In the Way

The group managed to restock. They also purchased a set of skis that they could lock onto the wheels if the snow turned out to be too much. 

The emissary warned them of the Cavistonian blockade on the road to the castle, but Hayden felt that he might be able to smooth over the passage. With that final word, they left for the castle. 

Almost upon leaving Great Hearth's boundaries, the snow intensified, as did the chill. It was as if there were some force reducing the power of the weather within the city, one that had now been crossed over. Ariana was happy that they had purchased winter coats. 

Poor Ellie wasn't faring well with the cold; she was shivering and sneezing within the hour. Ariana gave her coat to Ellie so she could cover her head and long ears. Ariana could feel the chill, but it wasn't so bad for her, at least. With some gloves, it was bearable. She figured that it was part of being demonfolk. 

It was just as Hayden said, but it was still shocking to see in this world; the roads were smooth, black, and the snow on either side of them was stained a dark color. It really was an asphalt road. The most paving she'd seen in this world until now was stone tiles in the harbor towns. There was no rattling or shaking from endless bumps and rocks, just the light crackle of wheel on road, the creak of their gradual turning, and the clop of the horse's hooves on the pavement. The snow around them dampened sound almost completely. It was peaceful. 

Ellie and Sophie slept easily that night in the cart, but Hayden was fully alert, and Ariana's head was too busy. The two sat at the front of the cart, scanning the area. It was difficult to see through the haze of the constant snow. As they went, the road became more packed with snow, slowly transitioning from pitch black to lighter and lighter shades of gray. 

Ariana's mind was still spinning from everything that had happened, but she needed to speak with Hayden. 

Both kept their gaze firmly ahead. 

Ariana took a breath. "Hayden... When we met in Lumie... why did you..." She couldn't think of how to phrase her question. 

Hayden closed his eyes for only a second and nodded. "S'pose I just saw a pretty face in need."

She turned to him in shock. He chuckled a bit. She became flustered and smacked his arm, almost knocking him over. "I'm being serious!"

Hayden settled again and sighed. "Tell you the truth... I don't rightly know the why. Don't got a reason for it other than it felt right."

She grumbled and settled back.

"I will say... I'm glad I did."

She looked to him. 

"Feels like I'm out here doing good instead of sitting around waiting for a disaster. That... and you and them girls are better company." His head turned a bit towards her. "Glad to be here with them... with you." 

Ariana put a hand on her chest. "Hayden..."

"Don't know what's going on in that head of yours, but I reckon you've been feeling like you dragged us all out here against our will or something like that. Not sure where that idea came from."

Ariana stayed quiet. 

Hayden was quiet for a while longer. "Lemme ask you a question since we're in the mood for that. You regret meeting us?"

Ariana looked at him. "What?"

"I figure that's what you've been digging at, and I gave my answer. Let me throw it back at you." He looked directly into her eyes. He asked the question again, being much more direct. "Do you regret meeting us?"

Some tears escaped her eyes. "Of course not! I..." She wanted to say the way she felt about them, but the parasite tugged at her mind, reminding her of her truth.

"You what? You wanna get rid of us?"

"Hayden, I can't..."

"Can't what? Can't stand us anymore?"

"Hayden, please!"

"Please, what?"

"Hayden!"

"I'm listening."

She covered her face and gasped in some cold air to try to contain everything, hiccupping.

"You hear what I'm saying?"

She whimpered a bit.

"Is what I'm saying familiar to you at all?"

"N-no..."

"You've gotten pretty good at lying."

"I-I'm not..."

"You've been telling yourself all that, haven't you? Gave yourself plenty of practice."

"It's.... it's not a lie... I'm bad for you, I'll get you all killed, I'll ruin your lives! I'm a parasite, and I'll eat you alive!"

She cried openly.

There was a silence as she cried. 

Hayden took a breath and exhaled a faint cloud into the chill of the night. "Let me feed you, then."

She pulled her head slowly from her hands towards him. "You... what?"

He smirked at her. "I've seen worse monsters than you can muster. You won't scare me off that easy. If you're hungry... let me feed you." 

She was still crying... but she smiled. "Hayden..." She rested her head on his shoulder. "You... stupid cowboy..." He chuckled a bit. 

Ariana gripped his arm gently and tugged at his sleeve. "I wish... we had a bit of time... I'm feeling a little hungry now..."

Hayden glanced at her before focusing back on the road. "Maybe there's an inn on the way."

"That would be nice..."

The night was peaceful. 

As the sun rose, they approached a large series of fences and trenches that completely covered the road. As soon as the light of morning brushed over them, a dozen soldiers had their bows trained on the cart. Ariana's hands went straight up, as did Hayden's. 

Hayden cleared his throat. "Morning, boys! Looks like y'all are doing good work here!" He tried flashing the mark on his shoulder again. 

Some of them seemed to back down a bit. Ariana looked at the soldiers. They all looked... quite young. 

One of them stepped forward. "Identify yourself!" they demanded. 

"Lieutenant Hayden, Fifty-Second Regiment."

"Lieutenant... crap!" The soldier scrambled to get the arrow back in his quiver. "S-sorry, sir!" He turned back to everyone. "Stand down, stand down!" The other soldiers relaxed a bit. 

Hayden nodded and smirked. He gave a thumbs-up to Ariana. She returned it with a nervous laugh and slowly lowered her hands.

The soldier turned back to him. "Our commanding officer should be returning soon, please, uh... Sir... You can go over to those tents there to wait for him. 

"Hm? Can't get through?"

"Sorry, sir, no one is allowed past this point without his express permission."

Hayden looked to Ariana. 

She smiled back at him.

Hayden smirked, nodded, and turned back to the guard. "Are there any bunk tents available?"

The soldier seemed a bit confused. "I... suppose there's a few tents to spare... I don't think the commander will be that long."

"Well, that may be true, but we've been on the road through the night. A little shut-eye before meeting your boss would be pretty nice."

"Oh, uh, right, of course, sir! Here, let me show you to the Officer tents."

Their cart was stationed at the stable tent, and they were led a bit away from the road to a quieter, enclosed ring of tents. Sophie and Ellie were still groggy. Ellie, especially, was not ready for the day. The poor thing's nose was running. "Those two there should be fine to sleep in." 

Hayden nodded. "Two to a tent should be fine." 

Sophie and Ellie hobbled off into one of the tents like little old ladies, Ellie sniffling and shivering.

Ariana looked to Hayden. 

He raised an eyebrow. "Still hungry?"

She swayed a bit bashfully. "I could go for a bite..."