A:N/ YAAY NEW CHAPTER! And thank you sooo much to everyone who offered to be my beta! I got so many offers, I'm STILL reading through all of your stories! I'll definitely respond ASAP! Anyway! Enjoy!
Blaine pulled her cloak down tighter around her shoulders. "Are you sure about this, Rachel?"
She paused. "I'm sure I can't marry him," she said quietly. Blaine nodded and pressed his lips to her forehead. To an outsider, their relationship might have looked like something more, but their relationship was far to complicated to be a romantic one; it was too complicated for them to understand.
It was bitterly cold out. Blaine led the horses.
"Blaine, do you have a plan yet?" Rachel asked, eyeing the horses on either side of Blaine. His mouth pressed into a hard line.
"I'm working on it."
"You'd better have enough. Blaine. Blaine, look," she whispered, gesturing in front of her. Several lights, not a mile away showed in the darkness. Blaine gasped.
"C'mon," he tugged on her arm. "C'mon, get up." He helped her up onto her horse and threw himself upon his own. They turned their horses and galloped off into the night. The sound of the pounding hooves reached the guards' ears.
"Out there!" one of them shouted as the guards sped off after them.
"Blaine," Rachel called warily, hearing the guards' approach.
` "Trust me." Blaine grabbed a hold of her horse's reins and turned them both down a steep pathway that lead under the bridge. They pulled up at the waterline and Blaine dismounted.
"We have to swim."
"Blaine, we-"
"Listen, Rachel. We'll wait here. They'll go out over the bridge looking for you. You know as soon as they're out, that bridge will be up, and we'll be trapped." As if on cue, the pounding of hooves was above them, followed by the unmistakable clanking of the chains pulling the bridge up. They could hear the voices of those searching under the bridge now.
"We have to go," Blaine whispered. Rachel searched his eyes for a minute more before slowly nodding her head. The horses entered the frigid water with little coaxing from their handlers. The water was so cold that breathing was almost impossible. The water was up to their chests now, but they trudged forward. Soon, their feet could not touch the ground, nor could the horses's hooves. Blaine's hand never left Rachel's as he guided her through the darkness.
They swam for what felt like hours until land was once again visible. Rachel was so exhausted; she kept one arm around the broad neck of her horse. Blaine could feel her weakening at his side. He tried to squeeze her hand, but he hadn't been able to feel anything in his hands for quite some time now.
"Hey," he said. "Hey, c'mon. We're almost there." Rachel didn't respond for a long moment.
"I don't-" she stopped to breathe, "I don't think I can make it."
"Yes, you can. We're almost there," he promised. But Blaine wasn't so sure himself. Both of their bodies were tight with spasms, their muscles grasping for some way to keep warm, no matter how futile their attempts were.
"Here," Blaine said. He moved closer to her and hoisted her on the back of her horse. Blaine held tight to both horse's bridles and started forward again. The horse shivered under Rachel, but otherwise remained steady.
Two more steps. Blaine thought as his feet touched land again. Two more. The horses followed tiredly behind, the sleek, black one still supporting Rachel. Blaine fell to his hands and knees.
"Rachel," he breathed. She said nothing, but turned her head to face him. Her chest heaved, her trying to catch her breath. "C'mon, we made it," he told her. Blaine forced himself to his feet and helped her off. They hobbled together towards a nearby cave. He set her down and started a warm fire. Once she was settled, he forced himself back out to care for the horses.
` Once the horses were safely picketed and fed, Blaine went back to Rachel. She was already starting to dry off and defrost. Her eyelids drooped.
"Sleep," Blaine told her. "I'll be here." Rachel closed her eyes and leaned deep into Blaine's shoulder, despite his wet clothes, as sleep overtook her. It wasn't long until Blaine, too, succumbed to the pulls of slumber.
They almost made it. Almost. Sam and Finn had flew over the bride. They almost slowed their horses before they heard the royal guard behind them.
"Finn," Sam yelled. "Now do you mind telling me what's going on?" An arrow whizzed past their heads, missing them by inches.
"Now's really not the best time!" Finn shouted back.
It was clear they couldn't outrun the guard.
"We're almost in Eutopia. They can't follow us then."
"Are you crazy?" Sam shouted. "We can't go to Eutopia, they'll kill us!" Finn's kingdom and Eutopia had hated each other for ages; some quarrel no one really remembered about who-knows-what. But the rage still burned on between the two nations.
"Do you have a better idea?" Finn snapped. Sam sighed. Both urged their horses forward.
They weren't quite familiar with the borderlines, but the guards knew it like the back of their hands. They slowed their pursuit, the horses of the guard rearing and snorting as they were pulled out of their chase and finally slowed to a halt.
Finn and Sam sped on.
They didn't stop until the guard was out of sight. Out of breath, they dismounted and pulled their cloaks up over their heads.
"I think we-" Sam started.
"Stop!" a voice called. "Who goes there?"
A:N2/ Yes, yes, I know. The Finn and Sam storyline will definitely increase in length and complexity. Until next time! ILY! (Reviews=LOVE)