Page 23

We had stopped for lunch earlier in the afternoon, the wolves leading the way forcing us to keep a fast pace. Now, my stomach growled as I watched the sun dip lower into the sky, changing from a bright blue to different shades of orange and pink. The sight brought a small grin to my face.

Not only was I hungry at this point in the day, I was also tired. My wings were beginning to ache, and my shoulder blades strained from the effort of flying for an entire day. I’d never trained as Dimitri had, learning to fly for such long distances.

Maybe I should have.

I looked down just in time to see Rayven pointing towards our left, and following his direction, I could make out a small town in the distance, not too far off.

I took the liberty of assuming this was Diorum, where they had told me at lunch we’d be resting for the night.

Ezra had also mentioned it was completely out of our way, but that this is the route that the late king and queen had taken to get to their family cabin, so it was tradition to pass through.

I tilted my head back down towards the group, having felt a tug of something I couldn’t place in my chest. I realized Robyn was waving for me to descend.

I took my time, relishing in the freedom I always felt in the arms of the vast openness before me.

Stars, I love being a child of the sky.

Eventually, I came to fly next to Robyn, who had a small smile of his own on his lips. I realized in that moment that I hadn’t been feeling just my own joy, but his as well.

“It’s incredible, how different you appear when you’re in your element.” He tilted his head skyward, as if he were still searching for me up there.

I paused, not knowing how to respond. I had been watching the group most of the day, yet had failed to notice just how much my own husband seemed to have been watching me.

I cleared my throat, then decided to change the topic. “So, this is Diorum?” I motioned to the small town that was now just moments away from us.

Robyn nodded, looking ahead at the group of wooden and stone buildings. “If you can, be patient with them. Everybody in the South knows who you are by now, and they’re wary, from what Rayven tells me. But once they get to know you, I’m sure they’ll love you.”

I nodded in understanding. If the roles had been reversed, I’d be wary, too.

“Also, I have a request, if you will,” he said, his voice lowering just a tad.

Still softly flying next to him and Atlas, I looked at him and cocked an eyebrow, encouraging him to go on.

“Well, I want to minimize the shock that goes through the townspeople when we get there, and I want us—you and me—to appear as a strong, united front. Would you be willing to ride with me on Atlas for the last few moments?” he asked.

I studied him for a moment, contemplating. This wasn’t exactly a shock—he was the freshly appointed king who took a Northerner as his queen. His people could be wary of not only me, but of him, too. In all honesty, it was probably the right move on his part.

No wonder he wants to display a united front.

“Alright,” I said after a moment, “I’ll do it.”

Robyn let out a small sigh of relief before thanking me. He shifted backwards in Atlas’ saddle, making room for me to sit in front of him.

My eyes widened slightly and I could feel the tips of my ears heating up. I hadn’t thought about just how close I’d have to sit to him for this scheme to work.

Robyn, likely feeling my confusing swirl of emotions—embarrassment, nervousness, and a dash of excitement—smiled up at me and promised, “I don’t bite.” Leaning towards me and lowering his voice so only I could hear him, he added, “Not until you give me the all clear, that is.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, replying, “In your dreams, Thorntier.”

Nothing could stop the flush that crawled up my neck and cheeks, though, and from the smirk now upon his lips, I knew he’d noticed, too.

Settling into the front of the saddle, I pushed myself all the way forward and tucked my wings behind me, trying to keep some distance between the two of us. I didn’t know why he got under my skin so easily, but a little distance would do us some good.

Atlas seemed to have other ideas, though, as shortly after I settled in, he stretched his back like a cat, lowering his front half and raising his back half. Robyn, having nothing to hold onto, came crashing into my back and my wings.

A small hiss escaped my lips at the sudden pressure, but when Atlas leveled back out, Robyn didn’t remove himself.

I could feel his solid form against my back, pressing against my wings and pinning them in place.

I could feel every ragged breath he took, like it took a considerable amount of effort to be this close to me.

It took everything in me not to focus on his swirl of conflicting emotions in my chest.

I forced my breathing to level out, only for it to hitch when Robyn slowly wrapped his arms around my waist. I could feel his breath on the shell of my ear as he murmured, “Just a little pretending, right?”

I swallowed, trying to push down the knot in my throat as I replied, “Right.”

That same powerful thing I had felt over a week ago returned, and I could feel it singing in my veins as the King of the South held me close to him, whispering in my ear about the town we were entering.

Pulse pounding with more than nerves, he explained how he and the rest of the Valwain had been stopping in this town—Diorum—for as long as he could remember, anytime they went to stay at his family’s cabin.

It was roughly halfway between Cairnyl and Echen Bay, if you took the long way as we were, so it was ideal.

They always stay at the same inn, and the innkeeper had been good friends with his parents.

I felt a pang of his sadness shoot through my chest at the mention of his parents, but he didn’t address it, so neither did I. We were already on thin ice as it was.

Snapping Robyn and I out of our own little world was the sound of people clapping and cheering. I realized soon enough that we were passing through the town’s gates, right into the heart of the place.

The crowd parted as we walked, some giving their congratulations, others welcoming the Valwain back once again, while some I noticed stood a bit detached, a bit guarded. And most of those guarded ones were staring right at me and Robyn.

That’s why Robyn wanted to show us as united.

Soon, we all stood in front of a three story building made of mostly different types of stones, some dark, some light, some speckled. There was a sign out front that read Dorothy’s Inn , with a sweet looking middle aged female standing in the doorway, waving at our party.

The group dismounted our wolves and horses before the inn, Robyn having to catch me as I slid off of Atlas’ flank. His hands lingered on my waist just a moment too long, and when he did finally remove them, it was as though he had to force himself to.

Robyn left my side to approach who I assumed was Dorothy, the innkeeper, and I watched as she embraced him tightly, almost as a mother would. Upon closer inspection, I could see her medium brown hair beginning to gray at the roots, and the slight wrinkles she had from years of smiling and laughing.

My smile faltered as I gazed upon her. I suddenly found myself wishing to the Stars that my people could know what it was like to laugh and smile so freely, without any of the restraint they feel now. Like it seemed so many in the South had the freedom to do.

I rounded to Atlas’ front and gently raised a hand to his nose. When he didn’t immediately snap at me, I lightly pressed against his nose and thanked him for the ride.

“Here, give him this. He’ll love you forever,” a voice said from behind me. I turned around swiftly to see Ezra walking over, holding a small leather bag. He reached inside and pulled out a large chunk of some type of dried meat, and handed it to me.

It did not smell appetizing.

Ignoring the stench, I held it up to Atlas. In a flash, he ripped it from my hand and began devouring it.

After he finished a few heartbeats later, he gently bumped his head against mine, then walked over to where Lychen was sitting near Teagan and Margo, who were unloading luggage.

It wasn’t until Atlas walked away that I realized the luggage that had been strapped to his saddle had already been unloaded. I looked around and found that Robyn was nowhere to be seen, nor the innkeeper. I spotted Rayven standing near the luggage Atlas had held, and headed over to him.

Rayven, having seen me coming, picked up my bag and held it out to me without saying a word. I slipped it onto my shoulder, thanked the male, then allowed Ezra to lead me into the inn.

The inn wasn’t anything extravagant, but it had a homey feel to it—all the furniture was worn in from lots of use, but still in good health.

There were vases full of native Southern flowers in every hallway and on every table top.

The stone floor had been rubbed smooth from years of footfall.

It even smelled faintly of fresh bread, coming from somewhere deeper inside.

Ezra led me up two flights of stairs until we reached the third and final floor, then down the end of the hall to the last door on the left.

“You’ll be staying in here, feel free to freshen up. I’m sure Robyn will come to gather you for the festivities soon enough.”

“Festivities?” I asked him.

“Oh, right. Well, since the people of Diorum haven’t seen Robyn since he was crowned, they’ll be wanting to celebrate their new king. They’ll prepare food, drink some wine, and have lots of music and dancing. It’ll be fun, I promise,” Ezra said, flashing a reassuring grin.

“And… where did Robyn go?” I asked, curiosity gnawing at me. He always seemed to disappear.

“Ah… he went to talk to Annie, the innkeeper. This place was named after her mother, Dorothy. She just kept the name the same after she passed,” Ezra said, obviously trying to change the subject.

I pressed two fingers to the bridge of my nose. “What is Robyn talking to her about?”

Ezra shifted on his feet, but he couldn’t hold a poker face to save his life.

“Annie always insists on letting us stay for free and providing for us however she can, but Robyn never lets her. He always makes sure he pays her extra for her hospitality, even if he has to hide the coins in one of her aprons so she finds it later. I’m sure that’s what they’re talking about now,” Ezra explained.

I raised one eyebrow, suspicious. “That isn’t a bad thing at all. Why wouldn’t you want to tell me that?”

“Well, I don’t want it to seem like I’m only displaying Robyn’s great qualities to you. I want you to form your own opinions on him, and the rest of the group, without any outside input. You know?” he asked.

I nodded after a moment. It was true—if he only ever talked good about Robyn and the group, I’d be much more suspicious.

I thanked Ezra for showing me the way, then turned into the room, shutting the door behind me.

The room wasn’t much to behold. The ceiling was sloped from the shape of the roof above, with a good sized bed pressed up under the sloped ceiling. There was a dresser and a full sized mirror next to it, and a window next to the bed.

Setting my bag next to the dresser, I quickly changed into one of the simple yet stunning dresses I had brought—since apparently there was to be a party—a silky-smooth material made up the black gown with silver accents.

There were small chains holding it together at the chest, crossing over one another in an easy but beautiful pattern.

After changing, I walked over to the window and peered out.

The sky had grown dark, and the moon was climbing higher into the sky. Gazing upon the moon, I couldn’t help but recall what my twin had said to me before I left. I wondered if he, too, was staring up at the moon in that moment and thinking of me, as I was him.

Tears welled in my eyes, but before they could fall, the door was suddenly shoved open. I turned on my heels, reaching for the Southern dagger I now kept hidden in my top at all times, when I realized it was just Robyn.

“Stars, you scared me. Maybe knock next time?” I said, sniffling and wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. I noticed he, too, had changed—now in a more regal outfit, he wore black pants with a silky white, button-up shirt with golden accents and buttons.

I also didn’t miss how he had rolled his sleeves up, showing off his markings from Atlas, but also showing off his fresh tattoo on the inside of his other arm.

If I were representing the moon tonight, he was my sun.

Robyn stood in the threshold, staring for a moment. I could feel his confusion in my chest, but I offered no explanation as to why I had been crying, and he didn’t ask. Though I couldn’t help noticing the way his eyes dragged up and down my form, the small smile that formed on his lips.

“I didn’t know I needed to knock on my own door, wife . Apologies.”

He tossed his bag next to mine, then stepped farther into the room, the door falling shut behind him.

“Wait,” I said, “your room? Ezra said I was staying in here, but if you—” realization washed over me. “I see. Still pretending, are we, husband? ” I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

That obnoxiously handsome smirk crossed his lips once again, dimple flashing. “We can pretend all you want, Aviva. Doesn’t make this,” he motioned between the two of us, “any less real.”

I flushed, but didn’t answer, hands still on my hips.

His smirk softened into a smile. “You look beautiful. Only one thing…” he trailed off as he reached out for the bottom of my messy braids. Gently, he freed my waist long hair of their plaits, fluffing them out, my waves now on full display.

After, he took a step back and simply took me in. I could feel his warm emotions in my chest, but I deliberately didn’t focus on them.

“Come with me.” He held out a hand. “I want you to experience the festivities firsthand tonight. With me.”

I hesitated. “I don’t know, I’m pretty tired and—”

“Just an hour. Please?” he asked once again, hand still extended.

A moment later I gave in, my hand slipping into his. Our fingers intertwined on instinct, and I couldn’t not notice how perfectly our hands fit into each other’s.

Then we walked out of our room and out of the inn together, hand in hand.