The Flame of Catalina

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Finnr’s POV

Chay immediately pulled away when she heard the cry of her brother in the distance. All prior embarrassment of being naked around me disappeared as she scanned for her brother. We swam through the spring, following the path Garin took before he was out of sight. From there, we followed his screams for help until we came to another pool where the stream emptied into.

Garin sat on the snow covered bank of the pool, holding his arm and crying. Chay spotted him and moved in at once. From where I stood, the bruising and the odd lump formed in the middle of the bone were obviously signs it was broken. Chay kneeled next to him and tried to talk with him, but he was hysterical.

“I think he got out of the water and slipped on the ice covering the bank. He must have used his arm to stop his fall.” I said looking around the scene.

“Help me get him up! Oh, Gods it looks really bad.” Chay was trying to fight her panic back, but his arm really was a sight.

“Chay.” I calmly spoke her name to get her attention. “Don’t worry I will deal with this. I told you I was in charge of you and your brother’s wellbeing. I was trained by the healers of the capitol for years to minimize damage done before being treated. Please just let me look.” She stopped trying to pick him up and let me work.

I looked back down at Garin’s arm. The damage that was done was serious. I’d had a similar break while learning to ride horses when I was nine. I remembered what Ashton did to fix it, and I knew I needed to set the bone back in place before it would properly heal. So, without saying anything to the siblings, I reached over and grabbed Garin’s injured arm and rested it on the ground. Then, with one hand holding him arm in place, I forced the bone that protruded back in place until I felt it snap.

Garin’s harsh scream echoed through the trees then passed out instantly from the pain. I caught him as he went down and caught Chay staring at me absolutely shocked.

“It will heal faster this way.” That was all I said as I stood with Garin’s limp body and walked back through the water back to the original pool. Chay followed quietly behind until we got to our clothing piles. She dressed quickly and turned to me standing in the water to stay warm.

“Go get one of my men.” I ordered and she moved out without hesitation. I waited several moments before I heard people running towards me. Henricks came into view and met me as I walked out of the water. He took Garin and carried him to the coach. While I got dressed, Chay gathered Garin’s garments, looked back at me briefly, and quickly walked after Henricks’ retreating form.

When I was dressed, I ran back to the group where Henricks was situating Garin’s still limp body in the carriage. I grabbed some spare cloth from the back before replacing Henricks. I took Garin’s arm, wrapped the cloth to support it, then hung it around his neck as a sling. Henricks had walked back to the horses to prep them for the road, leaving me with Chay.

“We will be at the castle by the end of the night and your brother will be in good hands.” I said to her. She barely nodded at me without making eye contact. With the adrenaline starting to wear off, she seemed disassociated. I sighed and decided I needed some reaction from her before I could let her sit with her brother. I needed to know her fire was still there.

“I know this isn’t ideal, but our next stop is the Capitol. What happened back in the springs before Garin— “

“Please, I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just forget it happened.” She tried to stop me from continuing, but I pushed.

“Chay, you rode on my finger until you came. We need to--“she cut me off again

“No!” she yelled as her cheeks became flush. She looked me in the eyes when she said “Finnr, we will not have this conversation until my brother’s arm in being worked on by a healer! I have to make sure Garin is ok.” I noticed she reverted back to my full name but was happy with her reaction. She was going to be alright.

“Ok.” I nodded and moved away from the carriage door so she could climb in. She looked back at me through the window when I closed the door on her and moved to my horse.

We started back on the road, and as the sun continued moving west, the tension settled. I peeked through the window of the carriage to see both passengers sleeping after traveling a while. With nothing but the road to look at, my mind played the event at the spring on repeat.

While I hadn’t expected us to come together like that, I had secretly hoped we would. Sleeping so close every night had been taking its toll on me. Every morning she woke up beside me, she got to feel how affected I was by her body pressed against me. I didn’t even let it cross my mind that she was just as needy. And yet her body craved the attention I so desperately wanted to give it.

Knowing her past with Guntherson, I wasn’t sure how far she’d want to go, but when she started squirming and panting, I knew what she was looking for even if she didn’t. From that experience, I guessed that I was probably her first anything. Her kissing started off rushed and untrained, but she soon followed my lead. She was so honest in her response and so pliable, willing to take any direction to find her pleasure.

And she liked biting. My d**k twitched again thinking about the moan that escaped her throat when I bit her neck. Again, with her history, I would have understood if she needed a lover to be gentle, but her neck was covered in red marks when we pulled apart in the spring. They would probably be bruised by the time we got to the castle. My d**k stirred at the thought of my mark being on her.

It was dusk when I was pulled from my thoughts. Our entourage began passing farms along the side of the road. We were officially in the outer territory of the Capitol. Next, we would pass the poorer villages that surrounded the actual city. Once we made it into the city, we would travel through the back roads behind the jewelry district up to the guard entrance of the castle. When Orlantha called on me for this task, she asked me to bring the girl in quietly. Orlantha wanted to confirm that Chay was who she was looking for before any public attention was brought to her.

The outskirts were zoned for food production to the capitol. Farms expanded to the left and right of the road, but all were dead and covered with snow. The only lights that peaked through the coming darkness were from fires in houses in the distance.

So enough, we made it to the first of the outer villages. It was quiet as houses popped up next to the road. The houses were run down but smoke coming from the chimneys showed signs of life. I checked on the siblings again to see both staring out the window, taking in the new sights.

Well, the main event came when our horses hit cobblestone. Lanterns were held on posts that lined the path. We came to the entrance to the city itself which was signified by a large arch that the first King of Reimia had built. Emeric’s family overtook the last ruling family, over two hundred years ago, but they liked the architecture so let it stand.

We passed under the arch and entered the business district of the city. We took advantage of the winter night to pass unnoticed all the way to the castle. If we had continued straight down the business district, we would come across the checkpoint to the bridge closest to the main castle entrance. This road was used when events happened and other royals and dignitaries came to the castle.

Instead, we turned left down the art district. Making our way down this way brought us to another estate entrance closest to the stable and staff barracks. The Royal Estate took up half of the land of the Capitol, even though the Castle itself wasn’t as large. The family wanted access to their stable, barracks for their guards and staff, a garden and small farm.

Our party made it to the guard check point which policed who entered Royal property. I greeted the guard and our party was granted access over the bridge. We rode to the stables and met two stable boys to help the men unpack and settle the horses after travel.

I got off my horse and handed the reins to one of the approaching boys. I turned to the carriage and opened the door. Chay exited first, but still wouldn’t meet my eyes. She turned to help Garin out of the carriage to protect his injured arm. With both siblings ready to move, Hendricks and I moved and walked them the short distance down the road to door we’d be entering through. As we walked, we pasted the barracks, and I saw Chay analyzing her surrounding, no doubt planning their escape if needed.

The stone building came upon us and Chay gapped only for a moment before moving forward. She was clearly focused on getting her brother to the healers I mentioned earlier. We climbed the stone steps as the large wooden door opened for us. We walked into the Foyer and again, Chay and Garin both had to take their surroundings in for a moment. I didn’t blame them. From my understanding, all they ever knew was that cabin they lived in. Their home could easily fit in this one room several times.

The building we entered was the royal living quarters of the castle. From the door, the siblings were instantly greeted by two robust fireplaces at the back of the room. The fireplaces were surrounded by small tables, cushioned chairs and couches, making two identical sitting rooms separated by a grand staircase that led to the sleeping chambers of the royal family and myself.

As Chay tried to take her surroundings in, Hericks moved Garin towards the right side of the room where the hallway to the infirmary sat to be healed. While she was distracted, I put my hand on Chay’s back and gently started guiding her up the stairs, hoping she was too awestruck, and he was too tired to speak. Of course, that wasn’t my luck though.

Chay turned to look at her brother and noticed we were moving in different directions. In a heartbeat, my arm was around her waist holding her back from running over to him.

“What are you doing! I need to be with him right now, he’s in pain!” She screamed at me as she fought against my grip. “Let me go!”

I ignored her protest and dragged her to the bottom of the stairs. I picked her up over my shoulder and climbed the stairs. She beat my back and begged me to turn around. I turned right at the top of the stairs and walked down the long hall to my room. My boots and her protests echoed on the stone walls as we moved further away from her brother.

When we got to my large wooden door, I took my key out from my uniform’s pocket and opened it. Once I had the door closed and me between it, I put her down. Chay’s face was red partly from being upside down and partly from her anger. Seeing her like that in my room made me think of other ways I could distract her. It would be so easy to throw her on my bed, peel down her trousers, and remind her of a better time.

“Finnr what the Hel! You know my situation! Why are you doing this? Why are you keeping us separated?” she looked so broken.

That snapped me out of my momentary fantasy. “Chay, enough! Your brother is going to the healers. The Queen will expect to see you and I need you accessible. When Garin finishes his treatment, he will be brought here. Please just be patient.” I didn’t give her a chance to respond. I turned and opened the door. “I will be back soon for you” I said before I turned and left.

I closed and locked the door as she banged against it. I sighed and walked through the halls towards the throne room. While it was later in the evening, Orlantha was aware we were coming today, and she told me to report at my arrival. I shouldn’t have been escorting Chay up here in the first place, but I needed to make sure she was locked away before she did anything stupid.

Separating Garin from her had been risky, but she wouldn’t willingly come with me if she heard the screams Garin would produce during healing. It was not a peaceful experience reforming bones. I had pushed her into a corner though, and she tended to react hastily when she felt in danger. 

But, if she tried to escape or didn’t come when summoned, she could get her or Garin killed. Knowing she was locked in my room gave me peace of mind. I continued following my way through the maze until I stood in front of the massive and elaborate doors. I shook my head, prepared myself and stepped into the throne room.