Chapter 5

It's been a couple of days since Artax saw the Queen in the woods spying on him and Andromeda. After their encounter in the castle, He had thought about her more and more. A queen who can doubt her reasons for war, to reflect upon whether it was for the people or for her own gains, is one to give a second thought to. But it was more than that for him. She wasn't just smart and beautiful and obviously cunning, she had the loyalty of the Dothraki, A race of warriors that fears the waters and yet she convinced them to cross it. And her dragons were all under her command. That kind of loyalty and trust doesn't come without a very strong leader. Utterly beguiled, Artax wished to know everything he could about her.

Andromeda came galloping back to their camp, looking extremely pleased with herself for some reason. Each morning for the last couple of days when Artax had woken up, Andromeda had already left, and she would come back a couple of hours later.

"Where have you been running off to recently," Artax asked. Andromeda snorted and pawed at the ground refusing to answer his question. We don't keep secrets from each other thought Artax, feeling a little nervous that she was keeping one from him now.

Artax hadn't found Andromeda, she had found him. He had gotten into a fight with 6 men who were terrorizing a group of kids. He had come out victorious but not without injury. He remembered falling unconscious on a rock thinking that the end had finally come. Instead, he woke up in a village to a healer that was tending him.

"How did I get here?" he had asked faintly, still recovering from his injuries.

"Andromeda found you and brought you here." Said the healer.

It wasn't until later that he found out that Andromeda was a horse. A wonderful, intelligent, and coltish being. After he had recovered more from his injuries, he found Andromeda in the barn and brought a basket filled with apples to express his gratitude. They had spent the whole afternoon together, but the sun was setting, and he needed to find a place to sleep. He did not want to burden the healer any longer, but he wanted to stay close so that he could help out around the village to repay them. Andromeda snorted as he said goodnight and Artax turned to go. Artax heard a click and the stall door that Andromeda was in, opened and she started to follow him out. Amazed, Artax inspected the door for any weaknesses but found none and found out that she had been sneaking out for some time, one of those times being when she had saved him. After a time, Artax liberated her from her stall and they have been on adventures ever since.

Now it felt like Andromeda was pulling away from him, and Artax was hurt and confused as to why. He shook it off trying to remember that she was independent, and she could do as she pleases. With a squee, Andromeda came up behind and him and nudged him so hard that he almost fell to the ground. Artax grinned and turned around, swatting and her muzzle. She nipped and his hair and then turned to him, beckoning him to climb on so that they could go to town like they have been the last couple of weeks.

The moment that Andromeda and Artax entered town, they were swarmed with cheering and laughing children. Artax laughed and he climbed down and was immediately assaulted by children piling on top of him, all asking for his attention. Artax and Andromeda had been coming into town visiting the people and helping where it was needed. Mostly, they had played with the children as they had no one to watch over them while the parents were busy providing for them. Slowly, but surely the townspeople were starting to accept them. One child, Tobias, stood to the side watching, looking nervous. As Artax gave away the treats to the children and shooed them away, he sidled closer to Tobias.

"Hey Tobias. You want an apple? They are Andromeda's favorite, but she told me that she would let you and only you have it." Andromeda snorted as if to protest but turned her head away. Tobias shook his head and continued to look at Artax with a very serious expression on his face.

"Is there something on your mind Tobias?"

Tobias looked down for a moment then he looked back at Artax and asked, "Would you do anything for your family?"

Artax was taken aback. He never talked about his family to anyone before. It was a painful memory in which didn't dwell in. He can still remember the fires from that day. The heat brushing against his skin, the screams of terror and pain from his brother and sisters. He shook his head the memories away. He looked down to Tobias, watching him expectantly.

"Why do you ask?" Artax inquired.

"I-…." Tobias started but stopped as he looked behind Artax and ran away. Artax turned around to find Dany, watching him intently. Artax drew a deep breath trying to settle at the sudden beat of his heart. He had no right to feel for her the way that he did. She was a cloud, beautiful and silken. He no way to grasp her, no way to keep her. Artax valued his solitude. He liked being able to go to village to village with nothing to tie him down. He never stayed in once place for more than a few months. If he did, he would get attached and he swore to never get attached again. He only knew too well how fast it all could be ripped away. He never wanted to feel that way again. But the moment that he had saw Dany, something in him shifted. He didn't know if he liked the feeling but damned if he find out.