River Heart

Chapter Twelve - Questions

‘Lyris,’ the soft sound of her name was accompanied by a none-too-gentle shove to the shoulder and the young woman flinched. Blinking she turned to the Prince who grinned and held up his hands, as though he was innocent.

‘You fell asleep,’ he informed her.

‘I’m tired,’ she retorted, but used the wheel behind to pull herself to her feet. Most of the travelling family had vanished to their wagons, leaving Kelanin, Rafai and Keiran smoking pipes. Whisper, the red-haired child was stretched out on the ground with her head in her grandmother’s lap and the sound of music had long since faded. The smell of ash was soft, rising and falling with a light breeze that shifted and rustled the trees.

‘How long was I asleep for?’ Her back was tender from where she’d sat, propped against the wheel spokes. A cricket chirped in the distance.

‘A couple of hours,’ Arn shrugged and stretched out as he stood, ‘you missed some good stories, perhaps they’ll tell them again tomorrow?’

Her head felt too heavy for her shoulders, and her brain sluggish. Tired, she balanced herself on the side the wagon and edged through the grass towards the step up. The young woman reached the door before realising that Arnit hadn’t moved.

‘What?’ she peered back at him, rubbing her hand across her eyes.

‘Am I sharing with you?’

Lyris squinted in the dark, trying to make out his features, ‘what?’

‘I didn’t want to assume it was agreed,’ he took a step closer and gripped hold of the step railing.

‘There aren’t any other beds,’ out of nowhere, her heart was fluttering; uncertain. ‘Where else would you sleep?’

‘I could camp out here,’ he waved his hand towards the fire, ‘you could lend me a blanket…or I could sleep on the floor?’

‘Arn,’ Lyris sighed, ‘just come in and let’s get some sleep?’ She could only imagine that he was as exhausted as she was, only he hadn’t had a sneaky nap against the wagon wheel. Why was he asking now? After all, she’d been comfortable enough sharing the bed with him earlier in the day and to curl up against him in the cold dark of the night before. Still, she couldn’t help the flutter of warmth towards him. Desire clenched her insides, threatening to overwhelm her sense. Maybe she should have told him to sleep outside.

‘Alright,’ he nodded and she retreated as he followed her up the step ladder.

Lyris stumbled through the wagon in the dark, because they’d both forgotten to light the lamp in daylight. She tripped over a crate and banged her knee on the bed, cursing, she rolled onto the mattress and shuffled up to lay beside the wall again. Arn followed the exact path she had, and swore as his shin kicked against the same wooden crate. Lyris found herself laughing as he flopped onto the bed beside her, and the slats creaked.

‘Careful Arn!’ She shoved him in the arm when he lay down, ‘don’t break the bed!’

He pushed her back, before folding his arms across his chest, ‘this is a much better bed than last night,’ he spoke into the darkness.

She could feel the warmth of his body beneath his clothes and shifted her weight. If it had been anyone else, would she have been so aware of his proximity? Did she mind it? Had the Prince been right to ask? Too late, she considered that the young man was trying to save her reputation; or his. It probably wasn’t proper for him to share a wagon with a young woman, were there rules about that in court society? She was sure that the Knight’s she’d traveled with in Autumn, hadn’t mentioned it. But then it hadn’t come up. Nearly three seasons on the periphery of Court and she felt out of her depth.

‘Arn?’ she filled her lungs, ‘why are you here?’

It was the Prince’s turn to sigh. A sound that seemed to rise from his toes. During the day she’d managed to forget his title and the power that came with his name, often he’d just been the sandy-haired youth whose arms and legs were too long for him. It was a dangerous thing to forget though and it was worse to willingly put it aside.

‘You’re a prince,’ she tried to prevent it sounding like an accusation. Lyris rolled over to look at him, just able to make out his features and the line of his profile in the starlight that drifted through the open window. He had the same nose as his Father, a familiar face because after all, it was stamped on every single coin in Milany. She’d also met the King, in passing. He had wanted to thank her for bringing his Niece home. Lyris had been stunned by the gesture, which her so-called friends, the Knights, had found riotously funny.

‘I know who I am,’ Arn replied.

‘So, why?’ She ignored his reluctance, ‘why are you wandering the far borders of your Kingdom without an escort, or guard? Why are you travelling back with me to Milany?’

‘I was with my brothers,’ he rolled on his side and set his back to her. ‘We were meant to travel to the South of Staven, undetected, with our retinue. Whole host of soldiers and knight, big, clunky, sweaty…the whole procession.’

Lyris chewed on her bottom lip and refused to speak. He still hadn’t answered, not fully. The young woman let the silence fill the small space. His breathing turned steady and she wondered if he’d fallen asleep in his determination not to answer. His answer came as she was giving up.

‘They journeyed on as planned, and I did not. We had a disagreement and my brothers, charming as they are to others, decided to leave me on the edge of the fjord.’

‘Alone?’ It didn’t seem like a wise or sensible choice. Leaving a Prince alone in the wilderness. Having met Arn and understanding his survival skills, she was amazed he was still alive.

‘Alone,’ he agreed. ‘I suspect that they’ll return and expect to find me where I was deposited.’

‘You’re not though, you’re not there,’ she sat up to cover the uneasy thudding of her heart. If Arns’ brothers returned and found him missing…would they be furious, or terrified?

‘You’re the youngest brother, aren’t you?’

‘Yes,’ he rolled onto his back and squinted up at her. ‘And I’m travelling back to Milany, the fastest way I can. Have I answered enough of your questions?’

Lyris nodded, though she meant no. He’d given an explanation that barely made sense. What had he disagreed with his brothers about? Why had they taken the decision to leave him behind? But his tone was hard and his eyes narrowed in the darkness, so she lay back down and pulled her blanket up. It would do. It was a start and for the time being, it would do.

‘Good night, Lyris,’ he turned his back to her again in a rustle of blankets.

‘Good night, Arn.’