Alorne ✔️

Chapter 39

"Alright, if I understand correctly. You want to change the rules when you ascend to the throne and let men and women fight in your army?" I shake my head at Fawnaya's idea. "Then who will prevent your city from collapsing? Who will make sure the children will be fed? The sick to be cared for?"

Fawn looks at me with a scowl on her face. "You just had to kill my idea didn't you? Shoot my reign down before it even began." She sighs, "but you have a point. As always. Teaching you how you fight is so much easier than learning how to rule a country."

"That is only because you do not know the way things are supposed to go. The advisors are rusty old people. They are afraid of change. They do not even want to have a woman on the throne without a husband to overrule their every decision. Sadly, that is just the way things go." 

We have been riding for most of the day by now. Fawn and I discuss the various topics a queen must know about before making choices. How to behave when in the company of noblemen and other high ranked links in society. So far, we have only established one strong opinion where we both loathe the current view on women. Weak and only good for creating offspring.

It will take us at least another few days to reach the Cuceran border. But instead of going right through it we have decided to go around it and cut off a significant part of our journey by taking the road across the Deep Meadow. It's risky because we could be seen by the guards of Cucera which are, no doubt, still looking for us. Reinhard and Belethrorn ride in front of us. Since I scarred his face he keeps his distance from me and I am fine with that.

We pass a few lonely homesteads along the way until we reach the edge of the forest, marking the end of the Deep Meadow. In the distance, I spot an old castle on the cliffs. "What do you think that is?" I ask Fawnaya curiously.

She leans forward. Squinting her eyes. "A castle." 

"That is the Merillian," Belethrorn answers our question. He halts Reinhard until we catch up. "That used to be the number one school for people like me until it got attacked. You heard the story. Now we have to hurry. These are Cuceran woods we are about to enter and I don't like to stay here for much longer." He wastes no time and urges Reinhard to move again. 

The scars on his face make me feel guilty. I did that to him and he will have to walk around with it for the rest of his life. I shake the feeling away, he deserved it. We ride into Cuceran territory. Deep in de forest, we come across a T-junction. I see the remnants of a signpost. I take the compass from my pocket and open it. The needle points south-east. 

"Left, we have to follow the road to the left," I inform Belethrorn. He nods and takes a left without a further word. I sigh heavily whilst tucking the compass away. 

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know what happened Fawn, One day we meet him as a friendly life-saving stranger and we become great friends. Then he starts to act all weird ever since he and Beorn are a couple-ish. Now, I don't know what we are. Are we still friends that got each-others back? Can I still trust him?" I send her a pained smile. I have no idea what we are supposed to be. If I can trust him. Why can't he use his magic? 

"I get it Arwyn. But you have to remember, you are not the only one that lost someone important in those mountains. He lost his lover, you lost your best friend. Those are both really hard losses."

I groan and throw my head back. "You're right. Why do you always have to be right?" I answer whispering the last part to myself. "I'll talk to him." I ride Rochelle forward until I am next to Belethrorn, leaving Fawnaya behind to follow. 

"I am sorry for what I did to your face," I start. "I feel terrible for it." Belethrorn looks at me in the corner of his eyes. 

"It is a little late for apologies now isn't it?"