Santana stopped for a moment, listening to him explain what he meant and looking at the horse. She felt a little embarrassed about her assumption and it was obvious in the way she responded after that. “Of course I know how to ride a horse” she snapped “Did you assume I didn’t because I’m a girl? Out of my way please, before I physically move you” she said before going over and climbing onto the horse.

He swiftly moved out of her way, wanting to help her get on the horse, but deciding against it at the last minute. He really didn’t want to lose a limb or worse. Instead he just took a step back and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I didn’t assume anything. I mean I didn’t know if you-,” he stopped, he was kind of fumbling over his words and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to explain himself without any consequences. “Uh, so you can just take Lucy and I’ll go on foot,” he changed the subject, grabbing the bags he had packed and left near his horse before he took hold of a torch and lit it.

Santana’s mind was all over the place, she was thinking about not getting caught, where they were in the exact moment, if her parents were alive and how things were going back in her own kingdom all at once. She nodded  when the Guard told her they didn’t have much further to walk, and a sigh of relief escaped her lips once she made sight of the horse. Hearing his question but not really being focused enough to realize what he was asking she quickly turned to face him. “Excuse me?” she said with narrowed eyes “Look I know I’m extremely hot and I understand that you’re risking your life to help me out and you probably feel like you deserve some kind of reward, but if you think for one second that you’re getting laid right now you’re sadly mistaken.” she snapped “Kudos on the confidence though, takes a lot of it to compare yourself to a horse” she said looking him up and down. The princess had obviously taken what he said completely the wrong way. Maybe more left field than was expected.

Ryder’s eyes went wide at her response. It was definitely the polar opposite of what he was implying. He wasn't even sure why she had assumed he meant that when he had never given her any hints that he was expecting anything to happen. In fact, it was the last thing on his mind. “Uh, I didn’t mean it like that,” he clarified, a little amused at the fact that she had taken what he said the wrong way. “I just wanted to know if you knew how to ride a horse,” he pointed at the large horse once they had reached one of their destinations. “This is Lucy,” he said, running a hand through the mare’s black mane, which earned him a response. He couldn’t help but smile in return. “I figured you wouldn’t want to walk the whole way,” he spoke again as he looked over at her, waiting for her answer.

Santana smirked at his words, glad he understood that she could take care of herself if need be. Not that she didn’t appreciate what he was doing or want his help, she just didn’t like to be seen as weak. Stepping lightly to ensure they weren’t heard. She stopped for a moment and turned to the guard. “How much further?” she asked.

They walked in silence for a couple of moments, Ryder's thoughts are focused on wondering what they were going to do once they went passed his kingdom's perimeter. Could he even call it his kingdom anymore? Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he continued to focus on the current situation. He knew they couldn't keep walking all night. It was already late as it was and they would eventually have to stop to rest. Ryder was taken out of his thoughts, when Santana spoke up wondering how much further they had to walk. "Uh, it's just around that tree," he gestured to the tree he was talking about as they continued to walk. Once they had made it past, without any signs that they were being followed, he turned to the princess. "Do you know how to ride a horse on your own?" He asked, hoping she wouldn't take what he asked the wrong way.

Feeling relieved to actually be out of the cell, Santana checked their surroundings just as he did making sure there was no one else around to see them. She walked beside him, her heart racing and feeling anxious about the whole situation. Stopping for a moment when Ryder turned to her and began to speak, she raised an eyebrow at his statement. “Listen guard boy. As much as I may have hated your guts in the beginning and honestly wanted to personally kill you myself, I’ve grown to like you and I appreciate what you’re doing for me.  Don’t take advantage of that though because it doesn’t take much for me to put you back on my shit list” She said as she leaned down and grabbed the bottom of her dress “Anyway, if something happens I can’t promise you I’m going to run, Because I’m not going to leave you behind. I also don’t appreciate you telling me to do that like I can’t handle myself” She said as she finally tore the bottom half off her dress so that she could move easier and run faster if needed. Handing Ryder the torn away cloth she began to move again “Now, lets go.”

Ryder listened as she spoke, her words didn't really surprise him. They had managed to get along over the past couple of days, which made him want to help her escape even more. She didn't deserve to be in this situation, not when she was caught in the middle of two feuding kingdoms. He watched as she grabbed the bottom of her dress, confused though he didn't have a chance to think about it too much because she spoke up again. "I wasn't implying that you couldn't handle yourself. I know you can really kick some major ass if you really needed to," he started to explain himself when he realized that his comment probably gave her the wrong idea. Watching as she started to tear away the bottom of her dress, he finally understood what she was trying to do. It was a pretty good idea, it would have totally sucked if they needed to run and she kept tripping over her dress or something. He took the piece of cloth from her before stuffing it in his pocket, not wanting to leave any evidence behind. "Yeah, okay," he said as he looked back again before he started walking alongside her again.

It had only been a couple days since the agreement Santana made with Ryder, but it felt like weeks maybe even months and Santana was growing restless. Sitting on the floor her attention was grabbed by the sound of Ryder’s voice. “It only took you 84 years” she said sarcastically as she got up and walked over to the cell door where the guard was standing on the other side. Shrugging her shoulders, she was just anxious to get out of the cell “Okay that’s fine.” she said her only thought was that they would at least be miles away from here. 

Ryder had already been used to her sarcastic comments so he didn't say anything and just continued to unlock the cell. Once it was opened, he gestured for the princess to walk through before closing it again, despite the fact that there was no one in there. He figured that if someone passed by and saw the open cell, it wouldn't be good for the both of them. He wanted at least a good amount of time before people started looking for them. Walking beside her, he looked around making sure there was no one around. If his plan had somehow fallen through, he was going to tell the girl to make a run for it while he distracted the other guards. It didn't completely ensure her safety, but he knew it was better than nothing. Following the path that he took when he had captured her, he led her through the woods. They walked in complete silence until Ryder turned towards Santana. "So if something goes wrong, I need you to promise me that you'll make a run for it," he told her. He knew she would most likely run away, but he figured he would just put it out there.

Santana’s smile quickly faded when she saw his hesitation and after hearing his words she felt angry almost instantly again. But at the same time she understood. Biting at her bottom lip she nodded “Okay, fine… just whatever it is you have to do or figure out, do it quickly” she said not meaning it as harshly as it came out. “Oh and if I found out you’re playing me, I will not hesitate to end you. I don’t care how strong you look,  I wil personally end you with my bare hands and you won’t have to worry about your king or queen killing you.”

Ryder cringed a little at her harsh tone, though he knew he shouldn't have hoped for anything less than that. "I'll see what I can do," he realized that it didn't give her much to go on, but he had to make sure when the grounds would be cleared for them to make their escape. He knew that their best bet would be to go during the night since it gave them a slimmer chance of being seen, everything else was still up in the air. "You won't. I gave you my word and I'm sticking by that," he told her before getting up and started making his way towards the cell door. "You should probably get some sleep," he said, gesturing towards the cot against the wall. "I'm going to go see what I can find out and then I'll let you know what my plan is," he walked out of the tiny cell before locking it up again. Giving her one last look, he went on his way. 

Santana cracked a smile when he agreed to go through with her plan. It was the fist time she’d smiled since she’s been with him. She was excited to finally get to go home, to see her family and most of all get out of the musty cell she was being held in. “Okay, great! We’ll head out first thing tomorrow then” she told him.

Ryder was a little surprised when she smiled. Well more surprised than he should have been. It was the first time he had seen her smile and he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. He wasn't blind, he knew that she was a beautiful girl either way but there was just something about seeing her so happy. He was taken out of his staring when she spoke. Frowning a little at her comment, he sighed at her eagerness. "I know you're excited to get home and stuff, but it's not going to be that easy," he said gently, so wouldn't get angry and start yelling at him. "I have to find out when's the best time to put this plan into action," he added, hoping she would understand where he was coming from.

Santana thought about his questions and understood why he was concerned. Leaning forward a bit as he did she nodded “Don’t worry about that, I’ll handle that.” She told him she knew essentially he was right but if he helped her she wouldn’t let anything happen to him. “I won’t let you get hurt. You’ll look like my rescuer instead of my kidnapper.” She told him. “So what do you say?”

Ryder raised a brow when she said that she would handle everything, but didn't say anything. He didn't really want to know what she had up her sleeve, knowing it was probably something ridiculous and he would probably end up regretting later. He was a little surprised that she was willing to help him out, but he knew she just wanted to get home. Staring at the wall in front of him, he stayed silent for a couple of minutes before he voiced his answer. "Fine, I'll do it."

Santana figured he wouldn’t be completely on board and question her. “I’m the princess, what do you mean how can I help you? If you bring me back home that will mean good things for you in my kingdom. It may not be good in yours but you will be protected.” she started to explain “I will play along with this kidnapping until then, I won’t run and I will help make you look good while I’m here.”  She waited for his reaction hoping he would agree, but she knew he was so afraid that she might have just wasted her breath.

Santana nodded as he seemed sincere about having his word. She kept thinking about how they could possibly help each other. “Why don’t you help me?” she said looking back at him “Help me escape, I mean. If you help me I can help you. I just really need to know my parents are still alive” She knew her request was probably a bit much because he was so afraid of his potential consequences but she had to try anyway.

Ryder knew what she had asked next was coming, but he still wasn't prepared to give her an answer. She was asking for a lot and while a big part of him wanted to help her, he knew things wouldn't turn out well for him. Furrowing his brows at her request, he answered. "How can you help me?" He wondered what she had in mind. If he helped her escape, there was a pretty good chance that he would get caught. Still, he was wiling to hear her out. She seemed more cunning than he could ever be.

Santana rolled her eyes as he tried to joke mainly trying to keep from laughing “Yeah, but don’t make me change my mind and punch you anyway” she sighed and nodded to say you’re welcome “I just hope you don’t make promises you can’t keep.” she said quietly. She really wanted to believe he was a good person and hoped that giving him this chance was the right decision. “Welcome to the last few hours of my life” she told him sarcastically as he commented on how depressing sitting inside the cell was. “Guess you can’t really blame me for trying to escape now can you?” 

Even though they had only been there for a couple of hours, so many things had happened, but he was glad they were finally getting somewhere. "I won't, you have my word," he told her honestly. He was a good guy, despite his earlier actions. He had somehow been caught up in this mess and went about some things the wrong way, but he was determined to make things right. Bending his right leg, he rested his elbow on his knee and looked over at Santana as she spoke. "I never blamed you. I mean if I had been captured by some stranger from a kingdom I probably had never heard of before, I would try to escape too."

Santana folded her arms and listened closely to his words trying to understand exactly what he was saying and what he meant. The look in his eye and the sound of his voice sounded sincere and as much as Santana wanted to continue to hate him he was making it hard because it seemed as if he genuinely felt bad. “I don’t know what to say” she said lowly, if she wanted to she could really hold a grudge for a long time. After taking a moment to think she sighed “Fine, I guess I can forgive you but I definitely won’t forget. And you’re lucky you’re cute, its the only thing that really kept me from punching you in the face or clawing out your eyes when I had the chance. I really, really want to hate you still but I’m trusting and believing that you are actually remorseful and everything you’re saying is honest.” she explained “We can start over and we can attempt to get along. Just don’t do anything to piss me off and we should be fine and I should be able to get out of here and not be caged up like an animal, either that or you have to sit in here with me. I feel like its only fair” 

Ryder smiled a little when she said that him being cute was the only thing that kept her from punching him in the face. "You think I'm cute?" He asked, making sure he heard her right. "I guess I should thank my parents for giving me these good looks and sparing my face," he joked, trying to lighten the mood a little. He was glad that she was willing to start over and forgive him. He thought it was going to be hard to earn her forgiveness. "Thanks for giving me a chance. I promise you won't regret it," he told her sincerely before he thought about the last part of her comment. Getting her out of there was still a touchy subject and he wasn't sure what to do about it yet, so he went with the second option and decided to sit with her inside the cell instead. "Man, this is really depressing," he commented once he was inside and sitting against the wall. He didn't know why the King and Queen had him lock her in a cell when there were plenty of rooms that they could put her in. Maybe he could convince them to have him take her somewhere else.

Santana scoffed and shook her head, folding her arms across her chest she looked at him through squinted eyes “Well I’m sorry that you live in such a crappy kingdom” she said. Apart of her felt bad for him and could tell that he was afraid more than anything but she didn’t know what to do about that. She was also really pissed that she was in the middle of this and she still didn’t know if her parents were okay and she didn’t know her fate as of right now. Her eyes widened at his next comment, “I should be thankful? are you kidding me?! you’re really telling me that I should be thanking you right now? I should be thanking you for making sure I was alive so that you can take me to be killed, that makes sooo much sense. Thank you so much, Ryder you are truly my knight and shining armor.”

Santana’s eyebrows furrowed in anger as she got up as well. She couldn’t get to him like she wanted to but she stepped up to the bars of the cell. “You did have a choice, you do have a choice there’s always a choice” she yelled “So in order to save yourself you sacrifice my life instead. What a real gentlemen” she said sarcastically “Its called being strong, which you clearly are not.” Santana did understand and realize the consequences of disobeying your king or queen, even as a princess shes handed out punishments before. “You could have said I got away, anything” assuming that everyone was as cunning as she was she gripped the bars of the cell tighter. “I hope you’re satisfied knowing that you risked and innocent person’s life to save your own”

He crossed his arms when she stepped up to the bars. He was stupid for thinking that she would understand where he was coming from. "I know I made a mistake, okay?" He realized how selfish he had been risking someone's life over his own all because he wanted to impress the people from his kingdom, despite the fact that she was considered the enemy. As far as he knew, whatever beef his King and Queen had with her parents didn't concern him and he didn't agree with their choices. "They probably wouldn't have believed me and I would have ended up being killed on the spot," he told her truthfully. Lying was never one of his strong points. He knew he would have messed things up anyway, he always did. "You should be thankful that you're even alive. I mean if I had let you get away or something, they would have captured you eventually. Everyone from my kingdom was invading. You could've been killed while everything was going on."

The answer Ryder gave her wasn’t exactly the one she wanted to hear and it kind of made her mad all over again. “So basically you put my life and my families lives in danger when you don’t even know whats going to happen after all of this. For all you know you could be getting used and they might just kill you once it’s all over.” she snapped. “Don’t ever compare where I come from to this… we don’t do things like this” she said referring to herself being kidnapped.

Ryder rubbed the palms of his hands over his face before getting up and started pacing in front of the cell. He should have figured that she wouldn't be too happy with his answer. "Look, your life wasn't the only one at stake here. It's not like I had a choice," he spoke up as he continued to pace around. "It was me against everyone else. Do you think I would have had a chance if I went against my King and Queen's plans?" He asked, rhetorically. She had to have known the consequences he would face if he went against their wishes since she had her own kingdom and all.

Santana was completely thrown off to the point where she wasn’t even sure what to say next. She wasn’t expecting him to apologize and sincerely mean it and it was really hard to decide whether to forgive him or not she she just opted to say nothing and shrugged. Maybe he wasn’t as terrible as she thought. “Why did you do it?” She asked “Or why are you doing it?” she was curious to know since he was so apologetic and it was clear he wasn’t this type of person. “I think it’s because each royal family has to have their own kingdom. You can’t really share one unless two families marry into each other.”