Only once they were a safe enough distance away did Chat allow them time to rest. They were far off into the forest, off any of the regular paths, and he knew of no soldiers that could find their way around these mountains as well as he could. It was lucky for them that it was early summer now, trying to make their way through here in the snow would have been a pain and the Princess was already slow moving as it was.

She needed to rest though, and he couldn't carry Her the whole way.

Chat was currently sitting with his back facing Her as She washed off in a stream. He had managed to get some water for them, some food as well, and now he was just waiting for the Princess to be done washing off the caked on layers of dirt, and mud, and blood that had covered Her body.

He had done his best to try and wash off Her nightdress, but there were stains that just wouldn't come off. Chat almost felt sick at the thought of making Her put it back on, but they were without any other options. Until he could think of some place suitable to take Her, they'd have to continue on like this. It was something Chat was absolutely prepared to do, but the Princess had never in Her life been out side the walls of the capital city. She had never been prepared for something like this. He was the only thing She had to rely on.

Chat almost looked back at the sound of water splashing as the Princess was climbing out of the water. He quickly snapped his eyes back to the front. Her nightdress had been hanging by a small fire he had been able to make, and he waited for Her to make some sign that She was finished putting Her clothes back on. Apparently, that sign had been sitting down on the log across from him, hugging Her knees to Her chest.

She hadn't spoken to him since they had last left the palace.

The Princess had hardly shown any sort of emotion either. He feared that She was becoming just as numb on the inside as She was on the outside. For almost his whole life, he had been so used to walking behind Her, watching Her lead the way, always so graceful and poised, but now She would barely even move unless he was leading Her on in front and holding onto Her hand.

Can someone please tell me what I'm supposed to do?

Chat could just see the stars peeking through the tree tops as he turned his gaze upwards. The prospect of receiving some sort of sign wasn't likely, he wasn't the one who heard messages from the gods, but still he hoped for something from the only other person in the world who ever offered him guidance, a man he called family more than people who were actually supposed to be.

Though, Chat supposed the King had given him one order that was supposed to last even after his death. That was still something he could follow now.

Chat stood to his feet, making his way over to the Princess and offering Her his hands. "You should take my robe again so that You don't get cold," he said. The Princess wordlessly stood to Her feet. Chat helped Her get Her arms through the sleeves. She still looked small and shaking, the addition of his robe still barely giving her any warmth. There was a tie around Her waist with the nightdress, and Chat mumbled to Her as he reached for it. "Pardon me."

The Princess didn't even move as he slipped the tie from Her waist, refastening it on the outside of his robe. The sloppy bow he tied it in at Her waist was worse than he had ever seen done on Her. Even when She had insisted on tying it Herself as a child it always looked better than this.

Chat moved some of Her damp hair behind Her ear, and noticed the red rubies still dangling from Her ears. The seemed to be in perfect condition, about the only thing She had on that was. Chat found himself taking down a mental note to make sure they didn't get lost or that She would never have to part with them even if they were in the most dire of circumstances.

"Is that better?" Chat asked Her as he withdrew his hand. The Princess made no move to respond besides a small tip of Her head and immediately sat back down on the forest floor. Chat didn't know whether or not to take Her hands again and help Her sit or do something. There was honestly nothing helpful he could do at the moment besides pestering Her about the fact that they needed to get moving again in a few minutes.

----------------------------

Marinette's eyes were focused on Chat's shoes. They were covered in mud. His shoes were usually brown, but now they were covered in mud. She was sitting in front of him on the ground, legs crossed and Her hands folded in Her lap. Marinette wondered how long it would take Her to zone out completely. She'd done so before, more than once throughout this whole night. It was still dark and they had plenty of miles to travel. Marinette didn't know exactly where Chat was taking Her, but She trusted him, even though She wasn't entirely present, to lead Her somewhere where they could be safe together.

Chat was standing in front of Her, and She knew that he was looking down at Her. Marinette didn't quite know how to look back though. She was worried about what he would see in Her eyes, if he'd be able to read the thoughts behind them. Would he fuss over Her if She were in pain? Previous evidence and experiences made Her think he probably would.

When he finally sat down again, Marinette repositioned Herself, brining Her knees back up to Her chest and resting Her head on top of them. Now that he wasn't looking at Her, Marinette found it easier to examine him, watching as Chat clenched and unclenched his fists periodically. He was worrying about something. Was it Her?

Marinette couldn't say why, but She didn't want him, too. His entire job was basically worrying about Her, but Marinette recognized the situation they were in. She wasn't clueless, and She knew for a fact that Chat was in much more danger if they ended up being caught than She was. He could be blamed for everything and executed. She would likely only be locked away and under house arrest for the rest of Her life.

Or married to Luka in order to secure legitimacy to his claim to the throne.

Marinette tried to shake that thought out of Her head.

No, She would focus on trying not to be a burden to Chat. As best She could.

As She was pulled out of Her hazy cloud of thoughts, Marinette noticed now that Chat was looking back at Her. How long had She been staring at him and hadn't noticed he was staring back? Marinette wanted to move Her gaze to the trees, or the sky, or the ground, but found that She couldn't take Her eyes off of him. Chat was looking at Her the exact way She had feared, and a common understanding of the pain they both felt was shared. He was in pain, too, but he was hiding it in all the normal ways he had for years. Always for Her sake, and it made the guilt rise within Her even more.

Marinette sucked in a deep breath, Her lips parting slightly as She carefully formed every word in Her head before speaking them. "Do you remember," Marinette started, taking note of the slight surprise in his expression to hear Her speaking, "when we were little and I convinced you to climb trees with me even though I was barely tall enough to reach the branches?"

"Yes," Chat answered after a moment. "I remember it didn't take You much to convince me." He fiddled with the hem of his sleeves. "You fell and sprained your ankle."
Marinette nodded. "Yes."

"And I got chewed out by everyone."

"But you stayed with me the whole time I was stuck in my bed," Marintte said. It was usually kind of memory She would laugh at. Not now.

There was a part of the story they were leaving out. Who exactly had been the first to berate Chat like an older brother would, and who had carried Marinette to Her bed and called the doctors. They were both purposefully avoiding it. Marinette wished She hadn't brought the memory up because he was in it, but She couldn't but think of all the times Chat had been there for Her before, each memory unnecessarily tainted by something that now was dark.

Marinette felt the urge to stand and move around to the other side of the fire, taking a seat again right next to Chat. She instantly felt warmer again and laid Her head against his shoulder. Grabbing his wrist, Marinette lifted his arm up and over Her head, laying it across Her shoulders.

"What are You doing?" Chat asked in a quiet voice.

"Do we have to move yet?" Marinette ignored his first question.

Chat paused for a moment, readjusting his grip on Her shoulders and pulling her closer into his side. "No," he said. "Not for a little while longer."
"Then I choose to stay here for now," Marinette said. She let Her eyes fall shut, concentrating on how his heartbeat sounded and hoping it would lull Her to sleep for just an hour or so.

"Of course," Chat answered. She wanted him to rest his head on top of Her own, maybe even shut his eyes for a while as well, but Chat's muscles felt tense, and he was sitting completely still. Marinette had noticed his spear was lying by his feet, easy enough to bend down and pick it up. Chat was ready to go on the defensive at any moment.

--------------------------------

Marinette couldn't quite tell how long She had been asleep when she woke up to Chat calling for Her and kicking the soles of Her shoes.

"We need to start moving again," Chat told Her, helping Her to her feet. "Sorry, Princess. We should be able to reach a place we can rest again by tomorrow morning."

Marinette adjusted sash tied around Her waist, keeping Chat's robe closed over Her nightdress, and brushed off the specks of dirt that were willing to come out of the stained fabric. "Where are we going?"

"For now, there's a village on the border of the Wind and Fire tribes that we can head to," Chat said. "Trying to head into somewhere with a lot of people wouldn't be smart. The Wind tribe definitely won't be on our side, and if Felix is working with Luka then Aunt Nathalie probably is as well."

"Then why a border town?" Marinette asked.

"Because there's one person who I can think of there that won't try and kill us," Chat said. "It's the safest we've got till we can decide what to do next."

Chat wasn't looking at Her while he was speaking. He was staring off into the distance, and maybe he was just thinking about the journey to their destination, but this felt deliberate. He was looking away from her with purpose. Marinette narrowed her eyes, skeptical of his behavior, but didn't say anything.

"Alright then," Marinette said, walking in the direction Chat had been staring. "Let's get going."

"Acutally, uh," Chat said. Marinette stopped in Her tracks, turning around to look at him. He jabbed his thumb behind him. "It's that way, Princess."

Marientte sighed, feeling Her suspicions were further confirmed by the fact that he hadn't even been looking at where they were going. "Right."

Just as She was about to walk past him, Chat grabbed Marinette's wrist, keeping Her by his side. "Just follow me, Princess," Chat said. "I'll get us where we need to go."

Marinette silently nodded. Chat was staring at Her now, intensely. She expected him to keep a hold of Her hand, leading Her like he had last night, but Chat dropped it. He started walking without Her and it took Marinette a moment to clear Her mind enough to follow him. Unlike before, when She had decided to start moving without him, Marinette took steps on shaking legs forward.

This didn't feel like Chat leading her. In the back of her mind and the sinking pit in her stomach, Marinette got the feeling that this was him leaving her behind.