Dawn of Destiny (The Warrior Angels Trilogy - Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ashton could not decide what had his heart beating faster: the fact he was here and about to be introduced to a village full of strangers or the way Beatrice protectively held onto his arm and smiled at him every time they locked eyes.

It could have been both, but he leaned more toward the latter.

He wanted to thank her again for being so thoughtful about bringing those herbs for Mayra's mother. Not even he had considered any of the ingredients his mother would use in her old remedies. Of course, he had his own remedy, but bringing medicines would easily explain why Mayra's mother suddenly felt better if his healing proved successful.

But you had not bothered thinking that far, had you?

"Everyone!" Mayra bellowed, clasping her hands together in front of her. Their eyes fell attentively on her, which astonished Ashton. Although she was vastly younger than all of them, these people looked to Mayra as some sort of leader.

"We got some real special visitors today!" she turned to Beatrice first with a wide grin. "One of 'em includes Her Highness, Princess Beatrice!"

Murmurs erupted from the crowd. Ashton felt his throat thicken a little until he noticed them smiling and bowing in the most inelegant way he had ever witnessed. It was not like they had to grow up learning proper palace manners, though. The best they probably knew was that they had to bow in the presence of a royal.

"She came along with Ashton," Mayra continued, moving to stand beside him. "Y'all heard me speak endlessly 'bout Ashton, I know. Now he's here! He and Her Highness came to see my ma."

This further excited the crowd. Ashton even saw some of them glancing toward Beatrice with adoration in their eyes. He smiled at that.

"I'll take you to her now," Mayra said, leaning into him. "She should be wakin' up from her nap."

Ashton took a deep breath and nodded. He started to follow her. Beatrice kept up with him. As they passed the crowd, the villagers thanked her for coming. He thought he heard someone mention that they were surprised she was here. Judging by the twitch of her eyebrows, she had caught that as well.

Mayra lived in the brick and wooden building at the end of the rows with a stone foundation. Though it appeared quite wide, the inside was cramped with only two rooms separating the kitchen from the bedroom. Mayra walked ahead and poked her head into the room.

"Awake yet, Ma?" she slipped inside, leaving Ashton and Beatrice by the front door.

Beatrice glanced around, releasing Ashton's arm to fold both of hers across her chest. He couldn't decipher what she was possibly thinking. They waited there in silence and able to clearly hear Mayra speaking to her mother and her mother's mumbled responses.

"This is dreary," Beatrice whispered, an uneasy shift forming in her otherwise neutral expression.

Ashton frowned, yearning to offer words of comfort, except Mayra exited the room just then and approached them. He swallowed hard, mustering a faint smile for her. Mayra signaled for them to join her. Ashton allowed Beatrice to go first, yet she refused and stepped back. So, he went ahead, and she followed closely behind.

Ashton kept his eyes on Mayra until he had no choice but to peer inside the tiny room. On the wooden bed, tangled in wool blankets, was a frail woman who shared the same shade of red hair as Mayra. Beatrice covered her mouth and looked away and he couldn't blame her. The woman's face looked sunken and what he could see of her collarbones were dangerously protruding. He nearly grimaced.

"Mama, this is Ashton," said Mayra, gesturing to him.

Ashton awkwardly raised his hand and waved.

"And this is Princess Beatrice," Mayra went on.