12 But why did you?

The sun has started setting down taking away the lively colours with it as the blanket of darkness started crawling over everything. It was weird how all the beautiful colors of the town had turned to a grey hue making them appear lifeless. As the winters were almost there, the wind was getting chilly and there was thin fog in the air.

Two figures could be seen hurrying over the stoned pathway of the outer side of the town. That area was ending towards the desert but wasn't a part of the desert as it still had herds of trees and bushes left in there. Though no one was sure how long it would take the desert to eat up that greenery and etch its claws forward onto the lands.

The only voices in the silence of night were the howls of some animal coming from somewhere far away and the boots of the two people.

"There," Hellion stopped in front of an old looking cottage. "Go inside and rest. No one will find you here." He put the keys forward for her.

"Wait, am I staying here alone?" She looked at him in disbelief and then at the small grey building in front of her.

She had been out of the Palace alone many times but never stayed a night somewhere not to mention, alone. What if the people of her father came here looking for her?

"Ofcourse." He glanced back at her eyes as the rest of her face was covered behind the black veil this time. Now that the word has been spread with his and the Princess's picture and a hefty reward has been announced for the one informing their location, they were much more cautious than before.

"Or…are you scared Princess?" He raised an eyebrow at her with a smirk.

"Huh? Scared and me? Of Course no. I was just confirming that I don't have to bear your annoying presence anymore." She immediately covered up the worried look with a careless expression even though he wasn't able to see it and snatched the keys out of his hand.

"Sure, sure. Now you may rest alone far away from my annoying presence. Don't even try and get out of here." He urged as he didn't trust her a little in that matter.

"So I am going to rot here forever?" She stood there holding the keys in her hand without making a move to get in.

Both of them knew why…

"Well as much as I like the sound of it, no. I shall come check up on you occasionally but it won't be often as they are searching for me as well." He leaned against the door with his arms crossed over his chest as he tried to figure out her expressions from her eyes.

Why don't you just stay here with me was what she wanted to say but instead said, "I have a question."

"Yes?"

"You said my father hired you to rescue me from the wedding but then why is he doing all of this reward to catch us stuff?" She narrowed her eyes at the way his features strained over her question.

"U-uhh I don't know. Maybe to make it all seem not planned." He shrugged but avoided her eyes. He didn't know why he lied again when he could have just told her the truth.

But then again what would have he told her? That she was a girl who came to his dreams even before he met her, always saying one thing or that he had this inexplicable urge to protect and hide her from that filthy King whose dirty eyes just drooled lust for her. Even the thought of saying these things to her caused him to shudder inwardly.

"Then why didn't he arrange a safe place for me to stay or fly me off to somewhere else where no one can reach me? Why leave me on your mercy?" She persisted, still unsatisfied by his answer.

This time he looked in her eyes. He knew there was no point lying anymore so he did what he should have done the very first time she confronted her. It was her choice to either stay and marry or run after all.

"Because he didn't hire me." After saying those words, he held his tongue waiting for a volcano to erupt but moments passed and nothing happened.

He just saw her eyes lowering and then she quietly opened the door without a second word.

For some reason he felt the need to ask, "Are you okay?"

Why didn't she get angry at me? He thought to himself and tried to get a look in her eyes but she wasn't looking at him.

She didn't want him to see the tears that had formed in her eyes upon his confession. It nagged her from the very moment the castle guards followed them to the tower. The moment when she realized he had nowhere to take her to.

She wasn't a kid to not understand that it wasn't her father's plan to get her out of there because if it was, it would have all been sorted out, from her escape route to her staying place. Plans don't work like the way they escaped. However, listening to him say it did hurt nevertheless. She wasn't angry at that stranger, was grateful in fact if anything. She didn't have expectations from him, she had them from her father, her blood.

"Yeah, y-you can leave now." She said firmly and stepped inside the dark place.

He looked at her back for a few moments and then turned around to leave, only to be stopped by her timid call.

"But why did you do that for me?"