Chapter 3

With the help of Milton, after many failures, Ayla managed to get on the horse. The dress she was wearing was not fitted for horse riding, so she had to sidesaddle.

Ayla's heart was beating so fast like a bird trapped in a cage. She was sure that the horse would start running and throw her off his back. But when the horse didn't move, she thought that maybe she could get to the castle in one piece. She tried to grip the reins, but her fingers were numb with cold.

The journey and the cold had worn Ayla out; she felt tired. And the endless cold made its home in her bones. She didn't think she would feel warm again. Ayla shivered so bad that her entire body started hurting.

" Don't worry about the reins," Milton said from his horse. "I will lead the horse. Just hold on tight."

Ayla grabbed the saddle as best as she could with her trembling fingers. She wanted to hold her mother's amulet tight, but Ayla was afraid she would fall from the horse. So, instead, Ayla sent a silent prayer to Addanos. Her eyes lingered a few moments on Milton's robe. The robe was black with bright red flames– a typical robe of a Fire Mage.

Even if Ayla didn't worship Inoss, the Fire god, she also decided to send a prayer to the world's creator.

"Before we leave, I should make sure you don't freeze to death. I don't think Rhobart would be too happy if I brought you back in the form of an ice sculpture," Milton said.

Ayla would have snorted, but her teeth were chattering.

From his left pocket, Milton took out a rune. The fingers from his right-hand danced above the rune while Milton recited a spell. Moments later, warmth spread through Ayla's body. Her body stopped shivering, and for the first time in weeks, Ayla felt her toes. But her body kept hurting and trembling.

"Better?" Milton asked.

Ayla closed her eyes for a few moments, feeling very, very tired.

"A bit. Thank you!" Ayla said when she opened her eyes.

Milton frowned but not seeing anything wrong with Ayla; he focused on the horses. He hated the idea of being so close to the forest during nightfall, but Milton couldn't set the horses at a faster pace because the princess might fall off the horse. Rhobart might be unhappy with having to interact with Princess Ayla, but the king had been very clear that he didn't want any harm to come to Ayla the moment he asked Milton to bring her safe to the castle.

For a while, they walked in silence until the cold made every cell of Ayla's body hurt. She tried to focus on Milton, for the thousand times, to see if he was using his rune to keep the cold away from him. But her eyes kept closing. Slowly she drifted to sleep.

She was half asleep when Milton's voice woke her up, "How are you holding up?"

"I-I a-a-am c-c-cold," Ayla said in a stuttering voice because her teeth were chattering very hard.

The horses weren't walking anymore, so Ayla asked, "W-why s-s-stop?"

Milton looked at her with concern, "I was worried about you, and I decided to stop for a moment to check on you. You should not be cold. I cast a fire spell that should keep you warm until we get to the castle."

"H-how c-c-come y-you a-a-are n-not c-c-cold?"

"My robe," Milton said, his eyes studying her face.

The Sun set behind a line of trees, leaving Milton and Ayla in darkness. The Fire Mage muttered some curses under his breath and took a magical rune out from his right pocket.

While Milton was casting a spell, a wolf howled in the forest. Other wolves followed. Ayla bit her lip to stop her from screaming.

A magic light-globe appeared above Milton illuminating their path.

"W-w-what a-about y-your r-r-robe?" Ayla kept talking, trying to distract herself from the wolves.

"It is made from the hide of a black troll, and magic spells are woven in the fabric."

"S-so i-it is a-a ma-magic robe?" Ayla asked.

Milton looked at her and frowned, " Yes, it is a magic robe. You don't look too well. Apart from being cold, how are you feeling?"

The wolves howled again before Ayla could answer, this time sounding even closer. Moments later, an ice wolf emerged from the trees. Other three ice wolves appeared from behind the trees. Beast and man stared one at another for what seemed like an eternity before the pack leader decided to attack. His brothers followed his lead.

When one of the wolves ran towards her horse, a scream escaped Ayla's lips. The horse moved nervously and almost threw Ayla off his back. She heard 'telekinesis' before feeling her body glued to the saddle.

Just before the ice wolves reached them, Milton stretched his right hand.

"Shield!".

Seconds later, the wolves hit an invisible wall. A few yelps sounded into the night, but the ice wolves were not about to give up once the hunt started. They started circling the horses, but the wolves hit an invisible wall every time they tried to reach the prey.

Milton took out a blue flask from his pocket. His mana was getting low, and soon he would have to stop feeding the shield with his magic power. The mana potion replenished some of the mana he used during the day.