Princess of Earth, page 21
The sounds of Hollis’ teeth crashing together made me wince in the silent room.
Maeteo pushed himself off the table, grunting as he stood up straight in the small room. He devoured the space, his head nearly touched the ceiling as he stood to his full height, blocking out any remaining light coming in from outside.
His eyes landed on me, and I felt smaller than I ever had as he stared.
“We leave for Ebonfort at first light.” He nodded; his words aimed at Hollis though he was still staring right at me. Hollis simply nodded her head, turning on her heel and leaving the room, the door slamming behind her, shaking the small figurines on the table.
Maeteo moved as soon as the door was firmly shut. He was around the table and in front of me before I even had time to blink, his hands cupping my face and his lips crushing to mine.
I stumbled slightly at the force with which he kissed me, but he steadied me against the closed door, pressing himself against me in every way he possibly could.
The kiss was unlike any other we had shared. It was passionate and unhinged, and I worried briefly that someone might try and open the door just to find out what the noise was.
“Maeteo,” I breathed when he pulled back from me for air, his forehead resting against mine and his breaths coming in quick pants. “What — what are you — “
“Shh,” He screwed up his face, his eyebrows furrowing against my forehead, “Please, just let me…”
He did not finish his sentence, but instead began to pepper short, chaste kisses across my cheeks and nose, and I let my hands move from the muscles in his arms to the warmth of his chest. His heart was hammering under my palm, and I attempted to rub small circles over it with my fingers, trying to calm him in any way possible.
Silence passed between us as he kissed every possible bit of my skin he could reach, my fingers continuing their path of circles over his shirt.
“Promise me,” Maeteo’s voice was gruff when he finally spoke, “Promise you won’t leave the back lines. I need you to stay where I know you’re safe.”
“You know I can’t do that,” I smiled softly, reaching up to cup his cheek, his stubble scratching at the palm of my hand, “You know as well as I do, they need to see me out there or all of this was for nothing.”
Maeteo let out a sigh. His fingers knotting around the hair at the base of my skull and squeezing tightly. I would have winced at the sharp pain, but I focused on the slope of his nose, and the downward curve of his still slightly kiss-swollen lips.
We stood for a minute like that, just holding each other before Maeteo finally let me go. His hand slipping out of my hair and falling to his side as he opened his eyes and looked down at me. I smiled at him lightly, trying to ease the look of fear on his face.
“Kira, if something happens to you while we are out there…I won’t be able to stop fighting to come and help you.”
“Then something happens.” I said softly, shrugging, “You’ve trained me, Maeteo, I know how to fight. I’m not the best at it, sure, but I know more than enough to get me through.”
I hoped my smile was somewhat comforting to him, but his eyes searched my face and for a moment I worried that he might be able to see the guilt I had felt settle into my stomach. He would be fighting for me. As would Hollis, and Tarian, and every other friend I had made within the castle walls these last weeks. They would be fighting while I had a plan of my own.
My heart stumbled in my chest, and I tried to steady my breathing. Maeteo must have mistaken it for anxiety, as he wrapped his arms around me and held me to his chest, his hands stroking through my hair gently.
I wondered as we stood there, Maeteo’s hands repeating slow, comforting strokes down my hair, if I was a bad person. The letter from my father had told me to do whatever I had to do to take the Fire Kingdom down from the inside. Tarian’s father had repeated the sentiment this afternoon — and whilst I knew this was what I had to do; I could not help but feel the stab of guilt.
I knotted my fingers around the fabric at the back of Maeteo’s shirt, breathing in the smell of him one more time before I let him go, placing my hands on his chest and pushing him back lightly. He smiled down at me, but it did not reach his eyes.
28
The war carriages left the castle gates as soon as the sun had started to peek over the horizon.
Emily had clung to me from the second she had arrived in my quarters this morning. Her eyes were rimmed red and her cheeks pink. She had wrapped her arms around me so tightly that I had had to pry her off, laughing lightly.
Now, as I was climbing onto the back of Freya, my armour and weapons packed into the back of a wagon, Emily stood by the stable doors, sniffling lightly and wiping her hands under her eyes. Dread settled into my stomach as I looked at her, and I wished for a second that I could tell her what I was really doing. After all, Cyrus was her half-brother.
I swallowed my discomfort and squeezed the reins in my hand, nudging Freya forward slightly. Emily stepped back just enough to let us through the door before I stopped us again, smiling down at her in, what I hoped, was a comforting way.
“You promise me you’ll be safe?” Emily sniffled, placing her hand on my knee. I fought the urge to raise my eyebrows at her.
“As safe as I can be.” I smiled, placing my hand on top of hers and squeezing, “I’ll be back before you even have the chance to miss me.”
Emily smiled sadly, her eyes filling with tears again as she stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest.
I let out a breath, pushing Freya forward through the stable yard and around the side of the castle until we reached the front gates. The carriages full of our tents and weapons had already left, but the soldiers remained. Some on foot and some on horseback, they stood in perfect formation up the long entrance road to the castle. Two single carriages remained at the back of the fleet, and Maeteo’s explanation of what they were for came back to me.
The lighter one, with red curtains pulled over the windows, was for if we had to travel during the night and I needed to sleep, or if I needed a break from being on horseback. Gracie would be traveling in that one, and I could see her through the window already, nibbling nervously on her bottom lip and her cheeks still stained with tears from saying goodbye to the man she loved.
The other carriage was darker, and larger. Dark, almost black, wood with tinted windows and pulled by black horses, and my heart sank at the sight of it. While now it held a few of our medical supplies, and my armour and sword, after this was all over, it was intended to bring back the bodies of anyone we lost. Brief flashes of Maeteo, and Hollis, and Tarian, being pulled home in the back of that wagon flooded my mind, and I had to stop myself from shrieking aloud.
A murder of crows flew overhead, and I tried to pay no attention to the ominous feeling they gave me.
Maeteo came up beside me on the back of Fenrir, already in full armour apart from his helmet, which was hung on the side of Fenrir’s saddle. He bumped his knee against mine, making my drag my eyes away from the sky to look at him. My breath caught in my throat at the sight in front of me. He looked almost identical to the day I met him, with his hair pushed back and clean shaven.
“Are you ready to go?” He asked, his voice gentle and his face soft. I wanted to reach over and kiss him until my lips hurt.
“Yes,” I lied, smiling lightly. He stared at me for a second longer before he nodded his head and turned his attention back to the formation in front of us.
Tarian and Hollis had been sent to the mountains to collect Aepein and Gavrun, and despite my protests, Maeteo had convinced me that I had to stay here. He did not want to leave my side, but he could not leave his army to move forward without him, so here I stayed. Dark clouds had started to gather in the sky, and thunder rumbled in the distance. It felt fitting that the first rain of the summer would come today of all days.
The castle healer, Merethyl, was shouting from the back of her horse about supplies being packed properly, but the coachman in charge of the carriage just shook his head at her, rolling his eyes.
Maeteo called a chain of commands to the front of the formation, and everyone snapped to attention. The crows had stopped their melancholy singing and were watching us from their perches in the trees, and after another call from Maeteo, the soldiers on foot started marching.
Freya jolted forward at the same time Fenrir did, and I sucked in a breath as we passed through the open gates. Most of the castle staff were gathered at the gates, watching and waving to soldiers as they passed, their heads bowing when I passed by. I tried my hardest to look sure in what I was doing, my shoulders squared and my back straight, I kept my face as calm as I could.
The forest was silent except for the sounds of our parade. There were no singing birds, no scurrying rabbits or squirrels, and no sign of any grazing deer. Dane and I used to sit for hours, hidden in the thickest of the forest’s growth, just to watch the deer at the streams. My heart ached at the memory.
We moved through the forest for hours, passing through both the villages that held the tree line, and out into the open fields. The heavens had opened above us about an hour into our journey, and my teeth chattered together as the rainwater soaked through my clothes and into my skin. We were not due to stop for a good while yet, and my only dry clothes were in the carriage in front of us.
Maeteo, who had moved in front of me to keep an eye on a few of the younger soldiers, fell back to my side. His hair was soaked to the point it had started to curl and fall over his face, yet he looked nowhere near as miserable as I expected him to. He smiled over at me, his eyes soft.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, having to shout slightly over the sounds of the rain and of the horses’ hooves.
“Cold,” I laughed, my voice shaking as I shivered in the downpour. Freya huffed as if she was agreeing with me, shaking her soaking wet mane, and splashing even more cold water at me.
“Do you want us to stop?” Maeteo asked, his eyebrows knotting together as he frowned. I had considered asking him to stop already, but I knew it would put us behind schedule. I shook my head, smiling at him as reassuringly as I could.
“No, I’m okay. How long until we set up camp for the evening?”
“At least another four hours, Princess.”
I groaned, my head falling back against my shoulders and Maeteo laughed loudly.
A shadow darker than that of the clouds flew overhead at the same time the rain stopped hitting my face. Looking up, I was greeted with the sight of Aepein’s belly, with Hollis leaning to the side and grinning down at me. Gavrun was slightly behind her, and I could see Tarian enough to tell he was shaking his head at his sister.
Laughing loudly, I took comfort in the brief reprieve from the rain, and shifted myself in my saddle, settling myself in for another few hours traveling.
29
When we finally stopped to set up camp, my legs felt like they had the bones ripped from them, and my hands had turned to nothing but pins and needles. My skin had turned pink, and then a bloodless white, and ached as I stretched my fingers out in my gloves.
Pulling open the carriage door, I shook myself off slightly before I lifted myself up into the warm space. A groan fell past my lips as I revelled in the dry heat. Gracie had fallen asleep in her seat, her head leaning on a small, plush pillow, and her mouth parted as she breathed deeply. I knew it was hard for her to leave Callum, and her cheeks and nose were still flushed pink from how much she had cried. My heart still hurt from there goodbye, and I had sworn to myself that I would get her back to him, if it was the last thing I did.
Freeing myself from my soaked clothes, I grabbed the soft, fluffy blanket that was spread across the seat opposite Gracie and wrapped myself up as tightly as I could. Exhaustion had started to seep into my bones, and as I flopped down into the cushioned seat, I let my eyes fall closed. The sounds outside of the carriage were muffled, and I let myself drift into my own thoughts as they carried on — people shouting about tents and food, and someone asking what they were supposed to feed the dragons.
I let my brain wander until I started to doze off, my body finally warming under the comfort of the blanket and my head resting back against the cushioned seat.
The carriage door opening suddenly made my jump in my seat, my hand gripping the blanket to my chest as I jumped out of my seat, my head spinning.
Maeteo stood outside the door, his mouth open and his eyes wide as he took in the sight of me in front of him. My heart hammered in my chest, and I scrambled to make sure every inch of me was covered by the blanket, which, thankfully, was big enough to wrap around myself twice. Gracie did not even stir from where she slept on the opposite seat.
I let my eyes close and pulled my lips into a tight line, taking a breath through my nose as I tried to stop the embarrassment from washing over me. Maeteo, however, did not move. His eyes trailed over my shoulders, the only exposed bit of skin, and down the blanket. My heart hammered in my chest at his gaze.
“Can I help you?” I asked finally, breaking the strange silence between us.
His eyes snapped back up to mine, and a deep flush coloured his cheeks. His hair was still sticking to his forehead, and his shirt had soaked right through so I could see the chain necklace he always wore pressed against the skin of his chest.
“I, uh, I brought you some dry clothes,” He stumbled over his words as he stepped up into the carriage. His height seemed to swallow up the space, and he had to hunch his shoulders slightly to stand up straight. I looked at the small bundle in his hands, spotting a dry pair of leggings and a thick, warm jumper that I had thrown into my belongings just in case.
“Thank you,” I smiled at him, taking the clothes from him. He nodded, and I watched his throat bob as he swallowed, the expression on his face unreadable. “Was there anything else?”
“Hm? Oh, no… no, nothing else.” He flushed, his eyes trailing across my chest again, and I tilted my head to the side as I watched him, “Just… making sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” I smiled, placing a hand on his arm and squeezing the muscle there.
We stood in silence for a minute, the only sound being Gracie’s deep breathing. I let myself take in every detail of Maeteo’s face; the way his eyebrows curved upwards, the sharp angle of his jaw, and the way he was looking at me as if I was some kind of long-lost diamond.
A soft snore from Gracie pulled my eyes away from Maeteo’s face for a second, and seemed to break the trance we had been in. Maeteo cleared his throat, stepping back slightly and running a hand along his jaw.
“I’ll let you get changed,” he said, his voice rough and thick, though he made no move to leave the carriage. I nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth as I watched him still stand there, his gaze falling to my blanket again.
“Maeteo,” I laughed, and his eyes snapped back to mine as his cheeks flushed bright red.
“Right! Yes, okay — I’m going!” He stumbled over his words as he turned on his heel quickly, throwing the carriage door open and leaping back out into the rain. Giggles continued to rack through me even after he had closed the door and I watched him sprint away in the direction of his tent.
Once I had dressed in my dry clothes and had managed to re-braid my hair, I waited for the rain to pass.
My mind wandered over the mid-sea, and to the life that awaited me there. I knew, of course, that I could not kill Cyrus as soon as I arrived, which meant I had to set myself a timeline. If I gave myself a year, was that enough time to get a royal wedding planned and out of the way? Would Cyrus be one of those Princes’ that wanted to parade us around every village to celebrate our union?
I pulled my lips into a tight line as I pondered that thought. What would the people of Fire think of me? Would they be as pleased as Cyrus’s father would have been about the Kingdoms joining, or would they resent me, the Queen who changed their way of living as they knew it?
The sounds of the rain hitting the carriage eased, and I peered around one of the curtains to see that the field we had stopped in was now basked in the evening sunset. I pulled my — now somewhat dry — boots onto my feet and stood from my chair, wincing slightly at the ache in my legs. Maybe I would ask them if I could stay in the carriage for tomorrow’s journey.
Stepping out into the muddy grass, I let the door close softly behind me. Tents had been erected across the field, and soldiers moved between them all, carrying weapons and firewood and rolled up maps. It was the most bizarre feeling to be standing amid it all and know it was all for me.
Straining my neck to try and see above some of the crowd, I spotted Hollis and Tarian slightly to the side of the tents, Aepein and Gavrun lying on the grass with their heads rested on their feet. I started off in that direction, not knowing really what to do with myself.
