"Fuck" She muttered, her hands trying to make sense of the chains. She triied picking the lock with a piece of wire she found, succeeding and unlocking the cell as well. She ran to the torture room, now empty, and grabbed a variety of weapons. She grabbed the couple of daggers that had been taken when she was brought in and darted off, getting outside and across the border as fast as her legs carried her

Gale entered the tavern, the door creaking shut behind him. The rowdy chatter immediately quieted as people turned to stare. He was used to it—too used to it. The whispers, the curious glances, the way everyone eyed him like a wild animal they couldn’t quite cage.

A group of women, intrigued by the most wanted man in the kingdom, made their way over. One with fiery red hair tilted her head, giving him a teasing smile. “I hear you’re quite the escape artist. Too bad the guards didn’t catch you this time.”

Gale barely glanced at her. “Lucky for them,” he muttered, more to himself than to her.

Another woman, her dress low-cut, took a step closer, trying to catch his eye. “Dangerous men are always the most fun,” she said with a wink. “I think you might be exactly what I’m looking for.”

He gave her a fleeting, distracted glance, his mind elsewhere, his words short. “Maybe. But I don’t have time for games.”

A third woman, bold and forward, pressed a mug into his hand. “You don’t seem interested, but we’re all curious about the man behind the legend,” she said, leaning in just a little too close.

He took the drink, not really meeting her gaze, his thoughts clouded. “I’m not a legend. I’m just trying to get through the night.”

He turned away, his eyes scanning the tavern, lost in thought, as the women watched him, waiting for a reaction that never came. The night was full of distractions, but Gale was somewhere far beyond them, his mind far from the tavern’s flirty chaos.

Kayla kept runing

Gale took another sip of his ale, his mind still distant, when one of the women leaned in too close, her fingers brushing against his arm. “Come on, don’t be shy,” she purred. “You’re not just a fugitive—you’re a mystery. Let us in, just a little.”

That was enough. Gale’s patience, already stretched thin, snapped. His eyes flashed with irritation as he stood up abruptly, knocking his chair backward with a loud scrape. The room fell silent, the women taken aback by his sudden shift.

“Enough,” he snapped, voice sharp and cold. “I didn’t come here for this.”

Without another word, he tossed the mug aside and strode toward the door, his boots thudding heavily on the wooden floor. The women watched him, momentarily stunned. He didn’t even glance back as he pushed the door open and stepped into the cold night

As soon as Gale left the tavern, he heard the unmistakable sound of boots hitting the dirt—a group of guards. They’d been waiting, hoping he’d slip up. It didn’t take long for them to catch wind of his presence. They shouted orders at one another, and before he could even break into a run, they were on his heels.

Gale didn’t hesitate. His hand went instinctively to his knife, but there was no time to fight. He took off into the woods, his feet pounding the earth, the cool night air biting at his skin as he darted between trees. Behind him, the guards shouted, their voices carrying through the night like the hounds they were.

"Get him! Don’t let him get away!" one of them yelled.

Gale pushed harder, the rush of adrenaline clearing his mind for the first time in hours. The woods seemed endless, but the sound of the guards grew louder. They weren’t here just to catch him—they were here to end him.

His heart hammered in his chest as he veered to the right, ducking low to avoid the thick branches, moving faster than they expected. But the guards were relentless, their pursuit growing fiercer with every step.

He could hear them closing in. “This is it, Gale!” one of the guards shouted, the mocking tone in his voice clear. “The kingdom’s had enough of you!”

Gale’s lips curled into a half-smirk. The kingdom? They didn’t even know the meaning of the word. He couldn’t let them catch him—not now, not ever.

His eyes scanned the trees ahead—he needed a plan. A distraction... His mind worked quickly, calculating his next move as he spotted a cluster of thick bushes. Without hesitation, he veered off the path, dropping low behind them. He waited, the sound of the guards’ footsteps growing closer. The crunch of their boots on the leaves made his heart race.

When the first guard came into view, Gale leaped from the shadows, knocking him to the ground with a brutal shove. The other guards shouted in surprise, but he was already gone—slipping back into the woods, leaving them in confusion.

The chase was on again, but this time, Gale had the upper hand.

Kayla had slowed by the time she heard more footsteps, her flight response kicking in and making her speed off once more. She climbed a tree, her legs exhausted, and waited

Gale’s foot caught on a root, and in an instant, he was crashing to the ground. The air was knocked out of him, and before he could scramble to his feet, a guard tackled him, pinning him down with brutal force. Gale’s arms were wrenched behind him, and his chest heaved as he fought against the weight pressing him into the dirt.

His heart hammered in his chest, each beat louder than the next. No. Not like this. His eyes darted frantically, searching for any chance to escape, but all he saw were the faces of the guards surrounding him, their grim expressions unreadable.

He stopped struggling for a moment, breath coming in shaky bursts. He could feel his pulse racing in his neck, the cold air pressing against his skin. His throat was exposed, and when one of the guards yanked his head back, Gale’s body froze. The sharp edge of a sword brushed just below his throat, sending a shiver down his spine.

Think, he thought, his eyes wild as they flicked between the guards. He had to do something. But his mind felt cloudy, panic creeping in as his breath grew shallow and unsteady. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think straight. The sword felt heavier now, the pressure on his neck a constant reminder of how close he was to the end.

His breath hitched, his hands trembling slightly as he gripped the earth beneath him. His usual defiance, his sharp words, were gone—replaced by a quiet, crushing fear. Gale had been in tight spots before, but nothing like this. The idea of not escaping was foreign to him, and it gnawed at his insides, a cold, unfamiliar fear settling in.

"Please..." The word escaped him before he could stop it, barely more than a breath, but it was enough for the guard holding his head to tighten his grip, pushing the sword closer.

Gale’s wide eyes flicked up toward the dark trees above, wishing for any kind of escape. But there was nothing. His thoughts swirled, all of them too fast and too loud. He was trapped.

He shifted right as the guard brought the weapon down, it lodging itself in the side of his neck.Gale let out a sound of agony, twisting from underneath the guards and running, dagger still in his neck as he ran.The adrenaline was strong enough to keep him moving, eyes darting around as he walked.He heard laughing in the distance and kept moving, flickering his gaze behind him as he saw a group heading for him. Bounty hunters.

Kayla heard Gale's sound of pain and hopped down, her eyes following silently behind the group. She loaded the bow she'd stolen and shot down one of the men. He landed with a low thud, Kayla loading another arrow and repeating the process twice more

Gale’s breath was ragged, his side still bleeding as he struggled to steady himself against the tree. His vision swam, but he knew he couldn’t stop. His heart was pounding, each breath a battle, but he refused to give in.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps—heavy and deliberate—cut through the air. Three figures emerged from the trees. Bounty hunters. They were closing in.

Gale’s heart skipped. Not again...

Before he could make a move, there was a sharp whistle through the air, followed by the thud of arrows finding their mark. One of the bounty hunters dropped, then another, and the third collapsed moments later, all in a swift, deadly strike.

Gale froze for a split second, eyes wide with shock. His pulse thudded in his ears, fear gripping him tightly.

Who...?

His mind raced, but there was no time to figure it out. Without thinking, he pushed himself off the tree, ignoring the pain in his side as he broke into a run again, the shadows of the trees swallowing him up. He didn’t look back.

"Gale, stop!" Kayla shouted, half regretting it in case he never wanted to see her again. She took off after him