you //still\\ have all of [me]~crystalfrost <3~

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend swallowed glanced toward the door. Then he sighed. "We have a long way to go. You'll have to."

[~echo~]

Anne nodded and remembered her training. She quickly ran to the tack room, grabbed all the necessary tack for her horse, and ran back to tack the horse. She did so quickly and mounted, riding out of the stall.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend finished tacking his gelding just a few seconds before her. "You're good at that," he remarked as he led the horse outside.

[~echo~]

She gave a weak smile. "Thanks. I have good training. Let's go." She followed on her horse.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend swung himself up into his saddle and clicked his tongue. The horse stepped forward and he urge him into a trot. "How did a maid learn to ride?"

[~echo~]

Anne shrugged. "Whenever I have to work in the stables, I pay attention to what is happening. The other servants explained it to me."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend smiled. "That's good. Now let's get the heck out of here." He urged his gelding into a gallop and they rode down the path away from the castle.

[~echo~]

Anne gave a strained chuckle and nodded, kicking the horse into motion after Elend. She was terrified until they had left the castle out of sight. She sighed a breath of relief as the castle slipped out of view and relaxed a little. She held the reins tight as rain began to really pound down around them.

Meanwhile, the guard who had been outside Elend's room had awoken and realized that he had gone. He yelled in surprise and rushed to the king's room.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend was worried about the horse on the muddy road, but getting away was more important than the risk. He pushed the gelding as hard as he could, checking almost obsessively to make sure she was keeping up.

[~echo~]

Anne, although inexperienced as to how to ride a horse, kept up pretty well. She was panting from the strain of riding so hard but she wasn't complaining.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend glanced behind him at the castle rising on the horizon and pulled back on the reins. "We can slow down now," he said. "Take a rest."

[~echo~]

Anne smiled appreciatively. "Thanks. I appreciate it." She reined her horse in and slowed him to a trot, letting her breathing go back to normal.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend looked over at her. "I'm sorry," he said. He averted his eyes again and stared at the road ahead of them, his eyes hard.

[~echo~]

"No, it's fine," she said softly.

The king had deployed a team of bloodhounds and mounted bounty hunters and they were quickly catching onto the trail.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"I don't think you understand. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to be fleeing the castle. If it weren't for me, your life wouldn't be at stake. Those maids wouldn't have died." Elend shook his head. "I'm sorry."

[~echo~]

Anne caught up with him and looked at him. "I egged you on. We should have been more careful. It's my fault as much as your own," she said stubbornly.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend sighed. "I knew better than to get involved with a servant. I've always been the irresponsible one. I just never thought anyone else would get hurt because of it."

[~echo~]

Anne grit her teeth but didn't reply. Finally, she said, "Let's just get out of here."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend nodded. A second later, he heard the baying of hounds. "They're coming," he said.

[~echo~]

Anne started and became very anxious. "Let's go!" She whipped her horse into action, making it gallop swifter than before.