Before going to bed, the wanderer sorted through the supply closet and found old bedrolls we could use for the night. Even with the bedroll, I didn't sleep too well in the Temple of The Death, which wasn't surprising. Whoever built the cursed building made it a scary, unsettling place on purpose. I woke up in the middle of the night with a nightmare, still feeling guilty about forcing the wanderer to assist me. The mysterious stranger slept just fine, but I suspected it was only out of exhaustion. 

Luckily, he ended up liking the stew, but maybe a bit too much. He ate it all and left only a little for me. The way he consumed the stew as if he hadn't eaten in weeks was worrisome.

I hope he's been getting enough to eat.

After a silent dinner between us, I realized my rescuer wasn't the talkative sort. At one point, I tried asking questions about who he was and where he came from, but it didn't go well. In response, he gave me an irritated glare while saying, "Hard pass on the questions." Naturally, it was off-putting, and I held back anything I wanted to ask from then on. When unconscious, I hadn't pictured him as this hard to approach.

He's a complete mystery for now. I guess I'm fine with that. He must be one of those emotionally unavailable types. I'm sure he'll let down his guard if I keep at it. 

I turned to face the wanderer in my bedroll and watched him sleep for a while. As it turned out, watching him was calming for me. I didn't even notice I drifted off until I woke up to a hard nudge in my side. 

Blinking away the sleep from my eyes, I focused on the person who nudged me with his foot. Lo-and-behold, it was none other than the wanderer himself.

Gods, when I thought about him being a gentleman while he was unconscious yesterday, I couldn't have been more wrong. 

"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked before yawning, feeling tired. As I looked around, I could see that it was still dark. It was way too early to be waking up.

Is he waking me up before dawn? Hasn't he thought about how tiring being kidnapped is? 

"The sun will be up soon, so we've got to get moving. You won't enjoy traveling in the middle of the day. I can guarantee that much," he spoke, turning away and heading to the mouth of the ruin where the horse sat tied to a post. "Get up within the next five minutes while I feed the horse, or I'll leave you behind. Don't test me on this." 

I can see that he wants to get going, but is a threat necessary?

I sighed at his words but nodded and muttered, "I understand." Not wanting to test him, I roused myself from the bedroll to the entrance, where the wanderer attended to the horse. "I'm here… So please don't leave me behind." I squeaked, still nervous to talk to him. To my surprise, he scanned my body and frowned, not pleased with something. 

"And how, exactly, are you planning to ride a horse wearing something like that? I had no idea nobles completely lacked common sense." 

How can he say things like that without batting an eye?

He was right, though, because there was no way I could ride in my fancy dress. Not wanting to irritate him further, I tried to ask him in a careful tone, "So… What should I do? I don't… Have a change of clothing here…"

At that, he groaned before replying in a condescending voice, "Then take clothes from the storage room. Do I have to spell out everything for you? Damn…” Then he signaled me to walk with him to the supplies room. After digging through a pile of items, he tossed me a pair of large pants and a shirt. "Now change," he ordered and left the room.

As fast as possible, I pulled on the dusty clothes, even though they fit me like a canvas sack. I then returned to the temple entrance, where the wanderer was waiting.

"If we ride quickly, we'll be able to reach your city by the afternoon. Well, that's assuming your approximation of distance is accurate," he explained, readying himself to mount the horse. 

It seemed like a solid plan and all, but there was one minor problem — I wasn't confident in my riding abilities.

I took a deep breath to steel myself against his irritation before saying, "I can't ride horses that well." His look made me feel like shriveling up in a hole to die, but I tried to hold firm. There must be a reason he was acting like this, right?

"I won't lie, I'm tempted to leave you here," he growled again, "but since I gave you my word, I'll do it — just this once. Count yourself lucky, girl."

I do count myself lucky.

While nodding at him, I looked towards the horse with hesitation. Because I was on the shorter side, the thoroughbred horse was far too tall for me to mount with no practice. There was no way I could mount the thing on my own.

The wanderer somehow read my mind, and he let out another one of his impatient sighs before muttering, "You don't know how to get on? Fine, I'll give you a boost. Step on my hands, okay?"

"Okay," I mumbled, doing as he directed. His method worked like a charm, making me wonder how he knew all this survival stuff. 

Does he travel often? Possibly for a living? He's certainly dressed for the part.

Taking a moment to tighten the saddle, he placed his boot into the stirrup and heaved himself up in front of me. My heart rate quickened as the distance between our bodies closed. This was the closest I had ever been to my handsome savior, or any handsome savior for that matter.

"I ride fast. Don't fall off — I won't come back for you if you do." He told me, his tone as serious as ever. If it had been anyone else, I would have thought they were joking, but not him. I had no doubt that he'd leave me behind in a heartbeat if he could.

There may be a reason behind it, but does he really have to be this rude?

Once more, I nodded at his instructions and murmured, "Understood." I really thought I had understood, but when he clicked his tongue, causing the horse to race forward, I almost fell off. 

It's been one second, and I've almost fallen off already. Nice.

My arms wrapped around his waist to hold on, and even over the sound of beating hooves, I could hear him scoff at my gesture. 

He's not telling me I can't hold onto him…

I grinned a little as I held on even tighter, pressing my body into his. I could feel his body stiffen, but he didn't tell me to let go; I needed something to hold on to, after all. Underneath the charcoal poncho, I could feel toned muscles, ones that must've taken years of training to form, and again wondered who this man really was. The clothes of a traveler, the physique of a fighter, the blades of a cultist— he was an enigma wrapped in a mystery, and I didn't even know his name. 

As we raced away from the temple I despised, we headed eastward into the coming sunrise. A voice inside me said this would be a monumental thing, perhaps an end to the dull noble life I loathed. 

All I ever wanted since I was a child was a life far away from the castle where I grew up. They designed the towering stone walls to keep others out, but most of the time, it felt like they were only there to keep me trapped inside. The thought might have been just an infectious idea my anti-noble brother told me once, but even if this was the case, it had cemented itself in my brain. Watching him struggle against the system made me feel like it was only fitting for me to work to get out, too. It was the two of us against the ancient feudal system that had ruled Umbra for centuries. 

Now, it's only me, though. 

Since that terrible night when my brother raced out of the castle into a severe storm during a feud with my father, life hadn't been easy for me. My father told me he tried to take shelter from the storm in the forest but wandered into a bear's den. There, it mauled him to death. 

At first, I didn't believe him — how could I? My brother was the most intelligent man and talented fighter I knew. As hard as it was to believe, when I saw the bloody scrap of clothing bearing the Van Doren insignia, I couldn't deny it.

Even years after his death, thinking about losing him affected me significantly. I hid my face into the wanderer's back to will away the tears gathering in my eyes. 

He hadn't deserved it — even if my dad said he was nothing but trouble.

To my surprise, the wanderer glanced back at me, sensing my upset, but I only buried my face deeper into his cloak. For once, I was glad I couldn't talk to him while on the horse. I would have been all choked up and didn't want to explain why.

I'm pathetic. Why do I have to think of all of this right now?

But I knew why. My plan was always to start my new, exciting life with my older brother by my side — not with an insociable stranger, no matter how handsome he may be. 

I tightened my grip around the wanderer's waist as I daydreamed about things I hadn't thought about in a long time. Before I knew it, we stopped. Had I fallen asleep? It made sense, considering how tired I was.

I wonder how long we've been traveling.

"Off." the man spoke in his usual agitated tone while prodding me with his elbow. At first, part of me wanted to hold on to him even tighter in pure defiance, but I reconsidered my rebellious plot. If I did that, he'd lose his patience with me. 

With hesitation, I unwrapped my arms from around his waist and peered ahead. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to everything, but I soon noticed that we were at the canyon. 

I'm almost home.