Cadance gradually woke from a deep sleep as the afternoon sun shone through a canopy of leaves. Slowly, she sat up on her elbows and gazed around her. The light-blue, sleeveless dress she had put on the previous day was smudged with dirt. It was ill-suited for travel, but Cadance had not expected to try and fail to escape, then be dragged out towards Rivendell in an attempt to deliver her to the Nazgûl. Ah yes, Rivendell, the place she sought and avoided for various reasons. The place itself would be a refuge to her, if she could journey past those who wanted to capture her. Now, there was not much hope. She was in the hands of her enemies, more specifically a single enemy who had befriended and tricked her. The rope binding Cadance's hands reminded her of that.

The last thing she remembered before waking was falling asleep against Sarsqoe. Neither him nor Nyralym were in sight when she woke. The position of the sun told Cadance that hours had past since she left Tellera. How long had she been lying there?

Following the rope with her eyes, the girl found it was tied a few feet away to the lower branches of a tree. Getting to her feet, she walked over to it and examined the knot. Nothing complicated, just a simple bowline knot. Cadance knew it could easily be undone by breaking the back of the knot and loosening it, surely Sarsqoe would have known she could untie it.

As she began trying to undo it, the rope only tightened, both in the knot and around her wrists. Nothing Cadance did improved the situation, so she sat down and observed her surroundings. She appeared to be situated in a shallow gully. The grass was tall enough to hide her when she was laying down and the ground beneath her was dry and surprisingly soft.

Cadance heard the sound of footsteps coming up from behind her. She turned around to see Sarsqoe walking towards her, closely followed by Nyralym. The girl stood up and brushed a few pieces of grass from the skirt of her dress. Sarsqoe stopped in front of her and waited for her to finish before she straightened. When Cadance looked up, her eyes met his for a moment before she looked away.

"Princess, look at me."

She continued to avoid eye contact, desperately trying to look anywhere else. But, Sarsqoe brought his free hand to her chin, forcing her to look up. Cadance could feel her heart beating wildly against her rib cage. When she first met Sarsqoe, she had been quite fond of him, one could say that she had loved him, and even still did. But, she had trusted him too quickly and had been hurt, and, even though she was much better, the stinging pain she felt by his actions lingered. At the time, she didn't know what her feeling was towards him, for she had never loved another. The people who watched over her were kind and she cared for them, but what she held for them was not love. Makary was not her father and could never be, just as the girls she spent her early mornings with were not her sisters, nor Dathyn her brother, though she would never love him either way. But Sarsqoe, he had been different.

She never could explain why she was so happy to see him, or why she would smile to herself as she passed the blacksmith shop while walking down the street. He made her feel so much more... she lacked the words to express it definitely wasn't the author that couldn't think of it.

However, she found herself avoiding his gaze. Perhaps she was hurt or disappointed. Cadance knew those around her would let her down, but she never expected the one to whom she felt most attached. Or maybe it was something else. She grew found of a person who intended to deceive her and who probably didn't care for her. How embarrassing.

"Princess." Sarsqoe's voice brought her out of her thoughts and back to reality. "Your face is flushed, are you feeling well."

"Yes, I'm alright."

"Good, then we can continue, we need to maintain a steady pace if we are to deliver you to the Witch King."

Sarsqoe strode over to the knot and skillfully undid it. The old spark of hope flared in Cadance's heart as she saw her opportunity to escape. Without wasting another moment, she violently yanked the rope that bound her wrists, intending to free it from Sarsqoe's grasp.

He was stronger that she anticipated.

Turning to the girl he smirked and abruptly pulled his end of the rope, causing her to stumble forward. He landed his hand on her shoulder at just the right time so that they were nose to nose.

"When we meet with the nine, I hope, for your sake, that you are better behaved. They may have been amused with your antics before, but I suggest you stop, lest they become aggravated."

Cadance gazed warily at him and backed away as Sarsqoe's hand left her shoulder. Begrudgingly, she mounted Nyralym again and waited for the boy to get on behind her.

For the next few days, they continued the cycle of riding and resting. Sarsqoe allowed minimal time for her to sleep during their stops. His ability to remain on his set schedule amazed Cadance, no matter what he had been doing, whether resting, riding, or gathering food, he was always aware of when they should leave and how far they should travel. As much as Cadance wanted to be the one to take care of Nyralym, Sarsqoe insisted that she rest. No matter how she attempted to argue, the discussion always ended with Sarsqoe tending to the horse while Cadance watched with her hands bound together. Due to his efficiency, there was no doubt that they would intercept the Nazgûl.