Nate turned to her and smiled as she groaned and covered her head with the blanket. He came over and knelt down by her bedside, watching her form roll under the covers. “Good morning, sleeping beauty… How you feeling?” he asked, laying a gentle hand upon her back and rubbing it comfortingly.
“Ugh, did I get run over by a horse?” she asked, her voice rough and slightly hoarse.
Nate chuckled and shook his head. “No, you didn’t. You just had a rough night. That fruit drink was mead, remember?”
All movement under the covers paused. “… I was drunk last night, wasn’t I?”
“I believe you were. You only drank four goblets, too. You’re a light weight.” Nate found it irresistibly funny.
Kiara groaned once more and dug herself further under the covers. “I can’t believe myself. How could I have been so foolish?”
“You were just trying to have a good time. Now you know to always ask for water at banquets.” Nate continued to rub Kiara’s back soothingly, and she didn’t seem to protest or mind in any way. “How are you feeling, though?”
“My head aches and I’m tired,” Kiara grumbled, still refusing to show her face.
“I’ll go ask Sir Ethan if he has any medicine or herbs that will help… Do you need anything else?”
“Yes. Food. I’m starving.”
Nate chuckled and nodded. “I’ll see if one of the servants can get you a fruit or two before breakfast. We have to be heading back to Aleph this morning. If we start soon, we may be able to make it there by nightfall. How’s that sound?”
Kiara was silent for a moment, then she let out a miserable sigh. “Fine, I guess.”
Nate was unconvinced, but nodded anyway. “Alright… Well, most everyone is still in bed recovering from last night as well, so if you want to sleep a bit, then you can. But, I’ll go wake Sir Ethan up. I’ll be right back.” He was about to stand up, but Kiara swiftly rolled over and reached a hand out to grab his attention.
“No, don’t wake them up, that would be rude. I earned ten gold pieces yesterday from the archery tournament. Use that to buy something. Don’t bother Sir Ethan and Lady Elsie. I wouldn’t want them knowing how I behaved.”
“They thought you were just having a good time, but if that’s how you want it, where’s the money? I won’t spend more then one piece, I promise.”
Kiara pointed to a small pouch next to the bed, then recoiled her hand back under the covers. Nate picked up the pouch and pulled out just one gold coin, then put on his brown vest and pair of boots and chaps to head into town. Surely there was a medicine shop open somewhere at this early hour.
And luckily enough, a medicine shop was just opening for business as Nate approached it. He bought a few natural herbal remedies for a headache that he knew of, along with the supplies needed to mix it together, then went back to the tent. Once there, he ground everything together and mixed it in water to make it easier for Kiara to take.
When he was all finished, he came to Kiara’s bed and shook her shoulder to wake her once more. “Kiara? I’ve got the medicine for you.”
Reluctantly, she uncovered herself, squinting in the dim light of the tent and sat up. Her eyes looked red and puffy like she had been crying, but Nate knew it must have just been the affects of the alcohol. Nate smiled to her and brought the bowl up to her lips and they both held onto it as she took a sip of the vile mixture.
Immediately, she sat back away from the bowl, her face wrinkled in disgust.
“That stuff tastes awful!” she exclaimed, puckering up her mouth with disdain.
Nate laughed and lowered the bowl. “It may taste bad, but you’ll feel better in a few moments if you drink the whole thing.”
Kiara, driven by the need to have the throbbing pain alleviated, took the bowl again and gulped the whole substance down her throat, holding her nose as she swallowed. Nate watched that as she finished it all off, she handed him the bowl and wrinkled her face up again, sticking out her tongue - which had inadvertently been turned green by the mixture. Nate couldn’t help but laugh at her twisted expressions.
“Yeah, laugh all you want but if you ever get a headache, I’ll make you drink that nasty stuff!” Kiara scolded, sneering at Nate. He only shook his head ruefully and gazed at her for a moment before placing his strong hand on the top of her head.
“Feel better yet?” he asked.
Kiara gave him a weak smile and nodded, feeling the rapid affects of the drug.
“Good,” Nate muttered, his hand sliding down to rest on her shoulder, his fingers wrapped around the back of her neck, letting his thumb stroke her jaw line gently as he stared at her groggy countenance. Even now, he still thought she was beautiful. In a daring move, Nate began to move closer and closer to her, glancing between her eyes and lips, looking for any sign of resistance. Kiara was too sleepy to fight him and too dazed to even care what he would do.
But, before Nate could get very far, one of the servants called out to them through the closed tent flap, “Breakfast is being served in the dining tent.” then left. That momentary interruption was enough to ruin Nate’s plan for a first kiss. He dropped his hand and glanced to the tent entrance.
Kiara sighed, secretly wishing the servant had not barged in like that, then looked around for some other change of clothing. Nate sat back and looked around to see if he needed anything, at a loss of what to do now.
“Do you know where my blue dress is?” Kiara asked, slowly pushing back the other covers to free her legs.
“Not a clue. Maybe one of the servants took it to wash,” Nate helped her look around, but saw no spare dress. “You can wear the black trousers and tunic that I wore last night if you’d like.”
“No way. If Lady Elsie saw me wearing your clothes, she would assume something scandalous took place last night, which would not look well… I’ll just go in this and ask about it when we get to the table.” Kiara struggled to even get up on her feet, so Nate obligingly let her lean on his arm to steady herself enough to walk.
Nate escorted Kiara out of the tent and down the way to the dining pavilion, where Sir Ethan and Lady Elsie were just arriving themselves, looking a little tired as well.
“Good morning!” greeted Sir Ethan politely. “How did you two sleep last night?”
“I slept very well, thank you,” Nate replied.
“Yeah, same here,” Kiara said, forgetting all conversational manners in a wake of her grogginess.
“My dear, you look positively ill. Are you alright?” Lady Elsie asked in a very concerned way, coming up alongside Kiara.
“Oh, yes. I just feel a little tired, is all. I was tossing and turning for most of the night.” Kiara hated to lie, but the truth wouldn’t have settled nicely.
“If you wish to lie down through breakfast, I could have that arranged. We won’t be packing up and leaving for another hour or so,” Lady Elsie offered as they all sat down at the elegant table, breakfast dishes spread out before them.
“No, thank you. I’m very hungry and I slept in yesterday morning already. It would be bad form to do it twice.”
The two nobles relented and kept a careful eye on Kiara. Luckily, she was able to keep up the façade that all was well with her, despite her guilty disposition and slightly aching head.
“Pray, do tell me where my old blue dress is? The one that you were going to have washed?” Kiara inquired about half way through their meal.
“I have it in my tent,” replied Lady Elsie. “I was taking the honor of mending some of the seams myself. I completed it just last night, but didn’t want to interrupt your sleeping. I’ll go and fetch it for you after we’re done.”
“So, what are your plans for the rest of the day, Nathan? Will you stay around in Daleth or head to Aleph?” Sir Ethan asked.
“I’m hoping that we may be on our way to Aleph as soon as possible. With luck and good trails, we may get there by nightfall,” Nate replied, taking a bite of a juicy red apple.
“Well,
I would offer myself as an escort, but we are heading farther east on our journey home. I believe you will be wanting to travel northwest. I’ll lend you one of my maps to assist you, if you’d like.”
“That would be very kind of you. I have a map, but we’ve discovered that it’s not very reliable.”
Kiara smiled at remembering the slight mistake about Mem’s Pass.
“Very well, then. After breakfast, I shall pull out that map and we’ll chart your course from here. I was also meaning to talk to you about plans after you drop the lady off in Aleph. Do you know where Zayin is?” Sir Ethan asked, putting down his utensils to delve into the conversation further.
“No, I don’t believe so,” Nate said hesitantly.
“I know where it is. We must have passed it on our way here and didn’t even realize it. It’s actually very close to Resh Pass, isn’t it?” Kiara said.
“Yes, it’s just about ten miles north of the pass. That’s where we live. When you are done with your affairs in Aleph, Nathan, I would very much like for you to come and stay with us. Then, we can begin your training.”
Kiara turned to Nate with slight surprise and confusion. “Training?”
“Yes, I’ve decided to take Sir Ethan’s offer of becoming his squire,” Nate said patiently, looking to Kiara with a small grin. Kiara was both happy, yet crushed. Zayin was so far from Aleph and visits would be nearly impossible when she got back home. It was highly likely that Malcolm would never let Kiara so much as travel near the mountain range without a royal escort after such a misadventure as this. But, then again, Nate would live his dream of becoming a knight and she was happy for him all the same. And perhaps there was hope for their future.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Kiara replied with a generous smile, then turned back to eating her toasted pastry.
Breakfast was over soon and the two parted ways to prepare for their departure. Nate went to Sir Ethan’s small study tent to examine the map, while Kiara went to the grand sleeping tent with Lady Elsie to retrieve her clean dress.
Within just a short hour, the camp was packed up and loaded onto the several wagons, ready to be ordered out of Daleth. Nate and Kiara gathered their things, and after being insisted upon accepting a few food goods and some spare supplies for their own trip, they were on the road, heading toward Aleph. All four were sad to part, but Kiara promised to send a letter every now and again, and perhaps pay a visit. Of course, Lady Elsie was still unaware that “Kyra” was actually, “Kiara”. Either way, this made three new acquaintances that Kiara would have to keep in touch with once she arrived back to Aleph. And of course, Nate would be returning to Sir Ethan in a few days, no doubt, so there was not much to miss.
The group parted with hugs and thanks for each other’s company, which were more than enough for Kiara to shed a tear or two, as she had with the Forgers. Once on the road, Kiara felt much better, mostly because her splitting headache was gone and she had fully recovered from her mild hangover.
“Did I do or say anything out of character last night?” Kiara asked Nate once they were walking well along the path.
“Not particularly. You were loud and feisty like someone half your age might be, but otherwise, you were rather amusing,” Nate said with a smirk, thinking about what she had said just before passing out the night before.
Kiara groaned and covered her face with the edges of the shawl that Lady Elsie had given her. “I still can’t believe how stupid I was for drinking that stuff. I’m sorry for not listening to you in the first place.”
“It’s alright. You needed to unwind. And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about last night…” Nate paused and looked up to the road with a smile, “I will admit though, for a drunk, you are a good dancer.”
Kiara reached over and backhanded Nate’s belly. “Come now, that wasn’t fair! I am not a drunk. Last night was my first time.”
Nate laughed and rubbed his stomach. “I was just saying that despite the fact that you had had one too many drinks, you still were an excellent dancer.”
“Well, thank you, then. Why did you cut in on that man last night? I thought you didn’t want to dance?”
Nate shrugged and looked down to the ground as he began casually kicking around a stone. “I just don’t know how to dance very well. But, when I saw that you wanted to dance, I guess I changed my mind.”
“You sure it wasn’t just because you might have been jealous?” Kiara asked coyly. Nate chuckled nervously and adjusted the strap of his back pack upon his shoulder.
“Jealous? Why would I be jealous?”
“Because that boy was dancing with me and you weren’t.”
“That’s not a reason to be jealous.”
“Just like wanting to beat Ian up for dancing dirty with me that night isn’t a reason to be jealous?”
“What? I thought we had ended that discussion?” Nate peered at her. He remembered talking about the situation involving Ian and Tasha a few days ago and didn’t think that it would have come up again.
“Well, not really. We never truly resolved it.”
“Just like we didn’t resolve the issue that you were jealous of Tasha and that you were only dancing to get my attention?” Nate cocked an eyebrow at Kiara and waited for the explosion.
“If I told you the honest truth, would you tell me if you were jealous of Ian or that squire last night?”
Nate looked to her, slightly shocked by such a deal. “…I promise.”
Kiara placed her hands behind her back and looked off towards the tree line. “Ok… I am jealous of Tasha and I was dancing like a whore to get your attention… Satisfied?” She glanced up to Nate with flirtatious eyes.
Nate seemed surprised, but nodded. “Alright… I was jealous of Ian and the boy. I thought it was unfair that those men who didn’t know you were allowed to dance with you and I wasn’t, even though I knew you longer.”
“You are always allowed to dance with me, Nate. You only have to ask.”
Nate nodded. “Very well, then. I’ll try to remember that.”
Kiara blushed and bowed her head, feeling both foolish and bashful. “So, do you know how many more miles it will be until we get to Aleph?”
“That eager to get home?” Nate questioned with a hint of hurt in his tone.
“Sort of… Well, I don’t know. I can’t wait to see my friends and family again, but at the same time, I don’t want to face my future there. But, I’m obligated to go back. I’ve told you this before. I have mixed emotions about going home, but I have to anyway.” Kiara’s smile faded with her words.
Nate sighed and nodded in understanding. “I know… Aleph is about fifteen miles away. We have to cross Heth Gorge and the Nun River to get there. Both have bridges, from what Sir Ethan has told me. And there is a village between the two towns, so we should be able to stop for lunch there. He gave me a bit of money for some food, as well. But, I’m sure that this extra ten pounds of food they gave me would sustain us enough,” Nate said, adding a bit of a grudging tone at the end, having to readjust his pack straps again. Kiara couldn’t help but giggle at his exaggeration.
“What will you do when you get to Aleph?” she asked.
“I will drop you off outside the castle walls and perhaps…”
“What?” Kiara interrupted, “I thought you would come in and maybe talk to my father. I thought one of the reasons you wanted to take me home was so that you could get some kind of reward?”
Nate paused in thought and shook his head. “My reward is knowing that you’re home safe and sound. I don’t need anything else but that. Even if I had no plans to become a squire under Sir Ethan, I could survive on my own.”
Kiara smiled and looked away. “I suppose so… But, continue what you were saying?” She was surprised by his chivalry and change of heart. She knew deep down that he wanted a reward from the very beginning. There would be no other reason for his willingness to put up with her if there wasn’t a prize to be won at the end of this jou
rney. But, to learn that he had changed his mind and didn’t want a prize anymore, really did show that he loved her.
“I was considering to maybe see some of the old places I knew growing up or maybe I’d just head out of town as soon as I dropped you off so as to avoid getting in any more trouble.”
Kiara was honestly sad to hear that. She really wished that Nate would stay behind, if not to stay with her, then to be in the same city for a while. The two walked in silence for a while before an idea struck Kiara.
“Don’t you want to tell my father about Deceiver’s plans personally?” she inquired.
“Oh, you’re right. I almost completely forgot about Deceiver… I guess I was trying to force him out of my mind for a while,” Nate paused to think of an answer, “I think it’s best if you tell your father. He trusts you better and if he recognizes me and somehow knows about my lineage, then he wouldn’t want to grant me an audience anyway. I wouldn’t want to wind up in the dungeon where I can’t do anyone any good.”
Kiara nodded and took a deep breath. “I wish you would come and meet my father. I don’t know how it would turn out, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t go as badly as you think. My father is a very forgiving and merciful person. And if he knew about the numerous times you saved my life, then he is sure to accept you and overlook your faults.”
“I’m still wary of the idea… Why would you want me to meet your father?” Nate asked, turning curiously to Kiara.
“I suppose I would want you to collect some reward or recognition for helping me get home safely. It would be unfair if you weren’t at least thanked personally by my father,” Kiara replied with a shrug.
Nate sighed and took on an expression of thoughtfulness. “We’ll see. I can’t guarantee anything, though. So, don’t get all disappointed when we get there and I don’t stay long.”
The Princess and Her Rogue Page 42