How long did it take to ask a question? Elric should have been back by now. Vera swore under her breath. If she’d squeezed into this contraption for no reason, she might knock the prince unconscious this time.
Not to mention the pins she’d had to shove in her hair were biting into her scalp. She’d painstakingly styled her hair into two plaits wound around her head like a crown, accentuating her facial structure. She’d pulled loose a few small curls in front of both ears and made sure there was nothing about her that screamed Varian.
She was just about to risk venturing out to peek at the preparing party when Elric finally appeared. She studied his expression, but she couldn’t tell whether he was about to deliver good news or bad news. Like the frustrating brute he could often be, he made her stew in silence for several agonizing moments before finally taking pity on her. He nodded to the side, towards the others, and turned without waiting to see if she’d follow.
Vera momentarily considered jumping up and down, but she was overtaken by a wave of nerves that halted her limbs. She was leaving the city, with the Crown Prince of all people. This was insane. She was insane. But she certainly wouldn’t turn back now.
She followed the path Elric had taken to the stables, where the party was finishing up the last of their preparations. As she waited slightly off to the side, she was pleased to discover she’d be given her own horse.
She was about to thank Elric when he ruined the moment by reminding her to stay silent unless spoken to and not draw any unnecessary attention to herself. His look was sharper than a freshly worked blade.
Rolling her eyes, she said, “I’m not pretending you know. I am an actual woman. I know how to act.”
He laughed—literally laughed in her face—and said, “Sure.”
She glared at him, silently promising pain, but he just continued to laugh as if her reaction only further proved his point.
She followed him to the back of the group, where a stable boy led two unclaimed horses. Both mares were brown, although the slightly larger one was a soft chestnut color while the smaller had a sleeker, darker coat.
Circling the darker mare, she patted her and uttered sweet words. She hadn’t ridden a horse in years, and even then, she’d only done it a handful of times to market with Elric. She certainly wasn’t experienced, but she felt confident in her memory enough to not make a complete fool of herself.
Luckily for her, a woman of her background wouldn’t be expected to be an excellent rider anyway. If she fell off, she doubted they’d be all that surprised.
Thankfully, her luck held out. She grabbed the saddle and successfully hoisted herself up onto the mare in one quick movement, even in the awful dress. She stood in the stirrups and bunched the annoying skirts around her before sitting and clutching the reins.
She gave the beast another soft pat and decided to call her Umber. Smiling to herself, she turned her head to find Elric and several guards staring at her.
Her smile slipped into a frown as she looked down at herself to see what had caught their attention. Double-checking the tight bodice hadn’t ripped—or something equally appalling—she popped her head up and snapped, “What?”
Elric just shook his head, mumbling under his breath, and turned his chestnut mare away. One of the guards, a man with flawless, brown skin and closely shaved black hair, flicked his gaze at her legs and cleared his throat before saying, “It’s just…uncommon to see a lady ride astride.”
He made a small croaking sound, and she had the feeling he was trying to restrain a laugh. His mask may have obscured his face, but his brown eyes sparkled with obvious humor.
She probably should have apologized and feigned ignorance, but she found herself locking eyes with him instead. She wasn’t ignorant, and she sure wouldn’t pretend to be just because her spread legs flustered their delicate, masculine sensibilities. Elric was right, she had no idea how to act properly.
“Any man who expects a woman to ride side-saddle the entire trip to Midpath is a fool.”
Vera looked him up and down with the iciest expression she could muster before facing straight ahead. She held her head high as she urged Umber forward, but not before catching a glimmer of surprise enter the guard’s warm eyes.
∞∞∞
They disembarked soon after, not wanting to waste precious daylight. As long as they didn’t encounter any hiccups along the way, they would reach the town of Kilmire by nightfall and, hopefully, have hot food and warm beds waiting at the inn.
She’d caught sight of Prince Eithan a few times throughout the morning, but he’d dressed as a city guard for safety precautions, so she had to actively search to find him.
She scolded herself every time she caught herself looking. Her fear was irrational and pointless. He wasn’t going to recognize her. He hadn’t even so much as acknowledged her presence.
Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she was painfully aware of Elric regularly glancing back at her. He rode slightly ahead, talking to a few of the guards. Prince Eithan had brought twelve in total. Three trailed behind Vera, and the rest rode ahead, either next to the prince or right behind him.
She let her head fall back and closed her eyes, enjoying the simple pleasure of being outside during the day. There wasn’t much to see besides the beginning of the Lakewood Forest, but it was rare for her to experience the sun on her face, and she couldn’t help but be inexplicably happy about it.
“It’s a beautiful day for travel,” a voice said from directly next to her. Startled, her eyes flew open, and she had to grip the reins tightly to keep herself steady. If she’d been riding side-saddle, she’d have fallen face first on the road.
She glanced over to see the guard from earlier looking at her. Readjusting her posture, she lifted her chin in a slight nod before facing forward again.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Name’s Trey Gibson.”
He had a chipper voice with a mild accent common for southern citizens. If she had to guess, she’d say he hailed from Southterres. His eyes were warm and inviting, and he was tapping his fingers rhythmically on the pommel of his saddle.
She didn’t recognize him, but she also didn’t recognize any of the other men either. The prince clearly had a private training yard for his personal guards.
“It’s fine. I was just lost in thought.” She paused, unsure if she should introduce herself or not. Elric had forbidden her from talking unless spoken to, and Trey had approached her, so technically she wasn’t breaking the rules. “I’m Vera.”
His eyes crinkled, telling her he was smiling beneath his mask. Vera found herself wishing he could remove it so she could see his face. She had a feeling he was one of those people that had a contagious smile.
“So, you’re Lesta’s ward?”
She nodded. Hoping to steer the conversation away from herself she asked, “How long have you been part of the prince’s guard?”
“I moved to the capital and enlisted as soon as I was of age, but I’ve been a member of Prince Eithan’s personal guard for about three years.”