[Music Recommendation: Western Nights ~ Ethel Cain]

Adric turned to Oriana, who was still fuming at the charmer, as she wanted to know what he had done to her sister. Despite never being loved by her sister, it amazed Adric how Oriana managed to keep her beautiful heart undented and how she had turned to be his personal amusement and headache. His eyes followed her movement.

"I’m sure he is working with that man," Oriana continued, tapping her finger on her lips.

Adric’s eyes looked down at her leg, and he bent down before scooping Oriana in his arm, carrying her in a bridal style.

Oriana gasped when Adric carried her up from the ground, "What are you doing?" she tried to hide her face.

"Rowan, I will leave the rest to you," he said before leaving with Oriana, who buried her face on Adric’s shoulder.

Malcolm turned to Madame Rosalie, "Let’s go now." he gestured for the woman to move forward, and she did while he followed her behind.

Rowan turned to the charmer, finally letting go of Freya, "You, sit with me and the coachman while the women will sit inside."

Galen was afraid of going back to the palace after everything he had done. "I can explain, please I don’t want to go back to the palace."

"Tell it to the King and Queen tomorrow, move," was Rowan’s cold reply.

When the charmer started walking, Sophie ran after him, "Husband, where are you going without me?"

Rowan and Freya blinked twice, looking at the princess act like she was so in love with the man in front of her.

"Make her stop," Rowan ordered, "You can’t sit in the same place with the princess."

Sophie started crying, "I want to stay with my husband, please let me stay with him."

Rowan sighed. This wasn’t what he imagined to be doing when he was promoted as the king’s personal aide and guard. "Fine, go inside the carriage. And no monkey business, else I won’t hesitate to really throw you out for the wild animals," he said, threatening Galen.

"I won’t do anything," the charmer murmured, running to hold Sophie. "Wife, protect me. That man is scary."

Rowan’s eyes followed them until they entered the carriage, but then he noticed that one person was yet to enter the carriage. He turned to see Freya holding her hand on her chest, "What are you waiting for? Get inside. We have to go."

Freya shook her head, "You don’t expect me to sit in there with that man. What if he makes me want to marry him too? I can’t," she shook her head again.

Rowan raised his upper lip slightly, "For someone who was throwing flying kicks, you should be fine. Now run along, shoo." He turned to leave, but Freya ran after him.

"I’m going to sit with you," Freya informed with a note of finality. She wasn’t going to sit with someone who had the power to make her do things she didn’t want to, especially after she had doubted the man.

Rowan stopped walking, "In a row, and just in one night, you have chosen to take my hand. I find that bold or just careless."

Freya twitched her lips, "I call it wisdom. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. And also, the devil you know is better-" she stopped talking when Rowan glared at her.

"Let’s go." Freya’s voice turned low. She jumped on the seat close to the coachman.

Rowan joined, sitting on the other side, but the carriage didn’t go far when Freya started sneezing. "Let’s stop here," Rowan ordered the coachman. And to Freya, he said,

"Get down." Freya rubbed her nose. She didn’t know sitting outside would be so cold, and obediently she stepped down and followed Rowan.

Rowan opened the carriage door and waited for her to enter first, but Freya continued looking at him anxiously, "I’m going in too, so get in before I change my mind."

Freya didn’t think twice. She hopped inside the carriage, where she saw Sophie and her new husband sitting so close to each other, and they were now sleeping.

Rowan was the next to enter the carriage. He closed the door, hitting on the small window for the coachman to continue.

"They really make a beautiful couple, if you look at it," Rowan said, pointing at Sophie and the charmer. His voice laced with sarcasm, which Freya caught on very fast.

Freya raised her brows, looking at the princess and the charmer. There was absolutely nothing beautiful about them. She turned to look at Rowan, who had a pleased look on his face, "You, you’re some kind of sad- never mind," Freya sighed, looking out of the window. She felt the warmth of the carriage slowly creep into her body.

The thought of going home to her bed filled her mind. It had been a hectic night of adventure for her, and she just wanted to sleep the whole day.

"You know, if you want to say something, stand your ground and say it," Rowan said to the girl, reclining on the carriage seat. He turned when he didn’t hear any response from her. There he saw the girl’s head moving back and forth; she was now deep in sleep.

Rowan sighed. He decided to close his own eyes and sleep when he felt a small nudge on his shoulder.

Freya, enjoying the new comfort, snuggled in even closer, with her leg on Rowan’s body while she slept peacefully like there was nothing bothering her.

"She is an innocent one," The charmer, who had been closing his eyes, opened them, and with a dreamy voice, he started. "If you want my advice, I will say go-"

"You are going to sleep in the dungeon tonight. If you want my advice, I will say enjoy the warmth you feel now because the wall of the dungeon is cold."

The charmer coughed back his inspirational words, "Please help me. I don’t want to sleep there again."

"Start by keeping your mouth shut," Rowan instructed, and that did it. The carriage became quiet except for the small sighs Freya made while she slept.

Rowan looked down at the girl’s legs. With her gown raised, he could almost see her thigh. He looked away, trying to push her leg down, but Freya brought them even closer, and this caused her gown to raise more dangerously.

"Silly swan," Rowan muttered, using his hand to bring her dress to cover her properly.

Back at the inn where Malcolm and Madame Rosalie were watching the soldiers, they found a better spot to rest, waiting for the day to break.

Madame Rosalie was restless that she couldn’t catch a wink of sleep, "How did you know that I lied about the food?" she asked the general, who was sitting with his eyes closed and back resting on the wall.

"You lied about the food?" Malcolm opened his eyes, "Now that’s a punishable offense."

Madame Rosalie pursed her lips, "If you didn’t know I lied, then what did you mean when you said you’d bring to light the things I’ve done?"

Malcolm chuckled, "I needed someone to watch with me tonight. If you didn’t take the bait, I was going to try someone else. I’m glad I started with an easy target."

Madame Rosalie sneered; she couldn’t believe she had fallen for the man’s trap. After a few minutes of silence, she asked, "Why are you watching over them? You can go back to the palace while waiting for them to return."

The General opened his eyes, looking at his soldiers, "They are not just soldiers; these men are the King’s backbone. They also need protection at their vulnerable moments." he replied, "Tell me, what do you think about war?"

Madame Rosalie hummed. In the past, during the war, her business had thrived because men usually visited her inn to spend their money, considering that they didn’t know when they would die. But she had also lost some of her girls during the same war.

"I think it’s unnecessary; lives are lost for no reason. Kings of different kingdoms should sit down and dialogue," the woman remarked.

Malcolm nodded, "Can I talk to you casually?" he asked, and Madame Rosalie nodded. "Good, Rosalie. You’re right about that, but this time around, I don’t think dialogue is going to work. King Adric has been trying, but the kingdom attacking won’t stop, and which is why I have a feeling that the next war might take a lot from us." His eyes were now on the soldiers.

Madame Rosalie looked at the soldiers, and then she understood why the man was protecting them, because he wasn’t sure what the outcome of the war might be.

"Every day I think of what to tell their families if their sons and daughters don’t return." Malcolm sighed, "That’s the hardest thing about being a general. If I had my way, I’d save everyone, but since I can’t, I let them live to the fullest. Which is why I’m happy to see the King and his Queen love each other every day like their life depends on it." his voice became distant.

"The battlefield is a cold place, Rosalie, and the King would need all the love he can get," Malcolm sighed. This was the reason he promised never to get attached to anyone. He was scared of never coming back home. "Promise me something: when we finally leave, make sure you watch over the Queen."

Madame Rosalie was quiet for a second, thinking about it. She had not given the man in front of her the respect he deserved, knowing how many men he must have lost to the war, but he was still very confident.

"I promise," she muttered, "And Malcolm, promise me you will bring back our king."

Malcolm stretched his hand forward, "I have nobody waiting, but the king has his family, and on that, with my life on the line, I will make sure he comes back unscathed."

Madame Rosalie looked at the hand the man stretched for her to shake, "I will be waiting for you, so make sure you return with our King." she said before shaking his hand.

"I will do just that," Malcolm shook hands with Rosalie, both of them smiling. The distant chirping of the night crickets served as the witness to their sealed promises.