Passing through the gate and out of town

The rest of the town speeds by in a blur as the horse takes you both through the side streets on this slightly roundabout way to the town gate. You try your best to ignore the shocked stares you get as you speed by, knowing you likely will never see any of these people ever again.

You quickly lose track of where you are going as the horse is led deftly through the unfamiliar side streets, weaving around foot traffic and zigzagging through town without slowing down. You only realize where you're at when you finally reach a street that has the city wall along your left side.

"We just have to follow this back to the gate," your rescuer hollers over his shoulder to you. You nod, holding yourself tightly against him until you leave town.

It takes less than a minute for you to get to the gate from there. The horse slows down to navigate the crowd that's formed around this **** point. It's not that the gate is too narrow, but the guards at the gate have stopped several large horse-drawn wagons that are now blocking traffic going in and out. Your horse takes up more space than the regular foot traffic so progress is slow. Within only a few minutes, though, you finally go through the gate. Once you come out the other end, you let out a deep sigh, knowing that from this point forward there will be way less people looking at you.

The horse picks up the pace but still takes a casual stride now that you're past the bustle of the city. As the gate and the commotion surrounding it fades into the scenery behind you, you finally let yourself fully relax. No matter where you're headed, it has to be better than where you just came from.