A/N: Well this has been a long time coming, and I apologize for the wait. This was one of those awkward in between chapters that gave me writers block. But I'm looking forward to writing the next one and am sure it will go much smoother from here on out! So without further ado, since you've all waited long enough, please enjoy the next installment of King Thrushbeard! Also, please review! Because the more reviews I get the more inspired I am to continue. Plus they just brighten up my day full of job hunting, and trust me when I say any beacon of light to relieve me from the monotony would be incredibly welcome!

C.V

Chapter 6- The Ocean

As I'd suspected, I slept poorly. I knew there must have been bruises on my back from where the rudimentary carpentry nails had dug into it during the night. But I wasn't going to complain about to the beggar; since it would just give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was right in assuming that I couldn't handle the life of a peasant- despite the fact that I was beginning to think that wasn't going to be so bad. I would take sleeping on the floor over living in my father's palace any day.

The sun was barely in the sky when we left the Inn. Tomas was snoring loudly from the chair behind the bar, his feet up on the countertop I was glad I hadn't eaten off of. I was so tired I wasn't sure how far I'd be able to walk without fainting- that coupled with the fact that my only clothing was a wedding dress and my shoes weren't exactly the proper sort to be walking all day in, gave me the distinct impression that it was going to be a long trip. Their soles would be completely ripped after we arrived, and I hadn't anything to replace them with either.

With Gelert on our heels the two of us headed towards the fiddler's home in complete silence. Since I'd never left the palace I'd never really had that far to walk before, and my legs were completely unused to the exertion. I wanted to ask the beggar if we could stop and rest a bit, but he looked so determined to press on to his home. It wasn't if I could blame him, since he'd probably been away from it for quite some time, but there was more than one reason I wanted to stop. He walked so far ahead of me that it was virtually impossible to strike up a conversation with him- and as much as it pained me to admit it, I was beginning to feel lonely.

It wasn't like I wasn`t used to feeling that way. After my mother died, the realization that I was all alone in the world hit me so suddenly I almost lost my breath. But this kind of solitude was different, more like an emptiness that was suffocating. Perhaps it was since I expected him to speak to me at least a little bit- but the only words I`d heard him utter were a brief good morning and a greeting to Gelert. It was quite a shock, since he had been constantly putting me down after all, though I would have preferred even that to the silence I was now enduring.

At first I wanted to call out to him, and let him know that his insensitivity was unappreciated, but then I thought that the atmosphere of the whole journey would suffer even more than it already was. Nevertheless the truth remained that if I didn`t stop soon, the possibility was that I wouldn`t be able to walk at all tomorrow. I could feel the blisters forming on my feet and it was becoming more and more painful with every step. My husband didn`t look even the slightest bit tired, despite the fact we`d been walking for hours. Gelert`s tongue hung from his muzzle, long tendrils of saliva dripping down to the ground and leaving a trail to follow, and I could tell that even he was exhausted and could use a rest.

Thankfully, my problem was solved for me when I felt a rock enter my shoe. It wasn't the first time it had happened through the course of our journey, but the others I'd been able to manipulate enough with my toes so that they wouldn't be a bother. My present enemy however, was far too large for me to tackle, and so despite the fact I had wanted to prove to my husband that I was more than capable to walk a great distance without stopping, there was no way it was going to be possible. With a sigh I slumped down onto a tree that had tipped over sideways on the edge of the road.

The fiddler must have noticed the lack of my footsteps behind him, and I saw him glance over his shoulder to look at me. I quickly turned my gaze away to investigate the stones in my slipper, which I was startled to realize had begun to wear away on the bottom already. It really was no wonder I was having such a difficult time with my feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked me. I tried to subdue my annoyance with his behaviour, but I wasn't entirely successful. I looked at him, my eyes dangerously narrow.

"Perhaps you are used to walking all day, but I am not and my shoes are hardly suited to such an endeavour," I pouted, pulling one off my foot and showing him how worn out it had become. His expression soured slightly, though not because of me.

"I apologize. I was simply eager to return home. I am not used to travelling companions other then Gelert, and he isn't one to complain."

"You took on the responsibility of a wife, and so you ought to be more considerate."

"And you Princess, took on a husband. So you ought to be more patient. Marriage is new to me as well. And I did apologize didn't I?"

"You made me sleep on the floor last night!" I retorted.

"I gave you a blanket, and for the record, the beds in that Inn are no softer than the floor. You weren't missing out on any comfort. That is unless you would have preferred that we share..."

"Certainly not!"

"Then there is no use complaining. I'll have your own bed prepared when we get to Silverlake."

That was better. At least I wouldn't have to worry about sleeping on the floor for the rest of our marriage in-

"Did you say Silverlake?" I asked, my eyes widening in surprise. I had no idea that was where the fiddler lived!

"Yes, didn't you know that was where we were heading? I think you'll find it quite lovely this time of year Alys, and the people are kind as well. It will be a good place to start anew, and to be whoever you like."

Starting anew? I suppose in essence that was what I was doing. If I left Lustre I would have the ability to become anyone who I wanted to be. I wouldn't be a Princess in Silverlake, because nobody knew who I was or what I looked like there. I could live a normal life, and perhaps I could even make friends for the first time. The prospect of such a drastic upheaval caught me by surprise, and for the first time since my marriage I really began to wonder if I'd be able to go through life as a peasant when I really didn't know how to do anything that a peasant would do. I supposed my husband would aid me when the time came, but I really had no intention of having to follow him like a lost lamb for the rest of my life.

"Are you feeling overwhelmed?" The fiddler asked, probably reading my face as easily as if it were a book.

"A little. You say that I can be whomever I like. But I'm not even sure who am I now. I admit it's nerve-wracking. Especially if I'm to live with someone like you." I said with a little laugh as I gestured to my poor feet.

"Was that a joke? I didn't know you had it in you Alys!" He practically applauded at my attempt at sarcasm. I supposed a little levity would go a long way in making me feel more comfortable with him for the rest of the journey, and it actually felt refreshing to say what was on my mind. My father had always told me princesses weren't sarcastic, since it was low-born and degrading. But since I was a commoner now, I couldn't see the harm in it, especially since it was clear that my husband appreciated it.

Thinking of him as my husband however, reminded me that I still hadn't had the opportunity to ask him his name, and so tentatively putting my shoe back on my blistering foot, I figured now was as good a time as any.

"I don't know your name- and I can't keep calling you beggar or fiddler. Unless you'd prefer that of course."

"Moryn," he said simply. The name surprised me, since I was expecting one that was rougher, to match his appearance. Instead, Moryn was almost gentle. He must have noticed my look of shock, since he laughed- a deep rumble that collected in the back of his throat.

"You don't approve? Shall I change it to something that suits your tastes a little better?"

"There's no need. I like Moryn just fine."

I had to admit it was sort of a relief learning his name. It made our relationship a little more personable, since at least we could be considered familiar acquaintances. He sat down beside me on the tree and pulled his fiddle case off of his back. In the front pocket he pulled out rolls and cheese, handing some to me to eat for lunch. As a meal, it wasn't exactly what I was used to, but I was so ravenous I didn't care what I ate, wolfing it down in a very 'unprincess-like' manner.

I could feel Moryn's eyes on me, watching me eat, but he didn't say anything despite the fact that a crooked grin was clearly forming on his face. When we had finished, and had thrown a bone from the pack for Gelert to munch on, he investigated my feet to make sure I'd be able to continue walking.

"We'll have to get you decent shoes as soon as we can. I admit I didn't think too much about it since men's shoes are all the same. But for now do you think you'll be able to make it a little farther?"

"As long as you don't expect me to move tomorrow. But don't worry, I may look like a fragile flower, but I'm capable of walking," I insisted, and as if to prove my point, I stood up and began to hobble forward. We continued walking, although not in the uncomfortable silence that we had spent the morning in. We didn't speak much, but I didn't feel awkward about it anymore, granted there were so many questions I wanted to ask him. Even so though, I had no idea where to start.

I didn't muster up my courage until the sun had begun to sink in the sky.

"Were you only in Lustre to play the fiddle, or did you have other business there?"

"I am simply a travelling musician. What other purpose do you think I'd have?"He chuckled. I shrugged, since really I had no idea, and was only trying to make small talk to learn more about him. I felt that at the moment, our acquaintanceship was uneven, since he knew everything that there was to know about me, and I knew nothing about him other than his name, that he played the fiddle, and had a pet.

Normally, such things wouldn't have interested me in the slightest. I'd always been taught that the behaviour and desires of commoners were irrelevant, and aside from Deirdre I'd never really spoken to one before. Somehow it seemed different from speaking with other nobles or my father. Trying to be polite and respectful all the time was tiring, and I always felt that when speaking with lords or ladies, or even my family, that I was conversing in a series of half-truths. I was just as guilty of lying as the next noble though. I would tell Lady Harimann that her new dress was lovely, when I actually thought it was atrocious, and she would make a comment about my hair style, when in fact she disliked it entirely. Then, we would make a comment about the weather.

As such, I'd never really had to talk about anything worthwhile, and so I was only ever used to saying shallow things. I wanted to try to have a meaningful conversation about something important, on an equal level as somebody else- because I didn't like being lied to either. So far, the only things Moryn had ever told me were the truth, and whether I wanted to hear it or not, I could at least respect his honesty.

"You're not only a travelling musician. You're a person too, and Lustre is an awfully far distance for you to travel just to play in a tavern overnight-"

"Listen," Moryn said suddenly, holding his hand up to silence whatever I was about to say next. I was confused for a moment, but I pinched my eyes together in concentration, as if it would help me focus better on whatever sound it was that my husband was referring to. I could hear the chirping of birds, the buzzing of insects, and the rustling of the breeze through the leaves. But there was also a strange sound that I couldn't identify, like a gentle roaring.

"What is that?" I asked him. He smiled behind his thick beard.

"That's the Agean Ocean. It means we're almost home."

In that instant, all the weight that lingered on my soul seemed to drop to the ground, and despite the aching of my feet and the fact that the gesture was 'unladylike,' I found myself running as fast as my legs could carry me towards the source of the noise, the embodiment of the freedom I'd dreamed of for so long.

It was farther away than I had anticipated, but I didn't stop, letting my legs carry me as fast as they could until I finally saw it and found myself completely and utterly unprepared.

The ocean was unlike anything I'd ever seen before- it seemed to stretch beyond infinity, like it never ended. The sky was painted orange, gold and pink with the sunset, and they were reflected on the water's surface like a distorted mirror. All I could think about was how inaccurate the maps I'd studied must have been. They couldn't possibly convey just how miraculous the ocean really was, or how small I was in the grand scheme of things. The world was so much bigger than my palace, than Lustre, and I wanted to experience it all regardless of whether or not my current situation was the ideal way of doing so or not.

Gelert was barking behind me, signalling the arrival of his master who must have followed me curiously.

"So what do you think?" He asked me, his dark eyes reflecting the fire of the sunset.

"I haven't words to describe it. But I'd love to stay here forever."

"I know how you feel, and in a way your wish is granted. My village is along the ocean's shore so you'll be able to see it every day. If I would have known it would have made you this happy I'd have told you before."

There he was, being kind again. I felt like I'd never know where I stood with that man. He scolded me, and made me sleep on a cold floor, but he also bandaged my feet and seemed to genuinely care if I was happy or not. At least it was beginning to seem that way.

"Look there," Moryn pointed in the distance along the coast, where I could just barely make out the shapes of tiny houses.

"Is that where you live?" I asked, my heart palpitating at the thought I'd be able to live in such a beautiful place.

"Yes, it's called Moor Village. I'm glad we're back, since I'm starving," he laughed, and whistling for Gelert who was cantering along the shoreline chasing after gulls, the three of us made our way home at last.