Lidia sat stiffly atop the horse, fingers clutching the reins like a lifeline as she stared into the forest where the knight had disappeared. She was trying really, really hard not to let her thoughts spiral into paranoia, but it was getting difficult when her so-called travel companion had been acting weird since morning.
For all she knew, he really could be off somewhere, plotting how to ditch her in the middle of nowhere.
God.
She groaned, rubbing a hand down her face. This is fine. Everything is fine.
She kept repeating the words in her head like a mantra, but the longer he was gone, the harder it was to believe them.
And then—
A rustle in the bushes. Heavy boots crunching over dried leaves.
Lidia snapped her head up, and sure enough, there he was.
The knight strolled back into view, shoulders relaxed, movements fluid. Too calm. Like he hadn't just disappeared into the trees and left her with nothing but her own overthinking brain for company.
