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“Does Tristan know?” Millie asked.
“No,” Aurora said, wiping the tears from her face. “And he can’t know. Otherwise, he will go to Rumple, and I’m afraid of what other trap that conniving monster will set.”
Millie frowned. “Then what will you do?”
Aurora sucked in a deep breath before rising to her feet. “I will finish what I came here to do,” she said, glancing once more at the guards outside. “Then after I free the women, I will go to Hendrick like I was told to.”
“Aurora—”
“Goodbye, Millie.” Then, without another word, Aurora fastened her satchel and sprinted out the door.
“Aurora, wait!” Millie called after her, but Aurora didn’t have the luxury of time. The women had most likely reached the tunnels by then, and they would no doubt be caught unless Aurora lured the guards in the opposite direction.
Footsteps echoed through the castle as she tore through the corridors, no longer bothering to hide. Guards appeared, ordering her to stop, and Aurora felt its walls closing in on her as she pressed forward.
“Stop right there!” The command rang out, echoing off the stone walls.
Aurora’s pulse quickened, her breaths coming faster as she sprinted. She burst through the castle doors, her breath catching in her throat as she emerged into the open air.
But as she was about to descend the stone steps, she was greeted by a line of guards, their stances unyielding, hands poised on the hilts of their swords.
“Hands in the air!” a burly guard commanded.
Aurora’s breath hitched as she raised her hands, her gaze locking onto the guards before her.
Summoning every ounce of determination within her, Aurora descended the stone steps with grace and purpose, shedding the cloak’s hood with a defiant motion.
“I’m your princess,” she declared, her voice ringing with authority. “Let me through at once.”
The guards bowed their heads in respectful acknowledgment, yet their stance remained unyielding. Their loyalty to the king was a barrier she couldn’t easily surmount.
“Forgive me, Princess,” one of the guards spoke, his voice laced with regret as he stepped forward. “But we have strict orders from the king to seize you if you were to ever enter this castle again.”
Two guards stepped forward, their movements swift and precise as they reached to seize her. Aurora’s heart clenched as she felt their hands on her, their grip firm.
“No!” Aurora’s scream tore through the air.
Then, as if in answer to her plea, a surge of blue fire erupted from the sky. The guards cried out in pain as the flames threatened to engulf them, their armor clanging as they fell on top of one another.
Aurora looked up to find Millie riding Azul through the sky, flames spewing from his mouth. The Pegasus’ wings spread wide with power and grace.
The guards reached for their swords, confused as they faced a threat they could not comprehend. The flames of Azul’s power lashed out, a force of nature that left them scrambling for cover.
Millie’s maneuvers were swift and calculated. Another wave of blue fire erupted, threatening to consume the guards as they evaded the flames. The clash of armor resounded like a battle cry.
As the guards’ grip on her arms loosened, she wrenched herself free, her pulse racing with a new surge of energy. She whistled loudly, the sound cutting through the chaos like a clarion call.
Midnight galloped into view, his white coat shimmering in the moonlight. Aurora ran, her feet pounding against the stone steps. With a swift, agile motion, she used a fallen guard as a makeshift step to propel herself onto Midnight’s back.
As she mounted her stallion, a final wave of blue fire erupted, catching hold of the grass and spreading like wildfire. The sunflower garden was engulfed in the flames within seconds.
“Go!” Millie called out, her arms waving from above as Azul’s wings soared through the sky. “I’ll hold them back!”
With a nod, Aurora urged Midnight forward, his hooves pounding against the ground as they galloped to the north. The echoes of the chaos behind her slowly faded, replaced by the steady rhythm of Midnight’s gait.
She headed toward the stables. If they were fleeing through the rough terrain of the mountains, then all of the women were going to need their own horse.
TRISTAN
