Daughter of the Wind

23. Lord of Narandir

Twenty-first of Harvest

Belkai opened her eyes to find herself lying on a silken sheet in strange room. The walls were wooden, as if the inside of a tree, and the floor was a crimson leathery substance. She was stripped almost bare, with a silk blanket drawn over her. As her vision returned, she saw Davos seated on a chair beside her, fast asleep. She watched him for a moment, a smile playing on her face. She threw the blanket back, and reached out to squeeze his knee.

"Hey."

His head jerked up and he looked over to her, quickly taking in all of her before focusing on her eyes. He gave the biggest smile that she'd ever seen on his face. "Belkai! You're awake."

"How long was I asleep?"

"About a day," he told her. She waved him over, and he laid beside her. She wrapped herself around him and put her head on his shoulder. "I thought that we'd lose you."

"What happened?"

He stroked her shoulder as he told her about the fight from his perspective. "It was a horrifying sight, Belkai. But once you killed him, he seemed to be set on fire and turned to ash. Then you collapsed. Nothing we did could wake you. I thought that you were dead."

"Magic takes a lot out of you," Belkai told him. "That's why I hired Loranna back in King's Crossing. I needed someone to watch out for me."

"So you're not invincible," Davos chuckled, earning himself a playful slap.

"Not quite," she admitted. "But close enough for your purposes."

She turned her head and gave him a lingering kiss. "I meant what I said, Davos. I do love you."

He ran his hand across her cheek and smiled. "And I love you, Belkai, Lord of Narandir."

He felt her body stiffen at the words, then slowly relax. "So what happens now?"

She stood, stretching and releasing muscles that had been at rest for too long. Davos had found a green robe and white sandals, and she slipped them on, smiling at the feel of new clothes.

"We had a lot of luxury in the Order," she said. "I wasn't ready for the hardships of the road."

Davos stayed silent, and she sighed. "I didn't just take the Recluse's power, Davos. I took his domain. I have a kingdom to lead, and I don't know how."

"Surely you had a plan when you set out," Davos said, coming to his feet.

Belkai laughed. "When I set out, my aim was to obey Ashelath. You're the one who changed that, Davos. You need to know that."

He smiled. "The note that the Prophetess sent...she said that my heart would decide our fate."

"And it did." Belkai stepped over and gave him a kiss. "But for now...Mishtar had children, and most of his subjects will still be loyal to him."

"Will you kill them?" It was a reasonable question. Most usurpers would, if only to secure their own right to the throne. But Belkai shook her head.

"I have shed enough blood, Davos. The Order taught me to kill, and Ashelath gave me the desire, but I'm tired of it. No, any who won't resist will be given free passage out of Narandir. Consider it an exile."

"And what about you?"

"I have a city to rebuild, it seems," she told him, and couldn't help but laugh at the thought. "That sounds strange. After that? Mishtar was a fool, he made no effort to prepare defences beyond hiding the Forest from the Arcane. He spent his life hiding, not building. Now that his protection is gone, we're vulnerable. I need to fix that. And then I need to learn what Narandir's purpose is. Mishtar tapped into the power, but he never searched for its reason."