Bonds of Light and Fire

44. City of Men

The artwork above is not mine.

◦ ── ◦ ☼ ◦ ── ◦

    Luciana stood at the prow of the ship, her gaze fixed on the harbor up ahead. Already, the sounds of Rifthold wafted towards her, carried on the chilly breeze. That was why they'd chosen to travel by ship. Snow was supposed to fall between Adarlan and Terrasen, which would've made traveling by horseback much too slow. Luciana pulled her cloak tighter around herself and suppressed a shiver.

    "Vaughan said you've never been to Rifthold before," Nascha remarked, appearing beside her.

    "I haven't. Have you?"

    Nascha nodded. "I came once with my family, when I was younger. Apparently, there was talk of a marriage alliance between myself and Dorian at one point."

    "Oh?" Luciana grinned. "Would you have agreed to such a match?"

    Nascha shrugged. "I wouldn't have gotten much of a say in the matter. My parents would've wanted me to be happy of course, so if I absolutely hated Dorian, I doubt they would've made me go through with it. But regardless, alliances of power provide a more secure future than alliances of love. Growing up, I always knew my role would be to make a powerful match. Nothing more."

    "It sounds like we were in similar situations, except your parents wanted you to be happy and mine didn't care." Nascha flashed her a sympathetic look. Luciana straightened and plastered a smile to her lips. "Still, look at me now. I doubt even they would complain about me attending a ball with Vaughan."

    "I'm glad he asked you. I wasn't sure he would."

    Luciana glanced back over her shoulder. Vaughan stood near the deck railing along with Lorcan and Rowan. Evangeline was perched on his shoulder, with one of her hands fisted securely in his hair. Nascha followed her gaze and laughed quietly.

    "They say to look for a male who's good with children," Nascha said. "I've never seen a male interact with children as well as Vaughan does."

    "Vaughan likes kids?" Luciana asked, raising an eyebrow. Nascha nodded. "I never knew that."

    "You should watch him sometime when you're in Orynth together. I've seen him be roped into playing different games with them for hours."

    Luciana smiled. "Adorable." She could already envision the stoic male being conned into playing a game of tag with a group of young children. "So, do you have any idea who else might've been invited to this ball? Will it be a large crowd?"

    Nascha furrowed her brows. "I'm not sure. I imagine Dorian invited everyone he could, but as to who all will show up..."

    "I suppose I'll find out soon enough."

    "Brace yourselves," Aeron called, sprinting up to them. He slung an arm around Luciana's shoulders. "The Captain says we'll be docking in minutes. Chaol Westfall is supposedly meeting us."

    "Where's Kyllian?" Nascha asked, a mischievous twinkle in her hickory eyes.

    "Gathering the rest of your escort, your Ladyship," Aeron replied. "I'm told you will be traveling to the palace by carriage, while we flank you on horseback."

    "Aeron!" Someone hollered. "We've got work to do!"

    "Stay close to each other," Aeron said, before hurrying off.

    "Stay close to each other? Is Rifthold not a safe city?" Luciana asked.

    "It's safe enough, provided you stay out of the slums," Vaughan answered, joining the two of them. Rowan, Lorcan, and Evangeline weren't far behind. "That's where you'll find most of your assorted criminals. It's probably where Revolutionist supporters are hiding as well. It wouldn't surprise me if they managed to infiltrate the city."