Chapter 23 #2
She was still covering her sensitive parts, but the elegant flow of the dress was now closer to feeling like her old self, like home.
“Well this will turn some heads.” Raine teased stepping around from behind her.
“That’s the point.” she smiled and fussed with her hair in the mirror.
She had Raine make a second trip out to bring back silver pins for her and ribbon, her white hair now adorned with them as the braid she weaved everything into rested on her shoulder. A small chunk of hair left hanging on the opposite side to frame her face perfectly.
“Shall we?” she nodded towards the door after placing her white slippers on her feet.
Raine just smiled and headed towards the door, opening it wide for her to step into the hall. Two guards stood out in the hall, one on each side of the frame and both looked at her wide eyed as she walked by. They then fell in step behind her and she felt herself ache for Kaden instead.
“Where would you like to go?” Raine asked quietly as they stepped down the hall.
“Lets just walk around the castle and then maybe the garden. I’m guessing I’m not allowed outside the main castle walls into town?” she said quietly.
“Kaden said to keep you close.”
“Close to the castle or close to him?” she asked curiously.
“Both.”
A heat in her gut formed and she knew things were changing around her when it concerned Kaden. Ever since they fought the Trenchers outside the main gate, there had been a shift between them she couldn’t explain.
Not that he wasn’t a good looking male, many females would probably jump at the chance to be close to him, but after Silas she wasn’t sure she could trust anyone again that way.
They walked in silence around the halls, guard looking at her as they passed and could see them tense under their leather armor. She could even see some of their cheeks blush and she wondered if their pants were getting a little tighter too.
She didn’t try to purposely be flirtatious, but her hips might have swayed more than necessary.
Kaden had said to play the game, so she was going to take it up a notch.
The door to the throne room was wide open and she slowed her pace as they walked past it, the guards nodding to her as she walked by.
“Alyra.” Emris’s voice carried into the hall and she let a smile form on her face.
Her steps halted and she started towards the door they had slightly walked past, Raine and the guards following. She looked at the floor as she entered for the first few steps, wanting whoever was in the room with him to take a good look at her before she saw their faces.
The room went silent as she strolled in and when she finally decided to lift her eyes, Kaden’s was the first one she saw.
He was tense, his eyes focused on her face but she could tell he was struggling to keep them there. She gave him a mischievous smirk, his eyes smoldering even more and she looked around to see who else was standing nearby.
Silas was next to Kaden, followed by Logan, Declan, and then Emris who was looking at her, fury in his eyes. She knew this wasn't attire that he would approve of her wearing, with the culture in the fae kingdoms being more conservative.
“What are you wearing?” Emris asked through gritted teeth.
“Well, since I am the Queen of Mydalsa I thought I should act like it. I had to do some alterations but I think it turned out perfect.” She kept the smile on her face and her hands clasped together in front of her trying to pull off an innocent look, though she knew he could see right through it.
“You are not in Mydalsa and I don’t appreciate you strutting around barely clothed.” Emris looked to Silas with an annoyed look. “You approve of her wearing this?”
Silas just watched her carefully and she gave him a warning look in return.
“I don’t have a say in what she wears, my king, she is a female of her own free will.” Silas answered calmly.
She could see Logan trying to avoid looking at her out of the corner of her eyes while Kaden’s eyes burned into her next to him. She could feel that familiar pull coming from his direction when she looked away and if she wasn’t so focused on her performance, she would have looked back at him.
“If you want to get technical.” She started, “I’m a visiting queen being housed in your castle and typically that would make you the host.” She tilted her head and smiled, her eyes still glued to Emris.
“Which also means you have to cater to my culture and my needs for however long I stay per your kingdom’s law if I remember correctly. ”
The look in his eyes darkened and she knew she had just beat his game. She wasn’t just a soldier he could command, but a true queen and ally that he needed to respect.
“Well I’m glad you decided to wander down here, you are leaving the castle.”
For the first time since she entered the room she let her smile fade and her eyes instantly went to Kaden.
“What do you mean?” she asked and struggled to keep her voice from faltering.
“Emris thinks you should travel to Bromel for a while to pull the attention away from Elnora and tour part of the kingdom. This way more people will see you are alive, they think it's for the best.”
She noticed the way he said ‘they’ and realized he was against the decision to move her. Her eyes scanned the others in the room, Declan barely making eye contact with her which made her conclude he knew she wouldn’t like the decision.
“Bromel is a seven day ride and we have to go through Grimstone to get there.” She focused her eyes on Emris and made sure he was aware she was not pleased.
“Seems you are capable of handling yourself with the show you put on yesterday.” Emris sneered.
She looked back to Kaden who was still looking at her but with softer eyes and she had to swallow hard to keep her composure.
Bromel was another larger city to the west, opposite of Ketras. It was known for having a high theft rate in the main town, the governor's estate heavily guarded taking up most of the protection the city offered.
Emris was sending her there because he couldn’t protect his own capital and wanted time to plan.
Grimstone was even worse, the murder rate of travelers going through there the highest in the entire kingdom. Something didn’t seem right and she had a sickening feeling in her stomach.
“Silas will be traveling with you.” Emris continued.
“No.” She snapped herself out of her trance and whipped her head to the king. “I choose Kaden to come with me and that is final.”
“I can’t allow that, I need him here in case we are attacked again.”
“You assigned him as my trainer and his assignment isn’t finished yet.” she snarled, her heart starting to race. The thought of having to leave was bad enough, but the sting in her chest told her losing Kaden for some reason was even worse.
“She is right.” Kaden said, taking a step closer to her. “She needs more time to train and Silas won’t help her with it.”
“Who says I won’t train her?” Silas snapped.
“You can’t train her.” Kaden snarled back. “She doesn’t trust you, she won’t focus on what she needs to.”
She felt Raine place her hand on her arm for a quick moment and she realized she was shaking from anxiety building inside her. Kaden might have been her guard, but at this point he had become her friend and she didn’t have many of them.
‘1,2,3..’ she started to count in hopes of calming herself.
“Fine.” Emris groaned. “Kaden will go.”
She fought the tear that was forming in the corner of her eye, not wanting to show her weakness to him but her chest deflated with the long breath she let herself release.
Kaden walked up next to her, opposite of Raine and nodded to the king. “We will get ready and leave first thing in the morning.”
Her eyes glanced at Silas, the glare in his eyes making her very aware he was not happy with the change of plan and she just glared back. If she really wanted to be childish, she would have stuck her tongue out at him but she was trying to behave.
“I still need you here for a while longer.” Emris stated towards Kaden.
“It’s ok, we will continue our walk.” Raine’s voice directed towards Kaden and then looked back at her. “Come my lady.”
She let herself meet Kaden’s eyes one last time, his eyes calm and she realized that he was fighting for her. He always had been.
When she turned, she reached and let her hand graze him, letting him know she saw what he was doing, and was thankful for it.
A spark flickered in his eyes just before she had to look away and her skin prickled at the feeling it left on her. Raine squeezed her arm as if sensing the tension and she just followed her out towards the gardens without another word.