A grin settled on my face as I enjoyed the warm caress of the sun against my skin. Tahir nickered happily, shaking his head up and down as he nearly pranced through the streets.

The realization that for the first time in my life, I was truly free, made my heart soar. To be able to fully enjoy life without the dread and fear of my old masters looming over my shoulders.

I could go where I wanted. Be whomever I wanted to be and spend my life in whatever way I wanted.

The reigns in my fingers flicked gently against Tahir's skin, urging him forwards. I could almost feel his excitement as he jolted forwards, gaining the attention of the people around us.

And as I charged down the streets, I spotted Carson and Mord'U looking from a distance. Without a second thought, I simply smirked teasingly at him and winked. Laughing as the shock on his face made way for amusement as he shook his head slightly before rushing to his own horse.

Sure I could've approached him and inquired if I could journey with them. But I came to realize that I enjoyed this freedom, this joy in life I newly discovered.

Plus if I had to admit it to myself, I quite liked it when Carson was chasing me around.

As I leaned over Tahir's neck and felt his muscles contract against mine, I could hear the excited whiney of a horse behind me. A smirk slid on my lips, fleetingly looking back over my shoulders before my eyes locked with Carson's.

It seemed someone else liked to chase just as much as I liked being chased. Judging from the amused smirk on his lips and the glint in his eyes, he knew this wasn't a true chase.

Instead, we let our horses charge ahead, enjoying the exercise as their nostrils flared, hooved thundering over the ground until they slowed on their own.

Surprisingly, both of us remained silent for a while. Allowing the horses to roam until they found a patch of grass before dismounting and allowing them to graze while we flopped down.

"So..." Carson eventually drawled, crossing his arms behind his head as he laid on the grass. "How does it feel?"

A low hum slipped from my lips as I pondered for a moment. "Exciting. Terrifying." A shiver ran over my spine, hands rubbing over my arms as I looked at the city in the distance. "I'm finally free but at the same time..."

I didn't need to say anything else. True, I was free but blood would forever stain my hands. Even if it was for a good cause, I would always worry that someone was coming at me with vengeance on their mind.

That would forever remain a possibility. But as I thought that, Carson simply heaved out a sigh before pointing out, "After all their sins have been displayed, few would truly believe you to be evil. And those that still seek revenge are just as rotten as their former masters."

He wasn't wrong about that. The news about Mercer's true nature had spread like wildfire and people were condemning his every action.

Every single person who had any former connections with Mercer, Aakif or any other of my former masters, had all been quick to wash their hands clean of them.

It just bothered me that now people were capable of seeing those men for what they truly were.

Monsters.

Where were these outcries of disgust and horror when we were abducted from our homes? Where were these acts of kindness and warmth when we were sold to the highest bidder and seen as nothing more than property?

And why did so many people turn a blind eye? Just in this short moment alone, I could think of dozens, hundreds of times where any of my former masters acted off.

I guess people had been blinded by their prestige and wealth. Saw only the glittering cover they had created and ignored anything that didn't fit this false image of perfection.

Now that the perfection was shattered, people were scrambling to preserve whatever they could of their frail image.

To be fair, I couldn't see myself living in any of these cities that caried so many memories. Even with the only good master I've had, there were too many events that tainted the memories I created there.

The promise of freedom had been well within reach until Mercer had snatched it away so brutally. And while it was my choice to go with him willingly, it was still a forced choice.

Why would I hand myself to this monster by choice? Nobody in their sane mind would. But as I had looked around to my friends, people I considered family, I couldn't imagine making them suffer simply to enjoy freedom a bit longer.

Back then, I knew I was strong enough to endure it. Even though nobody is supposed to endure such suffering.

Now I could hope that all my suffering was in the past. That I could look at the world in a new way, explore places I haven't been to, experience truly what it meant to be free.

To sleep under the stars, observe a sunrise or sunset... To make my own choices and handle their consequences without fearing I'll be murdered for thinking outside of the box.

"So... What do you wanna do now?" Carson drawled, looking up at me as I sighed and shrugged. "You must have some idea."

I leaned back on my hands, sighing as a breeze rustled over the grass. The silence only interrupted by the near imperceptible swishing of the horses' tails and an occasional nicker.

"I think... I want to discover the world. To find a place where I belong, where I can see myself growing old. I want to find a normal job, live in a normal house. Perhaps even breed horses, do something I enjoy for once."

Carson stayed quiet after my confession, a pensive expression over his face before he sighed and sat up. Clapping his hands to get rid of any dirt. "Guess we'll do just that then."

"We?" I asked with amusement, eyebrows quirking at his rather bold assessment. The man beside me chuckled and gave me his own look of amusement.

"My men and I are highly capable, not to mention that we've seen quite a bit of the world as mercenaries. There are different customs to learn with each country you visit, each new culture you encounter." Carson chuckled before smirking "I doubt you want your first impression in a new country to be a cultural blunder of epic proportions."

Pointing towards the city in the distance, he added "We have connections in quite a few settlements. Hell, some of my crew are from different countries. My advice when visiting a country is to always heed the teachings of a local."

Hmmm, he made a fair point. Even if it was in my own country, I knew I made several cultural errors when interacting with the Bedouin when I was still recovering.

While they had been more than gracious with my mistakes, they had made me aware of them. Carson was right. If I wanted to explore the world, the last thing I wanted to do, was insult people and their culture by being ignorant.

"What about the countries and cultures you haven't visited?" I teased with a cheeky grin, making Carson bark out a laugh before brushing a hand through his hair.

"Then we can learn it together. What else is better in this world than a shared experience?" Carson said with a motion towards our surroundings. "While solitude is often preferred when our minds need to settle, most of the times things shared can make the experience better."

As he continued to explain, his words brought memories to the surface. The times where I was eating alone beside Tahir, hiding in a makeshift shelter, compared to eating in an inn and observed the cheerful crowds.

Times where I shared a campfire with tired travelers sharing stories and song, always heavily appreciated over the oppressive silence when I gnawed on rations on horseback.

I would be lying if the idea of traveling with Carson's troop didn't excite me. To have people to talk with, laugh with...

"What do you get out of it?" I murmured curiously, jiggling with my meager coin purse to indicate money was out of the question. "I'm broke."

Carson snorted, as if I just told something extremely amusing. "Making you take responsibility for stealing my heart."

I blinked. Completely shocked as I slowly turned towards him and all he could do was laugh.

"Expected that reaction. Seriously though, you're making me question things about myself. Seeing you in a different like, distracting me whenever you just... walk." He motioned towards our surroundings. "Do you think I would've looked twice at anyone else driving off into the sunset?"

My mouth was dry as I shook my head, attempting to knock back some sense into my jumbled mess of a brain. "I... I don't-"

Carson held out his hand, silencing me instantly. "I'm not going to force the issue but I would like if you just... think about it. We're already going to hell anyways with the blood on our hands, so that's not stopping either of us."

"Give it a chance. Travel with us as we get to know each other. See if this-" he motioned between us, "can work or not. If it doesn't, no harm done. I'm just hoping you're willing enough to have an open mind and see if there is a possibility of us."

It only took me a small moment to agree. Thinking back on our interactions, Carson never really made a move on me, nor had he done anything else but respect who I was.

Yet I couldn't vehemently deny there was... something. I couldn't tell if it was romantical attraction or simply appreciation for the first guy I could consider to be a friend.

However, I didn't want to just flee at Carson' proposition. After all, my first introduction to the love between men was... less than savory. Not to even mention the lack of consent.

A shiver ran over my spine at the memory and Carson seemed to realize where my mind was going, instantly shaking his head.

"I'm not saying this to get in your pants or any other ulterior motives, Nadir." He sighed, rubbing both his palms over his face. "I can only imagine what happened to you, what they've done to you."

A long, deep sigh slipped from my body after an ever longer pause. "We'll see where it takes us. Whatever happens between us." I turned to Carson and huffed, giving him a smirk as I tilted my head.

"But I'll never take responsibility for stealing anything. I'm a Thief, remember?" I smirked, making him bark out a laugh before reaching a hand out and helped me out.

"Well then, Mr. Thief. Lead the way." Carson teased with a playful bow, making me shove him in the shoulder and barely make him stumble before we headed back towards the city.

And our lives.