Chapter 6
The previous royal carriage had seen better days. It had been constructed for King Oberis when he’d risen to power, and that had been decades ago. The carriage had been repaired so many times over the years, it was almost a patchwork of replacement parts.
I’d never found the setup of the interior to be the most comfortable mode of transportation.
There had been a sort of throne seat on one side for me that hardly made the best of the limited space inside the carriage, and across from my seat had been a simpler bench where all three of my women had to cram together.
Plus, there was hardly room for another person to comfortably join us, and that meant Carissa was rarely able to join us simply because it wasn’t feasible to ride all together for more than an hour.
“It’s beautiful,” Serra said in an appreciative tone as we descended the stairs toward the new carriage.
“It’s huge,” Yori commented with wide eyes.
Master Algan was waiting beside the new carriage with obvious pride on his face. His hands were folded politely behind his back, and he grinned at Yori as we stopped beside him.
“Almost twice the interior space, Your Majesty,” Master Algan said. “Just as his majesty requested.”
“It looks incredible, Algan,” I praised him. “Thank you.”
“I’m happy to serve.” Algan bowed, and then he straightened and reached out to take the little doorknob in one hand. “Would you like to see the inside?”
“It’s kind of what we’re here for,” I chuckled.
Algan laughed good-naturedly and opened the door for me.
The interior bordered on opulent in its luxurious quality.
The two wide bench seats were upholstered in silk damask with an elegant diamond pattern in black and gold.
It was the kind of understated luxury I’d never expected to have in my previous life.
The rest of the interior was highly polished cherry wood that was stained a deep shade of burgundy.
Heavy golden drapes with a similar diamond pattern were tied back with black cords at each of the windows so we could close them for privacy on longer journeys, and the carriage’s floor was covered in sturdy black wool carpet.
“There are storage compartments in the walls,” Algan began to explain, and he reached in and pressed on one of the wall panels. “You simply push here at the top seam and…”
With a little click, the panel popped open and hinged at the bottom to reveal a small cabinet stocked with glasses, a bottle of water, and another of what looked like brandy or whiskey.
“Drinks, awesome.” I grinned. “Thank you, Algan.”
“Are you pleased, Your Majesty?” Algan asked.
“Yes, more than.” I nodded. “It’s amazing, and it’s going to be so much more comfortable than the other carriage.”
“Then I have done my duty.” Algan bowed. “And we reused what materials we could, as you requested.”
“Great, thank you for that,” I said. “It didn’t make sense to trash the pieces that had been replaced so recently.”
“I must admit…” Algan said with a half-smile. “It hadn’t occurred to me, but you were quite right. The axles were only a few months old. They have a lot of life left in them. The wheels, as well.”
“I want to have a look,” Yori said.
I turned around and smiled at the adorable pout on her lips. Tanell and Serra were waiting with a little more decorum, but they couldn’t hide all of their excitement from my knowing eyes. Even Carissa was trying to see the carriage from behind everyone else with a curious glint in her green eyes.
“Everyone in,” I said with a grand sweep of my arm as I took a step aside.
Yori practically jumped inside and squealed with excitement as she settled onto one of the bench seats.
“Oh, this is niiiiiice,” she said as she looked around at everything.
“Very grand,” Serra agreed as she sat beside her.
“You’ve outdone yourself, Master Algan,” Tanell said, and she placed a friendly hand in Algan’s open one.
“I’m glad you approve, Your Majesty,” Algan said. “May you have a safe journey.”
“Thank you,” my golden-blonde lover said, and she climbed into the carriage with Algan’s supportive hand.
“Oh, it’s lovely,” Carissa said when she finally got a good look inside the carriage. “What a beautiful design.”
“That’s thanks to his majesty,” Algan said with a nod to me. “King Kenneth made all final decisions.”
“You have quite an eye, sire,” Carissa said to me, and she took a step back from the carriage. “I’m certain you will enjoy the carriage very much during our journey.”
I suddenly realized she didn’t know I’d intended for her to ride with us, and my eyes widened with surprise.
It took me a second to decide how to approach the subject.
I didn’t want Carissa to think it was an order for her to travel with us, and I didn’t want her to be insulted by my invitation, either.
“Will you ride with us?” I asked.
“Oh.” Carissa’s eyes went wide for a second, too, and then she smiled softly. “If that’s your wish, sire.”
“It is,” I confirmed. “And please, stop with all the ‘sire’ stuff. Just call me Ken.”
Carissa blushed. “Old habits, I suppose.”
“Come on,” I said, and I offered a hand out to the curly-haired beauty.
She blushed softly as she took my hand and climbed up into the carriage. She sat down beside Serra and left me an open seat across from them and next to Tanell.
Master Palchur was approaching the carriage, and I suspected he was coming over to nudge us into getting underway. We had hundreds of miles to travel before we reached the location of our meeting, and only two days to get there.
“Your Majesty,” Palchur said with a friendly smile. “Algan. Incredible work on the carriage.”
“Thank you,” Algan said to his fellow master. “You’ll be pleased to know I was able to incorporate all of your security suggestions.”
“Ah, excellent,” my Master of War said. “This is certainly an upgrade.”
“It was time.” Algan gave a sage nod. “Well, I won’t hold up the caravan another moment. Safe travels, sire.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Algan waved to the women, and then he walked off toward the stables.
“Is everything ready, Palchur?” I asked.
“Yes, sire,” he said.
I’d tried to insist dozens of times for him to just call me Ken, but he refused to disrespect my status as his monarch. We’d settled on him calling me “sire” or “King Ken” as a sort of compromise, and it was becoming less strange for me to hear.
“The first battalion departed an hour ago,” Palchur reported. “They will clear the road of hazards and announce your impending arrival at our destination this evening. The inn will be ready by the time we arrive, and security will already be in place.”
“Excellent,” I said. “Thank you.”
“We are ready to depart if you are,” he said.
“Yes,” I said. “We’re ready.”
“I shall make the announcement.” Palchur nodded.
He didn’t walk away yet, and I suspected he was waiting for me to climb into the carriage so he could close the door for me.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes a little and got in.
Once I was seated beside Tanell, Palchur wished us a safe and comfortable journey and closed the carriage door.
It shut with a little click, and then he finally walked off.
His thunderous voice easily reached us as he shouted moving orders to the multiple drivers and security teams who would ride alongside our caravan.
More shouts followed his, and in a moment, the driver cracked the reins, and we were off.
“Oh, so smooth!” Yori exclaimed.
I had to agree, the carriage got moving without the usual jolt of motion I’d become accustomed to. It was a much smoother start, and I wondered if I should give Algan some kind of bonus for his excellent work.
I’d run the idea by Tanell and Serra later to see what they thought and ask if there was something already in place for such things, but for now, I decided to lean back against the plush cushions and enjoy the scenery.
I sighed deeply as the pastoral landscapes of Nalatria began to roll by at a steady pace, and I couldn’t help but smile at the beautiful scenery. We were in the height of summer now, and the fields around the castle were lush with growing things.
I was curious about what winter was like in Nalatria compared to Wisconsin winters. My hope was that Nalatria was a milder climate with less harsh winters. If it were anything like the Midwest region of the United States, I’d be prepared at least, but something a little milder would be nice.
Tanell had assured me there would be snow, and I was excited to teach the women all the winter activities that gave me a sense of nostalgia for elementary school snow days.
For now, I was determined to enjoy every bit of summer while it lasted.
The sound of crunching interrupted my daydreaming of snowmen and snowball fights, and I smiled when I found the source.
Yori had a mouthful of whatever snacks had been stocked in one of the wall compartments. She blushed a little as we all looked at her, and she held out a small crystal dish of salted nuts.
“Cashews?” Yori offered.
We all laughed, and Yori passed around the crystal dish.
“What else is in there?” Tanell asked.
“We should save some for later,” Serra pointed out.
“It’ll be fine,” Yori said with a little wave of her hand. “They’ll restock it when we stop for the night.”
“And we have the packed lunch,” Carissa pointed out.
“Yes,” Serra agreed, and she smiled to soften her point. “But we don’t want to eat everything before lunch and then have nothing until we arrive at the inn.”
“Good point,” Yori agreed.
Serra gave her an even warmer smile, and my chest tightened at the way their bond had grown.
“We’d better save some of this,” Yori added as she opened the snack compartment for us to see.
My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. That compartment was twice the height and twice as deep as the one with the drinks, and it was crammed with food.
In addition to the salted nuts, there was a container of dried beef, a selection of wrapped hard cheese, an entire loaf of fresh bread, and an entire bunch of green grapes.
“Wow,” I chuckled.