Throne of Blood

A month to harvest

Cassius POV

Her father should be lucky I was in a rather forgiving mood as he practically dragged her through the door. This village clearly was void of any gentlemen giving even more reason for me to take her away. I could hear the insults thrown her way and at the word whore I was ready to dismount and pull her out of there.

A head of darkening blonde hair appeared at the back of the house heading to a shed, I knew stood a few feet away from the stream. A black haired boy followed her and in three minutes she was heading for me her head down to hide the tears I knew fell down her cheeks.

Her family was shite sure enough,but they were her family nonetheless. I wordlessly took her bag from her attaching it to the saddle as she looked up at me blinking back tears.

"If you can just take me to the next town, I'd be grateful." She said none of the teasing from before in her voice.

"How about the capital?" I ask giving her a hand to once again mount Sir.

"That's two days travel, I couldn't ask that of you."she blinked.

"You could ask me for the damn world and I'd give it to you."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure I know why myself." But I knew it was the truth.

"Thank you." She said softly settling back against me as I took the reigns.

"Sir will have us there my tomorrow morning."

********

Resa

"It's going to rain." I said as we sped through Gohan Forest. We were a mile from the next town and with the way the sky had drastically turned gray around us and the smell of rain drawing me from my thoughts there was no way we'd be able to push through.

"We'll rest for the night then,in Fiyiat." He spoke, making Sir speed up.

Fiyiat was larger compared to Hopchill. It had shops and restaurants, vendors and buildings not small cottages. I'd only been once with my mother and to meet a man before she died. When we arrived there were no hard glances at the two strangers on horse back.

Cassius offered me his hand as I dismounted Sir. He continued to hold my hand as we enter Huckle Inn. The inn keep was a short man with a bald head, beady brown eyes and a bushy beard. He glanced over Cassius once before handing him a key. Without a word Cassius tossed him a pouch that was no doubt filled with enough coin to have hot water baths and dinner sent to the room.We followed the man up two flights of stairs and he left us alone.

"You can go first." I said and Cassius shucked off his cloak, and weapons at his waist. I counted them silently and wondered where he'd kept the other 6 daggers when only his sword and a small throwing knife was visible. He strode into the bathroom off the room and I sunk into the desk chair by the window.

Vendors hurriedly wrapped up their stalls as rain drops started to fall,children being herded off the street by their parents. Fiyiat was lively, the bars we passed on the way in filled with singing drunks and dancing couples.

My eyes fluttered around the room, noticing the single king bed in the middle.

I eyed it indifferently. The man had probably assumed we were a couple, and given we'd already once shared a bed, it didn't bother me one way or the other. Despite what Frea claimed, Cassius was a gentleman and I felt safer with him than I ever did in Hopchill.

My eyes glanced from the white linen to the yellow wall paper that lined the walls. Even the inns here were better than in Hopchill. I could only imagine what the capital would be like.

I'd only heard of the bustling streets of Xina, the music halls and theaters, the high fashion shop that sold dresses and jewelry, the temples that almost touch the sky,the coast line that held the city over the sea.

I'd promised myself year after year I'd make it to the capital and learn medicine the way my mother had in Canese. I could only teach myself herbs and follow the town healer when I had free time, but never had it been enough. Cassius had been the biggest wound I'd ever tended to. He now emerged  from the bathroom steam exiting behind him. His blonde curls drooped with water and his exposed chest revealed thin scars across his shoulder chest and arms, and the one I'd attended to was one of the larger once, yet nicely healed over. He'd only bothered to put on clean trousers and I couldn't hide the blush in my cheeks when his eyes met mines. I silently and quickly slid past him into the bathroom.