Page 11 of Gilded Lies

He’d galloped the horse far more than he should have, and he apologized to the poor beast.

“You get through a war unscathed, and now you’re being treated like a slave. If I had my way, you’d be resting in a nice stall, and Aurelius would be safe next to me. I swear to Elira, I’m never letting him out of my fucking sight again.”

The horse pushed himself too like he wanted the Prince to be safe. Technically, one could say King, but Aurelius hadn’t officially been crowned, and certain traitors also technically owned Nova now.

Jari kept his eyes on the cart ruts and ahead in case any sign of it became apparent. Nothing. He wanted to scream again. If only Mercury could gallop without ever stopping. Two carts pulling a horse can go quite far despite the weight. If two men took turns driving it and forcing the horses to go on, they’d beat Jari who was by himself and didn’t have anyone to take over for him.

Two horses pulling a cart can’t go forever. If they stopped somewhere and switched out the beasts, they could continue and take turns sleeping. At least a couple would act as guards and lookouts to ward off anyone in the area.

He’d finished his water, and his gut rumbled even though a part of him almost never wanted to eat again. Every time the thought of someone touching Aurelius came up, his gut twisted. The Prince had been through enough.

When a town came into view that morning, he almost kept going with his single goal driving him, but he knew he had to stop. If Mercury dropped, Jari would be stuck hoofing it on his two feet, and he might as well give up then.

Except he wouldn’t. If he had to, he’d walk until his feet bled, and he’d fucking drag himself if it meant rescuing Aurelius. He’d already failed the Prince, thinking they’d be safe for a few hours apart. A city and army after a battle is no easy task to deal with, and someone needed to coordinate shit.

“Fuck. Come on.”

The town was small and sleepy. No one would have gotten recent news just yet unless someone had sent a dove with mail, and that was unlikely. They probably still thought war was about to happen depending on what they’d last heard. People stared at Jari, bedraggled and with barely anything. He looked like a deserter.

He had a few coins in his pocket, but that wasn’t enough. He watered the horse at a well, filled his skin, and headed into a blacksmith’s shop he spotted at one end of the square.

“How much if I give you what I got on?”

The blacksmith had coal under his fingernails, and he left a dirty streak on his forehead when he swiped it and appraised Jari’s armor.

“Are you a deserter? I heard Wockston was coming for Morning Glory and Prince Zylem. Er, King Zylem.”

“No. We won the battle, and Aurelius is the King now.”

“Oh. That’s good to know. You sound like a Wockston, so what are you doing this way in Nova?”

Jari wanted to reach across the counter and shake the man until his brains rattled and scream about how he was wasting Jari’s precious time. Instead, he tacked on a smile that probably didn’t look too sane. “I’m not going home yet. My grandparents are Novans, and they’re both sick. I saved my wages, but I don’t think it’s going to cover enough for long. I thought I’d try to bring them to my parents in Wockston, but they won’t want to leave their house. They’ve been there for years. I might have to take care of them for a bit so I need more money.”

The blacksmith nodded. Old people are often set in their ways. He could change the armor to some extent and sell it like new, or melt it down and turn it into something else. He finally named an amount.

It might work to get Jari the supplies he needed to make it farther south. He didn’t like might, and once he got Aurelius back, they’d have to flee. At some point, they’d have to eat too. “Come on. Give me a bit more.”

“It’s dirty. It still has blood on it. You didn’t have a wash before you left?”

“I was in a rush. It’ll take about ten minutes for you to scrub it down, and this is a good set.”

“Times are a bit hard-”

Jari slapped his hand on the counter. “My Grandmother can barely get up to piss, and my Grandfather can barely help her up. He’s almost just as bad, and they can’t work. Do you think they’re not having a hard time? I’ll be doing everything, including making sure they’re fed. If it was your grandparents…”

That finally got the blacksmith to budge. Back and forth they went until Jari wrangled a better price. He took off all of the pieces and set them on the counter. His sword, dagger, and the knives down his boots would stay because he was pretty sure he’d have to kill a few fuckers before this was over with.

Satisfied, he bought a few things including a pack before he rode the horse back to the ruts. He fed Mercury some oats in a nose bag, ate himself, and said they had a few more hours to go.

If only he’d realized things sooner and stopped this. The guilt might tear him apart even if he found the Prince.

He fed them both again that night by a stream and finally let himself collapse on the ground to sleep while guilt gnawed on his gut. Just a few hours. If he didn’t, he’d drop at some point. He was up before dawn and back in the saddle. Mercury ran like he wanted to get Aurelius too. Who else was going to ride Galahad beside him?

He rested the horse at times by getting down and walking him so Mercury could avoid the added weight for a bit. In that way, they went all night again. Every time they galloped, Jari prayed to see the cart ahead. Even in the dark, he squinted and searched for it.

The cart had a goal somewhere. It wouldn’t go forever, and he was pretty sure the goal was King David who must be working with Darlim. He’d devised another way to get his gilder, and instead of allowing someone to keep Aurelius in secret to abuse and coerce, he’d likely take the Prince directly this time. Who knew what he’d do at that point?

It wasn’t about keeping his vow anymore. Jari wanted the Prince to finally be safe and not surrounded by snakes. After everything he’d been through and struggled against, he fucking deserved it. He’d gotten up after suffering things that would have broken most fairies.

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