The Crown cannot Help You

Chapter 41: The Rose Bush

"It's time." Flynn nudged Audelia's head slightly by wiggling his shoulders.

Audelia let out a mumble of annoyance as she slowly woke up. The moon shone through the tree's leaves and left streaks across her face. She stuck her hand out into the beam, watching as the light left section of her skin glowing.

Flynn peeled his jacket off the two of them and stood up as he slung it over his shoulders. He then offered his hand out for Audelia to take, Audelia did so without a moment of hesitation, and Flynn pulled her to her feet.

"Are you ready?" Flynn asked for the final time.

"Yes." She replied matter-of-factly. "Ready as I'll ever be."

~

They opted to free the horses from where they had tied them to the trees.

It was under the argument that they may not return to free them later on.

Once untied, Hannah didn't quite understand that she was free. She stood still for a few moments, just staring at Flynn.

Audelia stepped up, rubbing her hand down the horse's back. "Thank you, Hannah." She said, genuinely thankful for all those miles the horse had carried her for. After one last stroke, she moved away, allowing Flynn to say goodbye.

Flynn gave Hannah a knowing smile, one that you'd give an old friend after sharing an inside joke. He patted her back and placed his forehead against her head. "It's been a journey, old friend." He kindly whispered as he moved away.

"See you when I see you." He said as he smacked the horse's behind, forcing her to break into a wild break back through the forest and towards the fields.

They didn't stick around to watch her go. They just turned and started their trek towards the palace.

~

"This way," Audelia motioned for Flynn to follow as she crept through the shadows of the palace gardens. The flowers weren't as bright as Audelia remembered. In fact, a fair few had died, leaving the rest to adopt a brownish tint.

She stuck out an arm abruptly, pulling Flynn behind her as she walked them both back behind a nearby flower bed. She signalled for him to crouch down, and he immediately did so. They then waited in the dirt, hidden amongst the dying flowers.

"Why am I being forced to sniff these flowers?" Flynn asked, poking Audelia in the side as he did.

"Just wait." Audelia quietened, waving her hand in Flynn's face. "There should be—"

She suddenly stopped herself from talking as two people came marching down the path in front of them. They were stacked to their necks with various weaponry and thick layers of armour.

They waited silently as the people moved past them in an intimidating, well-synchronised march.

Once Audelia was convinced that they had moved away far enough for Audelia and Flynn to not be seen, she climbed back up to her feet. "Palace guards." She whispered to Flynn. "They luckily haven't changed the way they patrol the gardens. In pairs of two and in gaps of five minutes."

"Okay, so we have around four minutes to get to your bedroom window," Flynn stated, moving across the garden to the next shadowy area.

Audelia grabbed Flynn's wrist and moved him to a better place. "There's a large rose bush at the bottom of where the wooden lattice starts. We can make it there and then hide until the next patrol. Then we'll have five minutes to climb."

Flynn nodded, already knowing this but following Audelia's lead anyway. They moved swiftly through the grand palace gardens until they reached the rose bush.