"Hey!" One of the men said, running after them and tripping onto his face in the snow. He lifted his head up and raised his fist. "When I find you I'll fucking kill you!" 

"You can fucking kiss my ass," Beren said under his breath, and he caught Jocasta grinning, seeing she heard him. He laughed, wheeling his horse toward the road as she followed suit. The beasts cantered a bit, not going too fast so as to catch the dirt and not a snow drift. Beren wasn't the best rider, but he was adequate, and he had an intuition with beasts. Jocasta's horse walked brusquely beside his own, though she didn't seem too agile in the saddle. 

"Sometimes my nice facade disappears, you'll have to get used to it," he told her with a faux haughtiness. 

"A bad boy streak? You're full of surprises," she said slyly, and they bounced on their saddles down the road before they made it within a five minute walk to town. They left the horses there, not wanting to be charged as horse-thieves. If they had kept them, the Black Lions would have been able to give a true reckoning of wrongs and not just a personal vendetta. Beren hopped off his mount and helped Jocasta off hers. She tucked the sarong in her coat, and they walked back to town, letting the sun warm them as they passed through the gate. 

Rounding the next corner, they were a few streets from the inn before guards approached as if by magic on three sides, five men in all with spears. Their eyes were set and their faces grim, save the fifth one that wore a gold cloak, who eyed them appraisingly. Every villager that passed by gave them a wide berth. 

"Uh oh," Jocasta said. 

"Can I help you, officer?" Beren asked, trying to hide his growing panic. Had they been seen somehow? With the body or the horses? Beren kept still, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. The lead man took his helmet off and rubbed his bald head, before placing it back on. 

"You two are coming with us. We have things to speak of at the master's manor." He informed them. Beren glanced at Jocasta, and she could see in his eyes a question of follow or flight. She nodded, and offered her arm to him. He took it, so they could be in close proximity if things went south. Beren really felt like he trusted her, even with only knowing her for a week. Well three technically, but a week seeing her every day. 

They walked with the escort towards the northern side of town, where a small wall held a gate of iron bars that opened at the sergeant's call.