My King

Chapter Five

The green blue of the satin dress contrasted darkly with the mare's pure white coat. The folds of fabric fell down either side, over her riding boots and spread out almost to the horse's tail; only the best to parade out of the city in.

Eada hadn't wanted to make a big affair out of leaving Tara, but Saila had insisted. If there was anything he liked as much as controlling things, it was drama. He had played on emotions until the end, making sure she would be beautifully arrayed when she left; surrounded by the soldiers in a silent, somber display of her sacrifice.

She hated every minute of it; the people staring out of doorways and windows with sad eyes, the greenish cobblestones that rang with the sound of horses' hooves, and the sky above that had chosen that day to refuse the world sunshine. She couldn't quite hate the people, though part of her did for believing her brother's lies.

The empress looked ahead with her face slightly downward, finding the mare's ears fascinating to keep from actually seeing those who were watching her. There was sorrow and awe in their features that she didn't want to see. She had been made into a heroine; though unwilling, that was how the people saw her.

The party rode in silence except for the occasional snort of a horse  and the echo of their walking. The captain rode in the front, leading the way, with a guard of ten soldiers to surround and protect the empress and her ladies. Following them were the two wagons of gifts for the king, each with their own guard.

Eada's hair was unadorned except for a tiara on her brow, golden with a single blue stone in the middle. The jewel matched her dress, and her dress matched her eyes. The eyes that her mother had told her were the eyes of Tria, but now she had to leave.

But of course it was all for show. That evening the tiara would be taken off and put in a box in the wagon for safekeeping. The same would happen to the dress. All would be put away until the crossing of the border and the entry into Jrell, the Vasdan capital. But she didn't want to think that far ahead. By then things would be spinning far out of her control. Into where and whose control, she didn't know. She didn't want to think about it either.

The wide road came into view; the very last stretch of the city. Beyond was the countryside they would ride through to reach the border. Soldiers stood at attention on either side of the road, watching with guarded interest as the party rode past them.

The cobblestone road faded into dirt after an hour of riding. By then Eada was sore, unused to so much time in the saddle, but she didn't mention anything. They still had a long way to go. All of Tria had yet to be traversed, and then the swamp had to be crossed. They would still be far from Jrell by that time, but for the rest of the journey the only protection the empress would have was the Vasdan soldiers that were to meet her at the border.

The empress let out an inaudible sigh. The whole company was silent; no one knew what to say and no one thought they should say anything. Eada only hoped the feeling wouldn't last. That was when Bryli urged her horse forward to ride beside her.

"Are you alright, m'lady?" she asked quietly.

"Of course," Eada replied,  her a light smile.

"You've been awfully quiet," Bryli continued as Leis joined them. "A horse's ears can't be very interesting."

Eada chuckled. "No, they aren't," she agreed. Bryli let herself smile back, satisfied at having gotten a laugh out of her empress.

"I thought soldiers were more exciting than this," Leis complained after they had both fallen silent again. "But they're just like statues on real horses."

Though she was talking in a whisper, Bryli still glanced around with a roll of her eyes. "Do you forget the reason we're here?" she asked, her eyes alighting on a specific soldier then quickly glancing away. "This isn't exactly something you go dancing to."