19. Timas
Chapter 19
Timas
W e pack up and make it onto the boat early the next morning. The ball the night before was actually enjoyable with Emilia by my side. Usually, it is tedious to attend such functions, but with her wrapped in my arms, swaying to the music, I found it to be gratifying. Other than that one brief moment, I considered killing a noble human. If I were confident it would not be an issue, I would have immediately killed the woman. In any case, the evening returned to a much more pleasant event once she left. I was informed this morning that she was loaded up and sent off on a less luxurious craft than when she first arrived. I am also told she was unhappy and threw–what did the guard say?-a fit, whatever that means. I’m unsure what it means, but it sounds humorous, so I was pleased to hear it. Perhaps she will think twice about acting so entitled and self-absorbed, but I doubt it.
This morning, we began the journey to the continent to rescue my flower’s father. I am not happy about how quickly we need to accomplish this task, but if we wait much longer, I fear Emilia will be put into an awful situation of having to choose her father or me. I would prefer her not to have to make that decision.
“I think we have everything. The Noble Guard will arrive in a moment.” Milori climbs onto the royal vessel set to take us to the continent. Emilia comes over dressed in a long tunic with leather pants underneath. It is not the finest material I can provide for her, but this is an outfit she would have worn at home, and she prefers it to the long, elegant dresses that currently fill her closet. I will need to find some clothing she likes when we return.
“What is the Noble Guard?” Emilia looks at me when she asks the question. It fills me with pride to know that she trusts me to provide the answers she needs.
“The Noble Guard is a specially trained group of Noble fighters. The fact that most nobles are able to fly gives them an advantage over many. They are a small group, and specially trained, but they are better at handling smaller assignments such as this. We will fly from where we land on the continent to where we will camp tonight, halfway to the Southern Orc settlement, Dorron.”
A loud thunk sounds on the boat floor where Garrick has dropped a reasonably heavy bag.
“And how are the non-flying people supposed to travel with you?” My smile pulls to the side because he will not like how he, in particular, is getting there.
“I will carry Emilia, whereas Milori will carry you.”
“Me?!” Milori starts paying attention now. I thought it would be rather humourous to see them paired together. “Have you seen him? He’s a giant boulder! I can’t carry him!” Milori looks appropriately irritated, transforming my small smile into a proper one.
“Boulder?! I am the perfect specimen of the Orc form. You should be honoured to even look at this physique.” Garrick crosses his arms over his chest, showing off his large muscles.
“Well, Milori, seeing as you are the strongest of those coming, you will have to manage.”
“You’re kidding, right? You have to be joking.” I hold his stare. His face falls, showing his defeat. “Why do I always have to carry the Orc?” he mutters, kicking an invisible rock across the deck.
“Oh, and how many Orcs have you transported? I’m putting my life in the hands of a tiny little Fae. I’m likely to die. Can you even carry more than a sack of potatoes?” At this point, Garrick has turned to face Milori, and Milori looks like he might be itching for a fight. On the other hand, Emilia is quietly laughing behind my arm, making this scene much more enjoyable to watch.
“Listen here, Orc boy. I can carry at least two sacks of potatoes and don’t push me or I’ll carry you by your feet! I need to find a new job.” Milori mumbles the last bit, shoulders slumped as he stomps away to the other side of the boat. Garrick rolls his shoulders and walks to the opposite side of Milori. Emilia wraps her hand around my arm, looking up at me with a smile. Her smile makes me feel like I could conquer the world, I marvel at this beauty that is mine.
“You did that on purpose.” There is no sense hiding the humour now. I smile and walk over to the boat’s edge, with Emilia holding my arm. We set off, the breeze feeling good on my face and the smell of fresh air and water making me feel free.
“How did your meeting with the council go?” It takes me a moment to answer because I don’t want to tell her all the hateful things some of them said about me having a human-spirit bond, so I go with a more friendly version.
“They are nervous about our pairing. As far as they know, we are getting to know each other, and in two weeks’ time, we will celebrate our future bonding ceremony. My mother will be coming as well. I am very much looking forward to you meeting her.” Emilia smiles softly, but I can tell she is chewing on the inside of her lip. Taking her lower lip in between my two fingers, I tug gently so she doesn’t injure herself.
“What is the matter, my flower?” She looks back out at the water as the boat moves forward, making small waves in the water. She sighs before responding.
“I don’t know. I suppose I’m nervous about a lot of things. Nervous about my Father and whether we will get to him in time. Nervous about what the Fae people really think about their King having a human-spirit bond. I’m nervous about all of this being over because it all feels like it’s leading up to something bigger, and I don’t know if I can handle it.”
“My flower, that is entirely too much to keep bottled up inside. I know this doesn’t take away any anxiety, but you’re not alone, Emilia. Don’t hold on to it because you think you have to–you can give me some to take care of. Part of being your spirit bond means we can weather any storm together. The turmoil inside you doesn’t have to stay inside. You can give it to me, and I will help you carry it.” She turns to me, her eyes assessing the genuineness of my statement. Something must click because she leans in and wraps her arms around my waist. I squeeze back, trying not to be too forceful with my own hug. She means the world to me, and if I can show her that, even just a little, I will be happy.
“Thank you, Timas, for everything.” Kissing the top of her head, I rub her back slowly.
“Anything for you, my flower.”
The boat ride goes quickly, and a few hours later, we dock on the other side of the channel. The Noble Guard disembarks first as they ready themselves for the short flight. Garrick, Milori, Emilia, and I gather around each other.
“Why can’t we fly directly to Dorron?” Emilia says as she adjusts the pack she needs to wear for the trip.
“As delightful as it will be carrying your big lug of a brother for the next few hours, we Fae have a limit to our endurance. Flying on our own would get us closer, but the distance between here and there is still great, meaning we need to rest between flights. I have marked a good place to camp on the map. We shouldn’t run into any raiding parties there. The only danger is likely the wildlife, but with his face, I’m sure they will stay away.”
Garrick quietly rumbles his disagreement at Milori while Milori looks ever so pleased with himself. Emilia nods and turns to face me. Everyone gathers around and looks at the map one last time.
“If anyone needs to land for any reason, signal, and we will do it as one. The priority is to keep a low profile. The fewer people that see the Day Court King flying around, the better, so stay as high as you can without losing oxygen.” With the preparatory speech out of the way, I wrap one arm around Emilia’s back and another under her legs. Holding her to me feels so right, and the need to pull her tighter to me is strong. I squeeze her just a little to appease that desire. She rests her head on my shoulder, showing her trust in me to keep her safe. My wings unfold out from my back, and with one good pump, we are in the air. Emilia tightens her grip around my neck. I remember our first time in the air–the feeling of her pressed up against my body will be a memory I hold dear for the rest of my life. The flight is long and arduous, and though I have enjoyed holding Emilia tightly for so many hours, I can see the exhaustion setting in on Milori and the Noble Guard. Milori has been holding Garrick at such an odd angle I am surprised he can still fly. They both looked extremely uncomfortable for most of the trip, except for a couple of times Milori pretended to drop Garrick, which earned him a punch to the shoulder. After the second punch, Milori stopped playing that particular game. It didn’t take long to find a good place to land on the side of the mountain. After setting Emilia down, she stretched out the kinks in her neck and legs, which reminded me to do the same with my arms—having them bent the way I did had caused the muscles to cramp.
“We need to hike for another hour to reach the camping spot I marked. It will give us a good view of the area and allow us to keep a lookout for anyone who might be in the area.” Everyone nods, acknowledging Milori’s plan, and we start the ascent up the mountain. Emilia holds my hand, lacing our fingers together as we walk. After a while, Milori and Garrick start arguing with each other.
“After carrying me for that long, you really couldn’t get us to the top of the mountain?” Garrick and Milori are just in front of us while the Noble Guard follows behind us.
“Ok, your Orc-ness, when you get wings and the ability to fly, you can choose how far we go. Besides, with all that extra weight on you, a nice walk might do you good.” Milori snickers at Garrick, who curls his lip up at him, showing his tusks. “Calm down, Sir Orc-y. I’m just kidding. Your bulkiness makes you look distinguished, like a fancy brick wall.”
Milori should have stopped while he was ahead because, before anyone could react, Garrick shot his hand out, pushing Milori so hard that he went flying through the air and fell down the mountain. Emilia gasped at the sudden launch of Milori while I watched a familiar sight unfold. Milori catches himself in the air with his wings, righting himself and dusting off his clothes. He flies back up towards us and lands just on the other side of Emilia.
“Is he always that sensitive?” Milori looks down at Emilia as we continue our climb. By this point, Emilia has recovered from her shock and shakes her head with a smile.
“You antagonized him and got what was coming to you.” Garrick grunts in agreement, leading the way for our group.
“You’re supposed to be on my side! I’m the poor innocent Fae who was brutally attacked by the Orc!” Milori is putting on quite a show now.
“Uh-huh, sure. You’re so weak and incapable. That’s why you are second in command to the King of the Day Court.” She smiles up at him innocently, and he huffs and walks ahead.
“I need to find better friends. I’ve been thrown off a balcony, a boat, and now a mountain! What is my life coming to?”
The time passes quickly, and we make it to the top of the mountain, where a flat area with limited trees dots the space. The cold wind pushes at our clothing, making Emilia shiver. I pull a cloak out of my pack and wrap it around her tightly. This is going to be a long, cold night.