#Chapter 146: A Big Favor

Bethany and I shift our direction and head toward the guard barracks. While I hide behind a nearby pillar, not wanting to be scene, Bethany disappears inside. A few minutes later, she steps back outside with a familiar guard in tow. She brings him to my location. “Harper, I can’t believe it,” Ted says, smiling wide. I hadn’t seen him since the end of our warrior training, though he was something of a fast friend then. He is still recognizable, though his appearance has changed somewhat since then. He’s filled out some, with thick muscle and bulk. He’s sheered his hair, leaving it very short. Those aren’t surprising changes, given the life of a soldier and guard. However, there’s something different in his face too. Not that his features have changed, but his expressions seem tighter than before. His smile had been lazy sunshine in the past. Now, he looked uncomfortable peeling his lips back in a grin. “I thought the King didn’t want me talking to you,” Ted said. He doesn’t, w