Blind trust

We inched our way closer to the village ever so slowly. The large stone and wooden buildings appeared as a safe haven motivating me to push forward despite the intense burning of my legs.

"Stop here" Leo commanded. I was surprised at his change of tone from the one I saw in my memories and at my window at night.

"What?" I stopped and laid back on a tree for support.

"You will draw too much attention, let me go and buy you a change of clothes," He explained. I hated the idea of being left alone in the woods like this but I nodded in agreeance as I handed him a gemstone from my bag. I pulled out a small yellow one and tossed it to him. He caught it perfectly and went into the village without another word.

He must be tired to be acting so rude to me. It was jarring, to say the least, but we all have faults. I sat and waited for what felt like an hour watching the sun reach closer to the west. Just as I began to worry if something bad had happened to him he suddenly appeared again with a basic brown dress, dark black shoes, and a white headdress to cover myself. He handed me the clothes.

"Thank you," I said, hoping he was in a better mood now. He nodded and turned around so I could change my clothes. The material was rough and a bit itchy in some areas, but I was undoubtedly able to blend in better. I dressed quickly so we could make our way out to an inn. "How do I look?"

He nodded in approval before giving me a kiss. "Let's go now, easy," I blushed at his sweet display as we walked into the village. There were many people and I stayed close to Leo as we shuffled through a sea of people staring at us with curiosity. Even in these clothes, Leo stood out with his beautiful muscles. We found our way over to an inn towards the edge of the village and stepped inside to be greeted by a harsh glance from an old man behind the counter.

"Married or traveling together?" He asked adruptly.

"Married," Leo replied without letting me speak. He winked at me. He was right, we shouldn't spend too many gemstones on two separate rooms. It is also less suspicious for a man and woman to be traveling together if they are married. I blushed at the idea of sharing a bed with him tonight.

The old man nodded and we handed him a gemstone. He smiled as he observed the stone and passed us a room key.

"Room six, this will buy you five nights. Best in the town I tell ya,"

"Just one night, I want the rest back in change" Leo replied. The old man gave us a look of disapproval as he shuffled through and pulled out a big bunch of coins as our change. We nodded our heads and went first to the main hall to get a hot plate of meat and potatoes. After finishing our delicious meal we headed to our room. Leo opened the door and we were greeted by a large bed in the center of the room with a desk lit by an oil lamp. It was warm and cozy inside as we removed the items we carried here and fell straight onto the bed.

My exhaustion kept me down until late the next morning. When I awoke, the bed was empty and I panicked, searching around the room. My nightgown was gone but the gemstones were still here. I frantically went to the door to open it to search the inn only to see Leo standing right there about to open the door as well. He was holding breakfast plates with a funny look of confusion on his face.

I relaxed and started to giggle as my heart melted at the kind gesture.

"You gave me a scare," I chuckled. He laughed as he stepped inside and placed the warm eggs with biscuits in front of me. I took a bite and it melted in my mouth.

"Biscuits are your favorite still, with or without your memories," He smiled as he enjoyed his breakfast too. Is this what it means to have a favorite food?

"Where is my nightgown?" I asked him.

"I sold it," he replied calmly.

"What? Why?"

"You don't need it anymore. We need as much money as we can get," He was still too calm for my liking.

"You could have asked me. Wouldn't selling it draw in too much attention if they come looking for us?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders and I felt my blood boil at his attitude, but I suppressed it. "Why are you being like this?"

"Like what?" He replied to me angrily. "I got us breakfast and you want to complain on our first day together? I have been planning this for years, not you!" He yelled at me and I felt afraid. I put my head down and didn't finish my plate of food. Something was not quite right. I began to question if my blind trust in him was justified. I pushed that feeling deep down and started to get ready for the day. He did use it to buy me breakfast at least.

"Where do we go today?" I asked, still a bit worried to upset him.

"We continue North, we need to go further if we want a chance of safety. It is better to leave now okay?" He said to me. His eyes shined back at me and I nodded. He must have been tired because those eyes seem to be as bright as the romantic moonlight.

As we went out of the town and continued to head north, my legs began to burn again and ache all over. I continued to push forward but I was slow. I focused on my breathing again as I pushed through with all of my strength.

"Viola, I know you hurt but please, our lives are at stake," He spoke to me harshly again. I don't understand what is happening. It must be the stress of everything. I tried to walk faster but my breathing got even harder as he stopped to help me sit down.

"I am sorry, you need to rest. We can take a break," He apologized to me profusely. This guy is something else. But I still appreciated the apology and realized he is just worried. If we are caught who knows what would happen? He would likely be killed, or put to torture in the dungeons of the imperial palace. I shivered at the thought of this stunning person being put through further torture for my sake.

"I am trying to push my limits so we can be safe, I promise. I am sorry for being this way," I apologized to him. I don't understand myself. I am so drawn to him, I felt such trust, but the way we are right now is hurting me deeply, but I never want to consider giving in, but the idea is there for the first time. I shoved that sickening thought so far down I wouldn't dare think of it again.