Chapter 9: There’s Nothing Wrong With Running Away, Is There?

With a loud creak, the carriage Mia rode in began trundling its way down the road. The horses pulling it did so at a languid pace, almost as if they had caught the mood of their passenger.

Aaaaah... I don’t want to do this. I really really don’t want to do this.

She let out a deep sigh, attracting a worried glance from Anne. Ludwig had departed early to make the necessary preparations for her arrival, while Bel and Lynsha were off doing their own thing. As a result, she and Anne were alone in the narrow confines of a carriage that seemed to grow narrower with every sigh.

How come it has to be me? The guy is Ludwig’s master. He should be doing the convincing. Ugh, maybe everything will have already worked out by the time I get there...

It should be abundantly clear by now that Mia would prefer to take the easy way out whenever possible. The way she saw it, it’d be best if a moon fairy would show up when she was sleeping and just magic away her problems for her. Failing that, a close second would be if Ludwig showed up as soon as she got there and told her he’d already settled the matter. Equally clear should be the fact that nothing of the sort was going to happen.

“Ugh...”

She let out a miserable groan for...the somethingth time; she’d lost count. Anne gave her a look of concern.

“Milady? Are you all right?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Well... It’s just that...you seem a little down.”

“I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Mia smiled.

But a second later, she sighed again. The sight seemed to trigger something in Anne and, with the look of someone who’d made up her mind, she stepped out and climbed toward the driver’s box. Soon after, she returned and posed an abrupt question.

“Um, milady...since we’re on the road, would you like to do some horse riding?”

“...Huh? Horse riding?” said Mia, blinking in bafflement.

Anne nodded vigorously.

“Yes. I know that you enjoy going on long rides, and I just checked with Vanos. He said that the road here is in pretty good condition, so it should be pleasant on horseback.”

“Hmm... Well, I suppose it’ll make for a nice change of pace. Oh, but what about you, Anne? Last I checked, you weren’t exactly good with horses.”

For some reason, that caused Anne to start fidgeting.

“Uh... Actually...” she eventually said in a sheepish voice, “I wanted to learn to ride too, so I’ve been working on that in my spare time.”

“My! Really? You’re learning to ride? That’s certainly news to me. Whatever gave you the idea though?”

When asked about her motive, Anne regained some of her confidence.

“It’s because I don’t want to be a liability for you anymore.”

“Oh, Anne.” Mia placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “I’ve never thought of you as a liability.”

“You didn’t take me with you to Remno. You were placing yourself in the most dangerous position, and I couldn’t be there for you...all because I couldn’t ride.”

There was audible frustration in her voice.

“Anne...”

“But now, I’m learning. This way, I’ll be able to follow you whenever and wherever you go.” She placed a hand over her heart and smiled. “So please, don’t keep everything bottled up. I believe in you, milady. I know that whatever the problem is, you’ll find a way to solve it. But if it really gets to that point and there’s nothing left to be done, just remember that no matter how hard the problem is, there’s always another option. You don’t have to go down with the ship. You can always just run away. And if you do, I’ll be there with you, every step of the way, until the end of my days.”

She conveyed with many words what was fundamentally a very simple message: “Don’t stress too much. Cheer up. I’m here for you.” It came from a place of genuine concern. Being overstressed can lead to uncharacteristic failure, and she didn’t want that to happen to her friend.

“Ah... Anne...” Mia was deeply moved by this sentiment. “Yes... Yes, you’re right.”

Of course. I can always just run away. When you’re up against an opponent you can’t beat, what’s wrong with running away? Sweet moons, what was I thinking? I was so focused on actually figuring out how to persuade that weirdo that I lost sight of the bigger picture. If I’m gone, then Ludwig and his people will just have to deal with this problem instead, and they’ll probably solve it for me. That’s right! Why am I so worried? I’ve got nothing to worry about. If it doesn’t work out, then I can just run away.

Mia was, in fact, moved so far that she ended up on the opposite side entirely. Humans were, at the end of the day, creatures of interpretation. They heard only what they wanted to hear and saw only what they wanted to see. Mia was no different. Granted, running away was going to be easier said than done, but the possibility of escape had a restorative effect on her mood, and she stepped out of the carriage with much lighter steps than she’d gotten in. Immediately, she was greeted by two dismounted guards with their horses in tow.

“These horses are ready to be ridden at your leisure, Your Highness.”

“My, how obliging. Thank you. In that case, I do believe I’ll take them for a spin.”

She mounted one of the horses with an enthusiastic hop. Glancing sideways, she was pleased to find that Anne had managed the same.

“Oho ho, not bad, Anne. Well then. Shall we go?”

They tapped their horses into a walk.

Now that I think about it, I haven’t been riding in quite a while.

Memories of her first attempts came back to her. She remembered how back then, the distance from the ground and the rocking of their gait were sources of terror. Now, she felt a comfortable familiarity in their swaying steps. Her ego swelled a little at the thought that she was the more experienced of the pair, and she stole a smug glance at her fellow rider. Anne, however, had apparently put in no small amount of work and was managing the feat with far more adeptness than she’d expected.

“Wow, not bad at all, Anne,” said Mia, feeling impressed by her maid. Suddenly, she felt a surge of excitement at the sight of Anne’s steady horseback form. “In that case, I think we can make this a little more interesting. Hmm... Oh, I know! How about we race to the bottom of that hill?”

Anne barely had time to nod before Mia kicked her horse into a gallop.

“Let’s go, Silver Moon!”

“That’s not the horse’s name, Your Highness,” quipped a nearby guard, but neither horse nor rider seemed to mind.

Mia leaned forward, feeling the wind in her hair, as Silver Moon (*Real name undetermined) sped down the trail.

“Oho ho, this feels so good! Come on! Faster! Faster!”

The horse obeyed, and the rhythm of its pounding hooves accelerated. It burst onto an expanse of grassy plains, strong steps kicking up a small storm of green and brown. It was as if she’d become one with the wind, the mounds and pits of the uneven ground melting away into a smooth dash that felt like flight.

Exhilarating! Absolutely exhilarating! It’s like I’m riding on a winged horse! What an experience! Moons, when I get back, I need to tell Elise about this!

As she reveled in the liberating moment, she heard someone call out to her from behind. Their voice was filled with a puzzling urgency.

“Your Highness! Stop! You’re going too fast!”

“Eh?”

Reality came rushing back to her, and she suddenly realized the surrounding scenery was flying by at alarming speed.

“Oh my, I lost myself in the moment there... Oho ho, how silly of me. Let’s see, in order to stop the horse, I have to...”

Trying hard to remain calm, she spoke the necessary steps out loud to herself. Then, in accordance to her own instruction, she tightened her grip on the reins...and pulled! Alas, her attempt to remain calm wasn’t all too successful, and her inherent nervousness manifested in an undue amount of force. The horse did not appreciate the sudden yank on its reins, and it reared violently.

“Wha—”

And with that graceless utterance, she once again became one with the wind. The difference was that this time, her horse wasn’t with her. Instead, its retreating form was a dire reminder that she’d been thrown from its back—at breakneck speed, no less.

She felt a nauseating weightlessness.

U-Uh oh. Am I...in trouble?

“Milady!”

Some part of her mind dimly registered Anne’s shriek of distress, but it was too late. Her fall was inevitable. Except it wasn’t the ground that received her. Rather, something thick and rigid caught her around the middle.

“Blech!”

A second utterance, even less graceful than the first, escaped her lips. She swallowed hard and just barely managed to prevent a live demonstration of projectile vomit. She forced her eyes—which had had every intention of rolling back in their sockets—to take in their surroundings.

“Phew. Gotcha. Right in the nick of time.”

Vanos’s face swam into view. Alarm was still evident in his smile. It was then Mia realized that the thick, rigid object was his arm, and she was being held under his shoulder like a bundle of straw.

“That was a close one, Your Highness. Good thing I caught you. Are you hurt anywhere?”

He plopped her down in front of him on his horse. She didn’t resist, straddling the steed limply and allowing herself some time to recollect her wits. When her heart finally stopped pounding in her chest, she turned around to address him.

“Thank you, Vanos. I’m terribly sorry to have put you through that. I got a little carried away there.”

“You sure did. Gave me one hell of a scare. If anything happened to you, Captain Dion’d be mighty displeased. And I think that Ludwig fellow of yours wouldn’t be all too impressed either. Not to mention your poor maid...”

She glanced back to discover Anne, her face deathly pale, trying desperately to control her horse as she urged it toward them.

“Yes, that must have been such a terrible scare for her...” Mia said with regret. Had she actually fallen and hurt herself, Anne probably would have fainted on the spot. “I need to be more careful.”

“Gotta say, that wasn’t what I was expecting to hear from you,” said Vanos.

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Well, I figured I’d get an earful about our insolence or gall or whatnot.”

“My, whyever would I do that? It hardly seems a fitting thing to say to someone who just saved me.”

“Huh. Frankly, I couldn’t agree more. It’s just that experience tells me a whole lot of nobles out there think otherwise.” He chuckled wryly.

“That aside, Vanos, now that I’ve got a closer look at you... I must say, you really are big, aren’t you?”

“Big? Hah! That I am! And proudly so! One of the biggest in the empire, I’m pretty sure. There’s more to me than just my size though. I’m no Captain Dion, but I’ll have you know that I’ve got a pretty good sword arm too.” He laughed, his voice as booming as its owner was large. “The empire’s got soldiers who’re bigger, and soldiers who’re stronger, but I doubt you’ll find any who’re both bigger and stronger. Point is, a guy like me can be pretty useful. Makes for a great meat shield, at least.”

“My, that’s very reassuring to know. But meat shield? I must say, I do not approve of you debasing yourself like that. I’ll remind you that you are now a member of the Princess Guard, so you should carry yourself with the confidence and pride that befits a knight who protects me from harm,” she said with a chiding tone before concluding with a smile.

Vanos grinned, this time ear to ear.

“Hah! You’re a real likeable one, Your Highness. Gotta say, it feels good to serve under you. Makes the whole job worth it.”

They glanced at each other and shared a laugh, this time without the inhibitions of rank and station. She tended to get along well with big men, you see. It was just a Mia thing.

“Milady! Are you okay?!”

Finally, Anne caught up with them, her face a mask of terror. Mia proceeded to spend a good few minutes apologizing profusely to her distressed maid.