Something With a Prince

Chapter Twenty: Prelude

Lansing

We decided to ride through the night, too wound up to think of sleep let alone do it. There was a possibility of Thea never sleeping again after what she had experienced. As we rode, she only made three moves: Her eyes swept the forest in front of us, the forest behind us, then she would look at something in her hand. I hadn't noticed her carrying a compass (I assume it was a compass) before, but maybe now that Monson is gone, she wants to be extra thorough. I can't say I don't appreciate that myself. The sooner we get through this forest and to the Summer Palace the better off we will be. Then she can hide in her corner, and I can hide in mine.

The silence was...uncomfortable, to say the least. But there was an unspoken agreement that silence was better than trying to talk. Part of me felt terrible that I had made a joke about her dreaming before... At the same time there was a bitter part of me that didn't really care what she saw or went through. Especially with my back throbbing the way it was after being shoved to the ground...Okay, well I cared, but it was an obtuse kind of caring like the way people generally care about things such as not letting someone choke or slip on ice. She infuriated me to the core most of the time, but I didn't want her to be afraid. In fact, I hated to see Thea afraid.

However, I was glad she was here. Every hour it got darker, I found myself growing more paranoid. At any moment I expected something to jump out and attack us. Not that we couldn't handle that, but it was the anticipation that made me shift in my seat. In a way, something was just off, and I tried not to stare too deeply into the trees should anything be waiting there.

"You made me a deal." Thea's voice pulled me away from the shadows. It was surprisingly soft and sounded welcoming to conversation.

"What deal?"

Her horse shifted closer; it was hard to see where she was really at since the trees were blocking out the moonlight. All I could make out was a grainy picture of her hair, the hilt of her sword at her hip and the front of her shirt and knee.

"You said that you would tell me what happened in Slerian when I could dream." Her voice tried to tease, but it came out shakier than I think she would have liked and more disembodied. Whatever she saw in that nightmare had truly terrified her. Something I did not really think was possible for Thea until this moment. She pulled her horse a little closer to mine once more.

I would not say no to a distraction right now, however, the thought of recalling my time in Slerian in the middle of the night after being headbutted didn't sound like a good time. Everything about what happened a couple months ago weighed me down. Out of the many, many encounters I've had while being an ambassador for Tuisedor, Slerian was by far the worst experience of them all. The one I wish I could take back.

"To be fair, I said that under the strict impression you couldn't dream." I responded, pulling my horse nearer to hers too.

Something raised the hair at the back of my neck, and it was unsettling me. Thea shifted, her hand tightening on her horse's reins. Whatever she had been holding previously was now being stuffed into her pocket. Once free, my eyes caught the twitch of her left hand moving toward mine, it hovered a bit in the air as if she were subconsciously reaching for me. I let my hand fall to my leg as a sort of invitation. However, as a cool breeze wailed through the trees, she settled her hand back onto the reins and shook hair out of her eyes. My skin flooded with goosebumps. Thea brought her horse as close as she could to mine, and our legs brushed. She, to my surprise, did not pull away. Instead, I noticed her lean her shoulder in my direction. Her head scanned around nervously. We probably looked like two scared little kids, huddling under the blanket at night and waiting for the monsters to fall asleep under our bed. I haven't been afraid of the dark since I was a child, and I wasn't going to break that cycle now. So, I moved my horse away, abandoning the security of touch.

Thea did nothing but speak, "Well, a deal is a deal."

My genius plan was to stay silent and hope that she would have spontaneous amnesia. My genius plan sucked.

"Come on. We have nothing better to do."

"We could hold our breath, or silently contemplate existence? Or I could run off into the forest and you could chase after, threatening me with my life?"

Thea cleared her throat. "Story time, Your Highness. Let's go."

I made a face at her, but she couldn't see it. Which was probably a good thing. "If I told you nothing happened, would you believe me?"

"Is this you telling me nothing happened?"

"Yes."

"Then no, I wouldn't believe you."

"Fine. " I huffed, swallowing down the thing forming in my throat. "Two months ago, I was asked by Arlyn to go to Slerian. It was a standard visit. I would bargain an alliance, Cassida would state her terms, and if an agreement was reached, we would have a shiny new friend to help us beat Rughwen..."

"But?"

"But" I continued, "The terms weren't exactly ideal."