Vermillion & Silver

Chapter Thirteen || Journey

There was something strikingly beautiful about a winter twilight. Selene watched with a sense of wonder how purple shades devoured the weak light of a cloud cover sun as the night claimed the sky. She'd never traveled north before and the landscape was proving to be a great distraction from the unkind thoughts that threaten to overwhelm her every waking moment. It was better to let the smell of fresh snow and the sight of the redwood lined road consume her than letting herself remember what she'd done and where she was going.

Three days had passed since she woke up in her room of the castle screaming from a nightmare that had blended her darkest childhood memories with the fresh images of her blood covered hands. The details of her confrontation with Duke Hadrianen were muddled but she remembered the results well enough to deduce what exactly had happened. She'd always had an iron grip on her Lycan side and she couldn't quite believe that it had all crumbled in a matter of seconds, it frightened her to know that she was so volatile.

Misfortune had been haunting her since the moment she left the Sanctuary but the incident with Gabriel was her biggest failure. The rest she could blame on circumstance or the influence of others, but the fault for what she'd done to Hadrianen rested solely on her shoulders. It felt like the universe was reminding her how unworthy she was, reinforcing the notion that she was not deserving of the title she bore. The Lykos had risen to power because they mastered control over the beast, the first lycans of her line learned how to exploit the animal side without succumbing to irrationality.

She rubbed her upper arm where under her heavy cloak she had a bandage that covered a pinkish scar left by her own claws. The wound had healed quickly but the dressing that wrapped firmly around her bicep was a good reminder of what had happened, of why she was no better than the savage pack wolves that she was now a part of.

"Is everything alright, your highness?" Freya asked with a heavy northern accent. She was Kaspian's third companion and the one who had been looking after Selene since the attack.

"Yes, I was just admiring the landscape," she answered turning her gaze back to the trees that flanked the slow-moving carriage.

"We should arrive at Edessa shortly after nightfall," the woman added before turning her attention back to the intricate braid she was weaving in her long dark hair.

Selene would not admit it out loud but she didn't mind Freya's companionship. She wasn't like the nobles at court who felt the need to fill every silence but she wasn't cold and unapproachable. Freya looked like the warrior that she was, she had little marks all over her face and a big scar that covered the right side of her neck and jaw, her hands were rough and callused, she wore her long hair in intricate braids that kept it out of her face and she was always armed with the daggers she concealed beneath her clothes; but despite her tough exterior there was a kindness about her that had surprised Selene. After the ordeal with Hadrianen, Freya had been the strong presence that quietly comforted her and gently tended to her wounds.

"I want to visit the temple in Edessa," Selene said after a few quiet minutes. She'd turned to her faith for guidance and she wanted a moment alone with The Moon before venturing farther north where finding a proper place of worship would be more difficult.

"We won't be there for long. We are just stopping to rest for the night," Freya said but after a moment of eye contact with Selene she added, "I will mention it to Kaspian."

No matter how many times Selene heard the pack wolves speak, she still found it odd how they referred to their Alpha simply by his name. There was no protocol or hierarchy in their interactions. She'd never witness something like that before, while the temple hadn't been as strict as the royal court they'd still had a system of seniority and class that affected the everyday life of the Sanctuary. That made her wonder about her place in the pack she was joining, would she remain Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Selene Alexandria or would she simply be Selene from then on?