The Thirty-Day Trial

Nyx hummed to herself as she packed the last of the items that she and her husband would be taking with them to the capital city, Brymore. The early morning light was streaming through an open window of their bedroom while a gentle breeze gave a cool feeling to her skin. “You’re done?” her husband, Gaige, asked while he peeked inside their room through the door. “Yes, dear,” she replied and glanced over her shoulder. “Just packing some extra clothes and handkerchiefs.” “Do we really need to bring that much?” Gaige asked and approached her. “Yes,” she replied then turned to face her husband to give him a quick kiss. “It’s a three-day journey from here to Brymore and I don’t want us to look so worn when we reach the palace.” “I already feel travel-worn by just thinking about the carriage ride for three days,” Gaige said with a roll of his eyes. He then took the bag she just filled with their extra clothes and hooked it over his shoulder. “Let’s go, my love.” “Yes, dear,” she said with a soft smile and held his hand as they stepped out of their room. She gave some last-minute instructions to the caretaker of their cottage about her plants and their upkeep. Before leaving, she and Gaige went past the big mirror that they have in their living room. She tugged her husband’s hand so he would stop walking. She stared at their reflection together to make sure they look presentable enough. Gaige looked as handsome as he was when they first met. His raven hair was longer than usual. It reached past his ears, reminding her that she might need to remind him to visit a barber. His light blue eyes looked as beautiful to her as ever, albeit now they looked wiser. He was taller than her, her head barely reaching his shoulder which was wider and broader after their war efforts. “Not that I don’t like looking at our image together, but we really need to get going now,” Gaige said, tilting his angular face to look down at her face. A small teasing smile was playing on his lips. “The first inn we will be staying at is twelve hours away and I want to get there in time for dinner.” “Right,” she said and playfully pinched his arm.  He laughed a little at her and ushered her outside to the waiting carriage in front of their cottage. Most of their luggage was already loaded into the carriage and was ready to leave. “Have a safe trip!” the caretaker waved at them. “Thank you!” she waved back as the carriage moved on. The journey was tiring and it wore them down. Gaige was already ansty by the second day and she served him calming tea to soothe his nerves. Her husband was always tense whenever they traveled for extended periods. He seemed to be unable to let go of being always on alert. A habit he acquired during their campaign against celestials and demons. “I'm starting to regret ever agreeing to travel out of the countryside,” Gaige sighed. He was sitting on a chair inside their rented room in an inn. It was their second and final night of travel. If they leave early tomorrow, they could reach Brymore around the afternoon. “Too late for regrets now, dear,” she approached him and gave him a cup of chamomile tea. “Drink this. It should help you sleep better tonight.” “You also said that two nights ago,” Gaige said with a wry smile but still took a sip. She was standing in front of him so she stared down at his tired-looking face with dark circles around his eyes. His shoulders were too stiff and he seemed to be more on edge. She brushed some of the hair out of his face and cupped his cheek. “Will you sleep better if I stay awake?” she asked. “No, silly. You’re just as tired as I am,” he said and wrapped his arms around her middle.  “I doubt that,” she put her arms around his shoulder. “How about I stay awake until you fall asleep?” Gaige chuckled. “What did I do to deserve you?” She watched him move a little so he could stare at her. She raised an eyebrow at him and a small smile appeared on her lips. “You always try to adjust for me and accommodate me. It must be tiring to look after a man who can’t seem to move past beyond the effects of war,” he said. “Everyone is affected by it,” she said gently. “There’s no shame in struggling. It only means you’re trying.” “And yet, you’re able to move on just fine,” he said. “Probably because I was just a subordinate and not the cavalry leader who was responsible for a lot of lives both lost and saved during fights,” she said and she bent down to touch their foreheads so she could stare directly into his eyes. “You did the best that you could back then. I know that they understood it. The friends and comrades that we lost understood it.” Gaige hugged her tight. “Have I mentioned how much I love you?” “Not in the past two hours. Drink your tea, so we can go to bed. You can profess your love to me while we are in bed,” she said smiling. “Oh, I’ll do more than just profess my love,” he said with a suggestive grin. “Even better,” she said with an answering grin of her own. When morning came, Nyx was the first one to wake. Her black hair was sprawled around her and her hazel eyes blinked a few times to chase off the webs of sleep. She turned to find her husband asleep beside her holding her close. She smiled at his sleeping face and reached to kiss his forehead.  She should wake Gaige now so they can start the final leg of their journey early, but he looked so peaceful she didn’t have the heart to wake him. She was left to just stare at her husband and enjoy the feeling of the morning chill. Before the sun was fully up from the Horizon, Gaige woke up and caught her staring at him. “Good morning,” she greeted. “‘Morning,” he yawned. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” “There’s no harm in letting you sleep for a bit more,” she replied. Gaige smiled at her and gave her a peck on the lip. “Let’s get ready.” They reached Brymore in the afternoon. The capital city was just as she remembered it; busy, noisy, and crowded. After settling into their newly rented room, they both decided to take it easy for the meantime and just relax in bed. She could tell that her husband was very inclined to stay inside rather than explore the city. When they arrived at the royal palace gates, they were greeted by the king himself; King Rankin. He looked excited while his entourage looked stoic around him. They probably hated the idea of their king going out to wait for anyone.  Well, Rankin had always been the type of person to break royal rules. “The newlyweds finally arrived,” Rankin said as he welcomed them. “It’s nice to be back, Your Highness,” Nyx said as she and Gaige bowed down to the king. “Now, let’s get inside so we can get over this ridiculous formality,” Rankin said and led the way inside. “My friends shouldn’t be required to comply with such, but here we are.” “You’ve been complaining about that since the beginning of our campaign five years ago,” Gaige said. “And I’ll continue to complain,” Rankin said. “Come on now, Gaige. Am I not your friend?” “Yes. But you also happen to be my King, so there’s that,” Gaige replied, which earned him some disapproving looks from the king’s aides. Rankin laughed at her husband’s lack of manners. “There’s the Gaige that I know and love! How’s your honeymoon, by the way?” “It’s fine,” she replied.  “Just fine?” Gaige turned at her with a raised brow. “And amazing,” she amended with a playful smile aimed at her husband. “Good to hear,” Rankin said with a laugh and led them to one of the parlors of his palace. When one of the king’s aides opened the room, they were greeted by the sight of their former friends and comrades inside. “Look who I have here!” the king announced excitedly. “Nyx!” A tall sun-kissed woman with a muscular build and wild ginger curls shouted and ran towards the couple. “I missed you, my clever little witch!” The woman then grabbed Nyx with a hug that lifted her from the ground. Nyx squealed and laughed as she hugged back her friend. “I missed you too, Rumwyn!” Gaige cleared his throat loudly at the sight of Rumwyn and Nyx in a tight hug. “Oh, look. There’s Gaige too,” Rumwyn said with a very obvious lack of excitement. Gaige looked totally unimpressed. “Yes. her husband is here too.” Nyx made an awkward laugh at the sudden staring contest between her husband and friend.  It was no secret that Rumwyn liked her romantically back in their campaign period. Rumwyn with her honest-to-god personality did not attempt to hide her intentions of courting Nyx. And when Nyx rejected Rumwyn’s feelings, they remained good friends and allies during the war. Rumwyn accepted the rejection with the grace of a true warrior and tribal leader. Although, Rumwyn also did not attempt to play nice with Gaige since in her eyes, Gaige was a love rival and bride stealer. Rumwyn’s words, not hers. “So,” she said and pried herself from Rumwyn’s embrace. “How’s everyone?” “We’re fine!” Grylow, her husband’s former second in command, answered. He approached Gaige and clapped his shoulder. “It’s good to see you again, Captain.” Gaige gave an answering shoulder clap. “Thanks. It’s good to see you too.” Rankin then guided the couple further inside the room so they could sit. The servants brought cold drinks for the newlyweds and they all started chatting with each other. “So, how was the new house that you bought near the coast, Ivor?” Grylow asked another former member of their team. Ivor was their intelligence expert back then. Shy and slight in build, but definitely mighty in the mind. The man had long straight blond hair, and blue eyes, framed with square glasses.  “The house is great. We had to make a lot of renovations, but we love the location so it’s worth it,” Ivor said. “We? I thought your family would be staying here at Brymore,” another former comrade asked Ivor. His name was Grant and he was one of their powerhouses back then. “Well,” a faint blush dusted Ivor’s pale cheeks. “I’m moving with someone special.” Excited shouts and whistles filled the room. Even Gaige seemed to be happy about the news. “Well? Where is this special someone? Why did you come here alone?” King Rankin asked with unrestrained delight. “You’ll meet this person at the coming Victory Festival,” Ivor said. “I want you all to meet this person on that special date to make it more special.” “How romantic!” Nyx exclaimed. “We’ll make sure to prepare for it and be on our best behavior,” Rumwyn said solemnly which elicited a laugh from all of them. Best behavior and Rumwyn simply didn’t mix. “Speaking of preparations, I have a favor to ask from Nyx,” King Rankin said. “I knew this was more than just a social call,” Gaige said. “So much for that, I missed my friends very much. That line from your invitation was very suspicious.” “Now, I’m hurt,” Rankin pouted. “What made you say that?” “It was practically an order for us to come here. It was hard to say no when the official seal of the king was glaring back at us,” Gaige said. Everyone in the room laughed. “Can you blame me? I need help from your wife but you hid her in the middle of nowhere,” the king made an exasperated gesture with his hands. “Do you know how many complaints her family sent me? They said that you are hiding her from them. “ Gaige made a displeased sound. “It’s our honeymoon.” “In any case, I can’t just brush off a complaint from one of the oldest noble families,” Rankin said. Nyx placed a placating hand over Gaige’s hand and gave him a small smile before turning her attention to the king. “So, what do you need me for, Your Highness?” “I need you to help my rune masters with their recent discovery of an ancient ruin northeast of here. It was buried in the ground but they noticed some unknown runes,” the king explained. “I think with your magical expertise, you will be able to translate those runes.” “Oh. I thought you were going to ask her to visit her family to stop their complaints,” Grant said. Gaige was visibly relieved by the thought of not having to meet his in-laws.  “Well, yes. That too. You have to visit them,” Rankin said as an afterthought. Gaige released a string of profanities under his breath.