Chapter 39 - 37- On The Road

When Neria woke up, it was dawn. Well, she wasn’t completely sure it was dawn, but it was slightly less dark than it had been last night, so she assumed it was.

She was still in the Grand Duke’s arms, though his hold had loosened around her while they slept. For a moment, she simply stayed there, listening to his breathing and feeling the warmth of his body against hers. She was almost tempted to stay where she was, mostly because the morning air was cold against her skin, but she eventually decided she needed to get up.

Neria carefully pushed his head slightly back before slowly wriggling out of his arms. When she finally managed to get free, she climbed to her feet and stretched, her legs still aching from everything that had happened the night before.

"Horsy?" she called.

There was no response.

Neria immediately frowned.

"Horsy?"

This time, a neigh came from somewhere farther away, followed by the familiar sound of hooves moving over the ground. A few moments later, the black stallion appeared between the trees.

Neria let out a small sigh of relief.

"You almost scared me." She walked closer and reached up to pat his head. "We need to help."

The horse gave another neigh.

Neria tilted her head. "Is that a yes or a no?" she asked with a small chuckle.

The horse neighed again. "I will take that as a yes."

She looked back toward the Grand Duke’s blurred figure, who was still slumped against the tree exactly where she had left him.

"Do you think you can help me?"

Neria was already making her way toward him before the horse could answer. When she reached Darian, she grabbed his shoulders and started dragging him across the ground.

It was difficult.

He was heavy. Much heavier than she had expected, and with her still getting used to these legs, every step felt like a struggle. She grunted with every pull, her feet sliding slightly against the dirt as she tried to get him closer to the horse.

For a brief moment, she wondered if she should simply leave him there.

He would probably survive.

Probably.

Neria pulled him again.

"Nope."

She wasn’t leaving him.

Even though he really, really, really deserved it.

When she finally reached the horse, she let go and dropped herself onto the ground for a moment, breathing heavily.

"How am I supposed to get him on here?" she breathed, already exhausted.

The horse neighed and stepped back a few places away from them.

Neria slowly lifted her head. She narrowed her eyes. "You cannot be serious with me"

The horse neighed again.

Neria sighed. "Very helpful, Horsy."

She crouched beside Darian and grabbed him under the arms, trying to pull him upright. His head lolled slightly to the side, and his weight immediately dragged her forward.

"Oh, you’re so heavy," she breathed.

She managed to lift him, slinging his arm around her neck as she struggled to keep him upright. His weight forced her to bend slightly as she made her way toward the horse, his boots dragging against the ground behind them.

Neria grunted with every step, her legs shaking beneath her as she forced herself to keep going. By the time they reached the horse, her arms were already aching.

She looked up at the stallion.

"You could at least lower yourself."

The horse stared back at her.

Neria frowned. "Then stay still."

She carefully leaned Darian’s body against the horse, adjusting his weight until she managed to get his face and neck on the saddle.

For a moment, she thought the hardest part was over.

She was wrong.

Neria grabbed his legs and started pushing, trying to get the rest of his body up without letting him slip over the other side. Darian was completely unhelpful, his body heavy and limp against the horse.

"Come on..."

She pushed again.

"Oh, heavens."

Her foot slipped against the dirt, and she nearly went down with him. She caught herself at the last second, tightening her grip on his leg before he could slide off the saddle.

After several more attempts, a lot of grunting, and one particularly close moment where she nearly fell beneath him, Neria finally managed to push his legs over the horse.

She stood there for a second, staring at him.

He was on the horse.

She had actually done it.

"Victory!" she cried.

Neria immediately dropped onto the ground, letting herself fall onto her back as she tried to catch her breath.

The horse lowered its head and looked down at her.

"You know he doesn’t deserve this," she muttered between breaths. "He’s always so cruel to me"

The horse neighed, almost sounding like a sigh.

Neria lay on the ground for a moment longer, letting herself catch her breath before finally getting back up. She walked over to the horse and climbed onto its back herself. Thankfully, that wasn’t nearly as difficult.

She groaned as she settled herself behind Darian.

"I can’t see, Horsy, so you have to take us somewhere people can help... good people," she told the horse.

He neighed in agreement and started moving forward.

The horse moved faster than Neria expected. She kept her head lowered, one hand holding onto the reins while the other stayed around Darian to make sure he wouldn’t fall.

Everything around her was nothing more than a blur of trees and light, but she trusted the horse to take them somewhere safe.

Soon, they found themselves on a smoother path. There were no more branches brushing against her face or roots beneath the horse’s hooves. Even the sounds of the forest had faded into something close to quiet.

"Where are we?" she asked the horse as he began to slow.

Neria lifted her head, looking around and trying to recognize anything familiar.

Then the horse stopped.

Neria frowned. "Huh?"

The horse wasn’t moving.

She carefully climbed down and rounded around him until she was standing in front of him.

"Why are you stopping?" she asked.

The horse only neighed and looked away.

Neria groaned.

She carefully made her way back to the Grand Duke and felt around until her hands found his boots. She pulled them off his feet and sighed.

She really hoped she wasn’t making a mistake.

Neria put the boots on herself.

They felt awkward on her legs, far too large and stiff around her feet, but she supposed they would have to do. She was probably going to have to walk for part of the journey anyway, even if she couldn’t see where she was going.

Her hands searched around until she found the horse’s reins.

"Come on... enough of your attitude."

She pulled.

The horse resisted.

Neria pulled harder. He neighed loudly and planted his feet firmly against the ground.

Neria stared in his direction, her eyes narrowed into a glare.

She muttered coldly. "Don’t test me."

She pulled the reins again, and finally, the horse started moving.

"Why did you have to stop?" she complained as they began walking. "I’m tired too, you know."

They continued along the path, and thankfully, it remained clear. Neria didn’t have to worry about branches hitting her face or her feet catching on roots. She simply listened to the steady rhythm of the horse’s steps as she pulled him along.

For a while, there was nothing else.

Just hooves against dirt.

Darian’s slow breathing.

The occasional rustle of leaves somewhere in the distance.

Every few moments she would turn and check on Darian’s figure.

She wasn’t sure how long they had been walking when something different reached her ears.

At first, it was so faint that she thought she had imagined it.

It was a distant rumble.

Neria lifted her head then listened again.

Hooves.

Then came another sound.

Wheels.

The soft, uneven creaking of wooden wheels rolling over the road.

Neria’s heart lifted.

Someone was coming.

She straightened in the saddle and listened as the sounds slowly grew louder. The steady clopping of a horse mixed with the rhythmic rattle of wheels, growing clearer with every passing second.

A carriage? A wagon?

Neria couldn’t see much, only a faint shape through the blur of her vision, but she could tell something was approaching.

"People are coming," she whispered.

She pulled the reins, bringing the horse to a stop.

The carriage was getting closer.

Neria raised one hand, hoping whoever was inside could see her.

"Hey!"

She waved harder.

"Help!"

The moving figure slowly came closer, the sound of wheels growing louder with every passing second. Neria stayed where she was, one hand gripping the reins while the other was still in the sky.

Soon, the shape became clearer.

It was a wagon, almost like the one they had used earlier. Two people were sitting at the front, their figures still slightly blurred through Neria’s vision.

The wagon slowed as it approached her.

Then it stopped beside them.

"Oh dear." the voice was feminine, slightly older, and filled with concern. "What are you doing out here on the road, dear?"

Neria could feel the woman’s eyes moving over her, probably taking in her messy hair, the oversized boots on her feet, and the unconscious man slumped against her.

She tightened her grip on the reins. "We got lost," she said.

Her voice came out quieter than she intended.

For a moment, she hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she could trust these people. Ryver had told her to ask for help, but he had also told her to find good people.

She hoped they were good people.

Neria swallowed. Then she looked toward the wagon again.

"We need help," she finally said.