"I think you are the real warrior here, my Lady" Daemon stroked her cheek with his free hand and her swollen lip with his thumb.
The invitation to the wedding of Princess Rhaenyra makes Aruna travel to King's Landing with her family. Old friendships...
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Adrik had been right. The north was much further away than she had thought and the closer they came the colder it got. The road became longer and longer for the two girls and Aruna got the feeling that she would never arrive.
They hardly took any breaks and the three guards took turns, but it was not fast enough for Aruna. They had been traveling for three weeks now and she was tired of traveling. She finally needed an answer from Brandon about whether the trip was worth it. Slowly she could understand him more and more.
At some point she didn't get back into the carriage at a stop. She tightened her cloak and persuaded one of the guards to give him his horse. Aruna had to use all her powers of persuasion and she had to swear to the guard Ivar never to tell the queen about it.
Aruna gratefully took the reins and climbed safely into the saddle. In Highgarden she had almost ridden a horse more than she had walked on two legs. She had more than missed the feeling of being high up on a horse.
She did not wait for the carriage and quickly spurred the horse into a sprint. Erik, one of the other guards, had a hard time keeping up with the lady and so the two of them had quickly outrun the carriage with Ivar, Carlo and the maid Nia.
Aruna's only focus was the road and the wind, which was also getting cooler. It was a new and unfamiliar feeling, but she enjoyed every breeze and longed for more. Although she was freezing, she didn't care.
Day and night they rode along the old King's Path until, after days, they saw the first sign of life from other people.
Aruna and Erik had tied their horses to a tree when they saw smoke signals from far away. At first Erik wanted to turn back, but Aruna insisted on stopping. It was unusual to be the person with the higher position and therefore in charge.
But she liked this feeling of power. In the last weeks she had gotten to know her companions and she really liked the four of them. Nia was very intelligent and skilled with her hands. She had been sewing for most of the trip and Aruna was sure she was doing the same at this moment. The boys, on the other hand, acted like a gang of brothers. They had already known each other for many years and knew how to make each other laugh or make each other furious.
Erik went forward and stood protectively with his sword in front of Aruna. They slowly walked closer to the smoke and Erik gave his lady one of his swords. It was a light short sword and nestled well in her hand.
It was just like riding a horse, a thing she had not done since arriving in King's Landing. Earlier in Highgarden, she had often engaged in sword fights with her brother Adrik. She had never been very successful, but Adrik had deliberately let her win a few times.
