Screaming critically for her safety, Faye prayed that someone would hear her muffled voice as the thugs dragged her away from the Circus and towards their horses, which were tied to the trees on the other side of the grassy path. Faye was surprised to be wishing she was back inside, and that she had never wanted to come outside for fresh air, and that she was doing the same routine she had been performing every night since Monday. Anything was better than where she was probably being taken!
"I give you, Lilywren - the Beast Charmer!" Orvins' inspiring voice blasted out to the night.
As soon as she heard her name, Faye knew what to do. As the bandit abrasively dragged her across the grass path, she spotted the Guards of Luahth galloping closer, now only half a mile away. They would be here in minutes! Closing her eyes, tears dripping down her face, she focused her energy and conjured up the emotions she felt when spending time with the Lions - she called to them, whispered their names, reached out to their souls… Suddenly, screams erupted from within the Circus and Faye's eyes shot open knowledgeably just in time to see the gorgeous felines leap out through the curtained entrance of the Circus. They were swift and speedy across the grass and it was only when they were ten feet away that the three bandits realised they were under attack.
Faye was thrown to the floor as the Lions leapt at their targets and, as she curled up on the floor, hiding away from the traumatising mauling taking place all around her, she knew that the Guards of Luahth would be there soon. Faye listened to the bloodcurdling screams of the bandits vanish from the other side of her hands, pressed to her ears, and she slowly cracked her eyes open and lifted her head to see their dead, blooded bodies scattered around her. The horses were bucking madly by their trees as they panicked dramatically at the sight of the Lions and smelt their hunger - Faye stood, tall and statuesque and held her gentle hands up to them.
"Be calm," She cooed, "they won't hurt you. I promise…"
Slowly, the horses snorted and gruffled and came to a standstill. The sound of new voices breaking free from the enclosure of the Circus arena captured Faye's attention and she turned around to see many of the customers fleeing, screaming and shouting in fear. Faye looked to the Lions, deeply into their eyes and sent them a nod of farewell.
"Go. You're free. Harm no human here." She gently instructed.
The Lions' ears twitched and then they were gone, bounding across the sandy, dry lands and away from the forest behind Faye. They were headed home - where they deserved to be. Where everyone deserve to be.
"Faye!" Orvins' tenacious voice hollered out.
Faye gasped, looking sideways, to see the giant oppressor standing at the side of the Circus entrance; he was looking directly at her and didn't appear the slightest bit pleased. It was time for Faye to flee, herself, and finally finish what never should have started. Faye effortlessly climbed up and mounted one of the bandits' horses, while freeing the other two by yanking the ropes free from the branches. She confidently took the reigns and cast one last glance to Orvin before nudging the horse in its side and setting off into a gallop into the dark forest with only the moonlight to guide them.
"Faaaaaayeeee!" Orvin's devastated and raging voice flew past her in the wind.
Faye nearly laughed to herself as she gripped the reigns, leaning low, and moved in time with the galloping of her horse. The two other horses, despite being set free, had insisted on accompanying Faye for a while as they also enjoyed their newly found freedom. Faye was pleasured from the wind in her hair and against her face, the excitement of the speed at which her horse raced and the smell of the fresh, sweet forest chirping and twittering around her. It was wonderful, but Faye knew she wasn't 'out of the woods' just yet.
"Faye!" A familiar voice caught up to her in the breeze.
Blinking, Faye questioned the authenticity of the voice she had just heard; was it her ears playing tricks on her, or was it really-
"Faye, stop!" Kians shouted adamantly.
Faye looked over her shoulder and, confirming her doubts, there she saw Kian speeding up behind her on his chocolate steed. He was catching up, fast, which wasn't in Faye's plan at all. Now highly disappointed and irritated, Faye ripped her heavy, hard headpiece and tossed it into the air behind her with a hope that it would hit Kian - it missed.
"Hey!" He barked angrily, "you little-!"
Faye licked her lips anxiously as she processed her options; there weren't many, no matter how decisive she could be in pressurising situations such as these. Faye tugged on the reigns and steered her horse sharply to the left where the woodland floor descended into a sloping hillside - she was travelling headfast and steady and her heart swelled as she begun to believe in her successful escape, when-
"OOF!"
Faye felt something large come crashing into her and she was unexpectedly thrown from her horse, onto the grassy floor, and sent tumbling down the hillside with leaves, twigs and dirt splashing up around her. The world was a twirl for several seconds until she finally came to settle on her back, hair a mess, clothing slightly torn and skin bruised and scraped in several places. Kian had landed directly atop of her and was now pinning her down by her wrists, straddling her.
Breathless, Faye ingested the previous seconds and blinked up at Kian inquisitively. All the emotions from the past few days started to swell inside her and force their way out - she had lost, once again. She had felt so elevated and high from her near escape and the belief that she was going to be home, at last, to only be shot down once again and crumpled to the ground in bruises and dire disappointment. Faith's face contorted, miserably, and she let every muscle fall limp as she burst into silent sobs on her back. Kian's serious expression began to soften at seeing her defeat. Faye turned her head to the left to avoid having to look at him as she spoke.
"You can't take me back there…" She whispered through her tears, "I'm… I'm the…
Kian blinked, panting over her and waiting, "What?"
Sighing, releasing any last determination to hide, she slowly looked back up at Kian. Her eyes were now filled with vulnerability and fear - a deeper fear he hadn't seen before. Something highly sentimental.
"I'm… the… I'm apprentice to the Priestess of Luahth." She finally revealed, her voice tender and quiet.
Kian stared down at her, lips agape and eyes twitching as he deliberated with himself. Whistles and shouts from the Guards of Luahth could be heard growing closer from somewhere in the forest, not far away, and Faye flinched frightfully.
"She didn't do it. She didn't kill her father," Faye whimpered, her voice emotionally strained, "I know the Priestess and she would never do such a thing. I fled from our home, six days ago, when she was accused of his death and now I'm being hunted for questioning. They think I had something to do with it. And now I have to return home and speak to my"- Faye froze at nearly letting slip the truth, "my Priestess' mother. I can fix everything, but not if I keep being kidnapped."
Kian continued to watch her, eyes misted in shock and his eyebrows creased in confusion. He didn't know what to think! Time was running out as the Guards drew closer in search for the delinquent apprentice. Kian glanced thoughtfully at Faye's shoulders and sides as he felt her trembling violently in fear. He had to made a decision, and fast. The sound of rain hissed from the tree tops, and within seconds, the angels opened up the skies and let their tears shatter down upon the earth to begin drenching everything.
"Please, Kian…" Faye whispered, reaching out to him with her innocence, "I know we haven't exactly been 'companions' but you know the kind of person I am. You know me. I'm not lying!"
Another whistle came from the searching Guards, but this time it was from the top of the hillside. They were just thirty feet away from them. Faye was about to accept that her end was upon her when Kian surprised her and rolled over, offering her his hand. She didn't move, at first, and just gazed at him in amazement in the soaking rain.
"Well?" Kian grunted, shaking his hand.
Faye slapped her hand into his and he yanked her to her feet so that they could break out into a run together. Their feet were quick and light upon the grass and due to the rain, any sounds they accidentally created were covered by its hissing and hammering on the trees. They ran for at least fifteen minutes until Kian found a tall, large tree and brought them both to a halt so that he could examine it in consultation.
"Come on, I'll give you a lift up." Kian beckoned her over, waving his hand.
Faye wasn't entirely confident in his plan, but she went over to him nonetheless and cooperated with him as he locked his hands together in a large bowl shape, leaning down, and offered it to her as a step. Faye held onto his shoulders as she jumped up and Kian lifted her as high as possible in order for her to climb up into the body of the tree. Pulling herself up with her arms and pushing with her feet, Faye managed to climb all the way up and rolled over the barky ledge and into the flatness of the core of the tree; it was a large, circular area formed by the separation of its thick arms and the bushy leaves offered shelter from the rain. Faye shuffled over to the other side when she heart Kian grunting and panting on his way up. He rolled, falling into the dip, and then recomposed himself in a sitting position against one of the wide branches.
Kian then held his finger up to his lips to gesture Faye into an alarmed silence. She kept quiet, frozen stiff, and listened as she heard the guards on their horses come to a slow trot somewhere down below.
"Any sign of them?" One of the men loudly asked.
"Nothing!" Another grunted, clearly disgruntled and tired.
"Aargghh!" The other groaned impatiently, "this is useless! We'll ride right the way through and then course back around it to the Circus, interrogate all the performers. Come on!"
With that, the three men ordered their horses to resume movement and Faye and Kian listened to their hooves disappear into the forest, only to be replaced by the solid, soothing hissing of the gentle rain. Faye released her breath and fell back against the solid bark, rubbing her face in relief. That was a close call… When the aftershock of their near capture washed away with the excess water on her body, Faye suddenly remembered what she had told Kian and let her hand slowly fall into her lap. He was staring straight at her with an intrigued, slightly peevish sulk across his handsome face. Faye couldn't help but notice how attractive he looked, wet and glistening.
"Thank you." Faye awkwardly spoke, her voice gentle and diffident.
Kian remained silent, making the situation all the more tense. Faye wasn't sure what to say. Sighing, she started to roll her hair and squeeze the water out of it, just as a distraction and an excuse to avoid the strange silence between them.
"I thought I recognised you." Kian finally spoke.
Faye, pausing, looked over at him in a moment of paranoia; had he caught her out? Did he know that she was, herself, the actual Priestess and not the apprentice she had invented in her story? A flash of lightening ignited their faces in a second of white light, and seconds later came the magical grumbling of the thunder which trembled all around them. It was beautiful.
"I just ignored it though. Figured I'd seen someone like you. But I was right. You're the Priestess' apprentice. Huh." Kian sniggered at the irony and shook his head at himself.
Faye frowned as she watched him, now feeling slight relief. At least he still believed her. His body language and selection of words didn't exactly make her feel forgiven or trusted, however.
"The Priestess didn't do it…" Faye told him, tilting her head eagerly, "she didn't kill her father."
Kian continued to stare at his feet and Faye felt doubt tickling at the back of her mind. She thought Kian would know her better, but maybe not? Faye thought it was an eternity before he spoke again.
Looking up, Kian smirked, "I know."
Faye closed her eyes, sighing, trying to cope with the sensation of relief that nearly drowned her. She let her face fall into her hands and she shook her head as she reminisced over the past few days.
"When I found you in the woods that day, you were running weren't you." Kian rhetorically asked her.
Faye uncovered her face and nodded at him, frowning. Another flash of lightening revealed her distinctive features to Kian and he enjoyed the way her eyes sparkled in the whiteness of it; the thunder echoed after, soaring through the skies.
Kian folded his arms, "Why did you run? If you're innocent, and so is the Priestess, you had no reason to."
Faye sighed sorrowfully and her eyes dropped, "I was out at the Temples, praying. When I got back that night, the Priestess and I found the King's dead body lying in his chambers. The Priestess ran to him, rolled him over, found the dagger in his side – the Priestess was covered in his blood by the time his advisor happened to walk in. I was standing there looking frightened and very much involved."
Water dripped from Faye's face and Kian had presumed it was more rain, but as Faye lifted her head he realised it was salty tears. She looked heartbroken.
"But we didn't do it. His advisor Zazell, the Priestess' uncle, didn't believe us. Neither did Junyas." Faye's voice was restricted as her emotions pressured her vocal cords.
Kian recognized the name and his face twitched, "Junyas… The name from your dream."
Faye shook her head, disappointed, "He was her fiance. He accused us, also. It was… awful. I've never seen the Priestess so- heartbroken. She loved him with her entire soul…"
Kian slowly frowned and watched her in a grave, sympathetic silence. Faye then feared that she was revealing too much emotion and inhaled a deep breath to subdue her urge to start crying; tears had already begun to pour despite her efforts. But tears were understandable; Faye had evidently experience a lot of pain, but Kian couldn't know the truth about who she really was. That was all Faye had to remember.
"I shouldn't have ran… but I was scared. The Priestess' mother was away, visiting friends. Junyas and her uncle were all we had to rely upon and they wouldn't even let us touch them as we begged for their love and faith." Faye glared through the branches of the tree at the falling rain, her face now glistening with tears.
"… I-…-" Kian sighed, flabbergasted, and brushed his wet fringe back, "I really had no idea."
Faye let out a light sob and wiped her cheeks, "No one does. My people will never let me back in again. The Priestess will never be their wings again. Not unless I find the Queen and speak with her, before all of this gets too out of control."
"Where is she?" Kian inquired out of interest.
"On the coast, in Fennella. Her return to Lauhth is in one week from today. If I can reach her before then, I may still have a chance at fixing all of this madness. I want to be there for the Kings' funeral." Faye explained.
"Why?" Kian narrowed a suspicious eye.
Faye improvised quickly, "W-well… He wasn't my father, but he treated me like his daughter. We were close. I want to bless him. I spent my years in the Temples, praying and cleansing myself, purely for those tasks. If I can't serve the man who gave me such love, then who can I?"
Kian didn't know what to do or say. It was awful, seeing such a beautiful person so torn and terrified. He could see her soul, shredding itself and bleeding. The two of them sat in silence for a few seconds, listening to the rain and digesting everything which had just been discussed. It was a lot to handle, for the both of them.
"We should try and sleep," Kian finally spoke, changing the subject, "we'll move at dawn."
Kian then removed his thick over-coat and, moving over to Faye, set it over her legs very slowly. Their eyes caught as he perched momentarily before her and lightening sparked once again, revealing all the colours in their iris'. Kian's eyes sent her a most solicitous warmth. Faye felt something strange and warm tug at her chest, distracting her from the misery tearing away at her. What was this strange emotion blooming between them?
"Thank you…" She whispered, sniffing bashfully.
Kian just bowed his head faintly and then returned to his side of the tree, where he tested out several different positions before finding a suitable style for sleep. Faye slid down so that she was flat on her side and pulled Kian's damp coat up to her neck where she could smell his scent; it was sweet but harsh at the same time. She closed her eyes and listened to the hypnotising music of the rainstorm, but all she could do was weep again until she was finally granted sleep by her twisted mind…