Chapter 6: Untimely Meeting
A/N: In this chapter I kind of borrowed something from David Eddings. I used his holiday Erastide in this section. I wanted to include some Christmas-like celebration, but couldn't think of a name that sounded okay. Enjoy!
The dawn came early, too early in Schmendrick's opinion. He still felt the aftermath of the effort it had taken to change the unicorn into Lady Amalthea. He hadn't done anything that hard in a very long time. Sure, it had seemed easy before he became a true magician, but he had called upon Magic to do whatever it wanted. That was only spontaneous sorcery, second rate magic, anyone could do that. He tossed and turned in his blankets for a few more moments until he finally gave up on trying to go back to sleep.
"Here you are my Lady," Schmendrick heard Molly say. "Put these on."
Molly handed Amalthea one of her plain brown peasant dresses along with Schmendrick's hooded cloak. Amalthea changed into her garb and quickly pulled Schmendrick's cloak around her. "Was it this cold the last time we were here?" she asked.
"We came at a different time of year when you were here last," Schmendrick replied and the trio began the last part of their journey.
With every passing moment, Amalthea found her nerves were winding tighter than the strings of a lute. Her slender body quivered and the surface of her pale, silken skin began to tingle. She retreated deeper into the blue hooded cloak and pulled it tighter around her. Despite the biting cold, she walked erect and poised while Schmendrick and Molly huddled close together, bent by the wind as they led their horses along the winding road.
Soon, they topped the last hill and Lir's new castle stood regally before them. As they progressed into the valley, a group of people came marching out of the citadel, but Amalthea, deep in thought, failed to notice from under the thick hood.
"Molly," Amalthea spoke, "do you have any water?"
Schmendrick and Molly stopped their horses. "It's in my pack. Hold on a moment," she replied.
Molly and Amalthea had just began rummaging through the packs piled onto Molly's roan mare when a voice called out, "Schmendrick! It took you long enough to get here!"
"What's the hurry? Erastide is still nearly a week away," Schmendrick yelled into the tempestuous gale.
Amalthea was too busy trying to quench her thirst and keep her nerves calm, but Molly recognized the voice on the wind and she was suddenly apprehensive as to what would happen once his Majesty saw Amalthea.
"There are other things more important than Erastide afoot my old friend," Lir said. An impromptu feeling of warmth overcame Amalthea as she identified the voice conversing with her companions.
"This is Ariana," Lir told them and taking the hand of the beautiful raven-haired girl at this side he announced, "she and I are getting married on Erastide."
Amalthea gasped and a sob escaped her constricted throat as she experienced the pain of heartbreak. Lir heard the noise and dismounted from his noble grey steed. "Who have you brought with you?" he questioned and moved his way past the duo and their horses.
Amalthea whirled around and covered her mouth with a trembling hand. "Don't be afraid of me miss," he said to her back in a quiet, placating tone. He then placed his hand on her shoulder and she quickly drew the hood up more around her face. Gently but firmly, Lir slowly turned her body toward him. She pushed her head back into the hood as far as it would go, but he still pressed on, taking hold of the rough woolen fabric. "I'm not going to hurt you," he told her soothingly and slowly began bringing down the hood. Amalthea knew that any hope of impeding him was lost, so she lowered her hands.
He saw the pale white hair on her head glistening in the sunlight as the cloth dropped onto her shoulders. Suddenly, Lir was looking into a pair of violet-blue eyes that he had not seen in eight years; eyes that were brimming with longing and silvery tears.
"Hello Lir," Amalthea spoke, her warm voice strained with unexpressed emotion.
No one but Amalthea saw the myriad emotions swirling in his sky blue eyes. No one else saw the pain. No one but Amalthea saw the red flare of anger.