She gazed around at the surrounding trees.
“I’ve only been to Northsbury o nce, and it was always daylight when we were travelling. We can’t stop here, though. If we don’t make it there by tomorrow evening, we will be too late to save the king.”
“Do you really care about the king’s life , or do you just want to catch t he Rogue?” Jade asked him.
As ton whipped his head to the side , narrowing his eyes. “I may be a wanted man, Jade, but I’m still a knight at heart. Saving the lives of innocent people will always come before my own gain.”
Jade nodded and turned away from his pierc ing gaze. “If you go with what t he Rogue says, the men he kills aren’t exactly innocent.”
“Are you condoning killing these people?” Aston asked, reining Sterling in and turning in his saddle.
Jade stopped as well but didn’t turn to face Aston. “I’m not saying it’s right, what he’s doing. I’m just stating an opinion,” she explained, slowly urging her horse forward again.
Aston was forced to follow. “To answer your question, yes, I do care about the king’s life. More than my own. You have to care more about the lives of other people to be a knight. That’s not saying that finding the Rogue isn’t just as important to me, but if I can stop it, I won’t allow the king to die.” Jade nodded, seemingly convinced. “We can go faster now . This road leads to King Roland’s castle ,” Aston added, l ooking down. Jade followed his gaze , noticing they were on a well-traveled dirt road.
As they quickened their pace, Jade glanced sideways at Aston. She sent a prayer upwards, though she wasn’t quite sure what to pray for. Should she pray they would arrive in time to stop t he Rogue and capture him? Should she pray they arrive d too late and t he Rogue would already be gone? Aston and t he Rogue w ere both people she cared deeply about; she didn’t want either of them to be hurt.
With a jolt, Jade realized that she couldn’t keep her promise to Rich ie. She wanted to help Aston clear his name, but she couldn’t condemn Ernst in his place. She cursed under her breath, fighting the tears welling behind her eyes. She was going to have to choose between Ernst and Aston. After knowing Aston for just a couple of days, she found her choice was becoming harder to make.
* *
Jade startled awake, quickly realizing that they had stopped and Aston’s hand was on her shoulder. “Are we there?” she asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Aston had allowed her to sleep the night before, saying they would be in Northsbury soon enough and that they could slow down.
“Yes, Jade. Welcome to Northsbury ,” he said, gesturing ahead of them. Jade followed his movement, and her eyes widened as she took in the city. She’d traveled to Duke Roland’s every year with her family in the winter, but she never paid much attention to the city. She spent the ride there in a carriage, her nose stuck in a book.
She’d never realized before how beautiful the city was. Where Adion was broken stone streets and drooping trees, Northsbury had streets made of cobblestone and tall, elegant, blossoming shrubs. As they made their way down the street, Jade took in the well-maintained buildings, the smiling citizens, and the flowers blooming in wooden boxes on every window sill. Aston looked a bit uncomfortable, walking in the middle of the day through town, but no one spared him a passing glance.
“I suppose news travels slowly from Fridel to Northsbury . No one seems to know who I am,” Aston said, turning to look at Jade.
“What does that mean for us?” Jade asked him.
Aston smiled, jumping down from Sterling. “It means we can stay here,” he said, motioning to the building they’d stopped in front of.
Jade looked up and smiled, her eyes crinkling. “Real ly? We can stay here?” she exclaimed, bouncing slightly in her saddle . When Aston nodded , she laughed and jumped down from Edward, pulling Aston into a hug
“I’ve only been to Northsbury o nce, and it was always daylight when we were travelling. We can’t stop here, though. If we don’t make it there by tomorrow evening, we will be too late to save the king.”
“Do you really care about the king’s life , or do you just want to catch t he Rogue?” Jade asked him.
As ton whipped his head to the side , narrowing his eyes. “I may be a wanted man, Jade, but I’m still a knight at heart. Saving the lives of innocent people will always come before my own gain.”
Jade nodded and turned away from his pierc ing gaze. “If you go with what t he Rogue says, the men he kills aren’t exactly innocent.”
“Are you condoning killing these people?” Aston asked, reining Sterling in and turning in his saddle.
Jade stopped as well but didn’t turn to face Aston. “I’m not saying it’s right, what he’s doing. I’m just stating an opinion,” she explained, slowly urging her horse forward again.
Aston was forced to follow. “To answer your question, yes, I do care about the king’s life. More than my own. You have to care more about the lives of other people to be a knight. That’s not saying that finding the Rogue isn’t just as important to me, but if I can stop it, I won’t allow the king to die.” Jade nodded, seemingly convinced. “We can go faster now . This road leads to King Roland’s castle ,” Aston added, l ooking down. Jade followed his gaze , noticing they were on a well-traveled dirt road.
As they quickened their pace, Jade glanced sideways at Aston. She sent a prayer upwards, though she wasn’t quite sure what to pray for. Should she pray they would arrive in time to stop t he Rogue and capture him? Should she pray they arrive d too late and t he Rogue would already be gone? Aston and t he Rogue w ere both people she cared deeply about; she didn’t want either of them to be hurt.
With a jolt, Jade realized that she couldn’t keep her promise to Rich ie. She wanted to help Aston clear his name, but she couldn’t condemn Ernst in his place. She cursed under her breath, fighting the tears welling behind her eyes. She was going to have to choose between Ernst and Aston. After knowing Aston for just a couple of days, she found her choice was becoming harder to make.
* *
Jade startled awake, quickly realizing that they had stopped and Aston’s hand was on her shoulder. “Are we there?” she asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Aston had allowed her to sleep the night before, saying they would be in Northsbury soon enough and that they could slow down.
“Yes, Jade. Welcome to Northsbury ,” he said, gesturing ahead of them. Jade followed his movement, and her eyes widened as she took in the city. She’d traveled to Duke Roland’s every year with her family in the winter, but she never paid much attention to the city. She spent the ride there in a carriage, her nose stuck in a book.
She’d never realized before how beautiful the city was. Where Adion was broken stone streets and drooping trees, Northsbury had streets made of cobblestone and tall, elegant, blossoming shrubs. As they made their way down the street, Jade took in the well-maintained buildings, the smiling citizens, and the flowers blooming in wooden boxes on every window sill. Aston looked a bit uncomfortable, walking in the middle of the day through town, but no one spared him a passing glance.
“I suppose news travels slowly from Fridel to Northsbury . No one seems to know who I am,” Aston said, turning to look at Jade.
“What does that mean for us?” Jade asked him.
Aston smiled, jumping down from Sterling. “It means we can stay here,” he said, motioning to the building they’d stopped in front of.
Jade looked up and smiled, her eyes crinkling. “Real ly? We can stay here?” she exclaimed, bouncing slightly in her saddle . When Aston nodded , she laughed and jumped down from Edward, pulling Aston into a hug
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