Night crept in around them and Mido began to ready Lily for their uncertain journey. He finished packing the saddle bags with their things and tightened the girth around her belly. He patted his mare's neck and she sighed, rested and ready. The guards guided them through the city, returning Mido's weapons to him. They led them through the city's gates one last time and took to their posts, watching as Calliope and Mido mounted the horse. Mido nodded wordlessly to the two guards before urging Lily into a gallop away from the capital and through the kingdom.

With Asmar to the north of them and the ocean to the east, their only option was to head towards the forest, crossing over Librona's borders and to unknown territory. Neither Mido nor Calliope had ever traveled further passed Scarletta's domains, but they were sure other kingdoms lay beyond the deep and seemingly endless forest.

When Alryn disappeared over the horizon, Mido slowed Lily to a walk. The world around them was quiet except for the crickets that chirped on the cool breeze. Fireflies dotted the land around them like destinations on an old map. Lily stretched her neck out and shook her head as she walked through the tall grass. Her ears flicked at the bugs that buzzed quietly around her head and she snorted. Mido dismounted and continued onward, leading Lily with the reins.

“So,” Calliope said, finally breaking their silence. “What's the plan?”

Mido smiled to himself as he walked on foot with his steed, resting her back from the extra weight. “We're rogue, there is no plan. We leave Librona and never return.”

“Forever on the run,” Calliope said quietly.

“Gives you a good chance to study up oh your magic,” Mido suggested in hopes of lifting her spirits.

“Magic will only draw attention to our whereabouts,” Calliope reminded him.

“Since when did you become the logical one?” He turned to her and winked.

Calliope shrugged.

“The forest is deep,” Mido reminded her. “Gives us some cover for a while, anyway. We should take advantage and learn what we can. We can grab Samus's notes while we're here. The house is close.”

Calliope nodded and Mido lead the mare in the direction of the abandoned house. Mido helped Calliope go through the wizard's journals, collecting every piece that they could find and rummaging through the drawers and cupboards one last time. The little tree that Calliope grew in the middle of the house was taller and full of lush, green life now as branches found their way through the cracked roof, reaching towards the warmth of the nourishing sunlight. Calliope gazed upon the strong tree, letting her hand rest against it's rough, sturdy trunk. She imagined the house would slowly rot away and the tree would take over, making it's mark upon the land; a marker of her time there in Librona. That tree would be all the remained of her life there.

Calliope sighed and she met Mido outside to help him pack the saddle bags with their supplies. Lily waited patiently as they shifted their equipment on top of her. Her ears twitched lazily in the breeze and she snorted quietly.

“Shall we?” Mido said, lifting Calliope onto the mare's back once more. He took the reins in hand and led them back towards the forest, the treeline growing larger as they neared. He was determined to make it before morning broke, and the sky was already beginning to lighten with the promise of a new day.

He guided them across the last stretch of the kingdom and into the forest just as the sun made it's appearance over the horizon. It's warm, morning rays just barely touched upon the forest floor as the trees grew thickly around them. They traveled quietly well into the morning, picking their way over stumps and logs and rocks. As midday approached, Mido allowed his mare to rest. He helped Calliope off the horse's back and unsaddled the horse, allowing her to graze quietly on her own.

Calliope sat on the forest floor, her legs crossed, and flipped through the pages they had collected from Samus's journals. Calliope reviewed his notes carefully, looking for anything of interest to her, but most of the spells and potions were already known to her.

Mido busied himself with his dagger as Calliope continued to study the old, worn pages. He let his head rest against the trunk of a tree and looked through the branches into the blue sky. The sun was high over head now, and its rays warmed his cheeks. He peered at Calliope and watched as her eyes searched and deciphered the faded ink.

“Anything good?” he asked casually.

Calliope shrugged. “Common magic,” she stated. “Some new things to me, but nothing extraordinary.” She sighed, disappointed. “Samus studied Scarletta night and day. I thought there'd be something valuable here for sure.”

“You've only just touched some of his notes. There's a whole bag full of pages waiting for you. I'm sure you'll find something.”

“Maybe. I doubt any of it would even be useful to me. Not now.”

“We're rogue travelers, now. You never know what could come in handy.”

“I won't fight anyone, any more. Ever again.”

“Well, what if we run into a dragon?”

Calliope raised an eyebrow. “Dragons? Dragons aren't real.”

“I wouldn't be so sure of that. There's a whole world out there you know nothing about. There may even be other witches, and witch friendly kingdoms.”

“Unlikely.”

“I guess we have the rest of our lives to find out, then.” Mido smiled.

“I suppose that's true.”

“Come on, let's keep moving,” Mido said, getting to his feet and offering his hand to her. Mido saddled Lily and the two travelers mounted once more. Mido squeezed the mare forward and they made their way once more through the forest, their pace slow and steady, in no particular rush to leave their familiar territory and into foreign lands.

“Do you think we'll ever be able to come back?” Calliope asked in a hushed voice.

Mido shrugged. “I don't know.”

“I hope so.”

“There may not be anything to come back to,” he pointed out, a grim reminder of the reality of the kingdom's fate. “We're better off not being involved now.”

“How can you say that? Librona is your home. You have friends there.”

“Not anymore.”

“You're the one that betrayed King Sloan.”

“Sloan is just a man who sits on a throne. We are not his people any more. Their business no longer concerns me.”

Calliope was quiet for a moment. She didn't want to push the matter further. Mido was right: what's done was done. “Guess we're just a couple of renegades, now.”

“Pretty exciting, huh?”

Calliope rolled her eyes. “A witch and a mortal with no certain future.”

“Guess we have to make the best of it.”

“Guess so.”

“Don't be so glum.”

Calliope sighed. “I'm not. I'm thankful; thankful I don't have to do this alone. I guess I'll adjust to this new life as I have before.”

“We're in this together.”

She nodded. Calliope let her hands rest on Lily's rump, gazing through the branches and into the sky, watching the white, fluffy clouds stroll by in the breeze. The mare carried her riders through the forest and towards the kingdom's boundary.