Ciaran's POV:

I cannot wait to never ride a horse again, and I cannot wait until I am safe in Rowan's kingdom so I can sleep without feeling on edge. My entire body is sore, my injured leg is throbbing, I'm dehydrated from vomiting most of the contents from my stomach...

I am not having the best time as of now, but I am grateful that with every passing moment I am moving further and further away from Vayl and from the people who ruined my life.

Rowan sits behind me today as we ride his horse toward Arlian.

It is early morning, so a thick layer of fog covers the ground and makes us appear as though we are swimming through the cool mist. Through the clouds, the sun is rising, making me squint as it gets brighter and brighter.

I was very comfortable when I woke up cuddled against Rowan for the second night in a row, his hand circling around my body and holding me against him. I could have laid there for much longer, but Rowan got up when I accidentally sneezed and said we should get going.

He is eager to get home, a feeling I will most likely never have.

"Father is not expecting me home so early," Rowan tells me as we ride, and I'm thankful for his words, as they are distracting me from the pain in my body. "He will be pleasantly surprised."

I am a bit afraid at the idea of meeting the king of Arlian. What if he thinks I am a gross slave and sells me off to someone worse than Master?

Rowan said they don't have slaves, but does that also mean they don't sell them? Slavery is still a common practice in some places; it is in Vayl, though that only started when Vladimir and Daliah took over.

"Will he like me?" I ask tentatively, nervous about what the king would think of his son bringing a former sex slave home.

Rowan hums, and since I am leaning against him, I can feel the vibrations of his chest. "Yes, he will. You not only freed me, but you saved me from certain death. He will admire you."

That is high praise, coming from a real prince. I cannot believe that he thinks a king will admire me, but Rowan seems to be correct most of the time, so it makes my heart and soul swell with pride.

"And, he will see you as helpful," Rowan adds as a group of homes comes into my view. "He will ask you questions about Vayl and how to defeat the king and queen so we can prevent a future war."

I like the sound of that. "I will do whatever I can to help, Rowan."

The sound of his name on my tongue is very appealing. I enjoy saying his name; it makes me feel equal to him, even though he is a true prince and I am a prince turned sex slave.

I will have to prove my worth to the king and Rowan or he may send me to a slave auction and I will be broken in all over again.

Rowan seems satisfied by my statement as we ride through the village and toward a draw bridge that overlooks a deep cavern with deep, cold, salty water that is straight from the nearby ocean.

When I was a prince, I studied the geography of the lands around my home, and I found the one of Arlian very fascinating. It is part of the reason their kingdom was able to keep the war at a draw from the savages of Vayl; the moat and deep crevice have such strong currents that anyone who falls in will sucked under and pulled out to sea, so the drawbridge is the only way in, unless a way to go over is discovered, but that is near impossible with the lack of tools and preparation the people in Vayl had.

The drawbridge is very wide and keeps me from being too anxious, since I cannot swim. I never got the chance to learn and I haven't left the palace except for my attempted escape many years ago.

"Your majesty," a pair of guards say in sync as we ride through the gate, but they don't sound very serious. They are almost laughing!

I can tell right away that the guards are kind; they are wearing armor but it is not as thick and heavy  as the clunky armor in Vayl. Their faces are not covered, but there are helmets at their feet, so I can see how happy they are to see their prince.

If Vladimir and Daliah never showed up, would my subjects admire me this much?

"It is nice to be home," Rowan says, reaching down and shaking the hands of the guards. "Do you know where my father is?"

One of the guards nods. "He is in the gardens, assisting in the winter harvest. It is the last supply of food we get until the first freeze and then spring!"

Rowan seems pleased by this. "Then we shall go see him. I need to let him know I am safe and alive or he may pass away from stress," he jokes, earning laughs from the two guards.

"Your majesty, you have neglected to introduce your riding partner."

"Ah, I have," Rowan says, and I look back to find him smiling at me.

It makes me feel warmer, and it has nothing to do with the jacket!

"This is Ciaran," Rowan says, introducing me as an equal to the guards! "He helped to save me in Vayl. Ciaran, this is Jameson and Patrick. They are twin brothers and two of the finest guards we have."

I am surprised when they both approach me and hold out hands for me to shake, but I do so anyway. I hope I get their names right if I address them in the future, because they are identical and I do not think anyone can tell the difference.

"We must be off," Rowan tells them. "I will see you later if you wish to spar."

The twins' faces light up and they begin to speak rapidly about how they have trained in Rowan's four day absence, still speaking as we wave and ride off.

Just as they said, we arrive at a garden where a group of people are laughing and singing, basking in the company of the others there.

I try to find the king, expecting to see him in heavy robes and doing an easy task such as counting the produce or sitting down and watching, but I cannot spot anyone.

Rowan slides off of his horse and helps me down, asking a group of young girls who seem to be admiring the horse to take her to the stables.

They squeal and thank him, guiding the snorting horse away.

"Is your father inside the palace?" I ask Rowan, still not seeing anyone too king-like out here.

Even when my parents were alive, they would never be caught assisting with the produce and they never allowed me to either, even though I loved to be outside as a young boy. They kept me inside with tutors, ordering me to learn and telling me that physical labor was something a prince or royal family member would never have to do.

"My father is right there," Rowan says, pointing to a man who is holding a basket and helping a young child to choose a ripe squash and allowing him to place it in the basket.

That can't be the king!

He is wearing clothes that look no fancier than anyone else's! I know that Rowan isn't, but he has been traveling so it is different!

Rowan chuckles at my shock. "Believe it or not, here, everyone contributes. Including myself and my father," he tells me, ruffling my hair before he leaves me to go greet his father.

The king has the widest grin on his face when he sees Rowan, hugging his son and getting mud on his coat, but Rowan doesn't even care and responds with an even tighter hug.

I wish my father would have hugged me like that when he was alive.

"Ciaran, come here," Rowan says, and I walk toward him, careful not to step on the plants, but it is difficult because I am not used to wearing shoes and walking in them.

Plus, I am still very sore.

"Father, this is Ciaran," Rowan says, and I almost have a panic attack when the king holds out his hand to shake my hand!

He doesn't care that I'm worth less than dirt!

I shake his hand and smile at him.

"I hear you saved my son," the king says, a serious look on his face. "I cannot thank you enough... you saved the only family I have left."

My face warms up at his praise. "It was nothing, your majesty," he say, not meeting his eyes. "I could not let an innocent person die at the hands of villains."

"I would love to have your help, as you seem to know Vayl quite well," the king says, and I perk up. "We will have a room prepared for you and make sure you are well taken care of."

"That is very generous, your majesty, but I feel as though you should know that I have lived as a sex slave for years and I wish not to dirty your palace," I say shamefully, because lying about being a filthy person is a horrid thing to do in my eyes.

The king does not even react. "Sex slaves do not exist in my kingdom, young man," he says, placing a hand on my shoulder. "And you will not dirty my palace because of your past. You are a good man and I wish to help you feel more secure about yourself, child."

Rowan nods in agreement with his father. "You saved me, Ciaran."

"You saved me as well," I point out. "You did not have to bring me with you and I know there were times I annoyed you."

"Only because I was frustrated that I failed my mission," Rowan corrects, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You will be safe and happy here, Ciaran. Just stay with m-, uh, stay with us. It is safer for you and will help you adjust to a normal life."

He seems so desperate for me to stay by his side that I cannot say no, so I nod, making his father light up and Rowan himself grin and pat my shoulder.