Chapter 177: Setting Free
Rhaegar ran for what felt like an eternity.
The royal forest loomed around him, dark and menacing, its massive trees twisting upward like grotesque monsters. Their gnarled branches clawed at the night sky, casting eerie shadows that seemed to reach for him. Though his eyes were well-adjusted to the darkness, the weight of sorrow pressing down on him blurred his vision, his tears forming a thick, bitter film that refused to clear.
In his trembling hands, he clutched two items—his most precious possessions. One was the crude, rusted blade fashioned from Tharahan leaves, a parting gift from Tayiid. The other was the silk pouch filled with dried raisin bread, given to him by Princess Lorelai.
His stomach growled relentlessly, the ache of hunger gnawing at him with every step, yet Rhaegar refused to stop and eat. The thought of consuming the bread felt unbearable. If it were gone, he feared, there would be nothing tangible left to remind him of her—the girl who had risked everything for him.
But, of course, he knew deep down that he could never forget her. How could he forget the little miracle who had saved his life, offering him not just a fleeting moment of kindness but an enduring chance at freedom?
***
Rhaegar glanced up at the grim sky looming overhead. The thick gray clouds appeared heavier with each passing moment, their foreboding presence all but guaranteeing rain.
During the day, the warmth of the sun had provided him some comfort, but the nights outside Erelith were an entirely different story. They were bone-chilling, the unrelenting winds slicing through the barren landscape that offered no shelter. It was as if the desolation of the land itself conspired to strip away whatever strength he had left.
Utterly exhausted, Rhaegar’s gaze landed on a lone tree standing tall in the distance. Its massive trunk bore a hollow large enough to serve as a makeshift refuge.