Anya hoped to reach the Eastern Hills without stopping, but Jess foiled her plans. The former Prince awoke and began to fuss loudly.
“Anya, I need my diaper changed!” she whined. Anya sighed. There was indeed a rancid smell coming from Jess. She pulled back on Nan’s reins. Nan slowed to a regular horse’s trot. “My diaper is full of poop!”
“I know,” Anya hissed at Jess. “When we find a stream or pond, I can change you, okay? Until then, settle down.” Jess continued to squirm. Anya sighed. She unbuttoned her top and guided Jess to her breast. Jess promptly began to suckle eagerly. With Jess distracted, Anya took stock of their surroundings. They were in the middle of a pine forest. Pine forests didn’t sprout for quite some distance past the Capitol. By her estimation, they were somewhere in the Cedar Woods. The Eastern Hills and Wind’s Grove would be a day’s travel by Witch’s Pony or at least a few weeks by a regular horse.
They came across a small stream. Anya dismounted Nan and tied her to a tree nearby. Nan grazed while Anya cleaned Jess and changed her diaper. She also explained all that had happened while Jess was asleep. Jess seemed relieved they were closer to safety, though the expression could have been partially from peeing while Anya bathed her.
“Do you have any questions?” Anya asked. Jess nodded.
“Yes. Will we be able to- mommy, hungwy!” Anya quickly looked around. Jess’s charm had kicked in, which meant they were not alone. A few armored men melted out of the forest.
“Young woman, what are you doing?” one of the men asked.
“Cleaning my daughter,” Anya replied. She calmly finished diapering Jess and tucked her back into the sling. Jess began to cry. Anya quietly shushed Jess by baring a breast for her to nurse from. Jess took the breast and began to suckle anxiously.
“She seems old to not be weaned,” the same man remarked. Anya stroked Jess’s hair, silently apologizing for what she was about to do. But she couldn’t claim to be a former Royal Wetnurse. Not here.
“What do you mean?” Anya asked calmly. “She is merely nine months old.” Jess shrunk under her hand, becoming a nine-month-old infant. “Now, if you will excuse me, we must continue on our journey.”
“Where do you journey to?” asked the same man, apparently the leader.
“I come from the Eastern Hills. My husband was killed in the fighting that broke out across the kingdom, so I am returning to my family for now,” Anya said. She untied Nan and mounted the pony. The men quickly surrounded her. Anya’s heart leapt into her mouth. All she could do was hope the men had noble intentions. Otherwise, she would need to use magic to escape, thus slowing their arrival to Wind’s Grove.