"Halt!"

I groaned, dropping Rylan's hand from mine, and turned towards the guard approaching us with a lantern in his hand and the hilt of his sheathed sword in the other.

"State your business." The guard held the lantern high, the oiled flame inside flickering over our faces. He paled slightly when he was close enough, his hand falling by his side. "Sorry, m'lady."

"It's quite alright." I gestured between Rylan and I. "We were just having a moonlight walk."

"Of course, of course." He wiped his hand not holding the lamp on the leg of his pants. "I'll escort you back to the front door. It's past curfew."

"I know the way. Thank you, kindly." I held up my hand to stop him from arguing. "Also, this probably isn't worth mentioning to anybody."

"Of course, m'lady. Have a good night." He bowed his head, rushing off to his post, lantern bobbing after him.

We watched him until he was out of earshot and headed towards the front door. Sneaking over the wall was one thing but sneaking through my bedroom window was another. At least if we got caught now, we could use our walk as a cover.

"I blame you for getting us caught."

"Me?" Rylan's incredulous voice boomed in the night. I hushed him.

"Mm-hm. If you hadn't been so noisy climbing the wall, no one would have heard us."

"Sorry, I don't have experience climbing walls like someone else."

"They don't teach you that in the army?"

Rylan snorted as his way of answering. I actually blamed my father for the increased guard patrol. There had never been one posted there before.

"And what is this curfew everyone is talking about?"

_____

"Curfew is sunset." We did, in fact, get caught. By my Father of all people, who was red in the face and hadn't stopped lecturing us. We were sat in his office like two scolded pups.

"And you-" Father thrust a finger in Rylan's direction. "You are a guest in this house. Get back to your room and I better not see you again."

"Yes, sir." Rylan glanced at me before walking out. I twisted in my chair as he went, staring longingly as the door shut behind him. I reluctantly turned back around in my seat.

"Father, we weren't doing anything."

"The way you say that makes me think otherwise." He pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a weary sigh. "I don't know what's going on between you too and I don't want to know, but it has to stop. Now. Him and his friends are leaving in the morning and you are to go back to being a proper lady, not sneaking about any longer."

"He's leaving?"

"Didn't he tell you?" Father raised an eyebrow at that. "I'm giving them enough to make it out of here as a way of thanking them for bringing you back, but I cannot allow them to overstay their welcome."

I sunk deep into the armchair, panic rising in my chest. Why didn't he tell me? What was I going to do?

"And another thing. The maid found this." Father opened his desk drawer, pulling something out and laying it across his desk. It was a knife. "What was this doing under your pillow?"

I shrugged, mind still reeling from the news of Rylan leaving. "It helps me sleep."

Father looked at me as though he didn't recognize me. "Do you not feel safe here?'

"I used to."

Father's face changed, his suspicion giving way to sorrow. He brushed the knife away, resting his elbows on the desk, bowed head resting on steeping fingers. "It's my fault. This is no place for a young lady." He muttered the words as if speaking to himself.

"What do you mean, Father?" I narrowed my eyes at him, a feeling of dread creeping up my body.

"When I moved us here seven years ago, I wasn't thinking about the future. Being so isolated from other girls your age," -I didn't point out that there were other girls my age in town, most of whom I didn't get along with- "Has turned you brash and I apologize for that. I should have married you off by now but I was selfish in that regard."

Then he sat up straight in his chair, a thought occurred to him. "No matter. You'll come with me to Bellevue. We'll leave tomorrow."

He stood, patting his hands against his thighs. "Off to bed now. Busy day tomorrow."

His tone gave no room to argue as he slipped my knife into his pants pocket and strolled out of the room. I stared after him, dumbfounded. I wiped my palms on the leather of the armchair as I shakily got to my feet.

Leave tomorrow? Back to Bellevue? Isn't that what I always wanted, though? To go back to the city, where life was faster and more interesting. Then why did the thought send my heart racing in my chest.

I didn't remember leaving Father's study nor did I remember climbing the stairs to the second floor. The next thing I knew I was pacing the carpeted rug in my bedroom. The bed had been made and the cover downturned for the night. I couldn't keep from glancing at my pillow, knowing someone had been in here, even if it was just the maid.

I threw open the window, the warm breeze doing little to calm my nerves. I stared out at the night sky -the darkness that now signaled a town wide curfew- and tried to pick out the constellations that Rylan had taught me, but they all looked the same. Just small twinkling balls of light without regard for anything happening to those who stared at them.