CHAPTER VIII #4
“I did,” I sigh guiltily, “and I’m very sorry. Did you get in trouble for it?”
“No,” he kicks the ground in front of him, “she laughed at me. Mommy laughed at me! She said it was about time I learned the tricks of women.”
I think back to the Yara I met last night and hold back my own laugh. That seems like something she’d say.
“But you’re still in my favor,” he points out, “and it better be a good favor now!”
I smile at the boy and nod, “it certainly will be.”
“So what will I get?”
“Depends on what you want,” I grin, “what can you think of?”
I watch as he turns back to look at the little girl behind us in thought.
“Perhaps a new marble set, or maybe a bow! We couldn’t tell mommy, though. She says I’m too young to have one.”
“Well, I can’t very well go against your mother,” I chuckle.
The boy ducks his head in sadness.
“I’ll tell you what,” I lean over Millie with a grin, “how about you think of what you want over the next few days, and when our group returns from our travel, I’ll do everything in my power to get you that.”
The boy’s face lights up in agreement.
“Within your mother’s rules of course,” I remind him.
“Yes, Lady” he grins, “I will be sure to find you on your return.”
“As will I,” I smile, watching as he turns away with a small hop in his step.
I chuckle and kick Millie forward, hearing him yell from behind.
“Wait, Lady! What is your name? I need to know so I can find you.”
I turn around in my seat, “Alexis! And yours?”
“Willem,” he waves in goodbye and runs back to the little girl.
I smile and ride up next to Holis, thinking of how much Willem looks like Yara.
Our group continues down the road and leaves the village behind, riding into the thick forest of Fumagalli by mid-morning.
The trees stand tall and gloomy with their branches hovering over us and swaying with the breeze, and every now and then I catch myself looking up and searching for a giveaway to the hidden city I know rests above.
Everything looks as it should, a testament to it’s perfect stealth, yet at one point I think I see a glint of something shimmering high in the canopies.
When I tilt my head to peer closer, the only thing I spot is a small opening in the trees where the sunlight falls down. The hidden city is hidden all too well.
Eventually the Black Forest begins to thin and the cool breeze becomes stronger even as more sunlight makes its way to us on the ground.
I can tell that we’re nearing the edge of the forest when the trees become narrow, their trunks losing their denseness and allowing hints of flat, tan landscape to be seen far up ahead.
We ride towards that sight of barren land until the forest completely thins out and only two final trees grace the Great Road at each side.
Large banners of green are affixed to those trees with the Kingdom of Disce emblem waving proudly in the wind, their colors alerting any travelers of the entry to the Black Forest and one of the Four Kingdoms of the Old World.
My eyes go wide when we ride into the Bulwark Plains.
Everything, and I mean everything, no matter where I look, is just flat, yellow grasslands and dead plains.
And I’m not even sure if grasslands is the right word to describe it.
Nothing about the ground below us resembles the green grass I’m so accustomed to in Disce.
It’s not lush, nor does it have any capacity to flourish into something better.
The whole area is just dead. A vast expanse of dried out land that has no trees or bushes or any signs of wildlife, just something that goes on forever in a desolate manner.
If it wasn’t for the wide road of brown dirt and gravel in front of us, I would surely become lost.
“Not much to look at,” Cal grumbles from his seat.
“I don’t like how out in the open we are,” Holis replies as his brother nods silently in agreement.
I don’t like it either.
The land is completely open and flat, with the blue sky going on and on with no end in sight.
There’s a few rolling hills out in the distance, but they’re not tall enough to shield our group from anyone else riding by.
Surely if there were nomads or groups from the Riverlands that the Master Informer keeps hinting at, they’d be able to see us from a distance.
So what’s to stop them from engaging with our group?
And more so, what kind of engagement would that be?
The last time a group of nomads attacked Disce it almost landed our two Kingdoms in the middle of a war.
The thought sends a twist of guilt in my gut.
Ancients, I’m useless out here.
Completely and utterly useless.
If any nefarious group decides to attack us, I can’t be of help.
The thought is depressing, and for the first time in my life, I find myself wishing that I was skilled with a life or death weapon and could defend myself and others properly.
Sure, I could probably take down a stranger with my smaller dagger, my aim is pretty good and could more than likely pierce that person in a fatal area on their body.
I could probably even try to get my hands on an extra bow and engage in that way, though my aim is still a bit faulty to count on.
But truly, and if I’m being completely honest with myself, I know I won’t be able to provide any support to our group if we are attacked on this open road.
I’m still not even comfortable with my new, larger dagger, the one that Cal wants me to use in close combat.
The realization hits me like a heavy blow. If something did happen, I’d just have hide behind the men and Alanna and let them protect me.
Fucking Ancients.
I scowl at the Bulwark Plains with a new apprehension.
I hate feeing this way. I hate that I feel so vulnerable.
We continue down the dirt road in silence with our small group of four still bringing up the rear.
When the sun finally breaks midday, Keane leads our group off the road and slows Ash, signaling a break for all.
It isn’t until we’re riding into our small camp that my eyes roam over the group of men in front of us as another small realization hits me hard.
“What do we do for our private needs?” I whisper to Cal.
At home we had the forests for cover. Out here we have nothing.
Cal gives me a glance and spots my nervousness, his sigh loud.
“Its times like these I’m glad I was born male.”
“Cal,” I hiss at him, slapping his shoulder, “this is serious.”
“I know,” he chuckles softly.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh.”
“And yet you still are,” I scowl, trying to keep my voice down.
“I suspect you’ll have to take a walk with Alanna,” he sighs, “though you should move a bit farther down the plains and out of sight from the group.”
“Ancients,” I grumble.
“Your favorite person,” he laughs, “and while I have no desire to be around while you take care of those needs, I can’t deny that I’d like to be present when the two of you start bickering at eachother while doing it. Would be good entertainment.”
“Pervert,” I shake my head with a small smile.
Cal’s friendly eyes dart to mine, his eyes crinkled in laughter, “sometimes.”
We leave our horses next to Holis and Mana’s and take a seat with the rest of the group.
Prince Keane, Desmond and Lord Daniel stand a bit farther away, their heads bowed and talking with features still hard from this morning.
Holis passes me a roll of bread that I take gratefully, my glance roaming around to the rest of the group as I watch them keep to their normal routine.
Barnes and Claymore are eating their food in silence while two of the human soldiers walk into the plains to relieve themselves.
The third is laying down in an attempted nap while Alanna eats and sharpens her quiver of arrows.
They’re all acting like this is any other normal day, no hint of nervousness showing on their faces and no quiet anxiety lingering in the air around them.
Even my own traveling crew is smiling in conversation while Holis passes around more food.
Ancients.
Am I the only one with their stomach in knots?
Can everyone see how nervous I am?
Am I overreacting, or is my anxiety heightened because of my inability to defend myself?
I shift in my seat and envision the Hidden City, letting the promise of staying there on our trip back calm my nerves. My eyes drift to the handsome Prince who stood so proudly before it, frowning when I notice him still talking swiftly with his brother and Lord Daniel.
I sigh at the sight and excuse myself from the group, not wanting to be caught with my curious eyes on him for the rest of lunch, and make my way to Millie to give her some love.
“It’s not much like home around here, is it girl?” I pull out her brush and start grooming, “perhaps I’ll sprinkle the ground with cinnamon spice tonight, that way we can both be reminded of home in our sleep.”
“You’ll be sharing my tent tonight, Lady Alexis,” Keane states from behind.
I still at the quiet command in his voice.
No.
Ancients, no.
I can’t share a tent with him. Not after last night. Not after the mills. And definitely not after the damn Shadow Oak. My nerves are already wrecked from the travel we’re taking right now… I can’t go adding the two of us confined to a tent on top of that.
I grip Millie’s mane and try to calm my beating heart as Keane takes a step closer.
“You’ll be sharing-”
“-I heard you,” I cut him off on an exhale.
Ancients! Why will this nervousness not leave me?
“Thank you, Your Highness,” I tell him, “but there is no need.”
“There is every need,” Keane replies steadily, “these plains are not as secure as we believed and you are unable to defend yourself should a complication arise.”
As if I needed any more reminding.
I bow my head at his words and look at the dead grass under my boots.
“I appreciate the offer, Your Highness, but I have Cal for that.”