Noble Falling

by Sara Gaines

  Kahira raised her eyebrow as I shot up from my seat, despite my body’s protests. “Look, the only kingdom I am remotely familiar with is Dakmor, and I stopped paying attention to the noble families years ago. I’m sorry I can’t give you more information.”

  “That’s not true!” I began to pace. “Dakmor attacked my convoy. I never tried to start a war!”

  Ori tensed and Kahira sat up, amused at my outburst.

  “Ah, so there’s the missing piece. You’re the duchess. Not dead at all, and that makes you the loose end Dakmor is trying to tie up in their most recent scheme.”

  Chapter 9

  I WAS still pacing—a vain attempt to sort through my thoughts. The fire barely illuminated the inky black night. Ori had tried to calm me, but quickly gave up after I sent a piercing glare his way.

  “Tallak knows I would never attempt something as bold as entirely removing my lands from Halvarian protection.” I finally stopped, turning to directly address the two figures by the fire. “My father served this kingdom loyally! Tallak knows the wealth associated with my father’s glory is fading now that he’s dead. There’s hardly enough left that would be able to raise an army, let alone one large enough to try and establish a separate kingdom.”

  “So you are actually meant to marry him?” Kahira’s eyebrow arched.

  “Yes,” I snapped at the woman, hardly seeing how my engagement was relevant. “I have been promised to King Tallak for most of my life. It is a marriage meant to continue my family’s legacy and strengthen the Enivian lands within the Halvarian kingdom.”

  Ori interjected, “Your Grace, he would never suspect you of starting a war. These are just rumors being spread by the very traitors who attacked you. Kahira’s information could very well be wrong.” The woman was growing visibly more annoyed with Ori, and at his tone, she flashed a quick glare in his direction.

  “Ori, you and I know that is true, but unless Tallak learns the truth from me, he is likely to believe whatever rumor reaches him. Especially since the traitors are under the command of Dalric.” My voice betrayed none of the panic I felt pulsing through my chest. “And what Kahira is saying is exactly what is spreading through the kingdoms, which means it is most likely what will reach Tallak’s ears. Even if there are other versions of the story weaving their way from tavern to tavern, people always have a habit of believing the worst.”

  “Who sits on the throne of Dakmor now?” I was surprised by Kahira’s sudden outburst of interest.

  “Well, the old king is still alive, but his daughter, Princess Zoriah, is the unofficial ruler.”

  I tore my gaze from the fire and caught Kahira’s sneer a second before it faded. Ignoring her reaction, I continued. “Her motivations are still unknown—our kingdoms are not on the best of terms, and as I’m sure you can imagine, information is hard to come by. Whatever she intends, I just know her soldiers are in my land, and they fought alongside my own guards in an attempt to assassinate me.”

  “Aleana, you should sleep. This changes nothing. We just have to make it to Ferrum.” Ori moved to sit beside me, draping his arm across my shoulders, a bold attempt to provide a small bit of comfort. “I’ll keep watch tonight.”

  I knew Ori had glanced across the fire to the dark-headed woman; it was an action Kahira did not miss.

  “You’ll have no trouble from me, guard.” I could not tell whether Kahira was more annoyed at Ori’s suspicion of her or amused.

  “You never know who’s in the forest. I hear criminals are common in the area.”

  I cut in before the tension escalated further. “Ori….”

  The guard looked at me, silently begging that I not ask him to apologize.

  Kahira took advantage of Ori’s brief distraction. “Enza would provide enough security, should you also decide to sleep, Ori.”

  The sharpness in her voice was still present, highlighted by her accent and the hint of amusement that had slipped into her words.

  “I think sleep would do well for all of us.” I glanced at the guard again.

  Ori made a slight noise in protest.

  “Are you sure, milady? The dog seems to be a heavy sleeper.” The guard turned his attention to the massive hound dozing at Kahira’s feet.

  “I know of few dogs who would lie still when a stranger attempts to sneak up on its master.” A brief touch from the woman woke Enza.

  I could see Ori struggling with how to respond to Kahira’s remark. Finally, he offered that he would sleep. Kahira accepted her victory with a smirk as she stood, walking away from the fire and toward her belongings without offering any parting words. She was still within range of the fire’s flickering light, but I could only see her vague outline as she readied her bed.

  “Sleep well, Your Grace. Wake me should you need anything.” He threw another suspicious glance toward Kahira before handing me my blanket.

  “Goodnight, Ori.” I hoped his unease would disappear by the morning.

  I let the flames die a little more before I attempted to sleep. But, even when I finally rested my head in the crook of my arm and pulled the blanket over me, my thoughts would not stop racing enough for sleep to overtake me. I listened to the crackling embers mix with the sounds of hooting owls, and gave up on sleep when the haunting melody did not lead me to dreams. Standing, I wrapped my blanket around my shoulders and gathered wood to rebuild the fire. Once I stoked the flames to a respectable intensity, I sat on the cool ground. With no reason to hold them back, I allowed a few silent tears to trail down my cheeks.

  “So, is it Duchess Aleana, or do you prefer Your Grace?” I hadn’t heard her approach, and although Kahira’s voice was barely above a whisper, she startled me. “Should I bow before addressing you?”

  I quickly wiped the streaks from my face as I turned toward the woman. I briefly debated asking her to refer to me by title, but the thought of an appropriate honorific being formed in her richly accented speech somehow seemed wrong.

  “It’s still just Aleana.”

  At the sight of my tears, the woman seemed to lose her confidence for the first time. “I’m sorry. I’ll leave you be.”

  “No, stay.” My hand shot out to stop her from returning to her makeshift bed. I felt Kahira flinch when my hand caught hers, but she slowly lowered herself to the ground next to me.

  “Are you unable to sleep as well?”

  Kahira shrugged. “I don’t sleep much, and I noticed you were awake.”

  Her pause rested heavy in the silence between us. I listened as Kahira took a deep breath, as if she were trying to convince herself of something.

  “And, though I might not provide a great source of comfort, it seemed like you might not want to sit in the dark by yourself.”

  My response came immediately, my voice quiet and level due to my attention being focused on trying to answer why my hand was still burning from the brief contact with Kahira’s. “Thank you.”

  Kahira waved in the vague direction of Ori’s snoring, her muscles slowly releasing their tension. “I’m surprised your friend there doesn’t hover over you when you’re awake.”

  Hearing her tone as she spoke about Ori, I managed a weak smile. “You have no reason to believe so, but he can actually be quite pleasant when he’s not so intent on the role of noble guard.”

  Kahira’s striking features were highlighted in the orange glow of the fire. “At least it’s nice to have someone watching your back.”

  I wrapped my arms around my knees, only to let out a hiss of pain at the stabbing sensation in my side.

  “Is something wrong?” Kahira had already moved closer to me.

  I took a deep breath, fighting the pressure in my ribs. “I think I just bruised something when one of the men kicked me.”

  “You might have broken a rib, Aleana.” Kahira’s voice was tinged with a note of concern. Reaching toward me, she hesitated before speaking again. “May I?”

  I nodded, not sure if I would actually be able to speak any words I co
uld manage to think of.

  Kahira’s hands gently probed my side. Even though her touch was delicate, the pressure sent waves of pain through my whole body.

  “Well, the good news is that I don’t think anything is broken, since you aren’t crying out in pain from me touching any specific bone. However, there isn’t much that can be done, whether there is a crack or if your ribs are just bruised.” Kahira looked at me, her apologetic gaze sending a flush to my cheeks.

  I was thankful the light of the fire would mask my blush. “How long will it take to heal?”

  Kahira finally sat back. “There’s a chance you’ll feel better in a few days if nothing is broken. If one of your ribs is cracked, it will probably take a couple of weeks. At least that’s how long it took for mine.”

  “What happened?” There were a thousand situations running through my mind that might have explained a cracked ribcage for this woman.

  Swallowing an apparent lump in her throat, Kahira offered a slight grin. “In a manner similar to how you hurt yours.”

  The way she spoke made it clear I would get no further explanation.

  Not wanting the conversation to fade entirely, I hesitantly sought the answer to one of my many questions. “So, what about you? Do you really travel out here alone, or is there someone waiting for you?”

  I suddenly realized I had no idea where this woman was even headed.

  Kahira’s eyes grew more distant. “No, it’s just me. Along with Enza and Taewin, of course.”

  The haunted look returned to the woman’s expression.

  Enza made her way to us after hearing her name, deciding she wanted to lie down between us. Begging for attention, the massive hound filled the space between Kahira and me. Despite how relaxed she was, the dog still made me a little nervous, and I knew my apprehension was spread across my face.

  “A dog is enough to scare you?” I raised my eyes to Kahira’s, ready to defend myself. I saw her slightly teasing smile, and instead of a harsh rebuke, I let out a small laugh.

  I hesitantly placed my hand on Enza’s fur, carefully watching the dog’s movements. “I’m not used to calm dogs. The only ones I have been around were my father’s war dogs, which are understandably not the nicest creatures. When I was little, one of them actually bit me. I didn’t go around them again after that. Thankfully, it wasn’t serious, but it was enough to scare me.”

  “Tell me about your father?” Kahira’s hand halted its path through Enza’s fur. “If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”

  “The great Ivarin Melora, Duke of Eniva, savior of Halvarian lands, if you believe some of the legends. He led many men into battles against Dakmor and met his end in what would prove to be the last fight between our kingdoms.” I looked up, catching Kahira’s gaze in full. The green eyes blazed with the flame’s reflection, but for the first time, I fought the panicky urge to look away.

  “I have heard the legends, except when I heard them, they were carried on the lips of men who cursed the Halvarian Kingdom’s ‘Duke of Death’. The Dakmoran nobility was particularly interested in finding a way to end your father’s power… I’m sorry they succeeded.”

  Avoiding the painful memories her apology would bring forth, my eyes flicked to the marred flesh on Kahira’s arm, once again trying to identify the family crest that had been burned into her skin.

  “You’ve spent time amongst royalty?”

  Kahira’s verdant stare darkened. My scrutiny of her scar had not escaped her attention. She shifted her attention back toward the fire, venom seeping into her voice once more as she unconsciously raised her hand to the brand on her arm. “You’ll do well to forget whatever past you are creating for me.”

  Thoughts fluttered through my consciousness as though they were butterflies escaping the grasp of eager children. She’d been around royalty, of that I had little doubt. She’d been marked as a criminal. And along with everything else, she had been branded with a crest I couldn’t identify.

  Taking a deep breath, she spoke after a moment, “But yes, I was once familiar with some of the lower members of Dakmoran royalty.”

  I wanted to ask something else, I wanted I find out more about this woman before she left, for it was clear she would not offer the information on her own. I watched her tracing the thick lines of her scar, and I started to speak, but hesitated. The hesitation was brief, but Kahira took advantage of those few heartbeats and commanded the conversation once more, leaving my questions to fade away unvoiced.

  “So, tell me, do you think you’ll be happy with your husband-to-be?” Green eyes connected with mine once again, but they still held the same hard glint.

  I silently chastised myself for missing my opportunity. Struggling to find a reason for my answer, I eventually abandoned my attempts.

  “I think I will be happy enough. The grandeur of such a castle as Seyna’s will hold such wonders, and I will want for nothing.”

  Kahira was bold enough to cut my answer short. “That does not tell me if you think you’ll be happy with your husband, only that you think you will be able to distract yourself with baubles and the novelty of being a queen.”

  My bottom lip slipped between my teeth as I stared at the ground. “You mean to ask if I believe I will grow to love him?”

  I saw Kahira’s nod out of the corner of my eye.

  “Then….” I took a breath, renewing my attempts to offer a better answer. “No, I do not. There is this little voice that whispers to me every time I think of loving him, reminding me there is nothing there that will grow into the kind of passion my parents shared. Will I love him as a friend as the years go on? Yes, I do believe that is a possibility, and that is all I can hope for. I do not need passion, I need my family’s name to continue. And If I must ‘distract myself with baubles’, as you put it, then that is what I will do to gain whatever happiness I can capture.”

  After a moment, when Kahira finally spoke, her voice was so laced with sorrow that it wound its way through my body and caused a tightening in my chest. “I have never envied the position of a royal; so few seem happy. It’s all just stories, and the peasants who dream of something greater have no idea what the reality is.”

  I allowed the night’s sounds to float through the silence that had grown between Kahira and me, understanding I would receive no answers if I were to ask. Enza, deciding she had not received enough attention, rolled onto her side, nearly knocking me over in her attempt to remind us of her presence. The dog’s antics managed to lighten the somber atmosphere, allowing a smile to work its way back onto my face. When Enza yawned and placed her head on my outstretched legs, I suddenly realized how tired I was. While I petted the dog, a yawn escaped from me as well.

  “I should let you sleep. There is still enough time to get a decent amount of rest before the sun rises.” Kahira was already making her way to her feet.

  “You should sleep as well. You can’t have had enough.” To my own surprise, I sounded worried.

  “I’ll be fine.” Kahira reached down to rouse Enza, but was met only with the dog’s warm chocolate eyes rolling toward her languidly.

  “It seems like you might have some extra warmth tonight. If she becomes too much of a bother, you can try to push her off, but I’m not sure if she’ll obey.”

  “She won’t bother me.” I smiled, moving my hand to scratch Enza’s ears, surprised with myself at the ability to be so calm around such an animal.

  “Goodnight then, Aleana.” Kahira’s mouth curved into a genuine smile before she turned and walked toward her own blanket.

  The woman was already farther away than my whisper would carry by the time I found my voice.

  “Sleep well, Kahira.”

  Chapter 10

  I AWOKE to find that the sun was already well established in the morning’s sky. I must have slept longer than I thought, but even with enough sleep, the soreness had not left my body. I had slept on my back in an attempt to ease the pain in my side. Until I tried to climb to
my feet, I thought the pain truly had ceased. As I grew more alert, the smell of roasting meat drifted into my consciousness, distracting me from the discomfort I silently begged to go away.

  When I finally stood, it took me a minute to realize the fire I had fallen asleep next to last night had been reduced to ashes. Nearer to her belongings, Kahira was sitting with Ori, neither of them even looking at the other, but their feelings were plainly painted on their expressions: a scowl on Ori’s face and that slight smirk Kahira seemed so fond of present on hers. Though she looked amused, Kahira’s leather armor was back in place, and a bow and quiver rested near her feet. In front of the two figures, a new fire was blazing. I briefly wondered if Kahira had gone through the trouble of creating another fire because she did not want to wake me.

  Ori saw me first, and as soon as our eyes connected, I saw the wave of relief wash over him. “Good morning, Duchess. Did you sleep well enough?”

  In response, I smiled kindly and placed my hand on his shoulder with a nod. He was still tense, but as I sat down, he seemed to relax slightly.

  Flashing a quick smile my way, Kahira then pulled two rabbits from the fire’s heat. “I assumed, since you have nothing to really hunt with, it has been a while since your last meal other than porridge. You shared your food with me last night; I should only return the favor.”

  Ori quickly took offense. “We have not had the luxury of time to spare for chasing down rabbits.”

  Kahira’s gaze abruptly changed from pleasant to feral, but something kept her from voicing whatever thoughts were dancing behind the fire in her eyes.

  Before Kahira could change her mind about her silence, I spoke up, hoping to shift focus from Ori’s continued impudence.

  “Thank you, Kahira. It was unnecessary, but a welcomed change to our diet.” I hated to admit, even to myself, how welcome anything other than porridge was.