Chapter 6 #3
“That means overseeing your soldiers,” Carissa explained. “Managing soldiers, making sure their needs are met, and organizing the troops during travel like this.”
“Hmm.” I pursed my lips thoughtfully. “Good point.”
“This is so good,” Yori said through a mouthful of food.
I grinned at my dark-haired lover and plucked a fat grape from the bunch. It was so juicy that when I bit into it, a few drops dribbled down my chin.
“Mmhmm,” I agreed.
We dove into the food after that and lounged on the wool blanket in the pleasant shade offered by the trees above. The sun was hot, but a cool breeze made the temperature very enjoyable.
We stuffed our bellies full and took the opportunity to stretch our legs while we waited for my staff, masters, and advisors to finish their meals.
“The new carriage is so much more comfortable than the old one,” Serra commented as she gazed at the larger vehicle.
“In more ways than one,” Tanell said with a tone that suggested more than leg room.
I caught her eye, and she blushed a little.
“It’s nice to have a carriage without the…” She looked up at the sky like she could find the right words written in the clouds. “The history the old carriage held.”
Understanding hit me like a bucket of cold water, and my heart ached for my golden-blonde lover.
“Oberis,” I said.
Tanell pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded.
“Yes,” she said. “I had to travel with him a lot as queen. It was… rarely pleasant.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I reached over and took her delicate hand in mine.
“There were a lot of unpleasant memories in that carriage,” she said. “So it’s quite nice to have a new space to make new memories with you.”
Her piercing blue eyes shifted to look at Serra, Yori, and Carissa as well.
“All of you,” she finished.
“I’m inclined to agree,” Serra said.
Yori nodded but didn’t say anything, and Carissa looked at my queens with kindness in her green eyes.
“I wish I’d known,” I said.
“How could you?” Tanell dismissed my worry with a little wave of her hand.
“You know,” I sighed and squeezed her hand affectionately. “You could have said something.”
Tanell’s eyes filled with tears, but she didn’t let them spill down her cheeks as she stared at me with love.
“It wasn’t my place,” she said.
A spark of anger flared in my mind at that.
“Of course it is,” I insisted. “Your opinion– all of your opinions, they matter to me. If something is upsetting to you, I want to know about it.”
A single tear slid down Tanell’s cheek, and Serra looked like she might burst into tears, too. Yori was gazing at me with amazement, and Carissa looked away as if she felt she was intruding on a private moment.
“Promise me,” I said, and I looked at each of my queens in turn before I looked at Carissa to include her, too. “If there’s something I can do to make your lives better, even if it feels like a tiny, insignificant, or silly thing, you’ll tell me about it.”
“It didn’t seem worth the trouble,” Tanell whispered. “And then you made plans anyway–”
“Let me decide what’s worth the trouble,” I said, and I squeezed her hand again. “Promise?”
Tanell wiped the tear away from her cheek as she nodded, and a small smile appeared on her lips. Serra reached out and took Tanell’s other hand, and the two blonde queens shared a look.
Yori reached out and took Serra’s other hand, and my three queens looked between each other. The bond between them seemed to shimmer in the air between us like heat off asphalt.
“Our circumstances have certainly changed,” Serra said. “Haven’t they?”
Tanell swallowed hard and nodded.
“They have,” Yori agreed. “And it’s all thanks to Ken.”
They all turned to smile at me, and Carissa started to openly cry at the love between us.
“You’re all so lucky to have each other,” the green-eyed woman said in a voice thick with emotion. “I hope to have a bond like yours one day.”
“I’m certain you will,” Tanell said.
Carissa smiled and looked down, so she missed the knowing look Tanell shot my way. Suddenly, I felt like I was in the blazing spotlight.
I wasn’t surprised that Tanell had noticed the connection between Carissa and me, but it didn’t tell me much about Carissa’s feelings for me. I still couldn’t read her.
Was she attracted to me the way I was to her? Did she simply enjoy the companionship and friendship of my queens enough to hang around? Was there literally nowhere else for her to go, and that was why she stayed?
I had no idea, and a picnic with my queens on the side of the road on our first day of a two-and-a-half-day journey didn’t seem like the right place to push her for answers. If Carissa had feelings for me, I trusted her to speak up when she was ready.
Roald approached and bowed deeply to grab my attention.
“Is everyone ready to go?” I asked.
“Yes, sire,” Roald said.
“We’re ready, too,” I said, and I started to bend down to pack up the remains of our lunch.
“Please, sire,” Roald said with a nervous laugh. “Allow me.”
“Right,” I chuckled. “I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to always having someone do whatever I need for me.”
“It’s an honor, sire,” Roald said as he knelt on the blanket. “You have improved the lives of everyone around you.”
“He’s right,” Yori said. “Come on.”
I hugged each of my queens and smiled warmly at Carissa before we headed back to the carriage. Another footman hurried over to help Roald, and a third opened the carriage door for us. The women got in first, then I joined them, and the footman closed the door behind us.
“Should we play some more cards?” Serra asked, but she didn’t seem especially interested.
“I think I’m going to have a little nap,” Carissa said.
“There are travel pillows under the seat.” I pointed under the bench opposite me and folded up the little table. “There should be enough for each of us and blankets, too.”
“Oooh,” Yori cooed as she bent down.
She began pulling blankets and pillows out like clowns from a tiny car, and soon we were all much cozier with our heads propped up on soft things.
Yori started snoring softly within minutes, and Serra nodded off just before our drivers began shouting to one another and the horse-mounted soldiers that we were ready to head out.
The carriage pulled back onto the road, and Tanell smiled softly at me as she closed her eyes. In a few minutes, her breathing slowed down with sleep, and that left only Carissa and me awake.
I tried not to stare at her too much as she gazed out the window at the scenery, but my eyes kept drifting back toward her beautiful face.
The good food and gentle rocking of the carriage started to lull me toward sleep, and I forgot not to stare super obviously at Carissa. As my eyelids grew heavy, I thought I saw a tiny smile and a blush cross her face, but sleep took me before I could be sure.
The rest of the day’s journey was uneventful. We napped for an hour or two and then played cards and read for a while. We arrived at our first overnight location just after dark, and the inn was beautiful.
As promised, a group of my soldiers had gotten there an hour before us to alert the innkeepers to our impending arrival, and by the time our caravan rolled up, all the rooms were ready and waiting for us with hot baths and meals ready to go.
My queens stayed with me that night, and we slept deeply despite the nap during the day.
The next day was much the same as the first. We entertained ourselves with card games, books, and pleasant conversations. We stopped around midday to stretch our legs, eat, and have a break in the fresh air before we continued on the journey to our next destination.
We rolled into the next town right around dusk, and once again, the people were ready for our arrival. Citizens stood in the streets to wave as our caravan passed through to the inn, and Yori practically pressed her nose to the window as we stopped outside.
“Hot foooood,” she moaned like a zombie grumbling for brains.
“Don’t worry,” I chuckled. “I’m sure they’ll be all ready for us.”
“The perks of being royalty,” Serra said.
“I’m glad you’re adjusting well to it.” I smiled at her.