The White Prince

Convoluted Road (Chapter III)

The carriage was movin' at a good pace, an' soon they left behind the lands of the House Noir. Dorian could see how Margaery was starin' out the window, 'cause clearly she'd never left the lands of the House Noir more than to the Silberdrache Palast durin' her studies. Dorian knew it must be sad for Margaery to never have been able to leave her lands an' explore the rest of the kingdom. He remembered what he felt when he was a kid an' they wouldn't let him even go to the forest, even if it was with a trusted squire to protect him. He couldn't imagine how horrible it must be to be stuck in the same limit of lands forever without bein' able to go beyond. He remembered too the first time he went to the Silberdrache Palast when he was 11 years old. It was an excitin' an' captivatin' experience, finally bein' able to go beyond the limits he knew. Although after 7 years an' havin' traveled through the whole kingdom it didn't seem so impressive to him anymore, just the same for Margaery it must be the most excitin' thing she could do every year to be able to have somethin' more to see, somethin' new an' different to learn every time.

The carriage kept movin' for several hours, until it reached a small village. The village was located on a hill, an' it had some impressive views of the valley that stretched out at its feet.

Dorian an' Margaery got out of the carriage an' stretched. The journey had been long, an' they were tired.

"Let's go find an inn to spend the night," said Dorian.

Margaery nodded.

"Okay."

The young couple walked through the village, lookin' for an inn along with the whole escort that Raphael had given them, despite their insistence that it was unnecessary, since Dorian used to travel through the whole kingdom frequently an' nothin' had ever happened to him. However, after so much insistence, they finally accepted. Finally an' after a while lookin', they found a small but cozy inn with the help of one of their escorts.

The innkeeper gave them a comfortable room for them, an' both of them settled in without noticin' if their escort would have the same luck in the small inn.

"I'm very tired," said Margaery with a tone of picardia in her voice, throwin' herself on the bed.

"Me too," said Dorian, layin' down next to her an' havin' understood Margaery's hint.

The two young people hugged an' fell asleep.

The next day, Dorian an' Margaery woke up early. They got up an' had breakfast, an' then they left the village.

The road they had to take was long an' dangerous. The kingdom of Zandaleon was under constant attack from barbarian invaders an' the despicable blood gray. The road was plagued by barbarian invaders, bandits, blood gray an' soldiers who were constantly fightin' to kill the unfortunates who disturbed the peace of the kingdom an' damaged trade by assailin', kidnappin' an' killin' the merchants, travelers an' other people who passed by the royal road.

Dorian an' Margaery knew they had to be careful, but they were determined to reach their destination.

The carriage moved slowly, an' the two young people went in silence. Both of them were thinkin' about the future.

Dorian was thinkin' about the additional responsibility he would have now that he would be a father. He would have to take care of his family an' keep learnin' how to govern. He would have to stop doin' many of the things he enjoyed so much, but now he had that responsibility an' he had to bear it.

Dorian observed Margaery that seemed to be a bit worried too, although she also looked excited probably by the idea of gettin' married an' bein' a mother.

The carriage kept movin' for several days. Dorian an' Margaery stopped at some inns to rest, but they were always alert in case somethin' happened.

One day, the carriage was attacked by some bandits. They weren't a big threat, since they were only a small army of about fifty men against the almost hundred men much better armed an' trained that were escortin' them. However, Dorian was determined to prove his worth by facin' the bandits.

Dorian drew his sword an' faced the bandits along with several members of his escort. Margaery stayed in the carriage, terrified that somethin' could happen to Dorian.

Dorian fought without fear, too confident that both his skills, his experience and the support of his escorts would keep him completely out of any danger, but one of the bandits, when he saw that it was the prince of Zandaleon himself, decided to take the risk of tryin' to take him as a prisoner while the escorts were busy fightin'. So he gave him a quick stab in the chest. Dorian was wounded, and that bandit was ready to take him away, but the escorts, havin' already finished off the lives of almost all the bandits, ended up rescuing Dorian, killin' the bandit by cuttin' his head off.

Dorian was rescued, but he had lost consciousness due to the blood loss caused by the wound. The escorts quickly took him to an inn that a scout from the advance guard had found.

Dorian was wounded, but he was not dead. Margaery was relieved, and she hugged him tightly.

"Thank you for savin' me," said Dorian to one of the escorts who was with Margaery.

"It's my duty, my prince," he answered. "Excuse the carelessness that almost cost you your life, but you should not have taken the risk."

"I needed to feel useful, sorry I made it difficult for you," Dorian replied somewhat ashamed,". Now, please, leave me alone with my bride."

"As you order, my prince," he said, escortin' them out of the room.

Dorian an' Margaery kissed, an' Dorian realized that he really had to change a lot of things. He could no longer continue takin' stupid an' irresponsible risks as he used to when he was gettin' into trouble for findin' it fun to do. He had to mature an' start thinkin' about what it meant to be the heir to the throne. In addition, he definitely would have to put his feet on the ground because he could not leave his fiancée an' the possible children she would give him.

After havin' rested for a few days at the inn, they went back on the road and the carriage continued to move on normally without havin' any problems. Finally, they reached the capital of Zandaleon. Dorian an' Margaery were glad to be safe, an' they got ready to start their new life.