Chapter 29
The spring months came in a rush and soon Midori and her knight master were headed to Cavall to visit Owen's betrothed. "I have no idea how you convinced me." Owen laughed.
"Easy, I kept reminding you that she'd want to see you and you gave in." Midori replied, taking the reins of Yukiko from a stable boy with murmured thanks. Owen rolled his eyes and mounted his own stallion, Midori mounting and following him out of the main gates. Down the road they traveled, discussing the court and friends. "You know, I wonder where your little white cat is?" Owen looked behind him but they weren't being followed.
Midori looked in her saddlebags and found the cat curled up inside, she put a finger to her lips and pointed inside. Owen nodded and hid a smile behind his hand. "That cat appears everywhere," he mumbled, riding ahead.
Midori let him get ahead and grinned as she looked around at the early morning sky, dawn warming their faces and the crisp breeze refreshing them, giving them a spurt of new energy. Yukiko slowed to a walk, her mistress wishing to walk beside her, to enjoy the morning.
"Not much of a scenery, squire, but it is a nice morning." Owen commented absent-mindedly.
"Yes it is a nice morning but it seems too quiet…" Midori's hand went to the hilt of her sword, but did not draw it.
"It's only early morning, squire, nothing to worry about. It's always quiet at this time." Owen told her, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. Midori nodded slowly and remounted.
By mid-afternoon they stopped and had a late lunch of bread, meat, cheese and cider. They then packed up afterwards and continued down the road to Cavall. For another two hours they rode, silence stretching over them and a long expanse of road in front. Midori rolled her eyes and sighed plainly bored. "Are we there yet?"
"No, squire."
Three hours later and many groans of 'Are we there yet?' later…"Are we--"
"Yes, Midori, we're here. Thank the gods!" Owen muttered, running a hand through his hair.
Midori smirked, one way to irritate her knight master was to repeat questions over and over, and it seemed she had annoyed him enough. As they rode into Cavall, Midori noticed the firm air of discipline the place seemed to have. She grinned as she saw a few practice courts off to the side. The flag of Cavall flew in the wind as a soft breeze blew by ruffling her black hair. "I'm going to like staying here with Owen."
Nicola who had just woken up and was now sitting in a special pocket in the saddle, noticed a boy walking over to attend to the horses and smirked in her cat-like way, "Sure you would." She replied cheekily, receiving a surprised look from her friend.
"It's not like I'd fall for one of these boys, Nicole!"
Nicole rolled her eyes and shook her head, "We'll see, you hopeless romantic. Now get off the saddle and tend to your horse!"
Midori did as she was told, quickly and without any more questions, wondering about what Nicole had said. Rolling her eyes and finishing, she picked Nicole and placed her on her shoulder. "You act normal, you here?" she told the cat, who meowed moodily and licked her paw in response, "Fine".
Midori walked around, looking for her knight master. She didn't realize anyone was coming her way until she found herself on her back, someone leaning over her, she was going to snap a rude comment but stopped herself as her eyes fell upon a familiar face.
Had it been only her imagination?
"I'm sorry," the boy said hurriedly picking up his dropped tools and running away, blushing furiously.
Midori watched him go, curiosity clawing at the back of her mind. "When have I seen that embarrassed look?"
"Your lover a year ago, remember?" Nicole replied, "Must be a relation of some sort."
"No, not him. It can't be Kalen. We buried him…" Midori said sadly.
"Don't you remember? The face was so distorted in death…" Nicole smiled as her mistress remembered.
"Goddess! Then he's alive!" Midori cried.
"He may be clinging to life now…" Nicole replied. "The slumber of true death may have…been tweaked with by yours truly. I'm afraid for your aunt's sake the gods will have to decide if your cousin and uncle will go back." The cat bowed as if finished a dance and hopped onto Midori's shoulder as the squire quickly rode out, bareback, to the Royal Forest where Kalen had last been seen, a few months back.
A few hours later found Midori stumbling through the Royal Forest, tears falling from her eyes, calling out his name. She felt the token of the hawk grow warmer the closer she got and finally she found him, gasping and choking on breath and muttering, "The gods don't set your life down lightly…Midori is that you?"
She found herself crying with joy as she helped him to sit up, "Yes! Yes it's me." Midori leaned against him, sobbing into his shoulder but not caring if anyone thought her strange.
"It was the strangest thing, love. I was brought to the gods and they told me I could go back…they gave me a few days to decide and I chose life…and this is where I found myself."
Midori laughed despite herself, "I'm glad you're back."
"Now, what's happened?"
Midori told him of all that had happened since his 'death' and as she finished he smiled, "I'm not missing your birthday, even though I've already missed it." Chuckling, he kissed her, slowly and passionately.
Nicole just rolled her eyes and left to give the couple privacy, hoping they wouldn't go too far…