Ry hid in the shadows of the alley, watching his Wilder contact work his way through the merchant stalls. His right hand tapped impatiently on the hilt of the rusted sword. Ry bobbed from one foot to another, eyes examining each face passing by. Whenever the guards crossed the narrow opening, Ry shrank deeper into the darkness or tugged on his hood and turned his back to the searching men. He did everything he could to become part of the grime covered walls. As long as he didn't draw attention to himself, the men had no reason to investigate the foul smelling alley.

He'd left Sabina curled in the blanket, remembering the Wilder traders set up their booths before the first rays of sun soiled the night sky. Ry hoped she'd be smart enough not to wander off if she woke before he returned, but he counted on her playing the part of a lazy Princess and sleeping in until her ladies in waiting woke her. He left her in hopes that if the Wilders knew she was a Guardian they might help them. Turned out he only had to name drop Addrick and they did everything in their power to get him what he needed. Now he waited for a young Wilder boy to gather a root based salve to strip the dye from Sabina's hair and some boyish clothes to dress her in.

Ry glanced to the sky. What little sunlight remained was being swallowed by blackened clouds threatening another blizzard. The Wilders said their tribe was camped half a day's ride to the north and Ry wanted to join them before nightfall. If he couldn't find Demitra within Halden, the Wilders might send word to her. If nothing else, it gave him security, warm company, and food.

"Here ye go," the boy said when he returned to the ally. Ry's requested supplies over flowed in his arms. "I got yer lass a bow and a quiver of arrows. Put these animal pelts over the side of yer horses. If ye look as though yer going hunting maybe ye won't be hassled on the way out."

"Thank you," Ry said. He took the items from the boy.

"Follow the road north. Ye will come to a fork that splits to go inland or continue north. Cut inland and ride till ye find that symbol I showed ye. That's how ye will know the tribe is near."

"Then I go right from the symbol for two miles and wait to be found."

"Aye. They will know ye are coming. Have the lassie keep the Guardian symbol hidden until yer on the road. Give the guards no chance of finding out what she is. But when yer on the road, show that symbol. Ye will have the aid of any Wilder you cross paths with."

"These Guardians mean a lot to you, don't they?"

"Aye. They're our royalty, our protectors. So long as we have a Guardian alive, the Wilders can never be eradicated."

"I'm surprised you're helping me without proof."

The boy smiled. His tongue poked through several missing lower teeth. Red hair shifted in the wind when he looked behind him. "Ye would not know Addrick's name if ye didn't know of the Guardians. We call him by another name to protect his identity from those who would hunt him. Ye will be wise to do the same for ye lassie."

"I will."

"There is a salve in there for ye as well. Rub it on yer face and it will turn that stubble on yer chin to a full beard. It is the best we can do for ye here to change yer appearance. The tribe can do more with magic. Magic is not allowed within human villages for fear we'll be caught."

"I understand."

"Go now. We will do our best to keep the guards eyes off ye." The boy bowed before running back into the streets. Ry sighed and followed the alley until it connected with a less busy street on the other end. His head remained tilted down, keeping his face hidden from prying eyes. In the daylight he found the route to their hideout easily with no need of a charcoal trail. His lips curled when he found the Princess look alike still curled in a ball, muttering in her sleep.

Ry dug through the new supplies and found a bag of red apples. He pulled two out and fed them to the horses. Water dripped from the melting snow, saturating the wood and creating a stench making Ry want to hurl. In the daylight, their hideout felt more like the prison he'd escaped from. Mold grew from the blackened walls, some covering it from floor to tattered ceiling.

"But I don't want the unicorn, daddy," Sabina muttered.

Ry smiled. When the horses finished eating both apples, he moved to stand over the Princess. Her eyes twitched beneath closed lids. One corner of her mouth quivered. Ry hated to wake her up. Not because he wanted to let her sleep, but because he knew sleep would be the most peaceful state he'd find her in.

"Wake up." He kicked one boot gently against her side. She mumbled before rolling to face her back to him. "You better wake up now because you're not going to like my next method if you don't."

Ry shrugged and turned away from her when she didn't move. A pile of snow had built up under the hole in the roof. He couldn't resist himself to build a small man out of three balls of snow shortly after he awoke. The sad looking man had already melted. Ry blew hot air into his hands before bending over and collecting snow. While returning to Sabina he pressed the snow into a ball.

"Not going to lie, I will enjoy this." Both ends of his lips twisted upward. One hand pulled back, holding the compact snow. It gave him great pleasure to release the ball and send it straight toward Sabina's head. She shrieked as the snow exploded against her hair. "Good morning, sweetheart. Hope you slept well."

"You stupid son of a—"

"Hold your tongue, M'lady," Ry said with a bow. "Such words are unbecoming of you."

She stared at him through pointed eyes. Lips curled back in a snarl as both hands clenched. One foot twisted, grinding dust into the rotting wood. Ry crossed both arms and watched her prepare to pounce on him. A stalking lioness had nothing on her. Finally she was showing fight and it amused him. She lunged forward. He took one step to his right and she landed face first into the snow bank.

Her curses rose in the silence as Ry returned to the gear collected from the Wilder. He pulled out two more apples and tossed one toward the sulking Sabina. She frowned but stopped cursing long enough to bite into it. Snow fell from her tattered dress as she joined him. Ry shuffled through the collection and found the two salves wrapped inside the ivory tunic. He handed one to Sabina. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"For your hair. Lather it in and it's supposed to bring back its natural color."

"And why would I want to do that?"

"Because you'll look like the Wilder you are and we'll need that. After you do that, strip out of your dress."

"You have some nerve if you expect me to sleep with you! In broad daylight no less."

Ry smiled. He rose from his crouch and stepped closer to Sabina. She flinched when his hand cupped her cheek. Her tension only seemed to strengthen when he leaned closer. His lips hovered over hers. Each breath was soft with a deliberate attempt to caress her thin lips. The dark coat to her skin covered any signs of a blush. Magic in her eyes had faded to bring back the cobalt that sank within her long eyelashes.

"Strip out of the dress," he said, stopping to draw out the rest of his sentence, "and put on the clothes in that pile. At least I now know where your mind is." He winked and turned away from her.

Sabina grumbled, but Ry didn't look back to see if she listened or not. Instead he grabbed his own salve and rubbed the orange creation onto his face and underside of his jaw. Skin prickled as his stubble thickened and grew into a full beard. Ry sighed. He hated beards. They itched and food often got caught within the curling whiskers. But they served some purpose the few times he hadn't bothered to shave for days. Certain woman flocked to him in greater numbers when he didn't have his usual baby face appeal.

"Do you expect me to change in front of you?"

"My back is turned. Technically you're not in front of me," he said. With one boot, he kicked the tunic toward her and then followed with the pants.

"These are boy's clothes."

"Like I said last night, for the time being you're my brother, Sabnick."

"Sabnick? Could you come up with a worse fake name?"

"Sure. I could've called you Sweet Cheeks, Love Muffin, or the name my sisters enjoyed calling me, Dopey Face."

"You're hilarious."

"Thank you, I'll be here all night. Tip your wenches."

"You can turn around now."

Ry faced Sabina. The tunic hung on her as if it were a sack, concealing the lumps on her chest perfectly. He bent over to grab the leather vest and boots. She scrunched her nose as Ry forced both arms through the black vest and fastened it for her. For someone that needed to be dressed by servants each morning, she seemed to hate his help.

"Tuck the ends of the tunic into your pants. We don't need it obvious that it's not yours." Ry handed her the boots and turned to gather the evidence they'd slept in the abandoned building. Sabina continued to pout as he loaded up the horses. The furs the Wilder boy had given him were wrapped around the stolen horse blankets. By then the stable master would've reached the stables and found them missing. While he wasn't sure if the stable master could recognize them, he didn't want to take any chance. He also didn't want to leave them behind in case he couldn't find the Wilder tribe. They'd need all the warmth they could get.

It was midday by the time they mounted their horses and left their hideout. Both wore hoods over their heads to hide their faces as much as possible. Sabina rode close, keeping silent as he'd requested. The tunic sleeve wrapped over the bracelet kept it hidden. Ry's eyes scanned the street. Falling snow sent many traders to pack up their wares and return to their inns. Wilders were all that remained, still shouting about their salves or herbs for sale.

Hooves clicked against slush coated stone as their horses trotted. To an unknowing eye, they were simply two people leaving town to get ahead of the next storm. Guards marched with weapons drawn, stopping to check any dark haired man that past. There were three in a group each time, one holding a parchment with Ry's face painted on it. His muscles tensed. The villages wooden gates mounted to the stone walls surrounding Halden stood out among the snow flurry. It was so close Ry felt as though he could reach out and touch it.

"You there, halt!" a voice shouted.

"Ry," Sabina whispered.

"Stay calm." One hand gripped the reins tighter as his other slid to his thigh, near the hilt of the sword.

"Aye, can we help ye sir?" Ry laced his voice with the thickest accent he could muster.

"Lower your hoods. Nobody leaves Halden without inspection."

"Inspection for what? We be on our way to check our traps before the blizzard hits."

"There's a fugitive on the loose. He's wanted for the assassination of the King and kidnapping the Princess."

"I 'eard about that. I'd 'oped it be a vicious rumor. Praise be to the King, may 'e rest in peace."

"May the Gods protect him always." The guard raised three fingers to his forehead and bowed. "I still need to check your faces, if you'll please remove your hoods."

Ry's eyes glanced toward the gates. So close, yet so far. His jaw clenched as he weighed his options. The guard stood in front of two others with heavy broadswords drawn and ready. Their eyes were trained on his sword and there wasn't a doubt they'd pounce if Ry flinched a single finger toward the hilt. Sabina had one hand on the side of her hood, ready to pull it down and reveal herself. She watched, her lower lip trembled and he knew it wasn't simply from the cold. Ry closed his eyes. Though the gate was close, it wasn't close enough to reach without inciting an incident.

"Curse the Gods, I need a real sword," he thought. His hand slid away from the hilt and rose to his hood.

"Guards! Come quick." The Wilder boy who'd helped Ry earlier came running out of a darkened alley. A substance that appeared to be blood soaked the front of his shirt. All three guards turned their attentions to him.

"What is it, Wilder?"

"I think I saw the man ye've been looking for. He tried to attack me, but I cut him good." The boys dark skin made his pale eyes seem to brighten as they darted to Ry. They shifted to the gate in an apparent urge to signal Ry to move on. He nodded and clicked his heels into the side of the horse as the Wilder explained where he thought he'd saw the fugitive.

"That was—" Sabina started, but Ry held a finger to his lips.

"Silence until we get through the gates."

A crowd of people pushed past their horses, heading toward the Wilder boy. He continued to make a ruckus about the fugitive. Guards standing to the side of the main street leading out of town left their post to join the commotion. Ry's muscles tensed as he waited for another to call for him to halt. Even after passing through the enormous wood gates he didn't relax. It wasn't until the village became a fleck in the white drifts of snow he lowered his hood and stole a glance behind them. Sabina followed his lead, her hands shaking with the reins.

"Why am I as frightened as you?" she asked. "I'm not wanted for kidnapping."

"No, you're not. But you're smart enough to know that you were locked up in prison with me for a reason."

"The Princess wouldn't have stood for it if she'd known. She couldn't have known."

Ry shook his head. "Wake up, sweetheart. The Princess wouldn't have done jack to help you if Rodyn said you were in on the assassination. Look how easily Kira was blamed without an ounce of evidence to prove otherwise."

"There was evidence, plenty of it. She was seen sneaking around the castle during the dance. Servants said they saw her fleeing the castle so fast she fell down the stairs."

"All of which could have a perfectly logical explanation."

Ry's horse continued to trot. Snow flurries fluttered toward the ground, but they didn't yet stick to cover the muddy path. Travelers had cut a trail through the snow, revealing the dirt road beneath. Ry wondered if the Wilders used magic, it was almost too clear to be natural. Not a single patch of snow sullied the road. A smooth wall of white rose on either side.

"It might be logical to you, but it's suspicious to me. And because of her actions I've lost everything."

Ry stopped his horse. Both hands gripped the reigns tightly as the horse cantered. He gritted his teeth, glaring at the Princess look alike as she continued to rant. Heat burned through his face.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Ry shouted, his voice rising above the howling wind.

Sabina stopped and turned to face him. "What's your problem?"

"You're my problem. I've kept my mouth shut and I've used berries to block out your complaints, but you are so full of horse dung right now it's absurd." Ry gritted his teeth. "Do you want to know what the last words were I said to my mother before I left for the dance? I won't be gone forever, stop crying. Not I love you, not I'll miss you, no, I said 'I won't be gone forever.' Do you know what happened after the dance?"