A/N: I originally thought this was gonna last about 10 chapters...I'm not so sure anymore...We've gotten this far in the story in only three chapters... I'm thinking, maybe six. If that.
Kane strode into the hall, various knights around him. He smirked as he spotted Zane struggling against the knights who were restraining him.
"You should have surrendered to me when you had the chance, Zane," he said.
"I would never surrendor to someone like you!" Zane snapped, glaring at him.
"Tut tut. Now half of your subjects are dead because of you," Kane gloated. He pulled out a knife, fingering it. "Now, all we need to do is find your son. I'm sure you'll have fun watching him die infront of you."
A soldier suddenly ran in, stopping beside Kane and bowing.
"Sir...I regret to report, the Prince escaped."
Kane seemed to freeze, his expression becoming cold.
"Oh? And how did that come about?" he asked.
"There was a boy with him, helping him...the two escaped our grasp by leaping from a balcony to the roofs. We couldn't get a force together to pursue them fast enough."
"Well, find him. I don't want him wandering about freely," Kane snapped.
Zane chuckled. "That throws your plans out a bit, doesn't it?" he noted.
Kane spun to face him, glaring. He strode over to him, kneeling infront of him and lifting the knife.
"Even if your son escaped, I'll kill you," he snarled, before bringing the knife down.
It plunged into Zane's body, and he stiffened before falling, blood pooling around him. Kane turned away, scowling.
"What are you waiting around for! Find him!" he ordered, the men quickly hurrying away.
The two boys rode tirelessly, finally reaching a town built around a giant tree. It wasn't too far from Zaphias, but they were only stopping for rest and supplies.
They entered the town a little after midnight, their horses plodding up to the inn. The boys leapt off them, Flynn patting his as Yuri tiredly tied the reins of his to the post outside the inn.
Flynn did the same, the two of them walking up the steps to the inn and pushing the door open. The innkeeper, who apparently had been about to turn in for the night, looked surprised to see them, then worried at how exhausted they looked.
"Good night to you both. What brings you here so late at night?" he asked quietly.
Flynn opened his mouth, but Yuri cut him off. "We're travelling to our cousin's home, but we didn't realise how far the next town was," he replied.
"Ah. One room between ya both?"
"Yes, please," Flynn replied, fishing out his money and paying the specified amount. The innkeeper took it, nodding.
"First room. Sleep well," he said.
The two boys stumbled up the steps, opening the door and heading in. They paused for a moment as they spotted two beds, then Yuri shrugged and headed to the one nearest the door. Flynn hesitated a moment then followed him, the two falling onto the bed and soon falling asleep.
The sun soon rose, it's golden rays falling onto the two sleeping boys. Flynn woke briefly, gazing at it with tired eyes, before they slid shut again and he snuggled against Yuri's back.
A knocking at the door woke them both, and they looked up blearily as it opened and the innkeeper looked in. He smiled as he spotted them.
"Sorry, I didn't want to disturb you, but it's already past midday. I thought you might want to head off soon. I've tended to your mounts, to don't worry."
They blinked, slowly taking this information in, then Yuri shot upright.
"Flynn, we slept half the day! Come on, we'll have to hurry," he said, hurrying out of the room.
Flynn soon followed him, nodding to the innkeeper. "Thank you," he said before running down the stairs after Yuri.
Once they had bought all of their supplies, they went back to their horses, untying the reins and leaping onto their backs. It was already getting on to sunset, and Yuri bit his lip.
"We've lost nearly an entire day to those guys...We may need to have to ride through the night again," he murmured to Flynn. The blonde nodded, already having accepted the fact.
"You're going already? It's pretty late, and a few hours to the next town. Why don't you just stay the night again, and leave tomorrow?" asked the innkeeper, standing at the doorway.
"Sorry, but we really need to hurry. Thank you for your kindness, though. We'll remember it," Yuri said, bowing slightly before clicking his horse on. Flynn smiled at the man then followed, the two quickly nudging them into a gallop and racing out of the town, soon disappearing into the distance.
One of the other villagers glanced up at the innkeeper. "You didn't tell them about those guys?"
"Why should I bother? I've sent them off the wrong way, anyway. No need to call those boys out on their fib," the man replied, turning and heading back into the inn.
The two boys came to a halt when they reached Capua Nor. They had ridden two days straight, and nearly fell off their saddles when they finally reached the port town.
"Should we book a room at the inn?" asked Yuri tiredly.
Flynn shook his head slowly. "We'll just sleep half the day again. Let's get a ticket for a boat to Capua Torim," he decided, leading the way to the docks.
He quickly negotiated a deal with one of the boat owners, before paying the specified amount. Motioning to Yuri, the two of them climbed on, leading their horses on as well.
"It'll take a couple of hours to reach Capua Torim, so we should get some rest. The captain has agreed to wake us when we arrive," Flynn explained.
Yuri glanced at the captain, frowning. "...I don't trust him," he said.
Flynn followed his gaze, sighing. "I don't either, but he's the last person going out today. I'll stay awake during the journey, so you get some rest."
"No, Flynn, that's not fair. We should take it in turns," Yuri said.
Flynn shook his head. "You're more important than me. It's better for you to get some rest."
Yuri hesitated, then sighed. "Fine, but we're stopping at the inn as soon as we get to Torim, okay?"
Flynn smirked. "Of course. I was about to suggest that," he replied.
Yuri rolled his eyes, then went down to the cabin they had been assigned, Flynn following him.
Yuri settled down on the bed, quickly falling asleep, while Flynn sat with his back against the bed, gazing tiredly at the door. He kept a firm grip on his sword, and years of training and self-control allowed him to fight off sleep, remaining awake as the boat started off for Capua Torim.
About halfway through the trip, the door opened, and the Captain stepped in. Flynn frowned as he spotted him, and stood up.
"Please leave. My friend is resting, and we would like to rest in peace for this trip," he said.
"I know, I just wanted to tell you something," the captain said, walking further into the room.
Flynn tensed. "Then you can tell me at the doorway," he snapped, fear running through him.
"Now that's a little rude," the captain said. He reached behind him, and Flynn's attention snapped to that hand before he realised his mistake. He barely had time to glance back before his other hand hit Flynn, sending him flying back against the wall with a loud crash.
Yuri jerked awake, looking around in confusion and spotting Flynn unconcious against the wall. He looked up as the captain grabbed him round the neck, choking him. He gasped for breath, trying to force him away, before finally he sunk into darkness.
A/N: Aww, poor Yuri and Flynn! What's gonna happen?
And the Zane/Kane thing...I don't even know why their names are so similar. Zane is a unique name, like Yuri, so I went for that...and Kane was just the name which popped into my head for the other guy. But meh.
Review?