The carriage rolled out before the sun had fully risen.

I took the window seat. Lina sat across me without being told, knees together, hands in her lap, already looking outside like she’d been waiting for the world to start moving.

Sebastian rode up front.

The mansion disappeared behind us and I stopped thinking about it.

The plains came first.

I hadn’t really looked at this region since arriving. Too busy. Too underground, literally... most of my mornings had been spent in a cave. But sitting still with nowhere to be, the landscape had space to actually land.

It was vast in a way that felt personal. The grass ran in every direction, muted green and frost-edged, interrupted occasionally by low stone formations or distant tree lines that marked where the land changed.

Lina had her face about three inches from the glass.

A herd moved in the distance...broad, low-slung animals with grey coats.

"Plains Elk," I said.

She looked at me briefly, then back at them.

"They follow the frost line north this time of year."

She watched them until the road curved and they were gone. Then she kept looking at the place they’d been for another few seconds, like she was making sure.

I glanced at her reflection in the glass.

She was smiling.

Small. Unguarded. The kind of smile that didn’t know it was being watched.

When did that start, I thought.

I looked away.

The Northern Region. A third of the empire, ruled by a man known as its tenth Swordmaster. From a carriage window it looked like the kind of place that had been here before the empire and would be here long after.

The village appeared around midmorning.

One road. Maybe thirty buildings.

The kind of place that had a name on a map and nothing else. A blacksmith was already going despite the early hour we heard him before we saw him.

A few children stopped to watch the carriage pass with the particular focus of people who didn’t see carriages that often.

After the village the road started climbing.

Gradually. The kind of slope you only noticed when you glanced back and the plains were suddenly further below than they should have been. The trees thickened. Older growth—taller, quieter, canopy closing overhead and turning the light the color of still water.

Something moved in the trees to the left.

Big. Dark.

A Two-horned Wolf. One of them, alone, moving parallel to the road for maybe twenty seconds before it decided we weren’t worth the attention and turned back into the undergrowth.

Lina had gone completely still.

She watched the spot where it had disappeared long after it was gone.

Then she turned to me.

"Do you know all the things?"

Longest sentence she’d said without being asked something first.

I thought about it.

"The ones worth knowing," I said.

She turned back to the window.

Somewhere ahead, built into the base of those mountains, was the main Ardyn estate.

Aria was already there.

The prince would arrive tomorrow.

The duel was the day after.

I leaned back and looked at the ceiling of the carriage for a moment.

Twenty-eight hours.

Across from me Lina had her cheek resting against the window now, watching the peaks go by. Her breath left small fogs on the glass that appeared and disappeared with the rhythm of the road.

Mister’s miss, I thought.

I looked away.

What a pair.

Night fell somewhere between the mountains.

The carriage kept moving.

At some point Lina had stopped watching the window. I noticed it only when I felt the weight of her head finding my lap with the same calm certainty she applied to everything. No hesitation. No asking.

Just settled. Like it was obvious.

I looked down at her for a moment.

Fast asleep. Completely unbothered. The same way she always was.

Outside, the mountains moved slowly past the glass, dark and enormous.

I didn’t move.

Three days, I thought. Then she gets her memory back.

I looked back at the ceiling.

Enjoy the quiet while it lasts.

***

It was midnight.

I woke up.

The mana density around the carriage had spiked up and it was sudden, dense something felt wrong. Sebastian had already increased the pace. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A quiet sound. Subtle. The kind you only caught if you were listening for it.

Then a dagger hit the window.

Crack. Crack.

The protection spell on the carriage flickered.

Lina woke up. Her grip on my arm tightened instantly.

Sebastian brought the carriage to a stop.

Knock. Knock

A knock on the front window. Two taps. Measured.

"Young Master. Are you alright?"

"Yes," I said, without dropping my guard.

One hand rested on Lina’s head. I opened the window.

"Sebastian. What’s going on?"

"It appears some rats have decided to make themselves known." A pause. "Give me a minute. I’ll be right back."

I nodded once. His figure disappeared into the dark.

tok... tok...

A minute later. Another knock.

"Young Master. We’re ready to continue."

"...Huh."

I stared at the window for a moment.

What the hell did he do.

I leaned over and looked out. Sebastian stood in the moonlight, perfectly composed.

His clothes were soaked in blood. I closed the window.

Lina was awake for the rest of the night.

We reached a village by morning.

We reached a village by morning. The sight of Sebastian drew stares immediately. He walked through the street like nothing had happened, hands clasped behind his back, calm and unhurried, covered head to toe in someone else’s blood. He looked like a madman who had simply forgotten to change.

I should be more careful around him. He’s dangerous.

Too dangerous. Seeing it was something else entirely.

After a few stops we reached the main estate. I stepped out of the carriage and looked up. It was something else entirely. A stone road ran straight through the center, wide enough for three carriages side by side. Flower gardens lined both edges.

Big shops. A church. Some bakeries. The whole place was filled with people.

I stood there for a moment.

***

Inside the mansion, Aria sat by the window.

She kept looking at the road.

Is he not coming?

Either way, she had expected nothing.

The gate opened.

A carriage rolled through a pace, unhurried. The Ardyn crest on the side.

She straightened slightly without meaning to.

A boy stepped down.

A girl followed, her hand loosely tucked into the crook of his arm.

Aria watched from the window.

Who is he?