It broke his heart to hear her sob as her eyes fell on the falling castle, and with a heavy heart Sigurd blocked the castle from view with one hand.
“My pr-lady, I think it would be best if you didn’t look,” the knight said, his voice hiding all evidence that riding away was like bringing a sword straight through his heart. He too was losing several close friends and good comrades. Many good men and women would die this night, and some would not be identifiable and thus be thrown in a mass grave. Perhaps when it became safer they could come back and give the dead proper burials. For now, however, Sigurd’s primary task was to make sure that their bodies weren’t accounted for among the dead.
An arrow grazed his shoulder. Luckily for him his armor was strong enough to deflect it, but such a close call made him dig his heels into the horse’s side and urge it forward. The horse was thankfully obedient and began to pump its legs faster, churning the ground below. His stomach writhed like a hundred worms as he thought about where they would find shelter. Where would they be safe? How far away would they have to travel to extract themselves from danger? And should they find somewhere safe, how long would it remain stable?
He only wished that it was raining. Not only would it assist their defenses, but then the princess could cry as much as she liked. “My lady, I must tell you to focus on yourself and your survival above all else now. Do you know of a safe place we should be headed toward?”
The young princess did as she was told, keeping her head low, and her hands still desperately clinging to the horse’s mane. She couldn’t do anything but trust her knight to keep her safe until they somehow managed to reunite with her father’s forces back at the southern border. Yet, her father moved her and her mother to the northernmost outpost for safety -
A gasp escaped her when she heard the familiar sound of an arrow wheezing by and she couldn’t help but move her hand back to lightly touch his leg beside her. “Are you alright? Fuck-” She knew it wasn’t ladylike to curse, but nothing about this situation was ladylike. Johanne wasn’t allowed to be touched by a man this close, she surely wasn’t allowed to ride out with only one male chaperone - nothing about this was conventional, so cursing should be fine. It should be.
Still, his question made her wonder.
Didn’t her father mention a garrison that was built to the northeast side of the castle? It shouldn’t be far if she’s not wrong, at best a day’s ride.
“Wait - there’s.” She pressed a hand to her mouth in thought, before she shook her head and spoke. “Turn east. We can lose them in the forest and there’s a garrison there. Duke, the friend of my father, he’s there. He will keep us safe. I know the way.”
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