Yuragwyn: Yours

---Chapter 14

₰Traugott₰

We fall into a noiseless routine of marching across the wide plains of Quieve. Normally, wild pegasuses prance around, eating the thick grass and drinking from the various trickles lacing the wide expansion, but they seem to have retreated to more sheltered ground, as if they too know the danger Yuragwyn is facing.

Calanthe's quiet requests for rest become more and more frequent. Every time I deny her, I feel a twinge of guilt. Who am I to push her past her limits? A seasoned soldier, perhaps, could be pressed like this, but Calanthe has never experienced this before. She was still young when the last war ended, and her work in Cordina kept her safe from conscription. Now she has fallen headlong into a journey that I dread to think about, even with my experience in the last war.

I shield my eyes from the sun, only partially set, and tread to a stop. The extra half-length is not worth the strain.

"Thank you, Traugott," Calanthe says breathlessly, only a hint of a smile brushing her face.

She sits down beside me, her legs visibly shaking from exhaustion. It is unusual to see her without a dress and dainty slippers or her hair done. She is a true lady, one used to baths and balls, feasts and festivities. She is at home in the manor house, in the castle. This wilderness is foreign territory. And, though I know she wouldn't admit it, she would do anything to return to that lifestyle again.

"How are you fairing, Calanthe?" I ask her, turning to massage the knots in her shoulders.

I can feel her relax as she replies, "I am not used to this, true, but it is good for me to do something for my country. At least I am safe here, with you."

"You are well protected," I say, blushing. "I will see to that."

"Enion would thank you," she whispers. I stiffen at the mention of his name, but she takes no notice. She straightens and grabs my hands. "Remember what we used to do together? You, me, and Enion?"

I laugh a bit and turn to face her, eyebrows twitching. She hops to her feet and takes off, but I bound after her in hot pursuit. She pulls the handkerchief out of her hair and lets it fly down behind her, just like she did when she was a child. Finally, I get my arms around her, swing her around, and tickle her sides.

"Stop! Stop it!" She squeals in between peals of laughter.

"You haven't said it yet!" I yell, dodging her flailing limbs.

"You are the strongest man alive!" She gasps. I let her go, and she gets to her feet and dusts herself off.

Kaitra stares after us with an amused expression, chin in palm, fingers drumming on her pale pink lips and flushed cheeks. "Is this what you do on a regular basis?"

"Well," Calanthe blushes, braiding her hair, "We did it often when we were much younger, yes."

And for the first time, a musical sound reaches my ears. Kaitra laughs. It is tinkly, like little bells, and strong, like a deep chuckle. Best of all, it is real. Something about it sends shivers up my spine. Every piece of her I see convinces me more and more that the prophesy must be true. There is something inside her that will drive her forward and bring Yuragwyn the peace it aches so deeply for.

For a moment I forget about everything there is to worry about and cherish the laughter. Just a year or two ago I would have found such things frivolous and childish, but now, with the world laying heavy on my shoulders, it is relieving to set that weight aside for a time. After only a second more, Kaitra's jovial face falls. "Where is Briallen?"