"Let me guess " Raven Alistair looked down at the blue eyed man from the lofty perch on his black mare. "Missy dont know how to ride a horse"
River, who had spent nearly 19 years in house arrest ,indeed had no clue how to ride a horse. The animal, named Darcy ,was tall and intimidating . It was neighing loudly and kicking its legs ,appearantly in disapproval of River. Quite honestly, he didnt like Darcy either.
River had spent three days in bed , resting and studying the books Aithan had brought him. There was a diverse array of volumes on historical languages, culture and politics.
After much debate between the brothers, it was decided that Aithan Alistair would travel back to Capital Sandgill. There were mountains of missives and documemts piling up at Azure Fort office that Aithan needed to sort, examine and stamp. If he were to stay two more days away from his duties , entire economical infrastructure of South would undoubtedly collapse.
The idea of having to travel alone with Raven Alistair for the foreseeable fufure filled River with existential dread. He agreed , simply because he was not given an option. But there was no telling how well they would get along without Aithan there to smooth things over.
Aithan helped him pack his things, checked his injuries and changed the dressing the morning they set out. He then took River's palm and turned it over. A bright light flooded River's vision and he felt a slight burning sensation on his hand.
"If you ever find yourself in trouble ," he said, pointing at the black sigil of a serpant coiling around his fourth finger. "Release the seal . Ill come find you"
River looked up at him, eyes wide with gratitude. They had only known each other for a few short days but Aithan had been nothing but kind to him. He reminded him of Valour in more than one way.
"Stay close to His Majesty" he adviced. "Dont hesitate to impliment physical
force on him ,if he acts out of line"
Are you seriously giving me permission to beat your King?
They were supposed to commute on horseback. Three horses were prepared, but River now stood awkwardly at side, clueless on how to mount it without giving himself another eight stitches. Southern king cackled at his despair making River consider the idea of pulling him off his mare.
Aithan walked over and held Darcy's reigns.
"If he cant , let him ride with you " He said.
Id rather pay the horse to kick me off its back and run me over.
Raven made a face .
"That's hardly appropriate Lord Ai-"
Aithan slid his hands under River's arms , lifted him like he weighed nothing and sat him on the straddle behind Raven.
I do not consent to this!
"Hold on tight" he patted River's leg. "Depart at once," He bowed to Raven "Your Majesty"
"Im counting on you,Aithan " Raven gave him a very rare genuine smile "Be safe "
He gave Darcy a kick on her side and they galloped away .
* * * * * *
" Are you fucking sure that flimsy thing is working?" Raven grunted.
They have traveled westward all day, only stopping for a short break around noon. Dusk had fallen around them but the pointer of the compass still refused to budge from its stubborn position.
"We will reach boarders soon" Raven commented " Then it will be Wedigo's territory "
"Its still pointing to West My Lord " River was holding on for his dear life on the horse, compass in one hand , fingers of the other digging in to the cantle to stop himself from slipping off to oblivion.
They kept galloping in silence after that,like they did for most part of their journey.
Soon the night fell. They rode in the dark ,only having the cresent moon hanging above them to illuminate their path. The landscapes had changed as they moved inland from coast, rocky and sandy expanses domineering the scenery.
The nights in the East was bone chilling while the days were hotter than hell itself. River shivered on horseback , his breaths coming out in small puffs . Raven did not seemed to be affected at all by the cold night air. In fact his back was so warm that River had to resist nuzzling against him.
Under the cloak of night ,the soft glows emanating from street lamps came to their view. Soon they found themselves at the gates of Sovereign Cross ,the military check point on South -East boarder.
Raven snapped the reigns and Darcy came to a stop in front of the check point. A soldier came running from inside the barrack , sword in hand.
"Who goes there ?" He questioned, his accent so thick that River almost didnt catch it.
"Raven Alistair," Raven replied ,not bothering to get off his mare. "King of South"
The soldier stood there for a minute , feeling bamboozled. He scrutinized Raven's face as if he doubted the credibility of his claim.
"Keep me waiting and this will be the shape of your next bruise" Raven held up his hand , the Southern Ring glinting on his left fourth finger.
Poor soldier blanched and bowed down , blurting an apology before running back inside. Seconds later the giant wooden gate opened with a roar and the majestic black mare trotted in, taking them to Malia, the capital of East , on her back.
* * * * * * *
River read the menu from top to bottom once more.
After finding a place to stay the night , Raven wanted to go out to try Easterm cuisine. River wanted nothing but to crash face first and sleep ,finally giving his rear and lower back a much deserved break. But he also wanted to make the most of this trip to Malia. Who knows when he will ever be able to travel East lands again?
So River tagged behind the King, who immediately forgot his existence the minute they stepped on to the city square. He was once again running on his feet, trying to keep up with Raven ,giving him deja vu.
River found people of the East incredibly fascinating. They threw their hands around a lot when they spoke and went from one expression to another so fast that it was quite entertaining to watch. Malians spoke loudly and swiftly , enunciating their "ra" ,"ka" and "ta" sounds, which River thought sounded quite silly.
He felt so out of place in his plain black clothes. Everyone around him wore vivid colours and bold patterns.
Women wore dangling earrings, jingling anklets and multiple necklaces made of beads ,metals and even clay.
They all hollered and scurried , going about their business, not bothered by the cold at all. The atmosphere was lively and bright, even though it was probably close to midnight.
Raven took them to a restaurant at the side of the street and the place was thankfully not overcrowded. Small groups of towns people were sitting , dining and chatting away loudly.
A young girl came and handed them what River caught to be a "menu". It appearantly listed all the food items and drinks available at the place from which they could pick their dish of choice.
River found that he wasnt familiar with any of the dishes , at all.
Northners, if they made a dish which had chicken as the key ingredient, would name it something like " Chicken stew" or "Herb chicken ". Even if you had never tried the dish , name would give you a rough idea on what's in it.
Now tell me what the fuck is a Garrison Bliss?
The names were so ridiculous that River did a double take on some. Edible Excellence ? Tongue Burner? Dancing Pillar?
"Im afraid I dont know any of these dishes My Lord" River put down the menu and exhaled "Ill have whatever my Lord is having?"
Raven Alistair glanced over the parchment. "So two jugs of Bard's Love wine and a Devil's Foot pie? "
"What's in the pie ?"
"Seasoned ant eggs"
Is that fucking edible?
" Ill take that, minus the wine " River exhaled , cementing his resolution.
Raven glared at him "If you dont finish it and waste my coin, Ill pull out all your teeth"
River nodded "Ill finish it "
"Ill pull them out if you eat it all and throw up on way back, too "
River was stumped.
"If you dont like it, just say it, why are you being so fucking difficult ?" Raven called the waitress over and after some questioning ordered a whole deep fried goose and wine for both of them.
"I heard some news from North" Raven stated while they waited for the food.
River tilted his head.
"They executed someone yesterday " Raven said. " A blind servant from Arcton Palace"
Author has something to say
I didnt updated yesterday , im sorry. Thank you for waiting !
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River - *putting down his book * Did you know that Tomato is a fruit?
Raven - No ,the fuck its not !
River - It is
Raven - No
River - It is ,tho.
Raven - So you'd put tomato in a fruit salad?
River -.. .....
Raven - So tomato soup is a smoothie?
River - I hate you
Today
"Is tomato a fruit?"