by Alex Alcasid
“Well…” Loren sighed and trailed off.
Soon after the Sagnian people came to crowd around her, congratulating the princess and thanking them all for saving them from the wrath of the mountain, Lind woke from his short rest, stood, and roared. The dragon’s mighty roar shook the earth, startling everyone and forcing them to cover their ears from the sheer volume of the sound. The wall of dragonfire that held back the cooled lava dispersed, letting some small gushes of molten rock through the gaps. They cooled quickly and were not a threat.
The dragon roared a second time, drowning out the sound of Loren’s cries of confusion. Lind glanced at the princess with his shining golden eyes, and took to the sky without her. He flew towards the western sky, back to where Loren knew Castle Aldoran lay.
“I really don’t know.” Loren continued. “I asked Lind to calm and stay, maybe to help us. But he went off on his own. I don’t know, Spymaster. It was like I couldn’t hear him anymore, when just minutes ago I could, so clearly.”
“Hear him, my lady?” Spymaster Isran looked at the princess curiously.
Loren struggled to hold the Spymaster’s gaze. “An effect of the dragon magic, I think. It was mother who explained to me that the Cyrael bloodline itself carries a tie to the dragon. Or was it Seraphis?”
“Seraphis? How curious.”
“Anyway. Lind flew off on his own. I don’t know where he went, probably back home without us. Do you think he would communicate with mother the same way he did with me?”
The Spymaster’s head swayed on his shoulders, unsure. “I noticed your pendant is shattered and gone, my lady. And you mother the queen has not been the bearer of the pendant for years. Who knows what magics are gone and what remain. I am no mage, there are limits to even my own information.”
Loren nodded, deep in thought. She stared at a spot just above her horse’s head, letting the repetitive motion of the horse’s gait soothe her as her imagination wandered. Her attention snapped back to the present after a few minutes of staring at the path by the sound of a bag being shaken.
When she looked up, the Spymaster was holding out a small bag to her. “I’ve forgotten I still had this. For you, my lady. May it ease your troubled mind, even for a while.” His kind smile stretched the scar above his eyebrow. Loren beamed, already knowing what was in it.
The princess snatched the bag from Spymaster Isran’s hands and looked inside. She pulled out a round, red piece of candy and popped it into her mouth. Loren let out a childish giggle as she pushed the candy into her cheek. “Cherry candies! Spymaster, thank you!”
Spymaster chuckled. “Your favorite candies since you were a child. I’m glad something as simple as candies can still bring a smile to your face, my lady. Especially since you have gone through so much.”
Loren tilted her head, letting the cherry candy melt in her mouth and coat her tongue. “It is a simple thing, and I suppose that is why, Spymaster. It reminds me of when things were simple, I suppose.”
The princess had such a look of melancholy on her face, that the Spymaster could not help but smirk and raise a brow when he saw the movement of another horse coming up behind her. Isran chuckled. “Do not despair about these current times, my lady. Though I understand your view, things are much, much better than they were for you.”
“What?” Loren asked. Spymaster Isran only laughed and spurred on his horse to catch up with Warmaster Sairus at the front. The princess clutched the bag of candy closed with one hand, the other holding the reins. “Spymaster! What did you mean by that?” she called.
“Princess!” Kae called as she unsteadily pulled her horse up beside Loren’s. “Princess, are you alright?” she asked.
Loren looked to her side when Kae came up, and immediately realized the meaning of the Spymaster’s words.
“Loren?” Kae asked curiously. “Seriously, are you alright? Your face is red.”
“W-What!” Loren hurriedly looked away, rubbing awkwardly at her burning cheeks. She held out the bag from the Spymaster to Kae. “Here! Spymaster gave me candy! Have some!”
“Oh? Huh, thanks.” Kae took the bag, a concerned look written on her face. She slowly popped a candy into her mouth. “This tastes good. Thank you, princess.”
“Loren.”
“Excuse me?”
“Please Kae, just call me Loren. We’ve been through enough to do away with formalities.”
Kae said nothing at first. She looked to the princess, her eyes searching the other woman’s face as if seeing her for the first time. Then, she smiled. It was a small smile, honest and joyful. “Loren.”
“Yes?” Loren felt the blush rising in her cheeks again.
“Would you like to know something I’ve noticed about you?”
“Of course I would!” Loren huffed. “What are you hiding?”
“You look a lot calmer now.” Kae mused. The huntress moved the hard cherry candy around in her mouth. “Your shoulders are less tense, your guard is down while you’re surrounded by the soldiers and the Masters. You look good.”
“I…look good?”
“Well, yes.” Kae’s horse walked into a dip in the road, and the huntress started, trying to catch herself. “You’re more relaxed now that you’re on the way home. You’ve done so much good, princess. Not just for other people, or an entire kingdom, but for yourself.”
“For myself? I don’t understand. Everything I’ve done was for my mother, or for Kaiten or—“
Kae laughed. “Calm down! You’re selfless to a fault, Loren. Lighten up and see what you’ve accomplished. Sagna in flames, but liberated. Kaiten dethroned, but alive and well. And we have the antidote for your mother. Everything will be alright. And…I saw you breathe dragonfire.”
“You did?” Loren said, shocked. “I thought that was a dream.”
“It wasn’t; you can trust me on that. I heard a scream and I thought you were in trouble, so I rushed back to the gates as quickly as I could.” Kae paused, smiling at the memory. “You were facing the queen down alone, Loren. Unarmed, outnumbered, but you did it anyway. Why?”
“I don’t really know. I saw her and Seraphis coming for me, and I all I could think of was that I had to fight for someone. I had to fight, to protect those I loved. I thought of…” Loren trailed off. Her gaze flittered towards the huntress’s face. She took in Kae’s olive skin, watched the wisps of hair that framed her face, unwilling to be caught and tamed by the huntress’s ponytail. Loren saw small scars on Kae’s skin, old and silvery in the light, trophies of hunts and scrapes with game throughout the years in the Kilrough Forest. Loren caught sight of Kae’s dark eyes and the smile in them. The huntress smiled knowingly back.
The two rode on in silence for a while. Their horses walked very close together, much closer than the animals themselves would have liked. Once Kae regained some confidence in riding, she reached out to Loren, brushing her fingers against the back of her hand. The princess’s hand uncurled from the reins and held Kae’s hand instead. The two smiled at each other, no further words needing to be said.
The continued down the road towards Hardwick at a slow and easy pace, relaxing with the peaceful countryside after the harrowing time in Sagna. It was only once the sun was beginning to set that Loren looked behind her.
The trail of Aldoran soldiers struggled through the heat of the lands east from the Kilrough Mountains. The men had long ago taken off their heavy plate and mails, and threw them into a pile in the back of several wagons. Still, the men walked on foot for miles in the lingering heat of the Sagnian territories. Loren looked back at the lagging men, concerned.
“Warmaster! Spymaster!” Loren called towards the front of the line. The two Masters turned and looked in unison, spurring on their horses to turn back.
“What is it, my lady?” Warmaster Sairus asked. His ears twisted and turned, trying to catch every possible sound and search for danger.
“The men are exhausted.” Loren said, gesturing behind her.
&nb
sp; Warmaster Sairus looked past the two women, past Kaiten and Cassendir chatting animatedly on their own, past Ma’trii struggling to haul himself up into the back of a wagon, and towards the men. Many were weak and lagging behind. But those who were still strong enough to assist their brothers, did. The soldiers of Aldoran had taken it upon themselves to look after their own, supporting those who were limping, and loading those unconscious from the heat into the back of the wagons. The Warmaster smiled.
“You need not worry, my lady.” The panther Beastman said kindly. The pointed up towards the path where the trees parted at the top of the hill. The paved road disappeared over its crest. “Spur on your horse and look above the hill. I am sure your heart will be eased.”
Loren and Kae shared a look. Reluctantly they let go of each other, wrapping their hands around their horse’s reins and leading them up to where the Warmaster told them to look. As they passed, the Spymaster’s eyes trailed the path of their hands, their eyes, their smiles. With a chuckle, Isran nudged Sairus in the side, and raised an eyebrow. He flicked his eyes towards the girls in answer to Sairus’s confused stare.
The panther’s mouth dropped into an ‘o’.
“Do you think the king would approve?” Isran whispered to the Warmaster.
“Perhaps so. They seem very happy together.” Sairus whispered back. “Without each other, I doubt they would have made it this far. Or if they would have survived their journey at all.”
“Do you think the queen would approve?”
At that, the Warmaster made an uncertain noise, almost as if he were choking. “The queen does concern herself with successors and the law…” Sairus shrugged his armor plated shoulders. “We can only hope that she does. The princess finally looks joyful and unburdened.”
“Yes.” Isran sighed as he watched the two girls crest the hill ahead of them. “The last I recall seeing our lady so carefree was—“
“—When she was a child, urging us to play fight for her amusement.” Sairus finished. He smiled, recalling the fond memory. “You gave her cherry candies back then too, Isran.”
“As I always do, my brother.” The Spymaster laughed. “As I always do.”
Chapter Twenty Nine
Loren slowed her horse’s walk as she reached the highest point of the hill. The setting sun’s gentle light lit up the treetops of a forest that stretched to the north as far as the eye could see. Far in the distance were the snow-capped mountains of the northern lands, their mountain peaks blending with the Kilrough Mountains that were the wall between the west and the east. The Kilrough Mountains themselves were so close, Loren could see the darkened holes that dotted the mountainside she knew were caves. A large town, bustling with small, squat buildings huddling close together with streams of smoke reaching into the air from their chimneys, was settled in the shadow of the mountains.
Running right through the town was a wide road, paved with flat stones. The road itself cut through a section of the mountains, carved right out of the rock by many years and even more strong men. Loren gasped at the sight of it.
“The Imperial Highway?” she asked, breathless.
Kae looked on in awe. “Is this Hardwick? I didn’t know it was so close to Kilrough itself. And I thought the Highway at least snaked around the mountain!”
“It does, farther in towards the middle. The road narrows and makes its way up and around, almost to the peak. But Hardwick…” Loren stopped. The princess was suddenly overcome with such emotion that tears began to form in her eyes.
Kae smiled. “Hardwick means that you’re halfway home.”
“Home.” Loren said the word in a whisper, so faint that she didn’t believe it herself. “How long has it been since we left Aldoran?”
“I don’t remember. The days started to blur together after a while. Especially after the Plaguelands.” Kae paused and couldn’t help but laugh. “Princess, you are amazing. You led us through the Plaguelands, the Plaguelands of all places! And you made sure we wouldn’t die there.”
“It was a foolhardy plan and you knew it.”
“Yeah. But it worked.” Kae looked out over the hill, down towards the sprawling little town. There was a happier, freer feeling to the small buildings nestled together than there was when they arrived at Sagna. The city at the base of the volcano was larger, but it felt more oppressed. “You made it work, Loren.”
“I will have to say that was luck.” The princess looked out over the hill along with Kae. There was a peacefulness there, overlooking the town of Hardwick. The breeze blew coolly through their hair, and Loren sighed. “It feels like we’ve been away for far too long.”
“What will you do once you’re home?” The huntress asked, looking curiously over at Loren. Her expression was neutral, only curious, but Loren saw the nervous hitch in her breath. There were words Kae was still too scared to say.
Loren smiled, with the lingering feeling that Kae was asking about herself. What would the princess have in store for Kae once they returned home to Aldoran? The princess smiled, she already knew.
“My lady.” Warmaster Sairus called from a respectable distance behind them, once he saw the girls had stopped talking.
The princess of Aldoran looked back over her shoulder. All the way down the hill was the line of soldiers marching steadily towards her. “Yes, Warmaster?”
The panther Beastman rode up beside them. He gestured towards a large stone structure with an expansive field surrounding it, within the shadow of the mountain. “That is an outpost of Aldoran, my lady. We can camp there and get much needed medical care for the men.”
Loren nodded. “I see. Thank you so much Warmaster, I trust you and the Spymaster will care for our brave soldiers. Will there be space enough for me and my friends within the outpost?”
The Warmaster blinked slowly. He looked back to where Spymaster Isran was idling by the road. The Spymaster gave him a wink and gestured dismissively. The panther sighed and turned back towards the girls. “My lady, it is mine and Spymaster Isran’s opinion that it would not do well for yours and your friends to recovery to spend the night among the rowdy men. Perhaps you can find better accommodations within Hardwick’s inns.”
“You would rather we spend the night away from you all?” Loren asked, surprised.
“Well, he has a point, princess.” Kae mused. “You do love your beds and inns. We might as well go; we never got to see Hardwick the first time around.”
Kae’s eyes glittered with excitement. They were captured early on by Hamilcar’s men before they were able to reach Hardwick. The princess got the feeling that Kae had wanted to see the town for some time. Loren laughed. “Do you think we should go?”
“Yes!” Kae said. “I’m surprised you’re still asking me, princess. I thought you would jump at the chance to sleep in a proper bed.”
Loren’s gaze faltered. She looked towards the town, not quite seeing it. “A proper bed, I suppose…” a memory flashed before her eyes of Haedria’s leering face. She blinked. “Kae, would you—“
The huntress smiled kindly. “I will be with you princess, don’t worry. Just like before.”
Tears welled in her eyes as Loren smiled.
The inn at Hardwick was much larger than the one at the border town. As Hardwick was a checkpoint town directly past the Kilrough Mountains, it itself saw a lot of business. Merchants and nobles, everyday travelers and adventurers would pass through the town for supplies, rest, and whatever else they might need. This caused Hardwick’s economy to boom, and the surrounding amenities to increase in quality. As Loren and her friends passed through the town’s bustling marketplace, the group split up. More accurately, Cassendir spotted a booth with teetering towers of books, packed with scrolls and pen-and-ink sets. The scholar had run off into the crowd before anyone could call him back. Kaiten had simply laughed and told the girls he would keep an eye on the mage and that he would meet them at the inn later. Ma’trri, tempted by the butcher stalls and his cast off scraps, sta
yed steadfastly beside Kae.
Hand in hand, Kae and Loren made their way through the crowd, elbowing and shuffling past the humans and Beastmen crowded around an auction, another crowd gathered around a street performer swallowing swords, and a lion Beastman selling chickens. Loren stopped and stared at the lion, puzzled, as it was the third almost identical merchant she had seen.
Kae pulled the princess along with her and away from the Beastman’s chicken stall, laughing the whole way. The huntress still held the bag of cherry candies from the Spymaster, and offered one to Loren. Loren smiled, opened her mouth, and let Kae slip a cherry candy in.
The sign above the inn was written in soft pink paint in a delicate, flowing hand. It bore the name “Feathernest Inn” and featured a drawing of a ferret, curled up asleep atop a pillow. The building had three storeys instead of the one or two of the buildings that surrounded it. Loren pushed the inn’s door open, and found the common area to be spacious and roomy, with a large table taken up by half a dozen nobles whispering to each other in hushed voices.
The innkeeper was found, two rooms were rented, one for the girls and one for the boys. As they went upstairs, hauling their tired selves up the stairs, Ma’trii the wolf bounded up and sat patiently at the landing. Kae pointed to the last door on the left; the boy’s room, and Ma’trii nudged her leg goodbye before trotting off.
Kae opened the door beside the boy’s room, held it open for Loren, and watched as the princess fell face first onto the pristine sheets.
“Loren?” Kae called, concerned. She locked the door behind her and immediately rushed to Loren’s side. She found the princess snoring, exhausted. Kae smiled.
The princess did not stir even as the huntress gently unlaced her boots and slipped it off her feet. She didn’t move when Kae hauled one of the two small beds within the room and pressed it against the one Loren was in, and climbed in beside her. The princess was too deep in a dreamless sleep to notice.
