Tied to the Throne

chapter twenty

I wake up to the jolting of the carriage, my body bouncing against the seat. My head throbs with a dull ache as I try to piece together my memories, but my mind is a blank slate. Blinking away the blurriness in my vision, I look around, trying to make sense of my surroundings. The carriage interior is a sight to behold - plush velvet seats, embroidered with gold thread, line the walls, and the air is heavy with the scent of freshly cut flowers.

As I sit up, confusion settles over me, and I feel a wave of disorientation wash over me. But as my gaze falls on the person sitting across from me, my heart skips a beat.

Nikolai.

"Oh, you're awake," he says dully, almost unimpressed at my presence.

"How the fuck did I get here?" I ask, my mind racing. I distinctly remember falling asleep in my own bed, not in a carriage.

"Uh, yeah sorry about that. Well, you were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you, but we needed to go. So I just carried you here," his voice is unbothered, as if this is a normal occurrence.

My eyebrows raise quickly.

He carried me?

Wait. Where are we going?

Just before I open my mouth to ask him, he answers for me, "Our honeymoon, surprise location."

I'm in different clothes than I was when I when to sleep. Did he-?

"Did you change me!"

"Wow, calm down. Tina did, I would never," he seemed offended, but that quickly shifted back to his uncaring character.

How is he so casual about this? My mind is a whirlwind of question. I sit with them, letting a storm brew in my mind.

The rest of the journey is more or less very awkward. The air between us is thick with tension, and I can feel his eyes on me every so often. The fight last night left us both reeling and vulnerable. We had both admitted our love for each other, a truth that we had been denying.

But now, with the morning sun streaming in through the carriage window, I can't help but feel a sense of unease. We had both bared our souls to each other, and yet, we are still strangers in so many ways. I steal a glance at him, taking in his stance, and how he holds himself. He's handsome, there's no denying that, but there's also a sadness that I can't quite place; the way he sits, the way his eyes trace anything be looks at.

As we ride along, the silence between us is deafening, broken only by the occasional sound of the carriage wheels creaking against the gravel road. I fidget in my seat, my mind racing with thoughts of what comes next. Will we be able to move past our this and make a life together? Or will this awkwardness be our undoing?

I steal another glance at him, and this time, our eyes meet. Sure he's still wearing the mask, but I can feel it. There's a flicker of something - hope, maybe? - and I can feel my heart skip a beat.

Perhaps, just perhaps, we can make this work after all.

-

The carriage comes to a roaring halt, almost flying me out of my seat. I look out of the window. I notice his warm it feels, and suddenly I feel myself going red in this winter attire.

The door opens and I am met with warm air and sun. Oh how I missed it. Being up north is something I will never prefer over the warm days of sun you get back home.

But what impresses me more is the large cabin, and jaw dropping lake behind it.

I'm greeted by a breathtaking sight - a crystal-clear lake stretches out before me, its surface shimmering in the warm sunlight. The water is a deep shade of blue-green, so clear that I can see the pebbles lining the lakebed.