Rowan's POV:

I don't know why this boy saved me, but I don't really care. If he is trying to trick me, my goal will be to murder him, but for now, I think I am safe.

If he is really helping me and wishes to free me, the least I can do is take him with me so that he does not endure whatever he has here. As time passes and we walk down the barren halls, I am more and more convinced that his provocative clothes and appearing as a prostitute is not his choice.

"Your king took my weapons. Where are they?" I ask, and he pauses to think.

His face falls. "He keeps his prizes in his trophy room. I can show you where it is, but I wish not to go in."

I shake my head. "I do not trust you. Not yet," I say, glaring at him. "You stay at my side at all times or I leave you behind."

He panics and agrees to stay at my side.

Even though he saved me, he also lied to me earlier about not speaking the same language as me and then doesn't want to stay with me.

He leads me to the trophy room he spoke of and I spot my weapons sitting on a table, so I snatch them and use the black strap that sits with them and strap them to my right arm because I am left handed.

I spot the boy staring at something at the wall, and I follow his eyes to... well shit, there is a human head in a glass box. Right beside it is a heart in another glass box, and I feel his breathing get heavier, probably leading to a panic attack.

Did he know the severed head when it was attached to its body?

"If you have a panic attack, I will leave you behind," I snap, making him look up at me, tears in his eyes and his bottom lip wobbling. "Oh, gods. Let's get out of here. Where is the nearest exit?"

He guides me down the hall and to a courtyard and points at a tree. "Can you climb?" he asks me, shivering a bit from the cold, especially because he is almost nude.

I nod, getting up on the tree before the boy, because if guards come after us, I am choosing my safety over his. If he's really experiencing horrible abuse here, I would feel bad leaving him, but it wouldn't be something that I would dwell on for very long.

To be honest, I just hope he does not irritate me on the journey back. I've killed people before, and if he annoys me enough, I'll have no regrets killing him and throwing his body in a river.

Once I'm on the stone wall, I turn around and find him skillfully climbing the tree and hopping up beside me on the stone wall.

He does not seem as helpless as I assumed, but it doesn't change my current opinion on him. I still don't trust him. If he's so skillfully climbing a tree, why didn't he escape in the past? If his life is so bad here?

Once we're on the ground, I guide him to the woods where I left my horse.

She is loyally waiting for me, and I help the boy onto her saddle before climbing on in front of him.

The boy behind me is so tense, and I don't know why that is. Does he have a fear of animals?

"Why are you tense?" I ask him, and he just shrugs, remaining silent.

Well, I won't waste my time for answers I don't care to have. I just wish to get home and tell my father about my lack of success and my plan for future infiltration.

This boy may be useful, since he knows the palace inside and out. Maybe he can even point me in the direction of the mysterious prince, should he still be alive.

As we begin to ride away from the kingdom of Vayl, I hear shouting and know the guards have noticed that I escaped.

I push the mare to run faster, making the boy shriek and grab onto me like a lifeline. It is almost comforting, but I push the thought away.

He could still betray me, and he may be willing to sell me out if we are caught and blame it on me. Chances are, he has lived there long enough that he'd get away with it, too.

"S-Sir?" he asks, his voice shaky and raised because it is very loud when my mare's feet pound on the ground.

"What?!" I shout back, not really in the mood to deal with whatever he wants.

I feel him squeeze tighter onto me, most likely in response to my annoyed tone. "D-Do you h-have a blanket or j-jacket I may use?"

I do, hanging on the front my horse right in front of the saddle, and he is barely wearing any clothing so I should give it to him... but I do not want to stop.

We can stop after a few hours, once we are far from being caught by the guards from Vayl. Chances are, if it's too cold, he may not make it for a few hours.

I want to blame him for it, but if he was a slave, it isn't his choice to dress like a prostitute. So, I order my horse to slow down and grab the blanket so he can wrap it around himself and once he's holding onto me again, I get the horse to speed up.

"We will stop in a few hours, once I know we are safe from the guards," I tell him, and I feel him nod against my back.

"Yes, Sir," he says, and I don't like that he's treating me like the person who is controlling him, but for now I need him to follow my command, so I will dissuade him from calling me "Sir" later.

•••

Ciaran's POV:

Finally, finally, we stop.

I'm cold, I don't have shoes, and my butt and asshole are throbbing because Master fucked me without preparation and the injuries feel much worse because I am riding the horse.

I do not regret running, but I am in so much pain. The only thing I have that is helping me right now is the blanket.

I watch the man who helped me escape get off the horse, and I follow him, but I'm clumsy and my feet are numb, so I just collapse on my side.

The man rolls his eyes and walks over to me, literally picking me up and bringing me over to a log and laying me down. He walks around a small perimeter and sets up wires and small traps, and I know they are just in case anyone sneaks up on us.

"I'll light a fire," the man says once he is done with his traps. He tosses me a heavy jacket. "We are sharing that blanket, so you should wear this."

"Th-Thank you," I say, my teeth chattering.

He lights a fire and I put my feet as close as I can without burning them, and they are all red and white from being so cold.

"What is your name?" he asks me, leaning against the log and reaching into a bag that he had attached to the horse. He pulls out a leather pack full of dried fruit and nuts, and I start drooling like some shameless animal, but I do not care.

I shake my head and focus on his question. "My name is Ciaran," I say, wiping the drool off my mouth and focus my attention on warming my toes and hands.

"Interesting name," he says, popping a piece of dried apple in his mouth, along with some kind of nut.

I'm so hungry, but I don't want to ask for food from him.

He's already been kind enough to take me with him and not leave me in the hands of Master... I did save him, but I'm sure he could have escaped if he had enough time.

"Do you care to know my name?" he asks, and I shrug.

"Are you going to allow me to know your name, Sir?"

He nods his head. "Yes. My name is Rowan." Another piece of food enters his mouth, and I can't take it.

I crawl over to him, reaching for his pants and attempting to pull them down, but he jumps up and shoves me away.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" he snaps, glaring at me.

My bottom lip wobbles and I try to fight down the tears. "I just want something to eat," I whisper, a traitorous tear falling down my cheek. "M-Master only allowed me f-f-food if I pleasure him fir-first."

Rowan relaxes and sits down, but he doesn't open his pants and make me do anything. Instead, he holds the leather pouch of food toward me and sits back against the log.

"We can split the food evenly. I have enough for us both and we can stop in the villages on the way back and purchase more, should we need to. The trip to my kingdom is only a couple of days, and we got decently far tonight because we were rushing."

I don't savagely start grabbing food from the bag, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't shovel the food into my mouth once it was in my hands.

"Don't choke," Rowan warns, his eyes wide when he sees how hungry I am. "You were the only person in that castle besides the king, queen, and some guards. Why is that?"

My appetite is gone when he says that, so I finish chewing and hand him the leather pouch back. "The head guard is, uh, was my Master. He lives in the castle and keeps me with him."

"But why you?"

"I've been asking myself that question for years," I think, but I don't really wish to talk about my past, so I don't respond and just shrug.

Rowan doesn't press. "Whatever. We should sleep. I want to be up early and get home," he says, throwing the blanket over both of us.

He pulls me close to him and rolls his eyes when I look up at him nervously. "It is cold and you're going to die if you don't have body heat, and the same goes for me," he tells me, so I decide to take advantage of it and lay my head on my chest.

No one can blame me.

Rowan is warm and very pretty.