always and forever is forever young
your shadow on the pavement, the dark side of the sun
It was half an escape plan, at least. Tristan had thought of everything except how to get from the grass under the hospital window to outside the castle grounds, which wasn't bad for a fourteen year-old. If Mallos was on his own, he would have opted for a disguise – stolen a guard uniform, if he was feeling flamboyant, or simply switched clothes and altered his mannerisms. A change of clothes, pace, and posture was enough to fool most people, especially if it created the impression that he was someone who was meant to be there. This was Tristan's show, though, and it would be a lot harder to disguise two people than one. The prince's logic was sound, if a little heavily reliant on luck. Mallos nodded and followed him across the green towards the allotment.

The cabbage patch felt a little exposed in spite of its quietness, so in some ways it was no great surprise to hear the guard's yell from the upper window. Mallos exchanged glances with his grandson and needed no further instruction; they ran. They had a head start on the guards, but that wouldn't last long – anyone in the vicinity could have heard and responded to the shout. Speed was key now. He skidded to a halt behind his grandson and risked a glance over his shoulder while he waited the split second it took for the dogs and the prince to fit through the gap. He could see the guards now, rounding the castle wall. Mallos was relatively confident that he could out-run most people on a short distance, but these guys looked pretty determined – they were going to have to shake them before this turned into an endurance race. Distance assessed, he turned back to the gap and shot through it with his usual, catlike ability to negotiate even the tightest of tunnels.

The good news was that it was a clear run to the wall from here; the bad news was that one of the wall guards was running alongside the stonework as he raced to catch them. Mallos calculated briefly that they'd have enough time to reach the wall, but not get over it. He, Tristan and the dogs sprinted to over to the looming structure, whereupon Mallos gestured for his grandson to go ahead. Getting two fully-grown Basque Shepherd Dogs over the wall would be a challenge, and privately one Mallos hoped Tristan wouldn't attempt. He'd just as soon leave the animals behind.

Turning his back on Tristan, he eyed the oncoming guard and made a swift assessment of him. Middle-aged but low rank, judging by his insignia, which meant he was either a late career-changer or, more likely, unambitious. His uniform was well pressed but slightly the wrong size: standard issue, not tailor-made. There was little wear around the top of his scabbard, indicating that it was new or his sword wasn't pulled much. Mallos couldn't tell which from the distance. He took all this in and made a snap decision: he leant sideways against the wall and folded his arms, raising an air of casual dominance. The guard skidded to a halt in front of him.

“Stop - ” he started, but Mallos overrode him.

“No, you stop for a moment, and think.” He raised an eyebrow slowly and gave the man his best withering look. “You have two options. Either you didn't see us, or you're one responsible for bringing us back... which would make you the target for my displeasure. I'll give you thirty seconds to consider.”

A more dedicated guard wouldn't have hesitated, but this one – as Mallos had suspected – preferred an easy life to a medal of honour. It was gratifying to see that he hadn't lost any respect in spite of being gone for so long. In fact, his prolonged and unexplained absence probably helped matters, since it added to his aura of mystery.

“You don't have any magic,” the man uttered uncertainly, in a commendable but feeble attempt to shift the power balance. Mallos grinned and winked at him.

“Don't need it.”

The sound of thundering footsteps grew ever louder. Any second now more guards would come pouring through the bushes. The one in front of Mallos hesitated, but only briefly, before turning and fleeing back the way he'd come. As he turned back to the wall, which Tristan had already disappeared over the top of, Mallos heard the guard yell “not here!” and spared himself a little smile. The wall was old and made with misshapen stones, so it was easy enough to scale. He was up and over the other side in a flash.

“Time to go,” he suggested to Tristan, and the pair of them ran for the forest.

i can feel you in the silence saying, “let forever be,
love, and only love, will set you free.”