He squinted ahead, the sun overhead beating down and warming his shoulders. He could feel sweat under his collar, at the nape of his neck. He could also feel her gaze on his back.

They had a few more hours of daylight left- plenty of time to get close enough to the inn he had in mind before they had to get off the road. A main road after nightfall was not an option, especially when he had a woman with him. He didn't travel with women for a reason. Too many variables. Too many things to account for. Too much risk. Too many inconveniences.

He should have cut the loss. But instead, here he was, with her trailing behind him, quiet and watchful. That crown was all he had been thinking about for months in the lead-up to the heist. He had held it, felt its weight, seen the gems refracting light. He could practically feel the weight of the bags and bags of coins it was going to bring him when he had had it taken apart for stones and the gold melted down. All the little gems scattered in the jewel markets, untraceable, and him, gone with the money. Out of the kingdom. Out of all of these kingdoms. Maybe on a ship across the sea to somewhere new where he wasn't wanted and wasn't looking over his shoulder. The crown felt like a whole new life. He had carried it with him for so long now that the loss of its weight and its familiar shape in his satchel was noticeable. A talisman lost. But even so, was it really worth it? Agreeing to this odyssey with this conniving, petulant girl? Wasn't there a temple somewhere he could knock over?

With each step, dust rising under his boots, the agreed-upon journey to Corona stretched ahead of him, longer and longer, and his heart sank. Months. That fucking tower was in the hinterlands of a small kingdom months away from Corona. He had been on the road for so long to get out of Corona in the first place and find a market that was far enough away that he could sell the crown for parts without alerting anyone. And now she wanted him to go back? It wasn't going to happen.

An abandoned tower in the woods had seemed too good to be true- the prospect of a completely unguarded night of sleep had been more than he could deny himself. It had been so long since he could feel safe, sleep with his boots off. It had been too good to be true. Allowing himself to hope something good would happen was a weakness, proven yet again.

This was the worst mistake he had made in a long time. This girl had gotten the drop on him. He could have been killed. She could have had a knife or some other weapon, instead of whatever it was she had hit him with. Feeling her eyes on him as she followed at an awkward distance just made him annoyed- annoyed with himself, but more annoyed with her. Strategically losing her was the only way forward now. He was angry. The idea of overpowering her was there, coming to him again and again in waves, but each time he pushed it away, only slightly guilty for entertaining it. Something about her strange eyes and the way his head felt told him not to hurt her.

He was out of sorts. He didn't feel like himself. He knows she had hit him - hard - before he had even had a chance to relax. He should have a bleeding head wound, or at least a lump and a ringing headache. Instead he felt light. He ran a hand through his hair again, trying to feel where the injury should have been, and feeling nothing. Had she drugged him?

When he woke up, not only was he fine, but he felt good. How could he describe it? There was a pleasant warmth he could feel around his head, something protective ghosting over his crown and neck.

Well, good, aside from waking up bound to a chair.

The disorientation of waking up after being knocked out coupled with the strange warm feeling had made his head swim and his vision double and blur before she had come into focus, and what a sight it had been when she finally materialized.

Pale, pearlescent skin and parted pink mouth, eyebrows knit together in what he assumed she thought was a menacing expression. Strange green eyes had stared down at him seriously. He had been so focused on the shock of her beautiful face and the comedy of her trying to look threatening that he only noticed the hair after a few moments. Feet and feet - maybe seven feet, longer than she was tall, trailing on the ground around her, of gleaming, blonde hair fell in thick waves. His hands, bound at the wrists to the arms of the chair, had tensed and his fingers reached toward it involuntarily-

"Raspberry?" he called over his shoulder, wanting her to pick up the pace. He heard her hurry up to him, but still stayed behind him. He sneered and rounded on her, annoyance overtaking him. She was so beautiful that he wasn't even sure if he could bring himself to knock her out if it came down to it. She stopped when confronted, arms tightening around a large twist of hair and trying to reshoulder the small bag he had allowed her to fill before they left. The way the sun caught on her hair gave him pause- it was like the sun shining off of hammered metal.

"You have to keep up," he warned, eyeing her struggle, and noticing the pink flush spreading across her nose and cheeks. She was getting a sunburn. He closed his eyes in annoyance. Everything about her was getting to him. There was no way she was up for the journey she was demanding he take her on if she was already getting a sunburn and struggling with her bag. His plan to leave her in next town or two over before doubling back to search the tower gave him some relief. And if he was honest, he felt pretty good about it, because he was sure it would be the best thing for her too- this girl was clearly not in her right mind.

"I'm fine!" she supplied quickly, falling into step beside him, but keeping her distance still. He gave her a pained sidelong glance but started walking again. Furtively watching her after several more minutes, he couldn't help himself. The pinkness on the crests of her cheeks, the gentle huffs every time she tripped on her hair, the swell of her breasts at the top of her dress, which were also starting to look a little pink-

"Stop," he commanded, reaching over and grabbing the strap of her bag, fingers catching on the wide neck on her dress and snagging it slightly while sliding from her shoulder down the length of her arm as he lifted the bag from her and shouldered it himself. The fabric of her dress felt soft, with raised threads picking out a detail along the arm, but the skin of her collarbone he had accidentally grazed was a shock to his system. He frowned when she pulled her arm back from him, clearly not happy to be touched.

"Don't-" she protested, but he had already taken her arm in hand and was pulling her- closer to him? No, over to the side of the dusty road and into the shade of the trees lining it. His hand was so warm and so much bigger than hers. The feeling of it splayed over and around her arm was surprising.

"Walk here on this side of me- you're burning. This is going to be a long trip if we need to keep you under cover the whole time."

She fell back into step, grateful her bag was gone, shoulder now loose, and felt the coolness of the shade envelope her. She adjusted her hair over her arm, wrapping it around her forearm. She didn't respond to his jibe. She still wasn't sure how he operated. Best to just let him talk. She had other things to focus on- the feeling of the terrain underfoot, the smell of grass and the forest that deepened away into darkness on both sides of the road, watching his tall form moving. The feeling of freedom. The surety she would hear her mother's voice from somewhere behind her. The deep ache throbbing at the back of her head since she had healed him in the tower to wake him up. She wouldn't let the pain derail her- it would fade soon.

"We should probably discuss the terms of this agreement," he started, as he moved her bag again, his bag and her bag now crossing his back. He planned to search her bag at the first opportunity. He was sure now that she had drugged him. There could be some strange potion in there to keep him under her power. It was the only thing that could explain his lack of pain, the strange feeling of well-being and warmth that had been like a gauze around his head since her attack. It was the only thing that could explain this strange fascination he had for her, why he had even agreed to take her out of the tower. Maybe she was a witch?

"You want to discuss terms now?" she deadpanned. She was not going to let him out of this. "What else is there to discuss? You get me to Corona in time for the lantern festival, you keep me safe, and I promise I will return that crown to you. The obviously stolen crown," she added, sneaking a look at him.

He grinned at her suddenly, eyes wolfy. She actually thought she had control of this situation, he marveled. She really wasn't in her right mind. Leaving her in the next town was definitely for the best. Maybe a Good Order could take her in for care. Could a witch become a Sister in an order?

"What if it is stolen?" he ventured. "Why does that matter?"

"Because I can turn you in for it at any point if you think of reneging on our deal...this man is in possession of stolen property," she explained dutifully, gesturing toward him. He watched her breathe deep, chest swelling with pride at her bravery.

He laughed, he couldn't help it. He laughed and watched her happy face looking up at him, taking in his smile.

"Honey, you're the one in possession of stolen property. You have the crown. I can turn you in. Whichever local constable or manse guard you think of telling is going to find it in your room." He smiled softly, almost pitying her as her face fell. "So maybe we don't make threats, hm?"

She set her jaw, regarding him coolly now. The shade made her cold, but his threat hadn't helped. Her head ached.

"What terms then?" she relented, walking on away from him. He caught up in a few strides and looked down at her with that same grin. He found himself looking down the front of her dress and pulled his eyes away to the road.

"Rules for travel. You need to obey me-"

"Obey you?"

"Yes," he insisted. "If I tell you to do something, you do it. If I tell you we're leaving, we're gone. No protests. If we get into a situation-"

"Situation?" she laughed.

"I get the sense you don't have a lot of real world experience," he drawled, looking at her darkly suddenly. Her eyebrows knit together. "If we need to lie our way out of something, you follow my lead. If there's a fight, you stay out of the way. If I tell you not to speak, you are silent."

He let her take in his words before adding, in spite of himself, "I also get the sense you're not used to being able to say 'no' to someone and you're planning to take it out on me."

She looked up at him, eyes wide and searching his. He had a vague understanding of her mother now. She had explained that she hadn't left the tower before. His incredulousness had actually hurt her and embarrassed her. It had made her feel so stupid, like it was the most obvious thing, leaving the tower. He didn't understand and there was no point explaining further. She didn't want to discuss it with him anymore. She couldn't do it on her own, and there had never been someone there to do it with before.

He made her feel so uncomfortable. She both wanted to speak to him and also to not. He was so new. Everything about him was compelling. His dark eyes and hair, and the hair on his face. She had touched his face as he was on the ground, features smooth in unconsciousness. She wanted him to look at her and also to ignore her, nervous under his steady gaze. She wanted to look at him, but without him knowing it. She was so unused to the presence of someone so tall, so broad, so much bigger than her. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel with other people, or men specifically. Was this distrust normal? Was this fascination normal?

He softened, watching her thinking. Her face was so beautiful, he found himself pressing his lips together and dropping his head down toward her conspiratorially, a lock of dark hair falling across his eyes as he did. Her hair had taken on an unearthly, silvery glow in the shade. He felt so weak for wanting her to be on his side. He needed to get rid of her immediately.

"You need me," he explained. "You have to work with me. If we're going to do this, you need to follow my lead. I will take you out there, and I will bring you back." A lie. A very heartfelt performance, however.

She pouted and oh Gods, it was pretty. He tried to focus on her eyes, which were serious.

"Okay, you're in charge," she huffed finally.

"Good."

"Good."

"Good, so now-"

"I have a headache."