“Come with us, lad,” a strange voice said, standing in front of me. “We won't hurt you.” He spoke softly, like he was trying to coax an injured puppy into his arms.

  I gripped my legs tighter and pulled them closer to my chest, trying to make myself as small as possible. I doubted that this man meant well. Shaking my head, I buried my face between my knees. How did I know he isn't here to drag me back? Even if he genuinely wanted to help, I'm a filthy murderer. I don't deserve his kindness.

  “Let me try, dear. Go grab a blanket.”

  A second, lighter thud landed next to the cart, grinding the gravel beneath it deeper into the dirt. Moments later, a brown dress fluttered into view before gently landing to caress the lady's ankles.

  The woman lowered herself into the grass beside me. I flinched as an arm wrapped around my shaking shoulders. She gripped my shoulder and pulled me close to her chest. I tried to pull away, but she refused to let go.

  “Here, lad.” The woman wrapped a heavy wool blanket around me. I released my legs to pull it closer around my shivering body. “Let’s get you warmed up first.”

  “Why?” I muttered under my breath. “Why do you bother with me?” I turned my back to the couple and stared down the road. A light hand rubbed my back through the thick blanket.

  “What's wrong with him, Mommy?” A little girl asked in the cart, her high-pitched voice grating in my ears. It sounded like the whine of a hound trying to escape its handler. A shudder coursed through my body and the woman instinctively gripped me tighter.

  “Poppy, there's no need to shout.” The wooden beams of the cart thudded against the ground. Hooves clopped as a stocky mule was led away. “Girls, come help set up for lunch. Let your mother take care of the lad.”

  Before long, the small family sat together on a woven blanket in the grass, engrossed in lively conversation. I didn't budge, no matter how many times they invited me over. But, I couldn't bring myself to get up and leave them either. Something about the mother kept me from darting off.

  I kept my distance, hidden beneath the thick blanket. My mind refused to believe that there was nothing to fear from a loving mother and father sharing a midday meal with their two daughters.

  Poppy, the younger of the two girls, laughed often and pulled apart her small bread roll, nibbling it little by little. The older sister smiled, but I had yet to hear her speak a single word.

  Other travelers stopped time to time to chat with the family. A few looked curiously over their shoulders at me. Each time, I pulled the blanket tighter around my face.

  The father would only laugh and claim that I was a bit moody and needed my space. He'd come around when he's ready. He smiled at me every time he said it.

  There was no talk of an escaped prisoner from New Janderus but a hunting party had been seen scouring the road before a messenger hastily darted toward Zudrugen. That had been hours ago, yet I broke into a cold sweat whenever a group of guards rode by. I was thankful for the blanket wrapped around me.

  “Lad, come eat something.” The mother beckoned again, laughing through a wide smile. “I know you're hungry. Everyone between here and Zudrugen can hear your stomach growl.”

  Every part of my body groaned as I slowly pushed myself to my feet. The blanket slipped from my head and fell to the ground in a heap. I sighed bending down to pick it up.

  “Leave it, lad,” the father said, turning to the older girl. “Daisy, will you grab that please?”

  She rose and shuffled toward me, staring at her leather slippers. I couldn’t let this little girl wait on me. It's not right or even fair to her.

  “I've got it,” I muttered, handing the blanket to Daisy. She took it from my hands, biting her lip as she slowly looked up at me. Her jaw dropped and her brown eyes slowly widened. With a shy smile and rosy cheeks, she silently turned and walked back to her family. I trudged behind her.

  “Here!” Poppy cheerfully held out a small bread roll with a flat, white, rubbery-looking square tucked inside. I sat cross-legged on the corner of the blanket turning the roll around in my hands.

  “That’s cheese, lad,” her father laughed. I looked at him crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s made from cow’s milk. Go on. Just try it.”

  I cautiously nibbled at the cheese, letting the small pieces fall onto my tongue. It tasted incredible. A soft, creamy, rich sensation that melted in my mouth. I wolfed down the rest of the roll down in a few large bites. My mouth watered thinking about the cheese rolls. I wanted more.

  “Thank you,” I said, quietly under my breath, not daring to interrupt the parents’ conversation. Everything fell completely still. I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise as dark eyes turned to stare at me. Blood rushed to my cheeks.

  “What did you say, lad?” The father asked, his friendly laughter breaking the awkward silence hanging between us.

  “Thank you,” I said, a tad louder, looking at the father's hands unwrapping a brown cloth. “I’ve never had cheese before. It was...” I paused, pursing my lips like Fern does. “It was good.”

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  “You don’t say. Anyone who knows what cheese is doesn’t stare at it like they’ve seen a ghost.” He offered me another roll, which I graciously accepted. This time I promised myself to take my time eating it. “It’s from our farm.”

  I flinched as the mother's hands pushed a cup of water my way. I wrapped my hands around it, feeling the rough scratching of the hard clay. I rubbed it in my palms, watching the two girls playing with a couple of ragged dolls.

  Poppy jerked the doll’s arms so it danced to the cheery song she sang to herself. Daisy carefully brushed her doll's hair with a crude bush. Silence clung to her like fog to a forest floor. When she looked at me, I quickly looked away.

  I stared into the cup. The water rippled in sync with the faint shaking of my hands. A question burned like hot coals in my mind.

  “Why are you helping a stranger like me?”

  The mother's face softened into a small smile as she placed a hand on my shoulder. “You needed help,” she said, her fingers squeezed softly. “I don’t know how, but I can tell that you’re a gentle boy. We couldn't just leave you there shivering on the road.”

  Gentle? I squeezed my eyes shut as flashes of the prison stirred up my guilt in my gut. Gentle was the last word I would use to describe myself. I rubbed the scab on my forearm wincing as I caught a few loose edges sending a sharp pain up my arm.

  "And,” the father said, scooting closer to us. His gaze drifted across the blanket toward the little girls. “We want our daughters to learn that even small kindnesses matter. You never know who you might end up helping.”

  My throat tightened. “But I can’t offer anything in return,” I whispered. “When I'm done visiting my uncle... maybe I could help for a day on your farm.”

  The father laughed draping his arm around my shoulders. His grip was warm but it didn't have the same strength as Fern’s. “You don't need to repay us.”

  “Where does your uncle live, lad?” The mother asked, gently interrupting us. “We're heading home. Our farm sits along the road between Zudrugen and Sirjandian. You're welcome to travel with us if you'd like.”

  “Zudrugen.” The word slipped from my lips faster than my mind could debate not sharing it. Traveling with them felt safer than going alone. “If you don't mind, I can handle a horse.”

  The father rose, dusting the dried grass off his dirty tunic. “No need, lad. If you help hitch the wagon, that's the help I'll need.”

  He offered me a hand. “Yael Throne,” he said, nodding toward his wife, “and my wife is Mia.”

  I hesitated, staring at Yael's outstretched hand. No one in Zelheim had ever offered me one before. My gaze flicked between the man's face and his hand. Slowly, I took it.

  “I'm... um...” I didn't know how to answer. I never thought about what others would call me. I'd only ever really been boy or lad except with Hera.

  I'm Bel. Just Bel.” Deep down, I hoped he wouldn't push me further.

  “Well, Bel, give us a hand and we’ll be on our way. With a little luck, we'll be in Zudrugen before nightfall.”

  The old cart creaked and rattled as we made our way down the bumpy road swaying like treetops in the wind. As much as I protested, the Thornes refused to let me walk. They insisted that their old mule could manage the extra burden of another passenger.

  I stretched out in the back of the cart beside the two girls. They played a rhythmic clapping game while Poppy sang a children's rhyme. My thoughts drifted, catching the odd word here and there of seas, magic, and princesses.

  “Papa! Look!” Poppy cried, pointing down the road behind us. I jolted upright. My heart pounded as fear pulled me back into my harsh reality. A dusty cloud blurred my already impaired vision, and my eyes struggled to adjust to the bright sunlight.

  It was a hazy shape at first. Slowly a black blur took shape on the horizon.

  As my eyes focuse a black blob appeared on the horizon.

  No.

  No damn way.

  “Papa!” Poppy squealed. “It's a horse. It's a really big horse.”

  The charging stallion slowed as it neared the back of the cart. It couldn't be the same stallion. I closed my eyes and called upon the feeling that lets me read Peanut’s thoughts. A powerful slap pushed it away sending a painful force through my skull.

  It was him. The New Janderus stallion.

  He tossed his head and whinnied before he slowed to a lazy walk following us down the road. His dark eyes held me in their gaze.

  “Bel? Is that your horse?”

  “No,” I shook my head in disbelief, staring at the stallion trotting behind us. I swore I sent him back to New Janderus. “I borrowed him once. That's it.”

  Yael chuckled. “Well, you have a horse now.”

  We rode on until the rays of the sun struggled to light the road and surrounding countryside. Lights flickered in the distance as the flames in lanterns grew brighter. Yael urged the mule to increase its pace. The dark shadow of a church spire loomed in the distance.

  Yael pulled the cart off the road next to a run-down inn on the edge of town. The black stallion stopped next to it, lifting his head. His dark eyes cautiously held me in their piercing gaze.

  “Well, Bel,” the father gently laid his hand on my shoulder. “You're welcome to stay the night with us, but I imagine you want to get going to your uncle's place.”

  I grabbed the stallion's reins, wrapping its soft leather around my palm. He still refused to let me read his thoughts, but his denial was softer. I patted his neck and he snorted in protest.

  “Thank you,” I said with a small smile looking between Yael and Mia. “For everything.”

  “Daisy! Come back!” Poppy shrieked.

  Before I could turn around, Daisy ran past me and planted herself in front of me. Her head barely reached above my waist. Her small hands gripped the fabric of my shirt with a surprising strength. Poppy caught up, gasping for breath as she stood next to her sister. She clutched both dolls to her chest.

  “Mi... Mis... Mister?” Daisy stammered, tilting her head to look up at me.

  “Don't bother, Daisy, he won't listen to you anyway.” Poppy tugged impatiently on her sister's sleeve. “You're too slow.”

  “Poppy,” her mother said sternly, “let Daisy speak.”

  Daisy's shoulders sagged. She turned to walk away, staring at her feet. I cautiously reached out and I laid my hand on her shoulder.

  She looked up at me with wide eyes. There was a spark in them. Her eyes said more than she could put into words.

  Poppy was right. Daisy's stutter made her sentence difficult to follow. Each syllable was a struggle, but Daisy pushed through. When it finally hit me what the little girl was trying to tell me, my heart melted.

  “Mister, I really like your eyes. They’re very pretty.”

  No words could express my gratitude for the little girl's struggle. No one except for Hera has ever looked into my eyes and truly seen me.

  I swooped her up and hugged her tight, ignoring the dull ache in my arm and her sister's protests that I put her sister down.

  The Thrones wished good bye and a good journey. I waved as disappeared into the warm glow of the inn.

  I turned away. The stallion followed behind me as we entered Zudrugen, in search of Fern.