One, two, three.
That's when I stopped counting, no matter how many more were there.
Cages. Big enough to store humans in.
Which was exactly what they had inside.
Standing behind the forest edge, staring at the two carriages at the side of the road, I could glimpse at the anger in Lancelot's eyes, his hands ready on his dual swords' grips.
I silently placed mine on his, my eyebrows furrowed shaking my head slightly.
I didn't know what was going on, but we had to act. Or at least try.
But not carelessly.
Why would carriages carrying people be in Nalilia's territory?
Slavery was an illegal affair, and it was stopped completely after Grandfather took the throne, it was a long time ago.
Were they travelling across Nalilia anyway?
As I pulled Lancelot back towards the forest and with no easy strength, he blocked his eyes over mine, his uncomfortable emotion overflowing. He wanted to act as soon as possible. No complains, it was his duty, and felt it close.
��Think, Lancelot. We don't know what's going on."
But his eyes and mind were elsewhere.
"You can clearly tell what is going on, Namiya."
Like I didn't notice.
"And what do you want to do? Go all out, alone, and do what?" He couldn't possibly kill them, and he didn't have any reinforcement with him to capture them.
Then again, I actually never saw Lancelot in action, I barely had idea of how strong he could be.
Of course I imagined he was good strong, as my personal knight. But in the palace there was never need of him to actually get into action.
But now it was a new challenge, more for me than him.
"Let's go to the inn." Was the last sentence I heard from him the whole day.
It was nearly evening when we approached the outskirts of the village, which made more sense that the cages were outside and not covered. But everything did not make sense.
Did no one walked there and saw? No one questioned?
Food and lodge were confusing and uncomfortable, but I forced myself to not show a picky side, instead I avoided what I didn't know. I guess that's what I get for escaping and trying to disguise myself in common lifestyle.
For how much I wanted to taste new food and textures, it felt like nothing had a flavour.
As Lancelot stayed quiet all evening in his thoughts, I too was misted by many questions that were browsing around the usual life outside the Palace and Nalilia, a life I wasn't used to.
But we ignored. As much as the village looked populated, we didn't question the few people we met on the streets, that might make us suspicious. I trusted Lancelot, I, on the other hand, had no experience in anything. The old me wanted to get back to the palace and inform Percival so he would handled it, but was that a choice I had?
How was the palace doing? Who knew where I was and who thought I escaped, or worse, went missing after my birthday feast? Would people suspect or was it all handled by my brother? I trusted him, I wouldn't know what to do in his place. He was the mastermind behind his plan, I was run over by my innocent thinking.
It was when the lights were lid on the streets, and I was about to crawl between the thin cotton sheets, the mattress hard and unknown under my weight, that Lancelot spoke again.
"You should get some rest, I'll guard around here." I could see his inner duty growing as he fiddled with the leather belts on his thighs.
After what we saw today I definitely didn't want to let him go, or, to put it in a better way, leave me alone.
But what could ever happen in my inn room? And I trusted he would be back soon enough to enjoy his first night of this journey.
But I also knew what he wanted to check especially, a part of me wanted to go with him, but the rational one decided I would only be in his way.
He would worry more about me than himself. I would let him act as he wished, even if I knew that if I was to order him, he would blindly obey.
That was something I hated about him: his obedience was too overwhelming, and over trusted. I learned from experience.
Things were completely different from when we were kids, that I knew well, but I couldn't toss that thought away.
The room he left me in was dark, the curtains now shut over the window, hiding me from the outside. I wasn't scared of the dark.
But I was of the fact that I was alone not in my bedroom, but that was something I needed to get used to from that night on.
I somewhen and somehow fell asleep, as I woke up again by a loud thump followed by a suppressed curse.
As feet stumped on the crackling floor, I rushed to turn on the lamp on my side, my heartbeat fed by adrenaline.
Something happened.
A Lancelot stumbled on his feet trying to reach for the second bed, falling on his knees before it as he held a hand pressed on his stomach.
And I saw red.
No. Not again.
"Lancelot!" I screamed as loud as my throat let me, tripping on my own steps and sheets to reach for him.
No no no, this could not be happening, I would never allow it.
I would do everything in my power to protect him, then why did I leave him go?
Why this happened already?!
"P-princess... It's fine."
And why was everyone always saying it was fine when it clearly wasn't?
Why would people not trust me enough to get my help?