Gardens of Ash

Chapter 5

As I ride through the villages and into the hills, people wave, bow, and offer me pathetic gifts in return for my empathy. I don't accept any of it. Instead, I ride on my horse~ whom I have a connection with that's unexplainable, keep my head held as high as possible, posture upright, and speed as swift as Umbra can muster.

I pull the reins to bring Umbra to a stop. I take a look at my map. We're in unregulated territory. Anything could happen to me here... and it would be perfectly fine. I wield no power in this territory, except for my shadows~ who have decided they'd try to kill me today. Pathetic. But it's alright because we're about three hours away from Korgon. I've been riding for seven hours already.

I snap the reins and keep riding through the dead grass fields and uneven hills and valleys. My legs ache. My arms ache. My neck aches. Everything aches. Why did I choose to run? I've never run before. Why now? Maybe I'm the pathetic, idiotic, coward who can't seem to handle an issue without drawing blood from a body that's not mine. We all have some bit of cowardice within us, whether we admit to it or not.

Right now, mine has never been louder.

This terrain isn't easy for Umbra to run through so we have to move slower. I hear the rushing gusts of wind, I smell the dead earth below me, and I see the greyish shade of the clouds.

It's been almost three hours and I figured this out because I see the castle of Korgon far off in my view. The castle is almost as big as mine. However, their castle walls are pathetic. They're made of the weakest-looking stone possible, there are only three guards stationed in front of the wall's doors, and the ground in front of the walls is pure dirt. Dirt is easy to dig. Easy to dig, means easy to break in. I would tell Arwan about this but I'd like to see how it eventually plays out.

I'm a few feet from the castle. The marigolds in the front are, no doubt, stunning.

The guards stand up straighter at my arrival. I gracefully hop off Umbra and dust off my legs. Before the guards can speak I hold my hand up to stop them, "Hello, I have no interest in conversing with either of you. I have come here to speak with King Arwan. I am Queen Lilith of Asmen. May I get through now or am I going to have to force my way through?"

They stand up even straighter, lock eyes with one another, lower their hands from their swords, and open the doors.

The castle stands tall in front of me. Asmen's castle is a dark grey stone, and Korgon's castle is a white-washed grey stone. Flowers border all sides of the castle. There are roses, lilies, daisies, poppies, and even more marigolds. It's beautiful.

I lead Umbra in with my hand on his side and he follows me through the doors. I hear the doors slam shut behind us, and nothing but the palace stands before us.

I lift my hand to knock on the doors but before I can do so, I hear a loud creek and the left door opens. I see a figure emerge from the darkness behind the door. This is when I realize, it's a man. This is when I realize, it's Arwan.