• Chapter 3
    tab Even in her half-awaken state, Eliy could tell the sound of someone running. And the sound grew closer and closer. She opened her eyes and edged forward in the cell to see what was going on. She could hear the sound of footsteps growing. The flicker of light as a shadow passed by it. Something was coming towards her quickly. Exactly what she did not know.
    tab The footsteps grew louder and that’s when she saw him. A boy, not much older than her, came running from down the corridor right past her cell. Their eyes caught and he stopped. Eliy could not take her eyes off of him, she was mesmerized. He wore a tattered cloak, and equally tattered clothes. Dirt covered his clothes, but strangely none seemed to cover him. His crow like hair shapes the sides of his face. His black eyes entrapping her in their abyss.
    tab “What are you doing here?” said the boy.
    tab “Huh?” Eliy snapped back to reality. “Oh, um…is it not obvious? I was locked in here.”
    tab “I had not heard that a woman was put into the dungeon.”
    tab “Did you see him? Which way did he go?” shouted a voice. The boy turned to look in the direction of the voice and then back at Eliy.
    tab “Come, I will get you out of here.”
    tab “What? Are you sure you should? I mean I could be a killer for all you know.”
    tab “You would rather stay here, in a cell, and talk while the guards come and get us both in trouble?”
    tab “Right.” The boy turns to the wall and grabs the keys off of a hook. He opens the cell door for Eliy. She steps out of the cell and closes the door, perhaps a bit too hard.
    tab “Did you hear that? This way! Quickly!”
    tab “Come!” The boy takes her hand and leads her down the corridor, dropping the keys behind him.
    tab Eliy begins to think less about the situation and more about the boy’s hand. It is warm…and soft. He is gently leading her, not entrapping her in his grip, not like when Edward had grabbed her hand. She had been afraid then, she wished for nothing more than to get away. His grip had hurt her and she could do nothing to resist. But now, this boy’s…it is different. She feels as though she is free to leave at anytime she wishes. That there is nothing entrapping her there. She grips his hand tighter and begins to run closer to him. No, this is a place where she wants to stay.
    tab They reach a door at the end of the corridor. The boy opens it, revealing a section of the castle compounds. The boy leads Eliy towards a section of the outer wall. He pauses to check to see if any guards are in the area.
    tab “Umm how did you know?”
    tab “How did I know what?”
    tab “How did you know that I wouldn’t kill you?”
    tab “Because I know that you would not be able to kill anyone.” He holds her hand tighter. “And I believed that you would not kill me.” Eliy begins to blush as she tries to figure out the meaning to his actions and his words. Then she stops herself. No, she cannot be falling for this boy, she had just met him. No, she would not fall for him. Yet once she looked up at him, she knew she already had.
    tab “Are you ready?”
    tab “What?”
    tab “We will need to run over to that section of the wall. It is the shortest in height and easiest to get over. But we need to make sure we are not seen by the guards, ok?”
    tab “Alright.” They run over to the next section of the wall. They are almost there when Eliy trips. “Ahh!” she begins to scream. The boy reaches out and catches her, then quickly brings her into the shadows.
    tab “What was that?” Asked a guard to another.
    tab “I do not know. Check over there.” They walk right past Eliy and the boy. Eliy begins to turn red. The boy had used his hand to cover her mouth, and his other hand was wrapped around her waist holding her close to him. She knew this was simply to hide themselves, but she could not help getting nervous.
    tab “Are you ok?” he whispers in her ear. She nods her head and he releases her. He looks around the bush they were hiding behind. “I think they are gone. Are you sure you are ok? You look red.”
    tab “Y-yes I am fine, just, just a little… out of breath.”
    tab “Alright, we can get over here.” Eliy turns around to see that the wall behind them is the oldest, and most damaged, part of the wall. A large chunk of the top looked as if it was torn off. The remaining bricks are old and crumbling. There are many holes in the crevices between the bricks, which the boy used to get on top of the wall. “Hurry grab my hand.” he said reaching down towards Eliy. Eliy grabs his hand and he pulls her up on top of the wall with him. “Alright I will go down first, just in case you fall.” he jumps down from the wall. Eliy looks down apprehensively. It is true that this part of the wall is the shortest, but it still serves its purpose as a wall. She stands up weakly and shifts her foot forward. Crack. Her stability leaves her as she is pulled downward. She closes her eyes as the ground rushes towards her.
    tab But instead of landing on the cold, hard rock, she lands on something soft…and warm. Thump. Thump. She hears something beating. She moves her hand towards to sound. She can feel the drumming, the softness, and the warmth all coming from the same place. She feels comfortable…safe…happy.
    tab “Ow…Are you ok?” Eliy opens her eyes to find that warmth she was feeling came from the boy’s body, the softness, his skin, the beating… his heart. She had landed on him when he had tried to catch her when she fell. She starts to blush and quickly sits up…too quickly. She becomes dizzy as everything starts to spin.
    tab “Are you alright? Did you hit your head? Try not to move.”
    tab “I--I am fine. Just a little dizzy.”
    tab The boy looks up towards the wall. “Maybe I should get that wall fixed.” he mumbles to himself.
    tab “What?”
    tab “Oh nothing. Come on.” He helps her up. “We have to get out of here.” he grasps her hand and leads her away from the castle.
    tab “Wait why?”
    tab “Do you want to get thrown back in that cell?”
    tab “Good point. But where are we going?”
    tab “We have to leave.”
    tab “Leave?”
    tab “They will capture us if we remain in this town.”
    tab “But how? The next town is at least a day’s walk from here.”
    tab “This way.” They turn down an alley. “Have you ever ridden a horse before?”
    tab “No why?” He comes to a stop in front of a stable.
    tab “Are we taking a horse?” she asks, and he nods his head in response.
    tab “Wait here.” He enters the building. Eliy begins to worry. She had never ridden a horse before and begins to worry about her first time. What if she falls down? What if she slows the boy down? What if she messes up so terribly that the boy has to try and help her and he gets injured? Those and a dozen more scenarios rush through her head. Just then she hears the neigh of a horse and the trodden of hooves on the gravel. She looks up to see the boy on a magnificent white horse coming towards her. He comes to a stop right besides her. She stares in astonishment at the sight. His excellent control of the creature, as if horse and rider were one. The way the moon light is reflected off the white of the horse, makes it seem as if the boy himself was glowing as brightly as the moon.
    tab “Come on.” he says as he reaches his hand towards Eliy.
    tab “What?”
    tab “You are unable to ride a horse, correct?” she nods her head, still taken back by the sight. “Then you shall ride with me. If you are ok with that?” She nods her head again and begins to reach her hand forward.
    tab “Wait.” she says as she brings her hand back.
    tab “Yes?” asked the boy clearly confused.
    tab “We have not even introduced ourselves. What is your name?”
    tab “I am Prin-…. My name is Henry.”
    tab “Henry. My name is Eliy, Eliy Pendragon. Please take care of me.” she says as she gives a little curtsy-styled bow.
    tab “Of course.” He grabs her hand and hoists her up in front of him, on the horse. He cues the horse to move forward. The horse begins to run through the town. As they reach the gate something -- someone -- catches Eliy’s eyes. As they move closer she recognizes it as a man standing near the gate. He moves out of the road to the side of the gate. As they pass, Eliy sees a wry smile on his face. She watches him as they move away from the town… and the man seems to watch them as well.