The Journey
Mireille looked out her window. She
was fully dressed and ready to go out, but the sun hadn't quite started
rising. She also didn't want to elongate the goodbye. That was why she was
still in her room. She looked out her window and saw she wasn't the only one
awake and waiting. Outside her window, down on the inner court Ikron was
already waiting.
Mireille shivered in the morning cold and wondered if she should be worried
about the man. She was usually a good judge of character, but she couldn't
get any readings on this fellow. Mystery had always attracted her. It was
possible her worst character trait. But how else could she act when things
were telling her to go to him and others to stay as far away as possible?
She gazed out over the hills and lakes of the Vlacbos province, a sight she
had seen every day of her life for as long as she could remember. She drank
it all in, the colours, the sparkles of the first rays of light and the
smell of the air as the sun started to rise. It was time.
Outside Evron crawled out of his tent
and saw his brother Ikron looking up at a castle window.
"Ikron?" he asked.
"What is it?" Ikron asked and turned.
"What were you doing?"
"Enjoying the first sun."
"I'm ready to go, where is our charge?"
Ikron pointed up at the window he had been looking at and left before his
brother could ask him anything else. Evron of course wasn't stupid. He was
rapidly piecing the clues together. The looks, the strange behaviour...
Either the girl was a likely suspect to a murder or his brother was feeling
something for her. Evron was leaning toward the first. Ikron would know
better than to jeopardise his career. Not to mention this was a very
unreachable love. Weren't the wise women of Phoenix virgins? But then, Love
was supposed to be blind. He'd have to have a talk with his brother soon.
As Evron followed his brother he saw Mireille come down the stairs in male
riding gear. Her hair was wound up under a cap and she could have passed for
a trainee.
"I bet she can ride a horse better than me."
he whispered and entered the stables whistling.
Mireille stood outside the mansion
and waited. She looked up at the watchtowers and the windows. She knew what
room lay behind each one and all had memories that she cherished. She
hastily turned away her head and gave the signal to leave. She waved one
last time and away they were. Mireille riding first, followed by the two
men.
"Ikron." Evron said as soft as he could, "I need to talk to
you."
"What about?"
"Your behaviour."
Ikron looked at his brother with all the authority he could bring up. He
could always pull rank on his brother. Something he had never done before...
"Don't give me that." Evron said, "I know you feel something
for her."
"It's under control." Ikron said though it was not.
"You better keep it there if you don't want to get in trouble."
"I will, have a little faith."
Ikron looked straight forward, making it impossible for Evron to ask him
anything else. Unfortunately he was looking straight at Mireille's back. Her
hair had gotten loose a bit, making a few strands fly free in the wind. That
didn't help at all. All Ikron could do was look down at the neck of his
brown horse and hope the feeling would fade by the time they set up camp for
the night.
The journey continued and soon the three riders had left the plains to enter
the forests that surrounded the Vlacbos province. The woods started light
and spacious but turned darker and denser as they approached. The forests on
either side of the road creeping closer and closer until they could only see
a small line of sky. At regular distances small shelters for travellers had
been erected to spend the night. Ikron and Evron were counting on spending
the night in one of them. There weren't many dangerous animals in the
Vlacbos forests, but one could never be too safe.
They were about one third through the forest when Ikron suggested they'd
stop for the night. They could make the next shelter, though that would mean
getting there an hour after dark. The path was clear and visible, but Ikron
didn't want to risk a horse.
"I think this is a good place." Evron
said as he opened the creaky door.
The inside of the hut was dusty and grey with webs. But there was a fire
place and five comfortable straw beds were aligned at the wall. No separate
compartments though. That could pose problems for Ikron. Evron walked over
to the Fireplace and saw no wood had been gathered.
Back outside Ikron had fastened the horses near a trench, but no water was
in it.
"I'm going out for wood."
"I'll search water, did you see some buckets in there?"
"I think I saw three near the fireplace."
Evron left as Ikron got in. As Ikron got out again he saw Mireille standing
next to the door. She still had her riding gear on, though she had loosened
her hair to a single braid.
"Can I help?"
"Not really, Evron is out gathering wood and I'll fill these up for the
horses."
"Three? You won't be able to carry them all back. Let me help
you."
"But who will stay with the horses then? Someone needs to guard
them."
"The creek is right behind those bushes, I checked."
Mireille said, her eyes flaming determined.
"Oh. Alright..." Ikron said a little
of guard.
Mireille left and showed him the way, though Ikron didn't quite look around
for landmarks. The creek was indeed only five minutes walking distance.
Mireille stepped into the creek, lowered the bucket and started filling it.
Suddenly she wobbled and felt the steady rock ground below her shift. She
screamed as she hit the water.
Ikron hastily waded in behind her. Mireille was already sitting up,
carefully trying to regain enough balance to stand. Ikron felt a faint
disappointment about not being able to save her, but he didn't let the
feeling get to the surface.
"What happened?" he asked worried.
"A fish swam against my ankle and I lost my
balance." Mireille said shivering.
"Let me help you, the water is too cold."
Ikron said and offered her his hand as support.
Mireille used it and for a moment she leaned close against him, then she
broke the contact and went out as fast as she could. She was still shivering
on the bench as she watched Ikron fill the remaining two buckets -he had
saved the one she had lost- and thought about him.
Was this just another way for her to try to escape the Temple? This time she
wouldn't hurt her parents, but she would hurt these two men. That felt so
unfair. Still she couldn't shake the feeling there was a tension between her
and Ikron. Something that made it almost unbearable not to touch when Evron
was away. She sighed, shivered, got up and walked toward Ikron. She grabbed
the first bucket and lifted it.
"You don't have to." Ikron said, "I
can come back."
"No. I said I'd carry one, I'll carry one." Mireille
answered and turned toward Ikron. She felt her cheeks redden from all the
mixed up feelings she felt...some feelings not quite right for a woman on
her way to the Temple. Ikron placed his hand on hers to get the bucket back.
Her hand tingled pleasantly.
Hastily Ikron pulled back his hand. Trying not to think of the smoothness of
Mireille's skin. For more than a moment this time he didn't know how to
behave around her. He breathed in to say something when Mireille suddenly
kissed him. Ikron closed his eyes and enjoyed the kiss. It felt right to do
it and he knew now how to behave around her. But wasn't it absurd to think
he should behave like her lover when no words had been spoken among them
that could have even suggested it briefly?
The kiss ended and Ikron reluctantly let Mireille go.
"I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't..."
Mireille started feeling confused about her own feelings and thoughts.
"It felt right." Ikron said.
"But I could get you and your brother into
trouble." Mireille answered.
"What if we stay close only for the trip? We
could always delay it a few days, saying we had troubles..." Ikron
tried, desperate to keep Mireille close for as long as he could.
"And your brother?"
"He knows when to talk and when to shut up and leave."
Ikron said.
"You have a nice brother."
"I don't even want you thinking of him as nice," Ikron said
and laughed as he took her hand, "Just think of
me."
"How can I not? When I've been thinking of you
since I first saw you." Mireille asked and let herself be taken
by the hand back to the cabin. A bucket in one hand and another in the other
that was clasped around Ikron's hand.
All images made by me
Font used is called First Order and can be downloaded
here.