Afternoon, lovelies! The morning got away from me, but here we are nonetheless!

Thank you to Mel and Pamela!

Chapter Seven

Bella

I was sorely tempted to run away again at first light.

It was only the vigilant guard at my door that made me hesitate. He was still there, still alert, and I knew that if I bolted, it would take almost no effort at all for him to tackle me and drag me back.

So instead of running, I allowed him to escort me down to the stables at dawn.

Edward was there with a tall blond man. Both of them were dressed in leathers that looked like they might double as some sort of armor.

Edward glanced at me as we entered the stables before his attention focused back on the task in front of him.

"Emmett, get her dressed."

The massive guard beside me offered me a friendly smile when I looked up at him. He calmly walked across the room, picked up a pile of leather garments, and returned to me, holding them out.

"Here," he said. "Your riding suit."

I shook my head. "I don't need all that."

Emmett didn't even blink. "You do," he argued. "Come on. I'll show you where you can change." His tone left little room to argue, though I desperately wanted to. The truth was, I'd never been on a horse before and I was feeling anxious enough at the prospect without adding all the bulky clothing to the mix.

Emmett led me to an empty horse's stall and motioned inside.

"You can clearly see over the top," I argued, gesturing toward him.

"I won't watch you," he said simply.

I scowled and he grinned slightly, placing the leather garments in my arms. "Hurry now, or I'll come in and dress you myself."

I squinted at him, unsure if his words were a threat or a teasing.

Either way, I didn't want to find out, so I slipped into the stall.

There was hay scattered on the floor, and each step I took sent dust into the air, immediately making my nose twitch and my eyes start to water. I knew what hay was, of course, but come to think of it, I wasn't sure I'd ever been around it before now.

I found a small three-legged stool in the corner of the stall and dragged it nearer to me, setting my bag down on top of it then draping the leathers over it. I picked up the first garment—some trousers—and scowled. They were stiff and awkward, there was no way I was going to be comfortable in them.

"Are you changing?" Emmett asked over his shoulder.

"I'm getting to it," I snapped, irritable. I placed the trousers back on the pile and bent over, reaching for the laces of my boots. "Why do I need to wear all this anyway?"

"It's twofold from what I'm told," Emmett offered. "Partly to keep you shielded in case you fall off your horse." At that statement I halted from unfastening my boots and looked up at him sharply. Oh, gods, I hadn't even thought about falling off yet. "The other reason is to protect you and Edward."

I frowned. "Protect us?" I asked, kicking off my boots before slipping off my trousers. I reached for the leather pants toward me.

Emmett hummed. "You won't be able to bind through the leather. It'll help keep you both safe."

Safe. It was such a big ambiguous word. I'd never felt truly safe in my entire life, and I certainly didn't feel it now. The thickness of the leather may help keep Edward and me from accidentally binding, but I doubted very much the level of protection it truly offered.

I struggled to pull the leather pants up, but I refused to stoop to asking for help. After a few minutes of wrestling in which I strove not to start swearing out loud and tip off Emmett to my dilemma, I finally got the trousers over my hips.

I was sweating and realized that these new clothes would not breathe like I needed.

Fantastic.

I donned the leather jacket over my dingy linen top and then worked on pulling on the leather gloves. I felt stiff and immobile. How was I supposed to ride a horse dressed like this?

When I finished putting my boots back on, I collected my belongings, stuffed them in my rucksack, and exited the horse stall.

Emmett looked me over and flashed me a smile. "You look tough," he joked.

I scowled, meeting his gaze, but he looked so playful that some of my ire melted away. I was sure I looked ridiculous. If I could laugh at myself, I would right now. "Laugh now," I told him, walking past him in the direction of the horses. "But you're going to be the one who has to carry me on and off those beasts."

Emmett chuckled just behind me, and I glanced at him, slightly confused. I couldn't recall anyone ever thinking I was funny before.

Emmett and I rejoined Edward and the other guard just outside the stables. The fae guard looked me over and raised a single eyebrow in response. I scowled at him and he simply turned away, getting back to his work.

Edward emerged from behind one of the horses and caught sight of me. I watched his eyes roam over my body, taking inventory of my new clothing, probably to make sure I obeyed his orders.

Finally his gaze met mine. His eyes were slightly hooded, the green irises looking darker than I remembered. His long lashes fanned over his cheeks as he blinked, and it was then that I noticed the bags under his eyes. Dark, purplish bruises that made him look like he hadn't slept in days.

"Are you okay?"

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Immediately, I wanted to shove them back inside of me, especially when I saw Edward's eyes widen in surprise.

"I'm fine," he said, sounding a little uncertain. He cleared his throat and looked away from me. "We need to be leaving."

I eyed the horses skeptically. "I can't ride," I told him.

Edward snorted. "Of course you can't."

I opened my mouth, anger blooming in my stomach. "Listen, you little—"

"My lady," the blond guard said, interrupting me. I glared at him contemptuously. "You will be riding with me."

I scowled. "Who are you?"

The man held a hand to his chest. "Jasper, m'lady. I am the captain of the prince's royal guard."

"I'm not going to share a horse with a stranger," I said, shaking my head. I wasn't sure why I was fighting so hard. Maybe it was my fear, or maybe it was the last vestiges of my stubborn will to not go on this insane goose chase.

Jasper smiled softly. "I'm afraid you will not fit on a horse with Emmett, and unless you wish to ride with the crown prince, I am your last option."

My eyes flitted in the direction of Emmett, who was indeed so large it seemed a horse would scarcely hold him let alone another person, before I turned my gaze to Edward. Riding with him was simply out of the question. Even if I could convince my body not to make direct contact with his, I'd likely try to strangle him before we even managed to leave the city. Based on the scowl carving deep grooves in his forehead and around his mouth, he'd probably try to strangle me too.

I huffed, turning back to Jasper. "Fine."

Jasper led me to a beautiful brown mare and offered me a hand, showing me where to place my feet.

Working in the press had been demanding on my body, and I wasn't a weakling anymore like I had been in my youth, but I'd never mounted a horse, and it required muscles I wasn't sure I'd ever thought about before. I flopped and flailed, making a fool of myself, until I felt Jasper's hand push against my backside and finally haul me up into the seat.

It was mortifying.

I kept my face down, afraid to look up in case Edward or Emmett saw my disastrous display.

The last thing I wanted was for my failure to be acknowledged.

Jasper mounted the horse behind me, settling his body directly against mine. Even through the thick leather, I could feel the broadness of his chest and the heat that radiated off of him.

It was definitely better that I was not riding with Edward. I never would have survived sitting so close to him.

"You're small enough that we can ride like this for a while," Jasper told me, settling his hands on the reins, his arms encasing me. "Then we can switch and you can ride in the back. We might move quicker that way, though you'll have a time of holding on to me."

I let out a tight breath. "Fine."

Beside us, Edward and Emmett mounted their own horses, kicking the beasts into small, tight circles until they settled in their mounts.

"Emmett, you lead," Edward said, nodding toward him.

Emmett inclined his head in understanding and clicked his tongue as his heels urged the beast into action. Edward looked at Jasper before his eyes slid to me. There was something in his gaze—envy? Vehemence? It was hard to pinpoint exactly.

"Try not to get in Jasper's way," he said finally before kicking his horse into movement also.

I glared after him as Jasper chuckled lightly.

"Ready, m'lady?"

I felt my fingers curl on the edge of the saddle as I nodded. "As I'll ever be."

…

Somehow, in my mind, I'd thought that riding a horse would be somewhat akin to sex. While there was certainly exertion and a distinct discomfort to overcome in riding, the joy of riding became apparent to me faster than sex had.

I'd been young the first time I'd ever been with a man. Starving on the streets, homeless and alone, I'd been fifteen when a fisherman had offered me twenty gold crowns for the night. At first, I had refused. I'd seen other kids my age and younger reduced to selling their bodies and I'd sworn I wouldn't be one of them, but when the man had countered his offer with fifty crowns, I'd caved. I'd never seen so much money before, and the prospect of being able to rent a room and take a hot bath was too incentivizing.

The man had smelled of fish and smoke weed, and he'd been angry at me for refusing to take off my glasses. I hadn't backed down from that though, and in the end, the glasses stayed on as he had awkwardly fucked me against the alley wall beside the pub.

It had been painful and humiliating, but when it was over, I'd had enough money to rent a room for several nights and eat actual meals that weren't scrounged from trash bins.

I slept with only two more men who paid me less than the fisherman combined, before I finally met Al. He'd caught me rummaging in his trash bins outside the print shop and had brought me inside and cleaned me up. I'd expected that he would want sex in return, but instead, he hired me and gave me an advance on my salary so that I could find my own home.

My days of whoring myself on the streets were short-lived, but they had left a deep impression in my mind.

It wasn't until I was much older, more financially stable, and perhaps even a bit wiser that I'd pursued sex again, this time for my own ends. I grew to like the act, even finding my own type of pleasure in it, but it had taken time.

Not so with riding. In only a few short minutes I realized that this was something to enjoy.

Perhaps it was Jasper's command of the beast, or the fact that for the first time in my life I was leaving Eventid behind me.

Maybe I just enjoyed the sensation of the wind blowing through my hair.

It was such a wondrous and glorious feeling that I scarcely wanted it to end.

Our road led south from the palace, through the wealthy neighborhoods that I'd never spent any time in before a couple days ago. The prosperity of the people who lived here shone in the gold accents that decorated their doors and the whole bricks that made up their homes. My mind flashed back to the ramshackle flat I let from a gross but mostly fair landlord. An entire corner of my home was being held together by linens painted in tar and strapped down by ropes. Every few months, I had to shell out to replace the ropes when they inevitably were chewed through by rats. No one in my community could afford basic repairs on their homes let alone bricks that acted as facades and ornaments that seemed to serve no other purpose than to be decorative.

Eventually, our path led us past the capital building where the monarchs often held court and parliament was meant to gather to talk about how to support our kingdom. Maybe they did meet often, but if they did, I'd never seen them and I'd certainly never seen evidence that they were plotting anything good for the kingdom.

Past the capital, the streets turned industrial, and as our road led us near the bay, I longed to jump from the horse and run to Al's shop.

At the very least, I wanted to say goodbye and thank him for all he'd done for me. What if I never got the chance to see him again?

In the distance, I could see the water glinting under the morning light. Eventid sat nestled in the heart of a well-sheltered harbor, shaped just precisely enough that rarely were storms a big issue for us. We used to have a booming seafaring industry and trade, until the beast came in the middle of the night. No one had ever been able to fully describe it, but the sailors who were used to the far voyages of the deep oceans had a name for it: Mytag. Larger than every last one of the king's vessels and stronger than any weapon made by man or fae, the mytag was too formidable to face. Overnight, our fishing industry dried up, and only those reckless or foolish enough ever approached the water. I'd heard tales that to even peer into the depths of the water was to invite the mytag to the surface. It was something I'd avoided at all costs. The mytag preferred the night, but it didn't mean that daylight was safe. The mytag had snatched man and beast from the shores at all hours of the day.

No one was safe, ever.

"Won't it be dangerous to sail?" I asked, turning to look at Jasper over my shoulder.

He appeared surprised by my question, his eyebrows quirking up into his hairline. "Yes and no," he said vaguely.

I frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Well, there is always a degree of danger in seafaring, but Primm is a relatively calm port. It's a good season for sailing too, which should add favorable conditions for us."

"But what of …" I paused, my eyes flickering toward the water. "Beasts."

Jasper's eyes widened in understanding. "As I understand it, mytags in the wild have huge domains. They are fairly solitary and spread out into the deepest depths of the ocean."

I shuddered at the very thought.

"Our mytag is young and has claimed the harbor, but she won't venture out of there, even if it is a cramped space for her."

My stomach churned at the thought. Would she continue to grow? What would she do when the harbor wasn't enough for her?

I didn't want to know.

"The mytag should be the least of your concerns," Edward said, drawing my gaze toward him. He was riding beside us now, his bright eyes reflecting the rising sunlight. "There is a whole world out there that you know nothing of." His smirk curled slightly, like he was disgusted by my lack of knowledge. "Have you even left the city before?"

I felt my fingers tighten against the saddle, anger mixing with the yearning that lived constantly under my skin. "No," I said, my voice a growl. "I've been too busy fighting every day for my life while my government continues to fail me."

Edward sneered at my words, and before either of us could say anything more, I heard Emmett fall into step with us.

"Don't worry," Emmett said, coming to our other side. "The world outside the city is incredible. You're going to love it."

I glanced at him, forcing myself to take a breath. I didn't know if I was going to love the world outside Eventid or not. I'd never thought about it before. My life had never included luxuries like daydreaming of traveling beyond the wall. Survival had taken precedence, always.

Ahead of us, our path turned again, the industrial scene giving way to slum houses.

"Hold on, m'lady," Jasper said in a low voice. "This is a rough area. We might have to pick up into a gallop at a moment's notice."

I grit my teeth. I was born in this area, and I'd spent my entire life fighting for every scrap I owned right here.

"I'm not afraid," I said, my voice low.

We continued weaving through the city, delving deeper and deeper into the ramshackle homes until finally we came to the wall.

It was a massive construction, built to keep beasties out and magic in. I was doubtful as to its efficacy though, since I'd seen more than my share of horror and hardly enough magic.

There were several guards posted at the gate that led to the outside world, each one of them looking hostile until they realized we were a royal procession.

The moment they recognized Edward, I saw them scramble to fall into line.

Jasper slowed our horse as Edward and Emmett pulled forward to speak to the guards. I couldn't hear them from our distance, but I honestly didn't care to know what they were saying. Instead, my gaze drifted over the wall. I'd seen it before, of course, but I'd never spent time truly staring at it. It had been built with our supposed protection in mind, but I couldn't remember the last time we'd had any sort of threat come from the outside. The danger was inside the wall with us, and we were sitting prey to it.

"Are you ready to see beyond the wall?" Jasper asked me.

I glanced at him over my shoulder, swallowing hard. "Honestly, no," I whispered. "It terrifies me."

Jasper offered me a small smile before his face turned serious. I twisted forward in my seat and saw Emmett waving at us.

"Right," Jasper murmured. "Here we go."

I took a long breath and he urged the horse into action.

There was no going back now.