Disclaimer: I own nothing, and only borrowed these characters for a little while.
Taybur Sibigat watched the Queen of the Copper Isles ride swiftly, but cautiously, down the road, the distance between the two of them and their wagon party becoming further and further with each stride. The Queen was a competent rider and riding just behind her, Taybur appreciated her form.
With his attention otherwise diverted in that second that he dropped his guard long enough to make a forbidden thought, he was ill prepared for when the quiet road was suddenly overrun with men.
In the instant it took him to draw his sword, he identified six mercenary-types, all well-armed as they made a circle around them. His eyes deviated from the men long enough to check upon his charge, Queen Dovasary sitting still upon her horse.
His heart dropped when she fell from her horse to the ground, landing with a soft thump. Wondering that he had missed the twang of a bow and arrow or a projectile through the air, he instantly leaped from his saddle and knelt down next to Dove. Running his hands over her body checking for injuries, he heard the first mutterings around him.
His confusion at finding no wound was compounded when his eyes found hers and she actually winked at him. He only had a second to think about what she was doing before she leaped up from the ground and stood in the centre of the circle, looking at each mercenary in turn.
His respect for her rose several notches when she pegged the leader – a well built man with a bald head and long beard – and looked him straight in the eye. "So what did you think?"
Taybur hid his grin as the leader eyed the young woman warily, as if trying to determine what this all meant. "Just who are you?"
"It's not so much who we are, but what we do," replied Dove nonchalantly, transferring her weight to one leg as she crossed her arms over her chest. Recognising Aly in that pose, Taybur thanked the Gods for the Spymistress teaching the young woman all she knew. "And what we do is not unlike what you do," she continued. "Except with a bit more class."
The leader wasn't convinced yet. "What of the fine clothes you're wearing? And those horses?" pressed the man gruffly. "They sure as hell ain't commoner."
"How do you think we earn our living?" said Dove deceptively sweetly. "This is royal attire."
The man blanked dumbly. Even though his Queen was doing a mighty fine job of getting them out of this mess, Taybur kept an eye on the other men, still with their weapons raised.
"I was a maid to the Queen," added Dove, the last titbit of information to push her case. "The Queen's doing a tour of the country. She didn't miss when I, ah, acquired piece or two and then slipped away in the night."
Taybur held his breath, thinking that perhaps they might just get out of here in one piece. The man was instantly suspicious as he narrowed his eyes. "This place doesn't have a Queen. It's got a Rittevon King."
"Not anymore," replied Dove demurely. "Copper Isles has a Queen."
The leader roared out loud in laughter. "They're letting women in now?"
Taybur spared a glance at the Queen. To anyone else she looked serene and calm, but he had been at her side for the past two years and he knew her facial expressions better than most. The man's comment had stung her, but at the same time, it had been the one that broke the ice.
"Welcome aboard," the leader announced loudly. "I'm Reyes of Long Wheel and you'll do well with us."
Taybur knew that the next words out of the young Queen's mouth would be an attempt to sweet talk their way into departing now, but he knew these types better than she did and gently pressed his elbow into her arm, shaking his head slightly when she turned to him. They would do better to accept their hospitality for the night.
Dove correctly interpreted his actions and nodded his in direction. "I'm Sary," she offered briefly. "And this is Gat." Reyes noted the lack of origins with a laugh and ordered them to join them for supper, an order that Taybur knew was actually an invitation to join their gang of mercenaries.
"You're pretty enough to be of use," leered Reyes at Dove, "and this fella here looks handy with a sword." Taybur ignored the barb as he stepped up to Dove's side and followed the solid man down a hidden path, away from the road as the other mercenaries followed with their horses, the last man covering up their tracks.
They traded their royal attire for 'commoner' clothing, willingly giving up the rich clothing to the mercenary horde. They managed to get through supper, both deflecting personal questions with an ease of long term undercover spies as they sat around the fire. When only embers remained simmering and the leader rose, the other men – eight in total – slipped into the darkness. As Reyes made a movement toward his Queen, Taybur felt Dove inch closer toward him on the log.
The intention was clear in the mercenary's eyes and Taybur wrapped his arm around the young woman close beside him. Thrusting his chin out, he eyed the lusting man as he took possession. "We're man and wife," he said in a clear voice.
He felt Dove's shoulders tense at his declaration but refused to look down at her as he maintained his gaze, a battle of wills between the two men. Reyes finally gave in with a disappointed shrug. "You'll find a pallet that way," he said in an offhanded manner before he slipped into the trees.
There was indeed a pallet in the general direction indicated. A single pallet, designed to sleep a man, and most certainly not two people.
Not putting it above Reyes to send one of his night sentries to check that they were actually man and wife sharing a pallet, Taybur knelt down. Drawing back the blanket, he laid down on the pallet. Looking up in the dull light, he lifted up his hand for Dove to follow. She paused a moment before she did so. It was a narrow pallet and it was inevitable that their bodies touched.
Holding his body taut, struggling to keep as much distance between them as possible, Taybur spoke softly in the still of the night. "I'll get us out of here," he promised, whispering into her ear.
Her reply was equally soft and equally determined. "I'm thinking of a plan myself."
He smiled in the dark before speaking again. "I apologise for this husband and wife situation. It was the only way that I could keep you safe and near me."
Dove didn't reply. She wasn't entirely sure about "safe". Especially in the vicinity of him.
Next chapter:
In the morning.