Sioni, Ridda and Joseph woke early, as it was almost a full days walk to the city, and they had no horses. Sioni carried a pack filled with food, Ridda carried a hunting knife and some medicinal supplies, and Joseph had his hands bound so he couldn’t do anything stupid. “Alright, I think it’s best we start off now.” Ridda murmured, after she put some fresh-baked bread into the pack.

They set off down the well-traveled road to the city, past the border of the expansive forest. Sioni wondered where Alfred was. She had been thinking of him for days, but now she was going to see him. She hoped she would see him, if he wasn’t at the castle, she had no idea where he might be. Ridda told stories of times when she and Sioni’s mother had been girls, tales of their friends getting lost in the woods, wolves coming into the town, and boys.

Joseph didn’t speak, but he would laugh every once in a while. At noon, they stopped to eat, then continued walking again. Before the sun began to set, they’d reached the city walls.