Chapter 7 – A Run Through the Rain
From the novel Oaths and Orchids by Makoto
The first raindrops fell like warning whispers from the sky, pattering against Vileal's cloak and Selene's shoulders as their horse galloped deeper into the wild. Branches clawed at them. Mud splashed high with each desperate hoofbeat. Behind them, no horns sounded—yet—but he could feel the hunt beginning.
Selene gripped the saddle tightly, her breath hot and fast against Vileal's back. Her hands had stopped trembling, but not from peace—just exhaustion. Fear still clung to her, sharp and silent.
"How far to the nearest village?" she asked, raising her voice over the wind.
"Too far," Vileal said grimly. "But there's an old hunting trail ahead. I know a place we can hide until dawn."
The forest grew denser, darker. Rain began to pour in earnest, turning the path to slick earth. Their horse stumbled more than once, and Vileal slowed, heart hammering with a soldier's dread: they'd be easier to track now, leaving a trail of churned mud and broken twigs.
Selene looked behind them once, her lips tight. "Do you think they'll kill you if they catch us?"
He didn't answer.
That was enough for her to understand.
By the time they reached a collapsed wooden shelter—what might've once been a gamekeeper's hut—the sky had cracked open completely. Rain fell in torrents, and thunder rolled across the hills. Vileal dismounted and helped Selene down. Her dress was soaked, her hair clinging to her neck and face.
He tied the horse under a thicket of trees, shielding it from the worst of the storm, then led her inside what remained of the hut. The roof was half-gone, but the walls were intact. A hearth sat at the far end, stuffed with damp leaves and bird nests.
Selene stood silently, arms wrapped around herself.
"This is freedom?" she said with a bitter smile. "Wet feet and cold air?"
Vileal pulled off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders. "It's a start."
She didn't respond, but she didn't shrug it off either.
He managed to start a small fire in the hearth, coaxing reluctant flames from dry twigs under the inner wall planks. Selene sat near it, warming her hands. The firelight made her look less royal and more real—her eyes reflecting gold, her skin pale with cold, but alive.
"Back there," she said softly, "when you chose me… you weren't just doing your duty, were you?"
Vileal met her gaze across the flickering fire. "No."
"And if I hadn't asked for help?"
"I still would've followed."
Selene's lips parted, surprised. "Why?"
He hesitated. "Because you didn't deserve a cage. And… I didn't want to be the kind of knight who closes the door on someone begging for air."
That made her go quiet.
Outside, rain roared like a storm god's fury, but in the little ruined hut, the silence between them grew strangely warm. Not gentle. But understanding.
Selene leaned back against the wall, cloak drawn around her like armor.
"I don't trust men," she said suddenly. "I've had to survive too many who smiled and lied and bowed before taking everything away."
"I'm not asking you to trust me," Vileal replied. "Just don't push me away before I prove I'm not one of them."
She stared at him for a long, long time.
"Then stay," she said finally. "But if you lie to me, or betray me, or try to control me—I'll leave, no matter how far we've come."
"I wouldn't blame you," he said. "But I won't do any of that."
For the first time, Selene allowed herself to look tired—not just physically, but deep in the soul. Like she'd been carrying the weight of a future she never wanted for far too long.
She closed her eyes.
And Vileal stayed awake, watching the rain fall, sword within reach, listening to every crack of a branch in the dark.
Outside, the storm raged.
Inside, something softer was beginning.
Not love—not yet.
But something braver.
Something that might survive the rain.