Chapter Seventeen #11
Maxi shook her head. The heap of food that had been on the tray was almost gone. Now that her stomach was full, her already sluggish body felt too heavy to keep upright. Not even the thought of monsters lurking in the hills could keep her eyes open, and Maxi fell into a deep slumber.
—
The next morning, the knights had the camp packed up before the first light of dawn.
Maxi was in her saddle before she had a chance to wash her face or even comb her hair.
Thanks to Riftan’s massage, her buttocks did not hurt as much as she had feared, but it still proved difficult to keep up with the knights.
Even with Ulyseon’s guidance, she barely managed to navigate the dark mountain path.
The knights never once let down their guard, only stirring their mounts faster as the sky grew light.
“I was afraid…there would be…more monsters on the journey,” Maxi finally managed to say as they slowed briefly at the foot of the mountain.
Garrow, riding next to her, shook his head.
“Most of the monsters in this region are of the Ayin race. They are endowed with some degree of intelligence and know better than to show themselves to an army of this size. They will watch us but are unlikely to attack. Though I heard that a few forest goblins tried to sneak into the provisions last night.”
“L-Last night?”
When Maxi blanched and hunched her shoulders, Ulyseon quickly chimed in, “Do not worry, my lady. The night watch noticed immediately and took care of them.”
“W-Was anyone hurt?”
“Of course not! A Remdragon Knight would never be bested by the likes of a forest goblin,” Ulyseon answered indignantly, as though greatly insulted.
Still worried despite the squire’s assurance, Maxi carefully surveyed the knights riding in front of her.
All of them calmly spurred their horses onward, showing no hint of exhaustion.
Maxi peered over the heads of the company, trying to get a glimpse of Riftan riding at the forefront, but she soon gave up so she could focus on navigating the uneven mountain path.
The sun was at its zenith when the campaign party finally cleared the mountains. They rested briefly by a stream that flowed across a meadow. The junior knights watered the horses while the rest opened provision bags to distribute a late breakfast.
While Rem plunged her muzzle into the water to quench her thirst, Maxi hastily washed her face and combed her tangled curls. When she returned, her wild hair tamed into a neat braid, Ulyseon handed her a loaf of bread and an apple.
“You must be hungry, my lady. We should be able to prepare a decent meal in the evening, but there’s too much ground to cover to build a cook fire for midday.”
“N-No. This is more than enough.”
As she reached to accept the food, Ulyseon gaped at her raw hands. “Your hands are red, my lady. Are you hurt?”
“I-It is from gripping the reins. My gloves must be too thin.”
Maxi smiled to assure him that it was nothing, but Ulyseon continued to eye the red marks imprinted on her palms with a grave face. “It must hurt, my lady. Should you not be seen to?”
“It…is not so bad.”
“Not so bad? Your hands are swelling, my lady!”
Garrow, who had been grazing the horses nearby, came over at Ulyseon’s exclamation and poked his head between them.
He, too, furrowed his brow at the sight of Maxi’s hands. “Ulyseon is right, my lady. They will give you a hard time throughout the journey if you let them fester. Would it not be better for you to heal them?”
“I was told that healing yourself with magic…is no different from d-drinking your blood to quench your thirst. And that…unless the wound is fatal…it is better to let it heal on its own. Moreover, I also wish…to conserve my mana as much as possible.”
“But it must be painful….”
Annoyed with the young knights’ fussing, Maxi lay her cloak over the grass and sat down with a sigh.
“Even if I were to heal my hands with magic…they would likely get chafed again once I get back on my horse, do you not agree? And it would not d-do for me to heal them every time. It would be best to let my body get used to it.” She spread her hands in an attempt to appear cheerful.
“I will get c-calluses after a few days, and once I do…my palms will be tough enough for even the hardest ride.”
A complicated expression briefly flashed across Ulyseon’s face. Then, as if remembering something, he began rummaging through his saddlebag. “Then, at least put these on for now, my lady.”
Maxi’s eyes widened at the thick leather gloves the squire held out for her. “D-Did you not…bring these for yourself, Ulyseon?”
“These are spares. I only brought them with me just in case. Please use them, my lady.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Maxi accepted the gloves. Her hands really were quite sore. She pulled on the smooth, expertly tanned gloves and discovered them to be at least a knuckle’s length too large for her.
“Your hands…are bigger than I thought, Ulyseon,” Maxi said. The young knight was so willowy and graceful, his features so delicate, that Maxi realized she had never considered how strong Ulyseon must be to fight with the Remdragon Knights.
Ulyseon flushed and scratched the back of his head shyly, then fished a leather strap out of his bag. “Let me secure them, my lady. It would not do for them to slip off while you are riding.”
Maxi held out her hands for Ulyseon to clumsily tie the gloves to her wrists.
“Are they not too tight, my lady?”
“No, they are perfect.” After shaking her hands to see if the gloves would fall off, Maxi gave Ulyseon a satisfied smile. “Th-Thank you. I shall…use them well.”
“It is my pleasure, my lady.”
She picked up the loaf of bread with her gloved hand and ate her meal.
A short distance away, Riftan conferred with his knights over a map laid on the grass.
He nodded with finality before tucking the map into his bag.
Maxi waited for him to come to her, but he only frowned slightly in her direction and busied himself with saddling Talon.
His displeasure made Maxi nervous. She had thought that his attentive care yesterday meant that his anger had subsided. Was he perhaps still upset over her stubbornness? Before she could come to a decision on whether to force the subject, Riftan was already mounting his horse.
“No more dawdling,” he said to his knights. “We are entering drake territory, so keep your guard up at all times.”
The knights all mounted their steeds and got into formation. Maxi hastily saddled Rem and mounted. Riftan glanced at her over his shoulder, but looked away just as quickly, spurring Talon into a gallop.