"Did three guards come through here about ten minutes ago?" she asked. "But before you answer, remember that this is important. Please, tell the truth if they really did come through."
The guards looked at each other, then looked sheepishly at Azura.
"Well, yes, they did. They said it was urgent business."
"So, you didn't find it alarming that these three men needed to go through the secret passage?" Azura stepped forward.
"Well, you know that the king has spies, so we assumed it was confidential." the guard swallowed.
Farron sighed and punched the guard in the face, "I'll deal with you guys later. If that's all Azura then we need to move."
Azura looked at Farron, then at the guard, then back at Farron.
"You didn't have to do that," she said in a low voice. "I can take care of myself."
She then smiled at the guard as if to apologize, and she walked away.
"I know you can, I punched him because he's a useless guard." Farron said as he caught up to her.
She couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"He was honest. Even if he is bad at being a guard, nobody is worthless." She changed the subject.
"I'm leaving. Tonight. And I understand if that is too much for you. I feel the same way if you choose to stay here. But it isn't safe, and I can't risk being found."
"We've already discussed this. I'm coming with you and that is final." Farron put a hand in his pocket.
"Alright then, I'll be ready as soon as it gets dark." She slipped into her room and shut the door.
Farron sighed and headed to his own room to prepare for the move.
She packed all her stuff into her bag and sat, waiting for dark to arrive. But when the sun was setting, she spotted movement below her window. She looked over the edge, and saw the unmistakable purple from the rosgardian uniforms.
"Oh, no," she breathed. She quickly ran to Farron's room and knocked.
"Farron, this is an emergency, open up," she said in a low, steady voice.
Farron was halfway through getting dressed when Azura knocked and opened the door while putting his shirt on, "What's the matter?"
"There are Rosgardian guards outside the window of my room. They're coming in! We need to go now, forget when it's dark."
Farron nodded, "Do yo have your things?" He asked, walking back into his room to grab his own gear.
"Yes, I'm ready," she held her bag up. Then she turned and followed him out the door. The Crept down the hallway, trying to go as fast as they could.
"We can't go out the front doors, and they know about the tunnels… but not…" Farron took a sharp turn down a dark corridor and placed his bag down hurriedly and walked up to a near by painting.
"Huh?" Azura looked up at him.
"Why does this castle have so many secret passageways?" she asked. The whole thing was pretty ironic.
"Because…" Farron started, removing the painting, "This place is supposed to be a secret from the outside world, if anyone knew about it and came to attack we'd have an easy exit."
"Ohhhhh, that makes sense," she said, and nodded. Once the painting was removed, she stepped inside, bow ready with a fresh arrow, just in case.
"Follow the path right to the end then take a left, keeping following it until you hear water. Wait for me there, okay?" Farron said.
She grabbed his sleeve before he could walk off. "Wait, where are you going?" she asked. She really hoped he wasn't going to do anything stupid.
“I’ll tell you later, now go.” Farron stressed, giving her a kiss before pushing her into the corridor.
Ugh I really don't know about this, she thought as she turned and began walking. She took off running towards the end of the tunnel, trying to be as quiet as possible.
Farron headed back the way they had come and saw the guards that Azura had spoken of. He took a breath before making quick work of them.
She slowed down, for she thought she heard some footsteps coming her way. She stood by a torch and got into her ready stance, waiting for whoever it was to emerge out of the darkness.
"Herla?" she said, and put her bow down. "What are you doing here?"
"I-I-Uh, came to- um, warn you? About the guards! But I'm sure already know about that," he said, eyeing her bag on her back.
Farron quickly went back in the direction he came but took a shortcut on the way back to another tunnel that led directly to the meeting point. He climbed through the tunnel entrance and made his way to the spot, only to find Azura not there yet. He frowned, and went off to find her.
"I don't understand. How did you know they were here? The only reason I knew was because I saw them emerge from the woods and they went below my window. So how did you know about them?" She crossed her arms, bow still in one hand, waiting for a reply. Herla froze, then smiled a smile that sent chills down her spine.
"I guess you caught me." A sharp noise erupted from his sheath as he pulled out his sword. He examined the tip as if there was something wrong with it, then began to speak.
"As king, it is my duty to see to it that my kingdom is protected. I must do everything in my power to protect our sacred secret. So, I simply cannot allow someone to uncover our secret."
That was Azura's cue. She dropped her bow and unsheathed her sword.
