Hello all :)! I'm back and officially finished with my schooling. So as an early Christmas present to you all, here is an update on the story. Thank you for being so patient while I get my studies sorted out. Now my brain has complete freedom to be creative.
I own nothing, everything, except for the characters that I make up, belong to Kristen Britain.
Chapter 8: Troubled Thoughts
The stars overhead twinkled at the traveling merchants making camp for the night below as if winking at them. Cicadas' mournful song echoed through the forest surrounding them and spread from one organism to the other making the song go for miles around them. All of the horses, except for the young colt, were sleeping soundly as their caretakers settled in around the campfires and inside the tents for a good night's rest.
Inside one of the tents knelt Karigan as she tucked her two tag-alongs in under blankets. "It's not silk but they're warm and will protect you through the night," she said to the prince and princess.
"I like this blanket better," Anne said, "Why aren't there blankets like these at the castle?"
Karigan smiled brightly at her, "There are, but you two are special." She playfully tapped the little girl's nose and was rewarded with a giggle.
From the side, William looked on with a sheltered demeanor. He snuggled up under the blanket and rolled over with his back to the woman. Karigan glanced over at him and asked gently, "Are you okay William?"
"Fine." Her brows furrowed and she reached out and softly touched the prince's shoulder, he shrugged it off. "Don't touch me," he mumbled.
Karigan snapped her hand back and sighed, looking back briefly at Anne. Sad eyes looked back up at her. Now Karigan was more confused, "What's wrong? Is it something I'm doing?" she asked them.
From her side, Karigan heard the young prince sniffle. Anne said with tears shining in the meager light, "We don't want to talk about it yet," the young girl said with a clear catch in her speech. She sat up and wrapped her arms around Karigan and softly sobbed into her tunic. Stunned for a moment, Karigan gently put her hand on the princess's head and caressed her golden locks comfortingly. After a minute, Anne looked back up and said, "It's not you."
Not knowing what to say, Karigan just nodded once and gently wiped the tears from Anne's cheeks. She gently lowered her back under her blanket and covered her back up. "When you want to talk, I'm here," she said finally. "Don't be afraid."
Anne nodded before closing her eyes and falling into slumber. Karigan glanced one more time over at William and found him looking at her over his shoulder. When he saw her looking at him, he turned back over. Karigan sighed quietly before taking the lantern and exiting the tent of the prince and princess.
Outside, Karigan looked back once at the tent before advancing upon the campfire where her father, Sevano, and Peter at their dinner of cooked meat and bread. She gathered more wood for the fire and stoked it up before sitting down wordlessly. She felt the eyes upon her now as she had all day since they left and finally looked up at her family.
"What" she asked.
"So . . ." Peter started.
Stevic watched her but didn't say anything. "We're happy for you two. But how in the world are you going to work that out lass?" Sevano finally asked the one question that they were all thinking.
A spark of anger flashed in Karigan's eyes, "I thought you would have been happy for me."
"We are Kari, but think about it. How is that going to work when you're there and he's here?"
Karigan shook her head, "We'll make it work. I love him, and I'm not going to give up on this just because something difficult is threatening it. We've been through too much to let it happen like that."
Stevic smiled slightly and stood slowly. As he walked past, he leaned down to gently place a kiss upon her head, "Good night Kari."
"Night da," she replied. She watched as he disappeared into his tent.
All was quiet and Karigan stayed sitting by the campfire long after the others had fallen asleep. She thought of Zachary and she thought of his children inside the tent asleep. What were they thinking about what had happened earlier that day? Maybe that was what made them so upset. That is the last thing that she wanted out of this. If a relationship with Zachary was going to cause more upset among his own children than even the courtiers, then it definitely wasn't worth pursuing.
Karigan sighed and finally stood from the log that she sat upon. Condor was asleep, so Karigan approached the young colt, who watched her wearily. Slowly, she came to the animal's side without the poor thing scaring. She gently placed her hand upon his shoulder and dragged it as she sidled up his neck to his head. His ears were alert and still unsure as she faced the animal. Carefully, she offered her hand and he sniffed it. She felt his warm breath blow back and forth upon her hand as he did so.
She eventually reached up and gently placed her hand upon the star in between his eyes. Still, he didn't spook. Her hand slowly glided down the length of the strip and she gently stroked his soft muzzle. His ears perked forward and she smiled. Soon, the moon and the stars beckoned her and she walked back down the colt's side. With an excited smile, she gently stroked his mane before grasping a hand full of it. The colt jolted but didn't move otherwise. Karigan reached up to the colt's lower back and in one solid movement, jumped up and mounted the colt. The animal whinnied once and shuffled his feet in fright. Karigan softly shushed the horse and stroked his neck comfortingly. He shook his mane and settled, leading his rider to chuckle softly.
Looking back up ahead of her, Karigan spurred the colt into a canter in the direction of some hills that she had seen them pass earlier. Her locks of brown flew out behind her cradled by the wind and the moon shined it's bright light down upon her, making her almost glow silver. The night animals scurried about out of her way as she and her horse galloped with not a care in the world. All of her worries and troubles washed away with one ride, and Karigan couldn't be more glad that she chose to when her thoughts traveled.
The hills came into view and Karigan began to slowly slow the colt. He tossed his head stubbornly but obliged. As they came to the crown of the largest hill at a smooth trot, Karigan looked over the land that materialized around her. All was dark as Karigan came to a stop at the apex and looked out over the forests, fields, and plains around her. In the distance, she could see the lights of Sacor City gleam; a light piercing the darkness that surrounded the land.
Karigan closed her eyes and slowly took a deep breath in, allowing the wind to gently caress through her hair and softly brush across her face. The colt standing under her shifted his feet and Karigan gently pat him on the neck once again. It was then, that under the moon's glow and in the darkness of night, that Karigan felt someone watching her from afar. She looked beyond the city toward the towering behemoth that rose over it.
She knew where the feeling came from then. He was doing the same as she, looking out in the distance, allowing all of their troubles to be carried away in the breeze that blew. Just thinking about him made her heart skip and jump around in her breast. Karigan allowed another smile to gently creep across her features and allowed the love that she felt for him project and travel across the plains to the man that she knew stood upon the roof of that grand behemoth.
With one last glance at the city, Karigan turned the colt back and spurred him into a gallop once again, back toward camp.
Back at camp, Sacoridia's young princess watched her older brother. "Why are you so mean to Lady Karigan, Will?" she asked.
She heard him sigh, "Because."
She shifted to rest on her elbow, "Daddy's told you a zillion times, because isn't an answer."
"Because she's trying to replace mom. Do you have any other reason why she would be with da so much?" he answered quietly.
Anne's eyes radiated confusion, "No she's not."
William jumped up and screamed, "Then do you have any other explaination?!"
"No she's not," Anne answered calmly. William shook his head, frustrated. "Do you have any proof that she's trying to?" she asked.
William sat back down by his blanket, "No but. . ."
"But what William? She's the same lady that has been in that picture, and it's been up there for years, at least as long as I can remember. How can she be replacing mom if she and daddy have at least known of each other for all this time, probably since before we were born?" she asked.
Anne watched closely as her brother shook his head and with a huff laid back down and covered himself back up with the blanket. He stared at the peak of the tent above them with his hand clasped behind his head. She asked quietly, just enough for him to hear, "I thought you liked her Will."
He sighed, "That was before."
Just then the two children heard hoof beats pounding on the ground outside. Anne listened carefully as they heard the person jump down from the horse and she heard Karigan's distinct voice, "Good night Condor. Sleep well."
William turned his back on her, "Go to bed Anne." Anne shook her head and laid her head back on the makeshift pillow and closed her eyes.
Atop the highest point of Sacor City's castle stood the high king looking out over the fields and plains where he expected the love of his life to be somewhere. Guards made their rounds discretely but still did their jobs as expected and his Weapons his in the darkness and the shadows where the lights of the torches faded into darkness. Zachary's eyes drifted shut slowly as he allowed his thoughts, worries, and troubles to be whisked away in the wind that flew past.
Opening his eyes again, Zachary's eyes spotted something moving in the far distance and he focused upon it. Within the light of the moon, a single figure upon a horse trotted to the top of a hill and stop there. His heart skipped several beats as the moon's glow uncovered the figure to be his one true love. He watched her as she merely stood upon the apex and for a moment, he wondered what she was thinking about. He wondered if she was thinking about him as he was of her. He wondered if she was thinking about what had happened earlier in the day before she and her caravan rode out of the castle gates. He wondered so many things in the span of seconds that he almost chastised himself for allowing his thoughts to take over him once again, especially when they're supposed to be taken away from him.
Another figure sauntered up to stand beside him on the rooftop. Without directing his attention on anything other than his love out there, Zachary could tell who it was that stood beside him by the sound of his voice. "Do not worry about anyone being unhappy with what happened today sire," they said.
He leaned against the ledge of the roof top. "You would know best Alton, as you are in the middle of it all," Zachary said with a chuckle.
The new lord governor sighed, "I'm just happy that Karigan finally now has someone that can love her the way that she needs to be."
Darkness clouded the edges of his paradise, "Except for . . . him," Zachary said with a sneer.
Alton turned to face his king directly, "Who? The man from the future?"
Zachary sighed, "Cade was it?" Alton began laughing, finally earning his king's attention. "What's so funny?" the king asked.
"Oh your majesty, you should know as well as I that this Cade is long gone," Alton replied, emphasizing the man's name.
Zachary looked back out over the hills and found his love turning her mount around and riding back where she came from. Watching her from afar even made him smile like a school boy watching his first crush. But the discussion came back into focus, "We don't know that for sure," he said.
"Zachary." Alton said, grasping the king's broad shoulder and turning him so they stood face to face. "Karigan said herself that once she came back, everything that she saw would cease to exist. And besides, at this point, I don't think even Cade would change Karigan's mind on your courtship." He held the king pinned by both arms, "She loves you Zachary. And no one is going to change that. Besides," he added, releasing the other man, "not even time could break the cord that bound you two. That says something."
Zachary smiled down at his friend and fellow lord. He ran his hand through his hair and said with a chuckle, "I came up here to clear my thoughts and here I am worrying about someone that doesn't even exist."
Alton chuckled, "There's no reason to worry your majesty. She loves you, and nothing that I've seen so far can change any of that."
"You're right." Zachary patted the other man on the back and they both walked back toward the door leading back inside.
"So, do you know when you're going to see her again your majesty?" Alton asked.
"Too long," Zachary answered. "But I'm sure that we'll write each other often," he added.
Alton smiled and nodded in agreement, "That's all you can really do."
Well here you go all my lovely readers! As usual, let me know if there's any grammar errors or anything else of the like. Otherwise, in case I don't update again soon, I'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and I hope you like your present.
bornagaindisciple
