Page 104 of Emma & Edmund

Skittering up to it, Emma rubbed a finger over her own name, carved into the wood. "How did you get here, friend?" Emma whispered to her belonging, smiling at the discovery as if it were the world's greatest treasure.

How it could have possibly gotten there, she hadn't a clue but thought that it must have been thrown from the coach, the river bringing it to the most opportune place.

Clicking open the brass locks, she threw back the lid. The contents were still all there, although more rumpled than when Heidi had neatly packed it. The first layer was a bit damp, but beyond that, only dry clothes remain.

She wanted to cry with relief, feeling as though - finally - something was going right on this journey from hell. While she knew she should feel embarrassed, Emma did not wait to pull out clean undergarments and even a dress, careful to choose the onethat would be easiest for her to don alone.

Only when she had stripped herself of the clingy, filthy underclothes did she feel exposed. Her eyes went again to the dark corners, wondering if there could be hidden viewers, but she shook the thought away.

She redressed as quickly as she could, only feeling safe once the last button was clasped on her new, clean dress.

"I fear I have to come back for you later, friend," Emma said to her trunk, locking it up again. She knew it would be a struggle to get herself up to the road, let alone hauling a heavy piece of luggage.

Turning to leave, she braced herself on the cave walls, carefully stepping to not immediately ruin her clean shoes. Once she reached the curtain of roots, she pat the dirt that had guided her palm, feeling oddly sentimental. "And thank you, strange cave, for your shelter and surprises."

Not waiting another moment, Emma ducked through the short opening, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin, blinded by its light.

Holding up an arm to the sky, shielding her eyes, it took longer to adjust to the light than she thought. Tears of effort sprung, but when the feeling finally began to wane, her sight landed on the coach. It was still stuck in place on the embankment, one wheel spinning idly in the light breeze.

The coach was not what surprised her.

"You have got to be joking."

Her trunk was one thing she could justify, but the mare with reigns wrapped around a short tree branch just beyond the coach was impossible. She even recognized the horse. It was the very same that caused her last jaunt down a ravine.

What in the world could it be doing here? Was someone from Belmont traveling close by? But the horse wasn't even properly tacked, without a saddle or blanket, yet it was the only explanation.

"Hello!" Emma called into the trees, listening for a call back. "Is anyone about!"

The only answer was the song of birds and the scampering of critters.

Warily, with much hesitation, Emma approached the horse, as if it would burst into flame at any moment. Up close, it was only more obvious it was a Belmont mare, seeing a beautiful B carved into the reins joint. But it was also clear that the reigns were not the only piece the horse donned. Looped around its neck, attached to a long, woven band, was a now fully recognizable symbol.

With its sharp triangular points decorated with sapphire beads, and long center tassel, Emma knew it was meant for her to see. Perhaps they all were, pointing her in the right direction.

She hadn't a clue how it ended up here and now, but it couldn't have been a coincidence. And she was in no position to deny such a gift.

"If someone is here," Emma called again, "I'm taking the horse! And...thank you."

Unknotting the mare's reigns from the tree, Emma led her to a branch cracked off by the coach. Using it as a step, Emma was able to hop on the horse's back with relative ease. The boney pressure of its spine was far from the comfortable seat of a saddle, but she was at least mounted.

If there was one thing she knew about that mare, it knew its way home. Without prodding from Emma, who barely even had taken up the reigns, it began to pad downstream, leaving the coach and cave behind, following the sun.

It was hardly even past noon, and it had already been the longest day of Emma's life.

"Ah! There you are!"

Emma had only been on the road for mere minutes before the grating voice hit her ears. Although she couldn't see him, Molek's words rang out from the trees.

"Yes, and no thanks to you!"

"But look at you," he called again, his voice mocking, "with a new dress and horse. Looks like you've done well enough for yourself!"

"You have done an absolutely terrible job at protecting me."

His laugh came from a nearby bush. "I am no guardian angel, my dear."

"Where have you been anyway?" She couldn't quite say she missed him, but his disappearance had been rather sudden. "I could have used your help."

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