The Princess of Wrath

Chapter 7 - Part I: The Pilgrim's Inn

Asura slowly opened her heavy eyes when Roland gave her harmless blows on one of her legs with his cane. Herhead was leaning against the wall of the carriage, almost touching the edge ofthe window, and she was drooling over her right shoulder.

Freed from the visions of the unspeakable, she had finally been able to sleep peacefully for several hours, after having telling her traveling companions what she experienced in the Tomb of Endrel while taking care to avoid speaking about the danger posed by the luminous orbs. Diana and Lucy had listened silently, but Roland's attitude was similar to that of a child on a birthday party; he had been unable to hide his excitement and write in his notes at high speeds every word that came out of the Princess' mouth, or at least until she fell asleep without warning when he had begun to ask her details of arcane science that she had no idea how to respond.

"Where are we?" she asked after stretching and rubbing her eyes with her hands. Night had already fallen and there was not much to see out the window other than the inhospitable plateaus and the outlines of the mountains in the west devoured by darkness.

"We are about to reach the inn," the Alchemist indicated with a mocking grimace. "I'm sorry that I woke you up, my lady. You looked very relaxed, and your guardians didn't want me to disturb you."

"No, you did well... Eh?" Asura realized that she had a rather heavy black velvet blanket over her, and thanks to it she had not suffered from the cold that abounded in there thanks to the broken window. Upon close inspection and seeing that the imperial symbol was on it embroidered in gold, she realized that it was Diana's cloak.

Timidly, she met the knightess' blue eyes and a neutral smile that, by the standards Asura was accustomed to, lacked affection.

"Thank you, Diana," she handed her the cloak and rapidly felt its warmth being stripped away rapidly from her. Diana bowed her head slightly in appreciation and slipped her cloak around, hooking its small chains into the openings of her shoulder pads.

"It's very cold, my lady. And everything indicates that it'll get worse."

An ordinary response with a certain distaste that made Asura remember that her lover was furious with her. No matter what, she wanted to have a long conversation with her to solve that small obstacle that was interfering in the relationship, and to be able to focus on the true and terrifying problem that threatened them both: the possibility that Diana would be executed by the Empress.

The Pilgrim's Inn was a beacon in the dark. After getting out of the carriage and facing the extreme cold, Asura was able to appreciate the illuminated windows and listen to the music inside along with the calm conversations of the guests while they dined and were kept warm thanks to the three fireplaces distributed by the width of the building.

"I'll speak to the people in the stables to see if there's a possibility of repairing the damage the carriage suffered as soon as possible, my lady," Chalrus indicated from his place, without letting go of the reins and with his face red from the cold and a frosty beard. "I wish you a good night."

"Likewise, Chal."

"And I'm going to go ask for a room for myself," Roland told her, adjusting his dilapidated hat as best as he could and clutching his electromagnetic cane tightly. "If we don't see each other until tomorrow, then I wish you good night too."

"Same for you, Roland. And don't worry if there are no vacancies: you can sleep in the stables with the horses," Asura scoffed.

"Or you could give me your room, as the very good Princess you are and who cares about her citizens."