When they left Edenville behind, the sky was starting to light up. Rose turned her head backward to look at the wooden barricade at the entrance of her little town. She was once again setting out, and once again, she was unsure when she would see this little town again.
As the horse moved forward, the farther she got and the smaller her little town looked. Rose painfully tore her gaze away as she stared ahead, following after Thomas, who led the way. The horses galloped over the snow, seemingly unbothered by the frozen ground.
Rose wondered if the horses couldn't feel the snow—it must surely hurt—but she remembered that horses could ride on the roughest terrains with people on their backs. She doubted something like snow would bother them much.
Conversation was almost nonexistent throughout the journey, and so were the breaks. Thomas only allowed two stops during the journey on the first day, and both stops were for the horses. Each time, he was mindful enough to stop where they could feed on frozen grass.
When sunset arrived, they were still on horseback, riding through the snow. Rose was starting to get worried as it didn't look like they would be stopping anytime soon, nor was there anywhere to stop. She didn't mind spending the night under the skies if it weren't so cold out.
She doubted a tent and a fire would do much good in this cold, but that wasn't the only problem. Rose could see that none of the items the riders carried around with them looked like tents or mats. While they had stopped twice, Rose either stood or found a tree stump to sit on.
However, as her worry grew, Rose started to see the outline of a town. It was the lights that told her there was one there. They rode up to the front and were allowed entrance without much trouble.
Rose wasn't familiar with this town. It felt as though she might have passed it on the way back to Edenville, but it was too dark to tell. She tried to look around, but she couldn't really see much. As darkness had descended, the streets were deserted, and the only sounds of life came from the houses.
Thomas didn't ride too far from the gate; rather, he stopped right in front of a tavern. Thomas had not gotten off his horse when they were quickly bombarded by little boys. Rose counted four, and they didn't seem older than eight.
"Mi lords and lady, we take care of yer horses for ye," one of them announced proudly.
Thomas got off his horse with ease, barely sparing the little boys a glance. They must have realized Thomas was important because, even though you could see the eagerness of not wanting to lose business, none of them ventured too close.
Rose was unsure if she should get down or not, but when she saw the rest of the men do the same, she slowly got off her horse. Thomas watched her from the corner of his eyes, and only when he was certain he wouldn't need to help her did he turn his gaze away.
As soon as Rose's feet touched the ground, the batwing doors of the tavern opened, and a young lad walked out. He was significantly older than the little boys, but Rose was sure he had only just hit puberty. He was taller than the average child, but his face showed just how young he was.
He had chubby cheeks, sharp eyes, and hair that framed his face. He bowed as soon as he stepped out and immediately walked toward them. Thomas didn't say a word to him; rather, he walked past and into the tavern.
Rose didn't hesitate; she quickly followed after Thomas. He pushed the batwing doors open with an unnecessary amount of force, and the noise in the tavern immediately died down.
It had been loud enough for Rose to hear it while she was outside—the sounds of laughter, music, and cheers. It sounded lively, nothing compared to the cold outside but now it was dead silence.
Thomas stood and stared at the space intimidatingly. Suddenly, the boy who had stepped out quickly appeared at his side. "My lord, we have prepared a table for you. Please, come with me."
Thomas narrowed his eyes but followed after the young man, who seemed relieved. Rose adjusted her coat as she wondered if this was where they would stay for the night.
The tavern also seemed to serve as an inn. Rose was certain there would be enough rooms for them to stay here, but she was concerned about the arrangements.
The boy led them past the open space and toward the stairs. Rose winced as she felt eyes on her. She was the only woman in the midst of five men. She was not hard to notice.
The boy suddenly stopped in front of a room and opened it. It was similar to the main room at the entrance, but the difference was that there was no counter and only two round tables with three chairs each. It was clearly made for privacy.
There were candles on the tables and torches on the wall. The fireplace was burning, and it was warm enough for Rose to take her coat off.
"Is it to my lord's liking?" the lad asked.
Thomas didn't answer; rather, he walked in and took a seat at the nearest table. The rest of the knights walked in, and they all sat at one table, which meant Rose would have to share a table with Thomas.
Thomas took off his cape and his kettle hat as he sat down with his legs stretched out. Rose tried not to stare but it was hard not to notice how imposing Thomas was even though he was quite young.
The lad was still by the door with his head bowed as though waiting for something. Thomas turned to look at Rose, who stood beside the lad, staring in and making no attempt to walk in.
She noticed Thomas's disapproving gaze, and her legs started to move on their own. Rose got to the table, and Thomas was still staring at her, but when she reached to take her coat off, he sheepishly turned his gaze away.
"Your finest food," he ordered.
"And wine!" one of the knights yelled.
"Only a jar," Thomas said sternly.
"A jar is plenty, your lordship," the men grinned.
"And you?" Thomas turned to Rose, who was now seated with her coat resting on the seat. "What do you want?"
Rose's eyes widened. "Me?" she asked in shock. "Anything will do my lord," she said quickly, hands clasped on her thighs.
Thomas turned to the lad. "That's all."
The boy quickly bowed and retreated, shutting the door after him and leaving Rose with the five men.
Rose swallowed as she realized just how awkward it was. It had been a little better when they were riding here, as that was a completely different setting and there was a goal in mind. Right now, it was just awkward.
"We rest here for the night," Thomas explained. "We are between Stonegate and Furtherfield. You will have to make do with the inn. It would be too much of a hassle to bother the lord so late."
Rose nodded. She didn't mind the inn. As long as it was warm and there was a roof over her head, she was satisfied.
Thomas' expression turned stern. "See that you eat your fill. We have a long way to go. The road ahead should take at least a day and a half. I mean to see it done in one day."
Rose nodded, grateful that Thomas was offering some kind of explanation. She wanted to ask more questions. His explanation about them being between Stonegate and Furtherfield should mean they were close to Furtherfield, but Thomas said there was still a day and a half left in the journey. Were they headed for the castle?
"Where are we going?" she heard herself ask.
Thomas paused for a moment as though unsure if he should tell her. "Haiyes," he finally answered. "His Highness is up there."
Rose's eyes widened in shock, and at the same time, she felt a little relieved that they weren't going to the castle. Rose was familiar with Haiyes. She remembered that Lady Delphine's late husband used to be the lord of the town. Now, his first son—the one who had spilled wine over her and insulted Lady Delphine—was the Marquis of Haiyes.
Haiyes was better than the castle in that the Queen wasn't there, but she would rather be home with her father. Rose internally sighed.
Rose could not guess why Caius would be in Haiyes instead of the castle. She was curious but didn't want to ask. She had purposely refused to ask about anything that might have to do directly with the crown prince, and asking why he was in Haiyes was exactly the kind of question she didn't want to ask.
"I see," Rose said and slowly turned her gaze to look around the room. Surprisingly, she felt a little comfortable here. Perhaps it was the coziness—it reminded her of home.
Thomas didn't miss this. He noticed that Rose didn't ask about the crown prince, and he had also purposefully tried to keep away from the topic.
He was unsure how he felt about the situation, but Rose belonged to the crown prince, and that would not change. He would make sure he did exactly as he was instructed and bring her to His Highness in perfect condition.