As it turned out, they did not have to share a horse again—not that Kyra had partially wished they would or anything. Also, the Diente and Naga of the Serpiente would be traveling alone with Charis staying behind to act in their place. This was decided as an attempt to provoke as little of the Avian people's wrath by bringing snakes into their home as possible.
It was unlikely that Nacola had informed the public who exactly she'd forced her eldest daughter to marry since what had taken place at the Mistari palace was supposed to have been top secret. Many probably assumed that Kyra had been essentially sold off to some noble's eldest son in the name of peace. Since Zane was such a feared character in Avian mythology, none would think their Tuuli Thea capable of giving away Kyra's hand to him. None would expect to see their heir—since they wouldn't know Zane had taken his parents' throne now—of the Cobriana line in the Hawk's Keep.
"Kyra?" Zane called.
Snapping out of her thoughts, the eagle realized that she'd slowed down the pace of her horse while lost in her mind. "Yeah?"
"Are you alright?" he asked as she brought her horse back up next to his.
"Yeah, just thinking about how people are going to react to you," she explained. "They already don't like me, but they have to respect me because of who I am. You . . . I doubt they're going to like you being there."
"I can try to dress more to your people's customs if—"
"No," Kyra interrupted bluntly. "This whole thing is about acceptance and putting this damned war behind us. Forcing you to conform to please them is completely counterproductive to that."
He nodded in understanding. "I know that, but if you are worried—"
She cut him off again. "No, Zane. I am worried but this is too important. If anything, I will dress like your people—"
"Our people," he corrected with a smirk.
Kyra sighed a short chuckle. "Our people. If anything, I will dress like our people to symbolize acceptance."
"Just one problem with that, Kyra. Well, actually two problems. If your do that, it will look like I've forced you to conform to us, and with your looks . . . Don't take this badly, because it is nothing but a compliment coming from me, you look like one of us."
"That is a compliment to me, Zane, especially given my history with my own people," Kyra assured him. "But you are right. Perhaps the best way to make this point would be for us to switch styles. I'll wear clothes of Serpiente design while you do the same with Avian."
"This should be rather interesting, then."
The sight of the weak smile he was flashing her—yes, sight, she'd taken off that damned circlet as soon as they'd been out of sight of the perimeter guards—made her return the gesture. They'd barely had any time to act fully since the strange armistice they'd formed, and yet they were already plotting ways to get the people to accept the other culture, something neither red-eyed shapeshifter had ever thought they'd live to see.
The moment of realization was broken, however, when Kyra's eagle-sharp eyesight honed in on the horses approaching them from directly ahead. "Zane, time to tether my horse to yours. The Royal Flight is approaching to escort us the rest of the way."
The slightly pained look on his face as she covered her eyes once more did not escape her notice. Sadly, Kyra could do nothing to soothe him since the Flight was about to reach them.
Right on cue, a male voice shouted, "Who approaches?"
"Kyra Shardae and Zane Cobriana!" Kyra replied strongly. "Rei, is that you?" she asked after a few moments to allow them to get within normal speaking range.
"Yeah, Dany wanted me to come get you two myself. Sir," he greeted Zane respectfully. He may have been a prime example of Avian culture, but he knew to be respectful to the Diente. He'd actually been one of the few that'd always been kind to Kyra, too, just like how Danica had been the only sibling that actually liked her. "If the two of you will follow me, I'll escort you through a backway to keep everyone quiet tonight."
"Thank you," Zane said politely.
"If it's not too personal of me to ask," Rei started, "how have you been since Nacola made us leave you in Mistari lands?"
"It's fine, Rei. I've actually been . . . really good since getting away from here. The Serpiente people are so interesting."
Zane smiled at her tone because Kyra was openly showing emotion without thinking about it for once. Rei, on the other hand, looked rather surprised at the development. It seemed that only a few days in the den of snakes was enough to get her to open up.
"It hasn't hurt that Zane is such a good man. So different than the myths described him."
"Thank you, Kyra," the cobra breathed. "I've been trying to make sure she feels at home," he explained to Rei. "It was my idea to have the peace talks, so I want to make sure they work."
"Good," Rei emphasized. "I wish Nacola hadn't gone about it the way she did, but if you make her happy and this war stays ended, I am glad. She deserves more than being locked away. Maybe you guys could even find out more about her bloodline."
"Rei, you're using my interests against me, and I don't appreciate it," Kyra complained.
Zane smirked. "The palace does have a rather extensive history of our kinds . . ." he mused. "They might have something."
"Both of you suck," Kyra grumbled.
The cobra openly laughed while Rei wore a mildly amused expression, not that the eagle could see it. She had to smile at the sound, at the very least.
"This is what it's supposed to be like," she announced. "Forget war and hatred. We're having a normal conversation with a man who was the boogeyman all of our lives, an upstanding Avian citizen, and the outcast freak of the royal family."
"Hopefully this will be the norm soon," Zane breathed. "I am tired of watching people die for reasons we can't even remember."
"It will be," shockingly, it was Rei who promised this. "Even if I have to commit treason," which was a rather surprising proclamation for someone such as him, "I will do anything I can to keep this peace."
They'd reached the tall building that was the Hawk's Keep, and were now climbing the servants' stairs to Kyra's old suite. They took this route for a couple reasons: Zane couldn't bloody well fly, and Kyra's true second form was still a secret from the general public.
After some quick farewells to their escort at the door to Kyra's room—since it would've been wildly inappropriate by Avian standards for an unmated man to enter the suite of a mated woman—the royal couple was left alone to fend for themselves. Once more, they were informed that there had been food left for them inside. This time, they were also informed that neither was supposed to leave the suite until morning to keep what could easily turn into panic from the Avian populous to a minimum.
Author's Note: I'm thinking about adding a couple chapters at the beginning of this story that takes place before the meeting at the Mistari palace that'll show Kyra interacting with her family and stuff. What do you guys think?