Julian collapsed into the thick brush, his breath coming in ragged, painful gasps. The officer's uniform he wore was now tattered, shredded by forest thorns and soaked with sweat and blood from a gash on his arm. However, as he looked up, a pair of strong hands pulled him to his feet.
"You're two minutes late, Elias," Adrian whispered. Though his tone was light, his eyes radiated immense relief. Behind him, two sturdy Dutch cavalry horses snorted impatiently, already fitted with saddles and supply pouches.
"That explosion... almost killed me too," Julian muttered, struggling to mount the saddle. "But they took the bait. That entire Marechaussee detachment is now climbing toward the dead-end eastern peak."
Adrian leaped onto his horse with graceful movement. "Good. But we don't have much time. Friedrich is no fool. As soon as he realizes this was a diversion, he will send mounted troops to sweep the southern route."
They spurred their horses through the darkness of the Buitenzorg forest, which now felt like a black labyrinth. Pale moonlight occasionally pierced the tree canopy, illuminating the slippery path. Julian had to exert every ounce of his remaining strength just to stay on the galloping horse.
"Why did you save me, Adrian?" Julian asked amidst the thundering hooves. "You could have let me be captured. It would have made your escape easier."
Adrian turned for a moment, his stern face carved by the night shadows. "Because Mother would never forgive me if I let her brother's son die. And because... for the first time in my life, I saw a Van de Berg who cared more about the truth than his crown."
Suddenly, the sound of a military bugle echoed from a distance behind them. Friedrich had realized the trick. Torchlights began to move at the foot of the hill like a fire snake chasing its prey.
"Gallop, Julian! We must reach the Jampang border before dawn!" Adrian shouted.
That night, under the vast Javanese sky, the two brothers flew like the wind. They were no longer a prince and a porter; they were two lives bound by the same blood, racing toward uncertainty for the sake of a promised meeting at the ocean's edge.