by T.M. Nielsen
***
“You want me to go?” Kyrin asked Alric. They were alone in their bedroom while they discussed the upcoming voyage.
“Yes, I do. It’s a long trip to the elves, and I’d like you to be there with me.”
“I suppose Azimeth will go?”
“Yes, she’s to be with you at all times. She will share the carriage with you.”
“I’ll be in a carriage?”
“On a long journey like this, it’s customary for the nobles to ride in a carriage for comfort.”
“So you’ll be there?”
“Well, no, I prefer to have a horse.”
She sighed and nodded. “I’ll go.”
“If you don’t want to, please just tell me.”
“If I don’t go, will Azimeth still go with you?”
“Why would she?”
“It’s okay. I’ll go.”
Alric was starting to get frustrated. Over the last two months since Azimeth’s arrival, Kyrin rarely did anything other than what he wanted. He often tested her by making her do things like needle work, just to get her temper up, but it wasn’t working.
Alric lifted her face gently so she was looking directly at him. “If you don’t want to go, tell me.”
She forced a smile. “If you want me to go, then I will.”
“Actually, what I want is for you to grow a backbone and tell me what you want.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean you have an opinion for yourself! I didn’t marry you because of how obedient you are. I fell in love with that strong, independent shifter who constantly broke the rules and did things her own way.”
Kyrin got up and looked out of their bedroom window. “Now you’re confusing me.”
“How?”
She shook her head. “Never mind… I’ll go to the elves with you.”
“It’ll take at least a week to get there.”
“I figured.”
“I want you armed also.”
“Why?” Kyrin asked, glancing back at him.
“There’s always a chance of a Qualsax attack. We have to travel through some of their land. I don’t want to have to worry about you and Azimeth if we’re attacked.”
“So I will be responsible for keeping the elf safe too?”
“Is that so bad?”
“No, I guess not.”
Alric walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Nothing is.”
“You have been so standoffish lately.”
“I don’t mean to be.”
Not getting the input he wanted from her, Alric turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. He was tired of having to tell her what to do and her always obeying. Even Finn was leery to be around her, for fear she was hiding something from them.
The next morning, Kyrin climbed into the carriage and sat down on a soft seat across from Azimeth, who was irritatingly cheerful and excited to be going back to Minathim.
Alric was obviously still upset, as he didn’t say anything to Kyrin before the carriage set off surrounded by knights on horses. An hour into the trip, Kyrin was already bored and starting to feel sick to her stomach. She’d never been in a carriage, and the swaying was making her nauseous.
Azimeth was reading quietly across from Kyrin, and Kyrin couldn’t help but find that annoying.
Kyrin was finding it harder and harder to keep calm. Her stomach was rolling, and she was bored with nothing to do.
“Would you like me to teach you how to read?” Azimeth asked when she saw how impatient Kyrin was.
“No”
“No one has to know.”
“Why would I care?”
Azimeth smiled. “I’m not insinuating you would. I just thought maybe you didn’t want to admit that you don’t know how to read.”
“Where I come from, reading is a waste of time.”
“Is it?” Azimeth said, smiling. She laid the book on her lap. “Tell me about where you are from.”
“It’s boring.”
“I’m interested to know. Your customs are so much different than those I know of.”
“Well, there’s no etiquette, and the only proper way to do things is the way that won’t get you killed,” Kyrin said. She then smiled at the way Azimeth looked at her, shocked.
“Where is this?”
“Nowhere you’ve heard of. I’m sure.”
“Are you okay?” Azimeth was concerned when Kyrin paled a bit.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“We can stop the carriage for a little while and get some fresh air.”
“No, I don’t want to cause problems.”
Azimeth smiled. “The king won’t consider anything you do a problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“He adores you, Lady Kyrin.”
That annoyed Kyrin and she just turned to look out the window. They were out of the forest and riding along the top edge of a mountain pass. It looked cold still outside, and the knights had added cloaks over their armor.
Kyrin hoped that the view would help her stomach calm down. The swaying was relentless, and the boredom only compounded the problem. It gave her nothing to take her mind off of the constant tilting of the carriage.
Azimeth stood up and began shifting things around in the carriage. Kyrin ignored her until Azimeth put a hand on her arm.
“I’ve made a bed. Why don’t you lie down?”
Kyrin looked over and saw that the carriage’s seats could form a bed. Not sure she could speak without being sick, she nodded and laid down. Azimeth dipped a rag into cool water and laid it across Kyrin’s forehead.
When they stopped to take a break, Finn opened the carriage door and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Motion sickness,” Azimeth said softly.
“King?” Finn called out.
“What’s wrong?” Alric asked, walking up.
“Kyrin’s pretty sick.”
Alric frowned and crawled into the carriage. Azimeth climbed out with Finn’s help, and Alric sat down beside her.
“Kyrin, what’s wrong?” he asked, touching the cool rag on her forehead.
“Make the carriage stop for just a second,” she whispered.
He smiled slightly. “It has stopped.”
“No, it hasn’t. I can feel it moving.”
Alric looked her over and saw that she had no color in her entire body. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“No,” she said when he picked her up. “I can’t move.”
“We’ll make camp here for the night and give you a break.”
Kyrin grabbed onto him when he stepped out of the carriage, and she prayed to Daemionis that she wouldn’t get sick while he carried her.
The knights were already setting up camp and the first tent to go up was the one for Kyrin and Alric. Once the bed was put up, Alric laid Kyrin down on it, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She could still feel the swaying of the carriage, and the very thought made things worse.
“Take a drink,” Alric said.
She looked up, and he was holding a glass of green liquid.
“What is that?” she asked, sitting up weakly.
“Something Trox made up. He said it’ll help your stomach.”
Kyrin took a drink of the bitter medicine and then laid back down, almost instantly feeling better.
Alric smiled. “Your color’s coming back.”
“Is there an extra horse?”
“No, sorry. Trox thinks if you drink this stuff though, it won’t happen again.”
“Trox is here?”
“Yes”
“Tell him thank you then.”
Alric laid down beside her and propped himself up on his elbow. “I wish you would have told me when it first started.”
“I didn’t want everyone to stop because of me.”
“You must have told Azimeth the same. She
’s supposed to take care of that kind of thing.”
“I did, so she made a bed.”
He kissed her lightly. “Get some rest. I want to leave first thing in the morning, and we’ll make sure you feel better before that.”
When he left, she rolled onto her side and fell asleep as soon as the world stopped moving.
Kyrin woke up when Alric crawled in next to her and began kissing her neck. He smelled slightly of alcohol, which surprised her.
“Are you drunk?” she asked when he began to untie her nightgown.
“Yes, I am,” he said, and his lips pressed hard against hers.