With a scowl, I push myself up from the floor and slap the dust from my skirt. I don’t take his hand, though. Instead, I shove past both of them and march out of the carriage.
Trees surround us. Dense forest stretches as far as my eyes can see, the twisting branches blending into the night sky above. My first instinct is to run, but there’s nowhere to go. The pebbled road only goes in two directions: back through the gloomy forest or ending metres ahead of us at a small, candlelit inn.
“This way, Princess.” The guard pushes me towards the thatched-roof cottage. The entire building is smaller than our banquet hall, with many windows lining its cobbled walls.
As I’m shoved through the doorway, I almost trip, but two small hands grasp my arm, steadying me gently. The horned girl passes me another smile.
“Thank you,” I speak through gritted teeth.
I’m taken to a room near the back of the inn and warned not to open my door until morning by the guard who takes his position outside in the hallway.
The second my door is closed, I turn to the girl, my fists clenched. “What are you?” I jerk my chin at her horns. “Tell me those aren’t real.”
She just blinks at me, flushing again.
“Tell me that those horns are just some weird new fashion and I’m not being taken to marry a monster right now.” My voice cracks. Monsters aren’t real. But the longer I stare at her, the more I seriously doubt that. It’s more than just the horns. There’s something off about her cheekbones and her eyes are too dark for her complexion. My head tilts as I study them. There’s something recognisable in them too, like I’ve seen those eyes before.
Shaking my head, I keep pressing, “What are you?”
Her lower lip trembles. She opens her mouth, but no words come out. Eventually, she points to her throat and shakes her head sadly.
“What is it?” I draw closer. “You can’t talk?”
She nods, lowering her hand.
“Of course you can’t.” I want to pull my hair out, but instead I choose to pace around the room. Monster or not, there’s got to be a way to escape. If I can break out of this inn, I can steal a horse and ride back through the woods.
It’ll be easy. I’ll just follow the road home.
The horned girl watches me in silence as I march around the room. Against one wall is a bed and nightstand, and opposite that is a dressing table with a stool and a mirror. Tucked into thecorner, there’s a smaller bed, presumably where my new friend will sleep. But I barely consider our sleeping arrangements because, a few feet from her bed, embedded into the cobbled wall, is a window just wide enough for me to squeeze through.
I don’t let myself stare. Turning away, I rush towards the desk, taking a seat on the stool. “Will you help me with this? My hair has been up all day and it feels so sore.” I peer into the mirror while massaging my scalp. The window is just visible over my shoulder. There’s no lock, but I see a handle and a hinge. Perfect.
Wordlessly, my handmaid steps up behind me. She’s gentle as she slips the pins out of my hair, setting them quietly on the desk. Eventually, she finds a brush and sweeps it through my hair.
My racing heart pounds with every second that passes.
I just need to wait for her to fall asleep, then I’ll?—
A hand taps my shoulder. I look up to see the horned girl watching me in the mirror, worry tugging at her brows. She blinks at me expectantly.
“I-I’m fine,” I tell her.
Her brow lowers, unconvinced.
“I’m just scared.” There’s no lie there. The thought of riding through the forest at night makes my chest feel tight, but I feel worse thinking about what will happen if I stay. “I… I was just wondering about this Lord Elheart person,” I say, not wanting to think about dark forests anymore. “What’s he like? If I’m supposed to marry him, then I’d like to know a bit about him first.”
The girl chews her lip.
“Is he like you?” I ask. “Not human, I mean…” I feel ridiculous even asking.
She shakes her head.
“He’s human?” My eyes widen.
She nods, laughing silently.
“Is he… is he kind?”
