Chapter 25
Lilac.
She could smell it as her body slowly awoke, the aroma sending her mental images of her home and she could feel herself stay relaxed.
Her people had always lived in Longhouses with giant thatched roofs and massive wood pillars. Carvings could be seen going up the main structural poles on the outside and sometimes along the doorframes.
Generations live in such houses, and smaller versions could be found throughout the land. Mydalsa was an island in the sky that Odin himself carved from the earth and was the prettiest place she had ever seen.
Her longhouse was at the top of a large grassy hill, lilac bushes planted along the outside and a stone walkway that led down to her village.
She could see the large main hall with massive long tables for gatherings and the inside pillars around them carved with her people's ancient language, the same as the outside. It wasn’t fancy like the fae kingdoms, but it was home.
From the description Silas had told her, it was a wasteland now.
She stirred, the memory making her form a small grin on her face and then she felt the bed sink next to her head.
Her eyes flew open and she saw Kaden laying next to her, his back casually resting against the headboard. His long legs were stretched down the bed, one ankle on top of the other, and was staring down at her with a blank stare.
“Hi,” she croaked, her throat dry.
“Hi,” he said casually. “It’s time to leave.”
A groan came from her throat and she rolled onto her back, her arm folding over her face. She didn’t know if he slept on the bed or was just waiting for her to wake but either way, she didn’t care. It was the best sleep she had in a long time and she wasn’t going to figure out why.
“Emris has already been sending guards to help pack our stuff down to the wagon.”
His voice was soft but she could tell he was on edge with everything they had to do today. They had a few days of quiet ahead and then they would reach Grimstone, that was when it would get interesting.
“Fine,” she mumbled before sitting up and resting back on her hands. “Did you sleep there?”
“No, I figured you deserved your space for the night but I was prepared in case you had a nightmare.”
His eyes just scanned over her and she realized she was still in the same clothes she had worn the day before. The dress was all over the place but at least still covering the parts it needed to.
She felt her cheeks flush slightly and nonchalantly pulled the blanket over her chest. It wasn’t like he was staring at her in a perverted way, but she had all of a sudden become self-conscious around him.
“I’ll get changed and we can go.” She smiled faintly.
He dipped his head and then moved off the bed, the smell of lilac fading from her surroundings.
Once he was around the corner she got out of bed and stretched, her body sore from not moving the entire night. Last time she slept through the night was when Silas stayed, but she didn’t want to acknowledge that part of her life at the moment.
Thankfully she thought ahead, she grabbed the stack of clothes she had left out the night before and began dressing in the new gear she had commissioned a few weeks ago to train in.
Since she was not in hiding anymore, she figured going back to heritage wasn’t going to be an issue. She put on typical leather pants, and a grey cotton shirt for her main layer, then added her custom accessories.
She pulled a teal tunic over her first layer: thin-strapped and knee-length, with a slit climbing one side and a delicate laced section nestled between her breasts.
Leather straps crossed her chest and wrapped around her hip, a dagger placed on one of the front ones and her sword behind her on the backside. She had fur shoulder pads and custom leather gauntlets that covered from her knuckles to her elbow.
Lastly, straps that wrapped around her thigh to hold extra weapons. If they were traveling, it was better to be prepared than not and being in a dress wasn’t going to cut it.
She slipped her last dagger into her thigh strap when she heard the door open and multiple footsteps enter.
“Everything is in the wagon, Sir.” A man spoke, assuming it was one of the guards.
“Raine’s stuff too?” Kaden’s voice echoed off the walls.
“Yes sir, she is waiting with the horses.”
She walked around the corner, the guards instantly tensed and she kept casually braiding her hair down her front side. The room looked almost untouched, the only thing feeling empty was the dresser and seeing the couch without Kaden’s bedding.
“Well, let's go.” she sighed and started towards the door without looking at Kaden.
Part of her was happy to be leaving the castle and get a change of scenery, but she wasn’t happy about the destination she was going to.
Bromel wasn’t the first place she would choose to reside and there seemed to be a more sinister reason to move her than what was being led on.
They walked outside, a wagon and a half a dozen horses waiting for them including her grey mare. Raine was standing near another white mare and three guards stood around the wagon watching them approach.
“I hand picked the guards coming with us.” Kaden said next to her as they stopped feet from them.
“This is Finnley.” His hand pointed to a long redhaired male with bright green eyes and a bow strung across his back, matching sword on his hip. He gave her a friendly smile.
“Boone.” A shaved black-haired male with bright blue eyes and twin daggers resting on his hips.
“Xander.” Another dark-haired male, hair cut a couple inches longer than Boone’s and his sword across his back.
“We also have Titus as our wagon driver.” Her eyes looked upon an older man in civilian clothes she had not initially seen, a dagger poking out of his cloak.
She just dipped her head as a hello and looked to Raine, her blonde friend giving her a wide smile. She was happy to have her come along, but was going to have to be extra careful to make sure she stayed alive on their trip.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” She asked softly towards Raine.
“Yes my lady.”
“If you want to return at any point, just say the word and one for these men will escort you back.” Kaden said from behind over her shoulder and a spark of gratefulness hit her heart. He really had thought of everything.
“We better get moving, your highness, if we want to make it to the first checkpoint on time.” Finnley said with a friendly smile.
“Your highness?” she chuckled and gave Kaden a sideways look. “Did you tell them to call me that?”
“I wouldn’t dare.” He smirked and started towards his horse at the front of the group.
She stuck her tongue out at him even though he couldn’t see it and walked to her horse that was waiting. She checked her gear before mounting and settled into her sherpa lined saddle. It at least gave more cushion to her bottom, but she had a feeling it was going to make her warm.
The sound of leather groaning could be heard around her as the rest got situated on their horses, Raine riding up next to her.
“Sleep well?” Raine whispered.
“I did but the reason wasn’t a good one.” she shrugged and they started moving.
Kaden and Boone had decided to take the lead while Finnley and Xander took up the rear to keep watch behind the wagon. She stayed ahead of the wagon with Raine by her side just behind Kaden. They moved towards the city wall in silence.
“I heard about what happened with you and Silas.” Raine whispered again. “If you need to talk about it, we have a lot of time to fill.”
She let her eyes reluctantly scan the crowd to see if he had come to watch them leave, and to her relief she didn’t see him. This was goodbye, and this time it was for good.
“Maybe later,” she mumbled back. “A lot has happened in the last couple of days and I think a long ride will help clear my mind.”
Raine didn’t push the matter and she kept her eyes forwards while people stepped out of the way of their small group.
Once they passed the wall, she felt like a huge weight lifted off her shoulders and she breathed in a long breath of fresh air.
Being outside the stone walls seemed to instantly make her feel a little better, the freedom of riding among the grass and trees feeling less like a cage.
The sound of the horses echoed along the stone path a few miles from the wall until it turned to dirt and started deeper into the trees. She could feel a pulse in her newly freed power and hoped if she tried to connect with nature again through it, it might help break her wall down even more.
It was going to be a long journey, but to her surprise, she was content with the company she had around her.
- - - - - - - -
The sun had started to move closer to the horizon by the time they made it to their first designated camping spot. The men had planned out each place to make camp along the journey to make sure they could guard her well.
They had moved off the path a few yards against a large rock face making it so they didn’t have to keep watch on all sides and just keep eyes on the road.
Finnley and Xander helped Titus unload the wagon while the rest of them took care of the horses. She wanted to make sure they were well taken care of.
Sneaking an apple from the supply bag, she walked up next to her mare and watched the horse chew it quickly.
“You should name her.” Kaden said behind her.
She jumped in surprise, the mare barely reacting and felt her cheeks go red.
“I’m trying not to get too attached.” she shrugged.
“Why?”
“I’ve learned that things I love tend to get taken away from me or betray me. Since she can’t really betray me, I’m worried I’ll lose her another way.”
She watched his shoulders slack and could instantly tell he knew exactly how she felt. His hand moved and patted the mare on the neck a few times, her jaw still chewing the last of the apple.
“How about Zuri?” Kaden said softly. “It means striking beauty.”
A smile crept on her face and she found herself tilting her head looking up at him. His eyes were soft, a completely different demeanor than she had been used to over the last couple of months.
“Sure.” she smiled.