Elias dismounted first, landing with a quiet thud on the hard-packed earth just outside the inn's small wooden gate. The building was simple, tucked behind a low stone wall covered in moss. Light flickered behind the shutters, and the faint clatter of dishes and voices hinted at life inside.
__Elias: "Wait here a moment."
He handed her the reins and disappeared through the creaking wooden door, leaving her sitting stiffly on the horse's back. Elena shifted in the saddle, trying to ignore the dull throbbing in her thighs and back. Her skin felt raw under the rough servant's garb. She could feel dirt clinging to the back of her neck and under her nails, and she hated it, hated how every part of her felt unfamiliar now.
A child passed on the road behind her, barefoot and dragging a stick. He gave her a curious glance but didn't say anything. Just stared.
She looked away.
A few minutes later, Elias returned, gesturing for her to come inside. She slid off Farrow with difficulty, her legs nearly giving out beneath her. He caught her arm to steady her but said nothing. She followed him in, her heart hammering, though she didn't know why.
The inside of the inn was small and warm. A fire crackled in the hearth, and the scent of stew and bread filled the air. A few villagers sat at the back, murmuring softly over drinks. No one paid her more than a glance. For now, she was invisible. She needed to stay that way.
The woman behind the counter, a tall, weathered figure with gray-streaked hair tied in a scarf looked her up and down with a mix of suspicion and pity.
__Innkeeper: "This her?"
__Elias: "She needs a bed and some food. One night. Maybe two."
The woman nodded slowly, as if measuring her words.
__Innkeeper: "She doesn't look like she's from around here."
__Elena: "I'm not."
__Innkeeper: "And what brings you this far north, girl?"
Elena hesitated. Her mouth felt dry, and her mind raced for something believable. Something close enough to the truth.
__Elena: "I was working in a house in the capital. As a servant. The lord died, and his sons sent most of us away. I didn't have anywhere to go, so I've been walking."
It was close enough. It was what she looked like : filthy, tired, forgotten.
The woman gave her a long look, then finally nodded.
__Innkeeper: "You'll sleep in the loft. It's not much, but it's dry. Bread and stew will be ready in a minute."
Elena exhaled, almost in disbelief.
__Elena: "Thank you."
__Elias: "I'll stable Farrow and be back. Don't talk too much."
He left again, and Elena followed the innkeeper up a narrow staircase into a small, low-ceilinged room with straw bedding. It smelled of dust and old wood, but it was warmer than the forest and cleaner than the ground.
She sat on the edge of the cot, her hands resting in her lap, staring at the floor. Her stomach growled again, and her body ached in places she hadn't known could hurt.
Only a few days ago she'd been sleeping on silk, rising to servants drawing open the curtains. Her meals had been brought to her on porcelain plates, her baths scented with oils and jasmine.
And now she was here. Unknown. Hidden. Alone. But safe for now.
When the food came, she ate slowly, trying not to devour it too fast. The stew was simple but hot, and the bread was thick and filling. She hadn't realized how much she missed the feeling of being full until the ache in her stomach began to fade.
Afterwards, she lay back on the cot, staring at the dark wooden beams above her.
She thought of Anna. Where was she now? What was she doing? Had they noticed her absence yet?
She wanted to believe Anna had gotten away with it, that the plan had worked. That the morning would come and she would be nothing more than a memory within the palace walls. But her mind didn't let her rest.
She kept seeing Anna's face behind her eyelids. The way she had whispered goodbye. The way her hand had lingered on the wall just before the tunnel closed.
Elena swallowed the lump in her throat and turned onto her side.
She couldn't cry. Not now. She needed to be strong. For Anna. For herself. And for whatever came next.
The door creaked open again later, and Elias stepped inside, brushing dirt off his coat. He didn't speak at first, just leaned against the wall and watched her.
__Elias: "You're lucky. No one asked questions."
__Elena: "Not yet."
He nodded once.
__Elias: "The border's a day's ride from here. I can take you close, but after that, you're on your own."
__Elena: "That's fine."
He hesitated.
__Elias: "You don't have to tell me what happened. But whatever it is… it must've been bad."
She looked at him, then looked away.
__Elena: "It was."
He didn't press further. Just gave her a small nod.
__Elias: "Get some sleep. We leave before dawn."
And then he was gone again.
Elena lay back, curled up under the thin blanket, and listened to the wind against the shutters.
She wasn't safe. Not really. She knew they'd be looking for her by now. But she was away from the palace, away from Adrian's cold gaze and the queen's calculating smile.
That was something. Tomorrow, she would cross the border. Far away from Adrian, from this kingdom. She didn't know where she will go. But at least she had the chance to find out.
❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥
The
♥
Twilight
Kiss
♥
❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥
The hours crawled by.
Elena drifted between restless half-sleep and startled wakefulness, every creak of the old inn setting her nerves on edge. Her body ached from the rough journey through the forest, from days without a proper bed, but her mind would not let her fall into true sleep.
She kept thinking about the hunter. About the way Elias had looked at her, not with suspicion, but with a quiet, heavy understanding. He had helped her, no questions asked. That meant something. Trust was rare in her world now.
At some point, she must have slept, because she was jolted awake by the soft knock at her door.
__Elias: "Time to go." his voice was low, but urgent.
Elena swung her legs out of the cot, pulling the cloak tighter around herself. The air was cold and sharp in the pre-dawn gloom. Her stomach twisted with a mixture of excitement and terror. This was it.
She followed Elias downstairs, careful to keep her head low. The common room was empty except for the innkeeper wiping down tables. She gave them a brief, indifferent glance, then returned to her work.
Outside, the sky was still ink-black, though a faint band of silver hinted at the coming dawn. Farrow waited, saddled and impatient, pawing at the ground.
__Elias: "Up you go."
Elena climbed into the saddle with effort, every muscle in her body protesting. Elias swung up behind her, taking the reins.
They rode in silence at first, the hooves muffled against the damp earth. The forest thinned as they traveled east, the trees growing sparser, the ground flatter.
The wind bit at her face, and the chill crept under her clothes. She held onto the saddle tightly, trying not to think about how exposed she was.
After an hour or so, Elias broke the silence.
__Elias: "You got family across the border?"
She hesitated. She had no family anywhere. But she couldn't tell him that.
__Elena: "Some distant cousins. I'm hoping they'll take me in."
He grunted, a noncommittal sound, but said nothing more.
They continued riding. The landscape grew unfamiliar, wild in a way she had never experienced. Open fields stretched toward jagged hills in the distance. The forest loomed behind them, dark and endless.
By mid-morning, Elena could barely keep her eyes open. Her body swayed with every step the horse took, exhaustion dragging at her.
Elias must have noticed because he slowed Farrow to a gentle walk and said quietly:
__Elias: "We're close."
That jolted her awake. She sat up straighter, heart pounding.
The border. Freedom.
Soon the outlines of a low stone wall appeared on the horizon, partially crumbled in places, separating the dense forest from the open plains beyond.
Elias pulled Farrow to a halt behind a cluster of trees, hidden from sight.
__Elias: "From here, you'll need to go on foot. It's safer."
Elena slid off the horse, her legs trembling beneath her. She looked at the open land ahead: endless, vast, and terrifying.
__Elena: "Thank you. For everything."
He gave her a grim smile.
__Elias: "Stay off the roads. Keep your head down. And don't trust anyone you don't have to."
__Elena: "I won't."
She took a step back, then another. She didn't want to leave the safety of his presence, brief as it had been. But she had no choice.
She turned and walked.
The grass was wet underfoot, the morning dew soaking into her shoes. The cold burned her lungs, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop.
Behind her, she heard the soft snort of Farrow and the quiet clink of reins as Elias turned the horse around.
She didn't look back.
The border wall was closer now. The broken stones offered little resistance. She scrambled over, tearing the hem of her dress on the jagged edge, and landed hard on the other side.
The ground here felt different, foreign. She pushed herself up, breathing hard, and started moving again.
She was across. Across the border. She will be free. And yet…
As she walked further into the unknown, a new kind of fear settled in her chest. She was alone. Truly alone. No Anna. No palace. No protection.
Nothing but the horizon and the promise of a new life she had no idea how to build. Still, she kept walking. Every painful step forward was one step farther from the girl she had been.
Every heartbeat a rebellion against the world that had tried to cage her. She didn't know what tomorrow would bring. But she knew one thing, deep in her bones: she would never go back.
No matter what awaited her in the world beyond, she would face it head-on. Because she was no longer just Elena, the hidden princess.
She was Elena, the survivor.
And her story was just beginning.