Sage walked along next to Anya in a daze. He knew she was probably getting uncomfortable, worried even. Though she had already said she was worried about him. What was he supposed to say? 'im going to die once you're gone but don't worry I want it to happen' wasn't exactly going to help anything. Though, he was aware of the silence of the forest. Even in a fog, the back of his mind was still working enough to recognize that they were probably being followed. If it was just him, this would have been great. But not with Anya here. He still didn't want her to get hurt. He wasn't sure who was following them, or what they were going to do or when. And he wasn't sure he cared. They'd follow them, Anya would leave, and he could find them. Maybe this was a good thing.

When Anya left the tavern, which was meant to be for the last time, she had expected to see Sage again. Maybe while out on a tour, or when she felt ready to see the boy again. Certainly not now. She was in between not caring and forgetting him. She found herself wishing she had just stayed inside and let her boredom win. Of course, she felt bad, and she was distraught that she wouldn't see Lizzie again, and it seemed like Sage was repressing something. She wanted to be there for him again, even if it was only for the night. But she thought that her and Sage would pick up where they left off... without the awkward silences and uncomfortable reasonings. Now it was like they were strangers again. "I'm just going to go past that little pond you showed me then back through the woods." She shrugged, trying to make some sort of conversation with him.

Sage glanced over at her and nodded. "Be careful." It was a sad attempt at a response, but it was all he could think of to say. They seemed like they weren't as close as before, but then again he just wasn't himself. Maybe if everything was normal, they could have picked up where they had left off. Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to muster any of the emotions he usually felt. For her, for the woods, for anything. He would have taken the pain of not being able to be with her over this cold numbness of grief.

Anya raised a brow slightly. Be careful? She almost laughed at that. She was always careful. Well, she was now, after they had been jumped. But it had been weeks since she had come out without a fleet of guards, and now she felt a little... bare. Not like she was in any kind of trouble, though. She had Sage with her, but in this state, she doubted that he could do much if anything did happen. She turned her head slightly and tried to give him a smile. "I have you, I don't need to be careful," that was a joke. Or, it was meant to be. One thing for sure, it was a perfectly rubbish one.

Sage gave part of a laugh and shook his head slightly amused by that. "Yeah, well, careful you don't rely on one person too much then," he murmured. "People can break." Ok, so maybe that was a bit bleak, but it was true. As slow as he was responding and as dulled as his senses were, he wouldn't have trusted him to fight. Which was why he would probably get killed if he got into a fight as of right then. But he made no move to try and snap out of it...he was fine with getting killed. He may not know exactly where he was going but no way it could be worse than this.

Anga gave a straight smile before nodding. He was right. People could break. Which was why she was worried he would too. He was all alone now, in a world that quite frankly wouldn't notice his existence. If it did, then it wanted him dead. Anya thought about that for a moment. Sage was so... replaceable. So why was she still concerned about him? Seemed stupid. "I'm afraid I live my life relying on people. Thats what happens when you're as sheltered as me." She shrugged slightly. It was true though. God, she didn't even get to pick out her own clothes in the morning, or make the bed, make her own food, anything like that. It was almost pathetic. It wouldn't be wrong to laugh at the girl, really.

Sage nodded and glanced over at her. "It has its own positives I suppose. You don't have to worry about food or clothes or anything. Besides, one day you'll have so much to worry about, ruling a kingdom and all, it'll be good to rely on people. Just keep your own brain in that pretty head of yours. Fight for what you think is right." Ok, so he was getting all wise on Anya now. Ah, well. He may as well tell her that now. It was good to keep in mind, and it wasn't like he'd get another change to tell her. He could tell whoever was following them was still there, and he almost smiled to himself.

Anya nodded and gave half of a chuckle, almost under her breath. "Maybe. One day when I'm just too busy to dress myself, I can just snap my fingers and it'll be done." She breathed out a sigh before letting an inward smile fall onto her face. "Yes sir." She teased slightly, keeping her snicker to a minimum. This wasn't the time to be laughing and joking about, and Anya almost had to remind herself of that. She could hear a few twigs snap in the distance, which caused her means for worry, but just covered up with more meaningless words. "I was more worried that Luther and I wouldn't get on long term than ruling a kingdom. But he's not that bad, and actually, he's just as scared as I am." She murmured slightly, holding her hands around her back as she wandered along, the small pond coming into the distance.

Sage nodded thoughtfully. "I would imagine so. You're still just kids. It's not an easy thing, having to be responsible for other people." He knew. He knew it well. And he knew what it was like to have to protect a person, but fail. "You two will be good rulers, I'm sure of it." he said it like he knew he wouldn't be there, which was honestly a bit of an accident. But Anya also knew that he wouldn't live long even if he somehow managed not to get himself killed sooner rather than later. Normally the mention of Luther would have sent a pang through his chest. But not now. She'd marry him and have her life. But him? He'd rather not keep living. She could have a life good enough for both of them.

(Sorry, kinda slow today as we've been suuuper busy)

Anya nodded slightly. "As long as we do a better job than my father, we should be fine. He's doing the best he can as of now, but he's not a smart man. He'd much rather sit and be spoon fed than rule a whole kingdom." She put a finger on her lip for a moment. "My mother, on the other hand, she would die to have the power my father has. Of course, she had some say in what happens, but when it comes to the major decisions, it's all my father. I don't want Luther and I to be like that." She murmured before going quiet, realising she was rambling a little. She did hope that Sage was right, though. It was the main reason she had ever left in the first place.