Queen Of Nothing

Part Thirteen: Rightful Reservations

The sun was just cutting across the forest floor when they made it back to their horses and gear, and Netilaa was mildly surprised the goblins hadn't bothered to dig through their belongings. The queen owned nothing more than the clothes she wore, and even they were borrowed, so while her companions readied themselves to move once more, Netilaa found herself staring into the forest. Her mind was reeling with the new information, though the ache in her chest seemed to pull her from falling too deep into her thoughts.  

"Are you ready to move?" Ember asked gently, perhaps in an attempt not to startle her, as it was evident the queen was on edge.

"What, no chains?" she taunted, turning to face him as she left the mysteries of the forest behind her. The wry grin that Ember offered left her heart fluttering in response, and she cursed herself once more for being affected by his existence alone.

"I would say taking an arrow for me constitutes a little trust," the king teased, though the weight of his gaze held a solemnity that Netilaa didn't miss.

"That is very generous of you." The queen held his gaze, watching as he struggled to find the words to ask the important question that seemed to be playing at the tip of his tongue.

"I don't understand," he began slowly. "After...everything that has transpired, you could have let the arrow find me. It would have hurt like a bitch, but it would not have been as life threatening for me, yet you were willing to sacrifice yourself. Why?"

Netilaa observed the king for a moment, watching the way his silver gaze roamed her face earnestly. She couldn't place her finger on it, but something deep inside of the queen told her that the oracle had been right. Perhaps Ember would be the salvation of her bloodline, though she still desired answers of her own. While his antics were misguided, his heart had been in the right place, and Netilaa could not deny that.

"I believe that under your snarky attitude and poor decisions," the young queen answered honestly. "You aren't the monster I initially mistook you to be. I understand that it is your goal to keep me alive, because a dead queen doesn't make for a great bargaining tool, but I would like to believe, if the roles were reversed, you would have done the same for me. Perhaps that is simply a pretty lie I have led myself to believe to make the pain worth it. But I would do it again without hesitation."

Ember gaped at her for a moment, admiration gleaming in his silver gaze as he looked upon the queen. It was as if he were seeing her for the first time, not as a casualty in the fall of Artillia or a pawn in the war, but as the queen she truly was.

"It seems I have underestimated you once again," was all Ember could offer before they mounted their horses once more and headed down the pathway out of the forest. 

Little words were shared along the day's ride, and they only stopped when the horses needed, taking extra precaution to monitor the layout of the area before dismounting. The king shared his horse with Netilaa, though neither seemed to find the courage to speak to the other as they neared Kaskadan. The queen's head remained high, despite the fate she was beginning to accept. Though as they neared the wall between the Fae Lands and the rest of the world, a seed of dread planted itself where the ache of the arrow had begun to disappear.

The wall was tall and daunting, a solid stone that had been formed from the earth itself with the last of the king's magic at the start of the war. Even the queen had heard the stories of its creation, and regardless of the unease, Netilaa had to admire the beauty of the jutting rock and sharp edges of what looked to be onyx.

"This wall divided our lands in half," Ember spoke, his words rattling through her chest as he spoke. "The Fae Lands of Kaskadan once reached Grutafel."