with a firm hand on the shoulder.
“Elias,” my voice was ice, “I’ll handle it.” He fell back, recognizing my anger. I stepped forward, staring point blank into the steel arrow.
“You’re correct, sir.” I glared daggers into his unyielding rigidness. “I do want to make the right choice, but that’s not an easy thing to do from my position.” I widened my stance, taking another daring step forward. “You see, I’ve been placed in a position where my choices are unheard, invalid, and frankly, considered worthless, and that wasn’t alright with me. My life has been nothing more than a pawn in someone else’s game, and once I marry, the only change will be who owns the piece. For days I thought nothing could be worse, being forced into a marriage with a selfish, arrogant prude seemed like a fate worse than death. But then someone taught me to be grateful.” I turned my gaze back to Elias, his face twisted with fear at my progressing steps. “I learned to be grateful for the life I lived, for the education I received, for the home I had, and for the people who loved me for me. However, despite everything I’ve learned…” I stepped forward again, my forehead inches from his arrow’s point. “I would not change a single choice I’ve made.” I held the hunter’s gaze, my eyes burning him with the inner fire I’d been stoking. If this was going to be my final stand, then I was going to make my intentions clear. “I regret nothing... nothing aside from not leaving sooner.”
He still didn’t move, but his expression held a little more respect toward my boldness than it had before. I took a deep breath, preparing for my next move.
“That being said, there’s one final decision I won’t regret.” I gave one last remorseful look to Elias before raising my hands in surrender to the hunter. “Take me into your custody, but give Elias a ride to the capital before you turn me in.”
“Aurelia, no! I won’t go!” Elias ran forward, but I grabbed the hunter’s bow and pointed the arrow to my throat. I turned my back to the hunter, facing Elias head-on, the steel point pricking my skin. He stopped in his tracks, his face shattered with pain.
“I’m sorry, Elias.” A single tear slid down my face as the hunter’s arrow sent a small trickle of blood down my neck. “It has to be this way.”
He looked between me and the hunter, his expression growing more broken by the second. Finally, he let out a frustrated yell before he approached, stopping a few feet short of where I stood at arrow-point, looking between Mr. Colburn and me. “I won’t give up, Aurelia. I promise, I’ll get you out of this, but for now...” he cast his solemn eyes to my bleeding skin, “you win.” His fractured voice brought tears to my eyes.