Levi sized up the height of the horse for a mere few seconds. "No, I've got it," He declined, fitting his foot in the stirrup and holding the reins in one hand. The horse was taller than the ones in his kimgdom, yes, but he hated the thought of someone helping him onto a horse. No one had needed to assist him since he was only just learning to ride.
Fi nodded and quickly mounted his own horse, trotting out of the stables with a quick "follow me". He got them out the back entrance of the castle and soon they were trotting along one of the main roads, surrounded by hundreds of other travellers making the same trip. "We will ride here until nightfall, but you will have to navigate past that."
“Of course,” Levi snapped the reins to keep up with Fiori, gaze farting around the scene both out of curiosity and nervousness. He didn’t know who Fiori’s uncle’s associates were, and all he knew was that any, or none of these people could be on the lookout for the two of them. Or, perhaps he could just be paranoid.
There were a few men posted on the sides of the road wearing royal armor, but they didn't seem to be looking for anybody and the further they got out of the city, the fewer and further between the armed men got. Soon they were reaching the outskirts, the very edges of the capital's territory, and a huge stone wall was rising in the distance A key feature of Usigen cities was the walls that surrounded them, hulking and stony and half a day's ride from city center.
“Will anyone stop us when leaving the gates?” Levi spoke after a long moment of silence. “I don’t know for sure how big your country is in security… but I guess it’s fairly heavy on it.” He eyed the upcoming wall carefully. Nord Widona had a clear border and patrols guarding it—especially during the war— but it should be easy enough for him to get through. Especially if anyone recognized his face and not the clothes.
Fi nodded. They had been riding for a few hours, not enough to be safe but enough that his uncle would know they had fled. "Yes. We will most likely be attacked. I do not doubt that my uncle has sent a hawk." The gates steadily approached. By the time they were a quarter-mile out, Fi slipped from his horse, grabbing the reigns in his hands to guide Alyx onward. "We approach on foot. In your bag, there should be a cloak. Put it on."
Levi dipped his head and followed suit in sliding off of his horse. He dug through the bag briefly, searching for the cloak. When he found it he pulled it on over his clothing. “You may need one more than I do. Im probably not very recognizable unless there aren’t many Widonians here. You have a cloak, right?” He took hold of Ozymandius’ reins and trailed behind Fi.
"I do. I will not need it." His uncle wouldn't tell the guards to kill him, not outright. Fi was the one with ties to the military, the one the soldiers were loyal to. Uncle could have a full on rebellion if he ordered for Fi to be slain at an outgoing gate, and he was much craftier than that, so no. They would not be killed here. "The cloak, you noticed the insignia on the back?"
“Oh…” Levi glanced off to think why he wouldn’t need it, but didn’t question him verbally. Of course Fiori knew more about his country and uncle than he did. He nodded at the latter question, “Yeah, I saw it…what does it mean? If anything.”
"It is the sign for a messenger of the crown." They were abotu a hundred feet from the gate now, steadily drawing closer. One of the guards had noticed them, though he obviously hadn't recognized them yet. "You are going to say that Lord Misneach's orders have changed and that they are to escort me out into the Everdeads. Do you understand?"
Levi fell quiet to commit the words to memory, repeating them a few times in his head. As quickly as he could, of course. He nodded hurriedly. “Yes, I understand,” he echoed. He eyed the guards with purses lips, though he tried to relax his expression the closer they got to the wall. “Lord Misneach,” he repeated the name under his breath.
Fi softened slightly, pausing to set a hand on his shoulder. "You will do fine. You're a smart man, Leviticus, and good at acting under pressure. Nobody will doubt you so long as you don't give them reason to." He gave Levi a firm nod and then dropped his hand, approaching the gated with his head held high.
The guards opened it in advance, but stopped them as they were passing through, gripping their swords nervously. "My…my prince. Lord Misneach informed us that you were to be denied exit?"
Levi nodded heartily in response, though he didn’t have time to reply verbally. He waited patiently for them to finish speaking, and then a moment, before he cleared his throat. He willed his tone to be as authoritative as it would be if he were in his own kingdom. “Lord Misneach’s orders have changed. You are now to escort him out into the Everdeads.”
The guard visibly winced and then straightened when he felt the weight of Fiori's gaze on them. "Oh! I… I see. Many apologies, Sir messenger, but Lord Misneach was quite…" He flinched. "… quite insistent that our prince not be allowed to leave. Are you sure you're not… mistaken? Sir?" He seemed to deflate as Fi glared at him.
Levi pursed his lips, sparing but a moment to quickly compose his response. “Are you questioning Lord Misneach’s orders regarding the prince’s safety?” He challenged. “You would be fortunate if he didn’t have your head when he hears about this.” He jutted out his chin with feigned clout and a pointed frown.
Another wince, and then the guard was backing away from Levi with the most worried little frown. "No! Never Sir Messanger, I… I only seek to make sure you…" Fi growled under his breath and the guard yelped, dipping into a deep bow. "A million apologies! A million and more, please forgive my obstinance. We shall escort you at once."
One corner of Levi’s mouth curled into a triumphant grin. He nodded in approval and turned his attention to Fiori again for direction. This had went smoother than he’d assumed, and he certainly wasn’t complaining. But a simple obstacle in their trek back to his home.
Fiori gave him a simple nod, and then he was mounting his horse again, following the messengers out into the woods. The first one, the nervous one, was chatting quietly with the other guard. He didn't even see it coming when Fi unsheathed his sword and felled him with a single blow. The other was too surprised to scream, and soon Fi was wiping off the blood and continuing on his way like the encounter had never happened. "You will lead from here, Leviticus."
Levi mounted his horse behind Fiori, finding the process a little more tricky with wearing the cloak, but he managed well enough. He rode no more than a few steps behind Fiori. Witnessing the execution of the guards, Levi was stunned silent. He closed his lips and swallowed nervously. “Um. Right, yes.” He snapped his reins to ride just past Fiori, eyeing the felled soldiers as he passed. And then looking around at their surroundings, he was pretty sure he knew his way from here. They just had to make it to the road he was most comfortable with.
Fi resheathed his sword, murmuring a prayer for the guards under his breath as they passed. Better to die by the sword here than at the hands of his uncle in the palace. He spurred his horse on slightly faster. "How many days ride is it to your home, Leviticus?"
“Between three and five,” Levi replied. “I wasn’t very conscious of daytime and nighttime when I was being kidnapped,” he half laughed morbidly. “But that was on a carriage, so the trip might be shorter since we’re in horseback.” He peered over his shoulder at Fiori.
Fi winced. "This will be… a better journey, I'm sure." He hoped his reassurances didn't fall flat. "And most likely a faster one. A journey on horseback lasts about half that of one taken by carriage, but… we cannot be sure how long it will be. Perhaps two days?"
Annoyed by the hood falling in front of his eyes, Levi pushed it back to hang behind his neck. “That sounds feasible enough, yes.” Two days sounded much better than traveling five, but it was still quite the journey. He shifted around more comfortably in his saddle. “So, does this mean I’m not your slave anymore?”
"Yes." He hadn't really considered Levi his slave at all, but it was clear that the label had weighed on his friend. It was his pleasure to set Levi free of it. "I will help you remove the collar when we make camp for the night."
Levi brushed his hand across the collar again, but this time it was a smile to his face. He was a prince again. Not that he wasn’t ever not a prince, but now that he was free of the demeaning label, it felt good. He was just a prince now, no longer a captive one. “That would be appreciated, thank you.”
Fi gave him a smile and it felt so wrong to be smiling, given what had happened just hours before, but he didn't let it slip. He just gave Levi a nod and continued on his way. "Of course, my friend. It would be… a pleasure, to allow you to feel like yourself again."
“My friend,” Levi echoed back in a murmur, both as repetition and meaning it for Fiori as well. They had gone through so much in just a few days, and it seemed as if it had been much longer. He kept his chin level, peering forward as they rode onward.
(Skip?)
(Yeah, to when they arrive at Nord Widona or a little bit before?)
(Sounds good to me, could you start please? I've got a lot going right now.)