Finding Heathcliff

Nineteen

Astrid couldn't hear anything but her own heartbeat filling her ears and the muffled whistling of wind beyond that as she rode away from her companions.

She didn't know where the cobbled streets, twisting and turning as they followed each other up a hill would lead her, but she didn't care, she needed space, she had to take a step away from the sickeningly sheltered life she had led until that moment, a step away from her old self, and from... Orion...

Shaking her head in an attempt to disperse the tears that welled up in her eyes at the thought of Orion, she urged her horse to run faster. Astrid didn't like what was happening to them; she was upset with herself for making him angry, upset with Orion for not showing more respect to her, for not trying to understand.

He had always been like this. You just didn't care, a shy voice muttered somewhere in her mind. You let him treat you this way for years and never protested; you were happy for him to take all the responsibilities of your queenship upon his shoulders. It might be too late for Orion to change now. He got used to it and revels in it; he likes the notion of becoming the king more than he likes you!

"No," Astrid whispered to the wind, defying the voice speaking in her mind.

It wasn't too late. Orion would never admit it, but... he loved her in his own way, just like she loved him. It may not be the sort of love she had read about in books, but it was a feeling that, maybe, could grow into such love. He would understand that Astrid couldn't agree with her uncle's way of ruling Eurovea now that she was becoming aware of what was going on, he would help her to make everyone happy, Astrid mused, forcing herself to pay attention to her surroundings, her reality. There was a witch trial happening somewhere nearby, and she had to prevent it; she needed to hurry.

The lines of houses on either side of her thinned out, then vanished entirely, and Astrid found herself on a low hill above a meadow spreading behind the village. She pulled at the reins and patted her horse's head, struggling to take a breath against the smoke-filled wind, which felt stronger here. The horse, pacing recklessly on the hill's edge, turned around at hearing the sound of his companions' approaching hoofbeats, while Astrid let her eyes follow a trail leading down the gentle slope towards the centre of the meadow where a great fire burned, its tall and wide flames surrounded by hundreds of people.

"Astrid." Orion's calm, pleading voice followed his hand, which squeezed her shoulder suddenly, startling her.

"Orion, please, I need to see what my uncle is doing to this country, I must understand," she said, leaning her cheek against the back of his hand, still resting on her shoulder. "Uncle Arcturus might be wrong about many things, and it's up to us to correct his ways."

Without another word, she urged her horse to descend the path winding down the grassy slope, feeling more courageous when she heard Orion and the guards following her closely. Astrid had no idea what she could do here, but she didn't think she could do it alone, without their support.

They stopped at the edge of the large group of villagers gathered in a wide arch around the fire, and the six men fanned out around Astrid protectively. The people standing closest to them bowed and curtsied in greeting the moment they noticed their presence, but turned from them quickly again, shifting away gradually as minutes passed, as if they wanted to take a distance from the regent's guards.

Astrid frowned. She had been curious to see someone who was not loyal to her uncle, but now she didn't like it; she wished her uncle was liked and respected throughout the kingdom. Just what had he done to them...

Her attention from the sea of people, heaving and swaying, turning carefully around to look at the newcomers in waves even as the word about the presence of the regent's guards spread through them, was distracted by a movement far in front of them. A group of six well-dressed men exited a large tent set to the side, far from the flames, leading a woman only wearing a long white shirt in their midst. They moved towards a tall dais constructed around a thick wooden stake in front of the fire, which had only been burning for effect until that moment.