After Aldan and Gavin listened to Anastasia’s arrangements, they went to the carriage. Seeing that no one was paying attention, given the camp was in choas. They quickly got inside and found the sick man.
"He seems unconscious," Aldan said. They had planned to knock the man out after entering the carriage but were shocked to find him already unconscious.
Without wasting any time, Gavin lifted the man while Aldan got out first. He wanted to untie the horse pulling the carriage but noticed the knot wasn’t secure. He immediately understood, the men must have intended to return for the horse and the man after causing chaos.
He didn’t waste any time. He untied the horse and let Gavin, who was carrying the man, mount. The weight of three men would be too much for one horse. Riding the carriage would easily draw attention to them, so they had no choice but to escape on horseback.
Gavin had just started riding when they both felt a chill run down their spines.
Someone was attacking.
Gavin immediately urged the horse forward while Aldan blocked the blow. He already knew he was no match for the attacker, so he didn’t continue fighting. Instead, he turned and ran in the same direction Gavin had gone with the horse.
The man did not give up and chased after Aldan. Aldan planned to use his familiarity with the terrain to escape.
But each time he thought he had succeeded, the man caught up with him. After running and hiding in circles, Aldan began to tire. He guessed the man was determined to catch him, perhaps to use him to track Gavin and the sick man.
Knowing he couldn’t win, Aldan decided to run back to camp. If he made it, the man would become the soldiers’ problem. If not, he could use the location of the sick man as leverage.
He was already running out of breath. His legs were heavy with fatigue, but he did not want to become a hostage. How many hostages ever managed to save their own lives?
As he ran forward, he thought he heard approaching footsteps. It made him more determined. As long as it wasn’t the man chasing him supporter, they might be able to deal with the attacker together. After all, anyone daring to travel at this time must have some skill.
What he didn’t expect was for the other person to dash into the bushes and hide at the sound of his footsteps. Aldan had a feeling the person was a woman, but he was running for his life. Hiding wasn’t an option, so he pushed the thought to the back of his mind and continued running.
Meanwhile, Anastasia hid inside the bush. She didn’t dare look to see who was passing. Even if she thought it might be one of the guards, she didn’t want to risk it.
One person passed, and another followed. Still, Anastasia didn’t come out of her hiding place. She waited, listening carefully. Only when she was certain no one else was coming did she emerge and continue moving forward.
The weather was harsh, and she felt thirsty. She suddenly remembered again how unprepared she was. Moreover, as she walked, she began to feel cold. Even though the season was warm during the day, the night wind was chilly. Anastasia started to feel she had made a wrong decision; she was truly afraid.
"I’ll be fine. Just another step," Anastasia whispered to herself. She could feel her strength fading.
Her steps became slower and slower until finally her body could go no further. She decided to rest a bit. Walking to the side of the road, she spread her small handkerchief and sat on it. As soon as she did, exhaustion overtook her, and she fell asleep.
Fortunately, wild animals rarely came out during this season, but because she had slept in the open without proper cover, she caught a cold. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel·fire.net
Anastasia only slept for a few hours before waking. By then, morning had come. Normally, one would see a few travelers on the road, but due to the king’s mourning, it was empty.
She felt tired and sick. Her temperature was high, and she guessed she had a fever. There was nothing around to support her, and her clothes bag felt unbearably heavy.
"What should I do?" Anastasia wondered. No matter how much she had suffered in the Duke’s residence, she had never had to walk such a long distance. Her throat was tried and she wanted nothing more an a little sip of water.
After thinking for a while, she opened the clothes bag and took out the box the Queen had entrusted to her. Of course, she wanted to deliver it to the prince, but she could barely support herself. Though the box was small, its material made it heavy.
Anastasia frowned as her head began to throb. She quickly found the hidden latch and opened the box. Despite her headache, she was shocked to find not one, but both of the kingdom’s most important symbols of authority inside. She had always assumed it would be either the king’s seal or the scepter of power not both. How much did the queen trust her think she was stupid to hand her both? Anastasia Wonder.
Her head spun, but she quickly made up her mind. Taking out the two items, she wrapped them in cloth and tied them around her waist firmly. Then, she rubbed dirt over the box and hid it among the bushes.
Every action was difficult, but the will to live pushed her forward. She then took the few coins she had remembered to bring and hid them in a small pocket of her clothing. Unfolding the map, she saw that despite all her effort, she hadn’t gone far since leaving camp. According to the map, she still had to walk at least half a day to reach the outskirts of Lowe Village. Given her condition, it might take all day.
Anastasia closed the map and tucked it away with the coins. After all these preparations, she forced herself to stand. She had fallen sick without medical attention before, so she knew how to push through it.
With the world spinning around her, she took one small step after another no matter what, she had to get to Lowe, this was her only chance of survival.