He jerked his head in the direction of the north edge of camp. "You'll see Ruir, you can't miss him."
Romulus kept packing, tearing down the tent and his stuff quickly. He and Lear managed to get all their stuff in packs, which they could carry on them usually. Today, he'd leave the tent and cot with the wagon. It could be slung underneath and carried that way, since he wouldn't need it anytime soon.
He'd be stuck at the palace for a while, and he knew it. The fact that he was enjoying his last few hours of freedom for a while popped into his head at some point, and he paused.
He got going again, however, when the feeling of wanting this over as soon as possible overrode the feeling of being caged.
20 minutes later, he and Lear were at the north edge of camp, Ruir was saddled and the packs strapped in place. Romulus's armor was a mess, so he'd opted not to wear it. Lear had protested, but Romulus was in pain, so he didn't argue too hard.
Elia packed her things rather quickly. Her books had still been packed away in the wagon so she didn't have to worry about that. She slung her pack over her shoulder and headed over to Ruir. She was early, so she settling for petting the Wulf while she waited. She had less things that prince to pack so it had taken her no time at all.
She frowned when Romulus approached with no armor on at all but she didn't raise concern. It would make it easier to apply slave to his body later than trying to take off all of his armor and then put it all back on. She looked between the two, noting the energy. She hated they had to go back to the palace as well. She hated that she was useless. There was nothing she could do to prevent this.
She made to take a step towards Romulus but decided otherwise. They did have company and perhaps it wasn't the best time. She wasn't sure they would really get a moment in private again.
Lear's horse, Tabor, was a fiery creature from the southwest deserts of Lothlan in Harad. He stood shorter than Ruir by a couple of feet, but made up for the lack of size in his attitude.
That all paled in comparison to the fact that his mane was literally flame, and his hooves flashed small sparks every step. They weren't called fiery for nothing.
In any case, he was champing at the bit to get going, and Lear looked to Romulus only a moment, before spurring the energetic animal into the woods towards the main road.
Romulus turned to her, and held out his arms. "We'd better get going." He intended to lift her into the saddle again, then leap up behind her. Ruir stood still, slightly crouched so it'd be a shorter mount.
Elia stepped into his arms. But instead of letting him lift her right away, she pulled him down by his cheeks and kissed him. Lear was gone, giving them one last moment of privacy. She wanted to take advantage of it while she could. She wasn't sure they would get a moment like this again.
She stood on her tip toes to reach him, and then, she was still shorter than him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she deepened the kiss. She wanted to enjoy this for as long as she could.
Several things went through the Prince's head just then. He kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her waist. The thoughts in his head didn't match, though, and when he finally pulled away, there were tears in his eyes.
He didn't say anything, just lifted her then, up into the saddle. A second later, he was sitting behind her, pressed up against her back, arms wrapped around her.
"Thank you, Elitia."
And they were off.
Elitia settled into the saddle. She was careful to put a little distance between them due to his burns. She just touched his thighs with her own. She wanted to ask if he was alright, to understand why his eyes were watering. She didn't want to risk embarrassing him or making him talk about something he didn't want to, so she kept quiet.
She only murmured a quiet, "I'll do whatever you need, darling."
She held on to his arms as Ruir started after Lear. Her thumb caressed his skin. She wanted to convey her thoughts with these simple touches.
Ruir took off at a blistering pace, and soon caught the horse. They settled into an easy rhythm, where one would lead, then the other. Lear and Romulus had worked this out years ago. It kept fresh eyes on the road, gave a chance for a rest on who had to set pace, and kept them from being super predictable.
Romulus had noted that Elitia left him space, and had gently pulled her back up against him. It hurt, but at the moment, he was craving the contact.
They rode mostly in silence. Romulus was getting into a habit of leaning his head down and resting his lips on Elitia's shoulder whenever Lear was leading. It allowed him to think, and again, he was craving the closeness, the gentleness.
Lear noticed that, and was equal parts happy and sad about it.
Happy that Romulus had someone to be gentle with him. Sad, because he only craved it like that when he was super anxious.
Elitia leaned back against his chest but was careful not to put too much pressure against him. She didn't want to add to his hurt. She hoped he would get checked by a proper doctor back at the palace. They might be able to help more or offer things the speed along the recovery.
She smiled as he rested his head on her shoulder and she leaned her head against his. Again, she was careful about how much weight she put on him. She didn't want him trying to support her weight along with everything else he was going through.
"Are you alright, darling?"
"Nervous." He mumbled, his lips on her shoulder making it easy to tell what he said despite his low volume.
He was worried that he was going to get hurt. He was worried he wouldn't be able to do the things he needed to.
But he was also worried about her.
Taking her into the palace was increasingly feeling like a bad idea, now that he knew for sure what he knew. But doing things differently than he'd done with other people would actually arouse more suspicion, so it might be their best option.
Elitia pursed her lips. She wasn't sure how to help. She wanted to make things better for him. She wanted things to be better. He didn't deserve this treatment. "What can I do to help?"
She tilted her head to try and look at the man hiding in her neck. He couldn't hide forever but she knew that wasn't something he needed her to tell him. She had no doubt he would ooze confidence when they returned to the palace but she worried. She was worried he would turn into a different person there. It would be understandable with a father like his but he shouldn't have to change himself because of that man.
"Don't get caught."
He knew it was a bit harsh, but if she got caught, he'd be dead, one way or another.
He sat up as Ruir took the lead. "I don't know how my father is going to react, exactly, so… when we get there, Lear will show you my quarters, where you can stay till we get your lands and title figured out. I'll meet with my father and come back to you after. From there, my schedule is kinda rigid when he's around. I'm working on slowly loosening it, but… well, in his mind, I'm a kid still."
"I won't. I'll be careful." Elitita only hoped she wouldn't be eating those words later.
She had no intention of revealing her trueself to anyone else. She would have to work on keeping her mouth shut but she could be careful. She knew how to appease and keep from angring others.
"Are you going to send me away when you sort out my land?" She understood it would be the safer option but she didn't want to leave him. She didn't want him to bear the brunt of his father. She wanted to be there to support him. She couldn't do that if she was sent away.
"It'll take a couple days to get the land figured out, and then I'll just have to escort you out there. So yes and no." Romulus was going to stick with her if he could, but… their undefined relationship had some interesting boundaries and he wasn't sure what they were.
"You'll need to spend some time out there on your own, but once you've got it running like you want, assuming you can find a decent steward, you can return to court, if you like." He wasn't sure what she'd want to do, but the question had sounded like she wanted to be around.
Elitita nodded her head in acknowledgement but said nothing more. She didn't want to be forgotten. She didn't want him to shove her on some land with a random title and name and forget completely about her. She had to believe she was worth more than that. She was, wasn't she?
She was only just previously a whore, someone who wasn't worth anything. She swallowed loudly and looked down for a moment before pushing these thoughts out of her head. She didn't need to ve thinking such things, at least not in public.
Ruir dropped back behind Tabor, and Romulus immediately leaned down and kissed her neck.
"I'm not trying to get rid of you." He wasn't sure what the look on her face was, but he suspected something like that.
"I wanted you in my network before, and I want you there now. I just know to be careful about you, that's all. My offer to you hasn't changed, Elitia."
Elitia looked back at him as they suddenly dropped back. Her expression moved from concern to affection. Her eyes closed for a moment at the kiss, enjoying it.
"I accept your offer. It's just…nerve wracking to be going back to the palace." She was nervous how many buried memories it was going to bring up. She had buried all memories of her past, especially that one. She wasn't sure what it was going to bring up. She buried those memories for a reason, she didn't want to remember them.
Romulus nodded slowly. "And I appreciate your acceptance. I also can assure you I understand your trepidation." He squeezed her a little tighter against him, ignoring that it hurt, just wanting to comfort her.
They rode on for several hours. Eventually, what had been a distant dot on the horizon became a city, the crown jewel of which was the Palace. It was within sight, less than an hour out.
Riding from just after dawn till about just past noon could be an exhausting task, and Romulus did his best to make sure Elitia was comfortable and supported the whole time. He made sure she could lean back into him, made sure she was settled stable in the saddle at all times, kept his grip whenever Ruir would make a flying leap across a ravine or chasm, and generally kept her from sliding off the Wulf's back.
(Sorry it took me so long today. family stuff, will reply as much as i can)
Elitia didn't realize how much seeing the palace would hit her. She hadn't seen it in twelve years. The last time she was there her family got brutally murdered. Her chest tightened at the tight of it and tears started ti well in her eyes. "Stop. Stop!"
She couldn't breathe. She needed to get down. She was swinging her legs over and jumping off before they had even come to a complete stop. With a hand at her chest, she walked away from Ruir, trying to take deep breaths. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself, but all she could see was her home in flames.
Opening her eyes, the palace was very much whole and not in flames.
(Take all the time you need. I hope everything is alright)
Ruir pulled up, sliding to an abrupt stop at the sound of her frantic cry. Romulus let go quickly, and slid down after her. He stayed back, not wanting to crowd her, despite his every instinct saying to go comfort her.
He's wondered if and when this would happen. He was hoping not, but here they were.
Lear was ahead and circled back, Tabor pawing the ground and throwing sparks. "Romulus, we can't take her through the front gate like this. She'll be panicked the whole time." He was sympathetic to that hurt. She had several perfectly valid reasons. "Let me take her through the kitchens, we can go straight to your quarters and avoid the pomp and circumstance."
Romulus nodded quickly. He stepped over to Elitia and touched her shoulder gently. "You're alright. Nothing will happen to you, Elitia. Not while I'm alive."
(Take all the time you need. I hope everything is alright)
(Oh, thanks much! Everything is fine, just a get together with spotty phone service. Didn't mean to alarm)
Elitia jumped as a sudden hand touched her shoulder. She flinched back only to turn and see Romulus standing beside her. She didn't move away from him but she also didn't move toward him. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't look at either of them.
She took deep breaths, focusing on her breathing and calming herself. "I'm okay. I just needed a minute." She said to them, her eyes locked on the palace. "It would be more suspicious to be sneaking me inside and taking me to his rooms would it not? I'll be okay. I can hold it together."
(Okay good. It sounded like something had happened.)
(Okay good. It sounded like something had happened.)
(Very kind of you to worry ☺️ )
Romulus immediately pulled his hand back and stepped away from her, hands raised, head down. He didn't want to be threatening.
Lear shook his head. "Soldiers and their guests go in through the kitchens all the time. Nobody will bat an eye. Going through the front would force us to identify you, or use the Princes authority to make people not ask, both of which are suspicious actions."
Romulus nodded. "Lear can pass you off as nothing out of the ordinary easier than I can. I'm under scrutiny as soon as we get into the city limits." He still wasn't looking at her, and hadn't moved, trying to be careful with her.
