Illyce had greeted the prospect of further travel with her usual relief. The sooner the princess got out of one spot the better -- as much fun as it had been to remain in a sheltered place to rest and eat well, to entertain little pipe dreams of making a castle out of a cave and just residing there until [i]everything[/i] smoothed over. That would have been paradise if it were possible, in its own way. But alas, Illyce found herself the dreamer more so than Luna for once. Their glance exchanged on the way out only told one to Illyce: that maybe Luna would have wanted such a peaceful life. For that moment, her determination re-emerged, her resolve shooting up with her sudden bounding for her steed. 

She offered her hand to Luna. After getting her on horseback, riding front saddle, she very quickly realized that between the three of them, the saddle room was ... stringent. Illyce was sandwiched between Luna and Lot.

"One of the first things we'll have to do is acquire another horse," Illyce muttered.

"Or steal one," Lot said. "We're kind of penniless here."

"I wouldn't entertain the suggestion."

"It might be that y' don't have a choice, miss knight." Lot shrugged. Illyce cringed, and fell silent. She could feel the shifting of his shoulders; really, the shifting of his whole body, even if it was against her breastplate. [i]Whether we steal that horse or not, I'm going to appreciate the personal space more than anything else.[/i] She didn't quite catch it herself until she leaned forward slightly and kicked Goya into a faster trot -- that just maybe she was being overprotective. [i]Overcompensating for something?[/i] The doubt began to crawl across her back, to the chill running in her red hairs. That she had been captured still gnawed at her; and a part of her knew she was wearing that humiliation on her sleeve, even in as much as a tightened grasp on the reins.

The main road was coming into view. It was a straight shot here -- at least for this length. It was a good thing that the worst of the bounty hunters hadn't made their presence known just yet, if they were anywhere nearby. For all Illyce knew, they must have gone to some other town to resupply and regroup. [i]No...that is assuming too much,[/i] she thought. Her expression hardened, her gaze turning sidelong on every point possible alongside the road and the underbrush. [i]Either they made it up ahead...or they'll be waiting where we can't run. Oh, Luna, I hope you're prepared for such a horrid place as a port town.[/i] One look at Luna once again softened her vigilance. She thought about how she would in fact escort the princess to peasant towns against the wishes of her father; they had been both a little naive back then, enough that Illyce found herself hiding her share of bruises, taken in Luna's service.

Lot tensed in his own way. The saddle really was too small. He kept glancing back, afraid that he might accidentally fall. He pre-preemptively reached around Illyce's waist. It was lucky for him that she was still a bit lost in thought: that she was in the midst of contemplating brushing some knots out of Luna's hair -- distracting as such thoughts were, on horseback no less. He kept his teeth clenched, wondering if the slightest mishap would send him tumbling.