I Owe You

"Offer? Can we eat these? They're skin and bones…!" Kanaru pushed the heavy body off him before sitting up to stare at the man who came to their aid. "But I don't mind talking to you."

Kanaru's eyes somewhat glazed at the emergence of help, especially when the newcomer only needed to swipe his hand around. He produced light beams that disintegrated the heads and shoulders of the wolves that came to attack them. 

The pack lost its leader, so they chose to flee. However, the man jumped to get to the top of the carriage and sent multiple beams to chase the wolves.

In a few seconds, everything was quiet. All Kanaru knew was that the man spun halfway from his spot to face him. Long blonde hair swayed in the air, and red eyes descended on Kanaru's entirety. The cool gaze was nothing hostile or freezing onto the body. It was even making Kanaru feel warmer. 

On this cold night, he could spend moments drowning in the man's gaze.

Crash! The man swiftly disappeared from Kanaru's view. The prince got up from the blood pool and called out for the person. Instead of vanishing as if becoming a mystery, the man actually fell through the carriage's roof. It was not that strong, and the carriage was already damaged by the pack leader earlier.

"Hey! Is everyone okay?" Kanaru hurried to the back to find the newcomer. He just dealt with the people screaming from the roof caving in.

The people inside the carriage were huddled together, so when the newcomer fell in, none of them got hurt. It was just that the man looked awfully upset. After all, it was an embarrassing sight. Still, he moved to get up and examined the old wood holding the carriage's roof.

When he turned to find Kanaru getting the people out of the carriage, he only sighed. "It seems like I owe you a carriage now. Are you headed somewhere important?"

"Hmm? Yes, but we don't have a direction to follow." Kanaru smiled at the man who got off the carriage as well. "Are you okay? You saved us, but you still got hurt because of our old vehicle. You don't have to bother about this. I'll find a way to fix it."

"Let's head to the outpost, then. It's better to fix it there than in complete darkness." The man turned to the people he could barely see… then to the blood behind them. "…I should have run when I heard the commotion. I could have saved more of you."

Kanaru glanced behind them and remembered how some fighters were dragged away by some wolves. He then shook his head. "We're already grateful as it is. Also, can we stay at this outpost you're talking about? These people need to rest."

The man only stared at Kanaru before turning in a direction. "Not for too long. It's a military outpost, not a village. You can just resupply and rest for one night. Will that be enough time for you to fix the carriage? We also arrived with multiple carriages. I'll get one to replace yours."

"Huh? Multiple…?" Kanaru's eyes flickered. He then tilted his head to the side. "…how far is this outpost, uhm… Wait, I haven't even caught your name yet.

"I'm Kanaru Burdett. My family rules over a small country to the north, but it's running out of supplies." He gestured to the people. "I'm hoping to find a new place for my people. Do you think the outpost can get us some directions? It doesn't have to be a big country. As long as they can build a more stable life there, I will be happy."

The man glanced at the people and their weakened constitutions. He then looked at the unlikely prince, giving him a once-over as if comparing him to a hallmark of a prince in this age. However, Kanaru's smile fell at that action.

With a cough, the man decided to answer: "The outpost can guide you to further places, but it's up to you if you can make the journey. After all, some paths taken by civilians will be unsafe. The safe paths required coins for entry, the prices dependent on the countries watching over those."

Kanaru twitched and looked at the shocked people. He then turned to the man. "Thanks for the information, but, uhm, can you tell us how much you paid to cross the one you just took?"

"We didn't pay for anything. The path we took was unguarded." The man, however, placed his hands on his hips. "Let's talk more along the way. You need to get those people to the outpost first. It's a full day's walk to the east. Can you make it?"

"Your Highness, I think we can make it on our own." The injured caravan leader flinched. "Her Majesty might worry about you if you were gone for so long. A full day's walk is already too far from Burdett. Please head back now."

Kanaru turned to face the caravan leader. He then smiled. "I can fly across the woods, and that's ten times faster than walking. A full day's walk is nothing if I fly back. Don't worry. They'd just look for me when the ambassadors came. That's still two days away, even longer. I promise to return to Burdett once I get you to the outpost and repair the carriage."

The caravan leader didn't know how to make the prince go home, but he also felt safer with Kanaru around. In the end, the group just offered prayers to those who died in the encounter and then began their journey to the east. Kanaru walked behind the carriage just like earlier, but he now had the beautiful man with him. 

…

Unlike what Kanaru was used to, the sky never lit up from the disbursement of the clouds. It was still dark wherever he looked. Even the children were having trouble keeping awake. After all, Burdett still got some sunlight that didn't burn them. Right now, it had always been dark and cold.

The blonde man continued to walk behind the carriage, but he was starting to look down as if his feet ached. After stopping for lunch, they have yet to stop again, anyway. It had been a few hours already, and even the others showed signs of fatigue. 

Kanaru was also feeling terrible with his feet. He was used to flying around, so he didn't really like walking all that much. He then turned to the blonde man, "Rodnir, how far do you think we are from the outpost? I think we should take a break now, one longer than earlier."

"You're already too late to call for a break. We're almost there. Don't fly up to check. They will shoot you down," Rodnir whispered in a grumble. That was also why he just continued to endure the walk. They were already so close.