Notes (A Crossmare FanFiction)

Chapter 7

It felt like forever before Cross finally showed up outside of the door. But eventually, Night heard the other 'clearing his throat' outside which he assumed was the signal the other was using to tell him that it was time.

Night made sure that he had gathered everything that had been in his cloak before standing up from the bed, and heading over to the door to greet the other. He didn't know if he should call him his friend quite yet.

Nonetheless, as he got over to the door, he could hear the lock clicking open softly, and the door slowly opening as to not disturb any other guards in the dungeon area. Cross waved him out once there was a big enough space for him to squeeze through. Night did just that, being quick and watching as Cross closed and re-locked the door behind him.

They wouldn't be able to talk to each other right now, there was too much of a risk of someone hearing them. So Cross just waved his hand in a motion to say 'follow me'. 

Night nodded, allowing Cross to take the lead and following him as they head towards the same exit they had used a few hours ago. Cross unlocked it, which resulted in another soft click. Thankfully, the door didn't squeak as it was opened, and the two quickly squeezed out of the dungeon. Everything was going according to plan so far. 

Cross lead the prince through the castle, the both of them being as quiet as they possibly could. Luckily for the both of them, they knew the guard routes, so they were able to avoid the guards as they snuck around. 

After around 10 minutes of making their way slowly across the castle, they found the exit over by the stables where the horses were. Sometimes Night and his brother would sneak out and go horse back riding when they were supposed to be guarding the tree and talking to villagers. Night guessed that wouldn't be happening again...

He tried not to think about it as the two of them stepped out of the castle, still keeping their guard up.  They didn't want to be too loud in case of any nearby guards that they weren't aware of. 

Night found his favourite horse of the bunch, a black horse with small white speckles all over, who he had personally named Nova. She was the horse he had always used when he and his brother snuck out. 

"Hey girl..." Night whispered cautiously as he approached Nova. He gently put a hand on her side so she would know that he was there. They didn't really have time to put saddles on the horses, considering the rush they were in, so Night just had to hop up onto Nova bareback. 

"We're gonna have to run for a long time tonight. I'm sorry about that." He mumbled to her, looking over to make sure that Cross was also on a horse. 

Cross was already waiting there for Night, on the back of a light grey horse, who Night recognized as Smoke, with everything he needed in a bag on his back, including food for the horses. "Are you ready to go?" Cross asked in a low, impatient voice. It was clear he wanted to get going in case anyone were to come out and see them. 

Night quickly nodded and got himself comfortable before the two made their way away from the castle. 

They rode in silence for a long few minutes, which gave Night some time to reflect and think about what had just happened, as well as ask himself some questions. Like "Why was Cross helping him? What will the others think when he gets back? What will Dream do? Is he going to be spending the rest of his life on the run?" All of these questions ran through Night's mind as the two got farther and farther away from the castle. 

Once the two were far enough away that they could talk to each other, Cross made a comment on Night's silence and expression. "You don't have to look so scared. I understand you're confused about why I'm helping you. Everything will be explained when we get back to the group." He told him, though now he kept his gaze ahead of him. After said comment, he went back to being silent. 

Night didn't really know how to respond to what Cross had said, so he had just quietly said "Okay." He looked at the trees around him, which he faintly recognized from his first escape attempt.

After what seemed like, and probably was, hours of travel, the two made it to Ink's place. Night gently climbs off of Nova, letting her stand just beside the house. He could still faintly see the markings in the snow from where he had climbed out the window last time he was caught. He shook his head, trying not to think about that. 

Cross motioned for him to follow as he went inside, so Night gently pet Nova, and made his way inside as well, his soul beating loudly in his chest. He was positive the others would be able to hear it. 

Ink was immediately in his face, asking if he was okay, and looking over him. Cross had to push him away a little. "Give the kid some space. He just ran away from home for the second time, he's probably stressed out." 

"Then we should get him relaxed and we can get moving in the morning!" 

"No, Ink. We have to get moving as soon as possible. If we stay here we're going to be found again and all of this work will have been for nothing." 

"But you just said-" 

"Uhm... What are you guys talking about...?" Night cut in, looking between the monochrome skeleton and the colourful skeleton. "What do you mean when you say 'get moving'?" He asked.

Ink and Cross both looked at each other, before Ink spoke up. 

"We... We wanna go with you. We can't stay here or the guards are gonna find us again. So we're gonna get moving and we're gonna try to find somewhere else to stay."

Night felt anxiety rush over him for a moment. "Really, you guys shouldn't worry about me." He tries to protest. "You don't know me, and I don't want you guys to put yourselves in danger just for my sake." He said, a worried look on his face. He didn't want them to get hurt because of him, he would feel horrible. 

Ink shakes his head. He was stubborn. Once he made up his mind about something, it was near impossible to get him to change his mind. "We want to help you. Or, at least I do. I know you don't have anywhere else to go." He said. "Please... Let me help you." He pauses for a moment, then a determined look crosses his face. "Correction, I'm going to help you. And you can't do anything about it." He says. 

A small smile crossed Night's face. At least someone cared. He was glad to know that. 

After a moment of hesitation, Night speaks up, looking between Cross and Ink. "We don't have any time to lose anymore. We should get packing and moving." 

The two of them look at each other, Ink smiling a little now too. They both nod, and split up. Ink heads towards the kitchen, and Cross rushes upstairs, both of them packing whatever they could find into their bags to get ready to leave. 

This left Night alone in the living room, unsure of what to do. He knew they didn't have much time to spare though, so he decided to anxiously wait and guard the window to make sure no guards were coming. He knew everyone at the castle was probably already aware that Night had escaped, and he didn't know how long it would be until people came looking for him again, and he didn't wanna wait to find out. 

He couldn't help thinking;  was this his life now? Was he going to live on the run forever?  

His train of thought was broken when he heard a crash from upstairs, making him squeak. What was that!?

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(1381 words) 

Hey hey! I'm alive again!! I feel like I say that every chapter lmao 

I've been trying to motivate myself to continue I swear. Also I promise the crossmare is coming soon- I need to let the ship develop, I don't wanna just force it in out of nowhere. Nonetheless I hope y'all are enjoying! I have English this upcoming semester, so I'm hoping to bring my laptop to school so I can write more and give faster updates 

Anyways, I'll stop rambling 

Ily all <3