by CK Dawn
Trystan closed his eyes as a drop of water leaked through the tree cover and landed on his face. The exhaustion took over and he allowed his body to relax into a dreamless sleep.
Davi woke later than the others, but his body didn’t feel any more rested than the night before. After spending most of his life behind the high walls of the palace of Dreach-Sciene, he found constant traveling to be a pain in the ass, literally.
He grimaced as he sat up, his muscles screaming at him to stop. He turned his head from side to side, stretching his sore neck, and his eyes landed on Alixa. She looked to be sleeping still, but a moan left her and her body shook.
“Uh, guys,” he said, getting to his feet and walking over to crouch down near Alixa.
Her hair and dress were soaked with sweat and her chest rose and fell rapidly. He reached out to grasp her arm and shook it. She didn’t wake.
“Trystan,” Davi called.
The prince appeared at his side in a matter of seconds. “What’s wrong with her?” He lowered himself to the ground on the other side of Alixa.
“I don’t know. She won’t wake up.”
Trystan placed a hand against her face and her eyes sprang open.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice no more than a whisper. She groaned as she tried to sit up. “I feel like I’ve been trampled by a horse.”
Trystan placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from rising further. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She laid her head back. “No.”
One moment, she was looking up at them and the next, she was scrambling to her feet and rushing away. They heard the unmistakable sounds of someone vomiting. When she rejoined them, she scowled.
“Shouldn’t we be getting on the road?” she asked as she sat down once again. Her movements were sluggish.
“Absolutely not.” Briggs walked up to them. “Look at you.”
“I can’t very well look at myself now, can I?”
“What’s wrong with her?” Trystan looked to the old man like he had all the answers.
Briggs pushed Trystan and Davi out of the way and knelt down. He pressed a hand to Alixa’s forehead and waited a moment. “No fever, yet she sweats. Vomiting. Pain.” He looked her in the eyes. “I’m sorry to inform you, my dear, but you are dying.”
She inhaled sharply and squeaked, “What?” as Trystan gripped her hand. Davi was even too stunned to speak.
Briggs shook beside them and Davi shot him a glare. That only made it worse. A laugh burst from Briggs’ mouth.
“I’m sorry.” He mimed wiping a tear from his eye. “An old man has to find his entertainment somewhere. You aren’t at death’s door quite yet, Lady Alixa.” He got to his feet. “Exhaustion. That’s all it is. You’ve been through so much in the last few weeks and your body needs time to rest.”
He ignored the, “Not funny, asshole,” she threw in his direction.
“We don’t have time.” Trystan stood to face him. “We must get on the road. Do something to help her.”
“I know what it is you ask me to do, my prince. But were I to use my crystal, every seer in the realm would know of our presence. Even then, the body isn’t something that can be fixed by magic. I could make it so she could ride her horse and finish this journey, but it wouldn’t cure what’s in here.” He touched his head. “Or here.” His hand pressed against his chest. “Let her rest. Our journey will not fail because it took one day more. But it might fail if we are not at our best.”
Brigg’s started laughing and mumbling to himself about a ‘good joke’ as he ambled away.
Alixa’s eyes had drifted shut in the middle of their conversation and Davi stood.
“Guess we’re staying here for the day.”
“We should try to hunt to increase our food supply.” Trystan sighed, anxious to resume their journey.
“I’ll find Ri.”
“What for?”
“Trystan.” Davi put a hand on his shoulder. “Have we seen any animals besides the occasional bird on our way?”
Trystan shook his head.
“It won’t be easy to find any. The sooner you realize your sister is better at some things than us, the sooner you realize she belongs on this mission, the better off we’ll all be. Plus, I’ll bet she could use the distraction after yesterday.”
“We all could.”
Davi squeezed his shoulder and left him behind to walk further into the woods. “Ri, Ri,” he called. “Show your pretty little face.”
Women’s voices sounded nearby and it only took him a moment to recognize them as Rissa and Avery. They were laughing about something. Davi couldn’t remember hearing Avery laugh. She was always so serious and formal, but if there was anyone who could get her to open up, it was the Princess.
Davi smiled when he caught sight of them. If they didn’t already know, no one would guess that girl was a princess at the moment. She was walking next to Avery, covered in dirt stains.
A small animal hung on a rope at her waist, staining her shirt with blood. Avery carried another in one of her hands.
Rissa had her bow in one hand and her quiver of arrows attached to her back. When she saw Davi, her face lit up.
He sucked in a breath. Even with smudges on her face, and leaves stuck in her bright hair, she was beautiful. Being away from the palace could almost make him forget who she was. She was just a beautiful girl and he was an average guy who would do anything to protect her.
Avery’s smile dropped, but Rissa’s widened as they got closer.
“Look.” She pointed to the animals at her waist. “We’re going to have fresh meat.”
“Trystan was just saying we needed to hunt.” He laughed.
“Didn’t you know? I’ve always been one step ahead of him.” She joined in his laughter.
He stepped closer and peered at the animal she held. “Rat? You’re going to make me eat rat?”
“If your delicate belly can’t handle it, feel free to let us have your portion,” she challenged.
He narrowed his eyes. “You couldn’t find anything better?”
“A thank you would suffice, Davi. Or an ‘I’m eternally grateful that you spent hours looking for anything we could eat so we don’t starve to death’. How about ‘Rissa, Avery, you and your rats are the best things I’ve seen all day because when my stomach is empty, I get cranky’?” She reached him and patted the side of his face. “Pouting isn’t attractive.”
They walked by him and he grumbled. “No one has ever told me I’m not attractive.”
Rissa burst out laughing and then spun to face him again, a smile still on her face. “Oh, and more good news. We found the river.”
“How is that good news? Crossing won’t be fun.”
“Oh, don’t be such a worrier.” She nudged his arm. “There’s a bridge. The point–“ She poked his chest. “Is that now you won’t have to smell so bad.”
He grabbed her finger and leaned close. “I’m not the one with blood dripping from my belt.”
She looked down and shrugged, making him laugh again.
“What happened to the prissy little princess I’ve known most of my life?”
She stepped away quickly. “I’ve never been that girl.”
Without another word, she walked by him. Avery stared at him curiously.
“Davion.” She sighed. “I was there the night the King brought you home. I know you’ve always been treated as family by them. They’ve treated me as such since I came into their service. It’s the way of the Renaulds. But I’ve always had to remind myself that I am not family. I am not royalty. That is why it’s easier to keep the formalities in place. It keeps the boundaries firm in my mind. You would be smart to do the same.”
The sword-master’s words weren’t anything he hadn’t heard before, but the longer they stayed away from the palace, the harder it was for him to see the truth behind them.
Avery followed Rissa and the two women dropped their rats at Trystan’s feet. Rissa
put her hands on her hips in smug satisfaction.
It looked like she was just glad to show her brother up, but Davi knew the truth. Everything Rissa did was for her brother’s approval, his acceptance. She wanted him to see her as capable, strong. Trystan said something to her that Davi couldn’t hear and then she walked away, passing him once again.
Avery watched him as he turned and followed Rissa away from the others. He stayed back, but she knew he was there. Before long, they entered a clearing that had a narrow stream running through it.
“It only stays narrow for a short time,” Rissa said, not turning to face him. “Avery and I followed it knowing there’d be more animals close by. It widens to the East of here and I’m assuming goes all the way to the sea.”
“I don’t remember you going on many hunts. How did you learn?”
“All it takes is skill with a bow.” She finally turned to face him. “I used to go on the hunts every time we visited the Duke of Aldorwood. He was the only noble who didn’t mind a woman coming along.” She shrugged as if that was nothing.
To her, it didn’t hold meaning, but for him, it was another reminder he wasn’t one of them. He remembered how lonely the palace always felt when they went on their royal visits and he was left behind. As a child, he hadn’t understood. As he grew older, it became clear.
“I want to bathe,” she stated. “I don’t care if you stay, but if you look, Davi, I’ll – “
“I won’t, although I’m curious as to what you’d do to me.”
She smiled sweetly. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
He laughed.
She broke eye contact as a faint blush rose in her cheeks and her fingers toyed with the edge of her shirt. She walked to the edge of the water. He did the same and turned his back to her. He pulled his shirt over his head and his sore muscles pulled and strained. Riding for days and sleeping on the ground had left him aching all over.
The slow-moving water was cold, and the air held a chill, but he didn’t know when the next time he’d get a chance to bathe would be. He washed as quickly as he could and then submerged his shirt to scrub it. He had a dry one back at camp.
Davi could feel Rissa’s presence behind him and when he turned, he found her watching him. She’d been smart enough to bring a new shirt and had finished before him.
“Ohhhh, so you’re allowed to watch me?” Davi grinned.
Rissa didn’t return the smile. Her eyes grew heated for just a moment and then she scrambled away from the edge of the water.
Something was on her mind and Davi wasn’t going to let her get away that easily. He went after her. “Ri, wait.”
He ran to catch up to her and when he grabbed her arm, she spun. “What do you want from me, Davion?”
“I just want to know what’s wrong.”
“Besides the fact that we’re on this journey that is basically impossible? Or the fact that if we fail, our realm is doomed?”
“I know what’s wrong with this mission, but that’s not what’s eating you.” He sighed. “I know you, Ri.”
“Obviously not if you think I was a prissy little princess. I’m not a child, Davion.”
“I know that.”
“Do you? Okay, then I’ll change that. I’m not a prissy little girl like …”
“Like what?”
She narrowed her eyes, trying to decide if she should say what she wanted to say. “Like those girls you chased after at the palace.”
He broke away from her gaze and looked to the side. “I don’t want you to be like them.”
Her face told him she didn’t believe him, but she didn’t press it. She stepped back, threw her bow and wet clothes on the ground, and put her hands on her head. “I feel more like myself out here than I ever did behind those walls. How sad is that? This mission is horrible and I’ve never felt better. We saw a village yesterday that was slowly starving to death. They hate us and they probably should, and all I could think this morning is that this is where I’m meant to be.”
“That’s not sad.”
“Did you know I can hear the earth sing?” She spun around once. “That sounds crazy, right? My whole life, I’ve thought I was a little crazy. But I’m not – at least according to Briggs, although he might not be the best judge of crazy. My mom could hear it too. I’ve never told anyone because they wouldn’t believe me. I barely believed myself.”
“Then why are you telling me?” It sounded far-fetched to Davi, but Rissa believed it and that was enough for him. The color had risen in her pale cheeks and she’d never looked more beautiful, more passionate.
She ran her hands through her wet hair. “Because I love you.” Her eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just said.
Davi sucked in a breath, unable to force it out past his lips again.
“I know you don’t feel the same way,” she said quickly. “And that’s okay. I’m a big girl. I guess I’m just in an over-share mood and you don’t need to hear all of my ramblings. But Davion, last night I found out that I got something from my mother – something more than a simple trinket. I got a part of her and it made me see things so differently. I’ve always thought I was only special because of my birth status, but now I know I’m special because she was. I have something to give to this mission. I can help more than just shooting a few arrows. I know I can. Okay, you can stop my talking at any moment. Just please don’t hate me over something I can’t control because I can’t. I’ve tried so hard not to feel like this.”
When she stopped talking, her chest heaved as she breathed heavily.
Davi couldn’t take his eyes off her as everything inside of him screamed to walk away, but his feet stayed firmly in place.
She opened her mouth to speak again, but her words were cut off as Davi leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. She stilled for a moment, stunned, before yanking him closer and kissing him back. Her lips were soft and warm and they invited him in.
He dropped the wet shirt he’d been gripping to the ground and wrapped his arms around her small waist, pressing her into his bare chest. She whimpered into his mouth and opened for him. Her hands explored his chest, leaving heat everywhere they roamed. They moved up until her arms wound around the back of his neck and she buried her fingers in his thick hair.
It was as if the world spun around them until everything else was a blur. They were the only things that mattered. Kissing Rissa felt like putting the final piece of a puzzle into place. It felt right. It felt like something he hadn’t even thought to dream of.
His whole life, he’d treated her like a little sister who tagged along after him and Trystan. He’d cared for her and felt connected to her, maybe even had a crush as she got older. But in that moment, it clicked. He was completely and hopelessly in love with the princess of Dreach-Sciene.
She melted against him, allowing him complete control, giving him her full trust.
“Ri,” he whispered, pulling away to catch a breath. Her eyes found his and in them, he saw the depth of her feelings. It sucked the air from his lungs.
“Davi.” She put a finger to his lips. “Don’t say something stupid right now.”
His laugh vibrated against her fingers and he rested his forehead against hers. “I don’t know if this mission will succeed or what will happen if it does, but …” A lump formed in his throat. He’d never cared about anyone enough to say the words. Ri looked at him without expectation in her eyes and he knew none of those other women mattered.
It was always her.
It would always be her.
Only he would be stupid enough to fall in love with the Princess.
The Princess and the orphan ward. It was ridiculous.
She traced the curve of his lips in wonder. “I never thought you could feel the same way.”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing and the vulnerability of her gaze nearly killed him. He’d put it there. With all the years of making fun of her crush with her brother. With th
e comments about her being his sister. With the countless women he’d paraded in front of her.
She’d been right to be hurt.
And she loved him still.
He realized he needed to say something as no words came to his lips. She sensed his nervousness and rose on her toes to press her lips to his once again.
This kiss was different. The first had been full of a fiery passion, intense. Now, as his lips moved in sync with hers, the kiss held a promise, a spark that ignited something inside of him.
He pulled back and looked at her. “God, I love you.”
A brilliant grin appeared on her face and she pushed his dark hair out of his eyes. A laugh bubbled out of her and he pulled her to him once again.
She’s the princess. The thought was only fleeting and for the first time, he pushed it away. It didn’t matter what else she was. This was Rissa. His Rissa. And he’d do anything to keep her, even if it meant defying the man who’d raised him. His respect for the King wasn’t half as powerful as what he was feeling now.
“I don’t think we should tell Trystan just yet,” she whispered against his lips.
“I do like my head and would prefer to keep it on my shoulders for a bit longer.” He laughed. “Just don’t go making eyes at me in front of him.”
“Me!”
“You’re right, he’d just assume you were acting normal since you always look at me like that.”
She punched him in the stomach and he barely even moved. “For that, I’m taking these lips and walking away.”
She tried to turn, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back in. Her yelp was cut off by a searing kiss that left her breathless and dizzy.
“Ok,” she said. “Now I really should go.” She put a hand over her heart and breathed deeply to calm her frantic pulse as she stumbled back to camp.
Davi watched her go and ran a hand through his hair. Well, that was not how I was expecting this day to go.
A grin stretched across his face as he rejoined the group.
Sixteen
He didn’t scream anymore. In fact, it had been years since Ramsey Kane screamed. He still looked like a young man, maybe in his forties, but King Calis knew his looks were a lie. Ramsey had seen many more winters than most.
