“But have you been there without an armed escort?”
“Well…No.”
“Don’t stress, princess. I’ll be your armed escort. Now come on, I have to get food for Ma’trii.”
Kae led Loren through the castle this time, remembering the path they took through the winding castle and long hallways with remarkable accuracy. She slipped out of the main entrance and behind the guards, that they didn’t even turn their heads. Loren noticed, impressed at Kae’s stealth. She let the huntress take her own route, and Loren headed towards the stables to check on Wind.
Her horse was relaxing in its stall, and he neighed softly when she approached. Loren slipped her hand through the stall bars, and patted Wind’s large nose.
“Hey princess.” Kae said, coming up beside Loren. “That stable hand that took your horse earlier is gone.”
“Maybe he went on a break, or went to the other stable.”
“You have another stable?”
“Not me personally. These are the horses of the royal family.”
“Just these? There are…four?”
“My mother the queen doesn’t like keeping animals.”
“Might be ferals like Ma’trii?”
“I don’t know. They might, might not. Mother has a great respect for animals.
“And the other stable?”
“The soldier’s barracks.”
Kae shrugged, losing interest fast. She stood by, fiddling with her arrow quiver till Loren finally stopped petting her horse and turned back to walk down the road towards the Gold District. Along the way, Kae explained that she doesn’t have a horse, and so has to walk everywhere. In her usual, long winded way, she explained that all the walking, jogging, hiking, builds stamina and gives opportunity to see more. Every bush might hold that night’s dinner. If you don’t pay attention, you don’t eat.
Loren listened to Kae’s well meaning, but honestly very boring life lessons learned while out on the trail with her wolf. The way she talked on and on about how smart Ma’trii was, how good at tracking Ma’trii was, how warm Ma’trii’s fur was during winter made Loren sigh. It was clear the huntress really treasured her wolf friend. It was also obvious she didn’t get to talk to other people very often.
The rest of the walk from Gold District down through Markholme to the market was uneventful, and Loren had long run out of stock replies she could answer Kae with. It was some time past noon, and the market crowd was starting to thin. Most of the fresh produce brought in by the merchants had been sold hours ago, and only the least choice cuts of meat and warm fish were available for purchase.
As they walked, Loren noticed someone under a tent of Kespian silk staring at her, frowning. She glanced at the man, and quickly looked away, grabbing Kae by the arm and walking quickly. It was the book seller from earlier, and he was still fuming over the horse spit that got onto his books. When Kae asked why they were talking faster, Loren told her all about it, and the huntress threw her head back and laughed.
“Horse spit?” she said. “You should have had your horse dump all over his stall.”
“What? No! That’s mean and completely unnecessary.” Loren replied, still hurrying Kae along. “Besides, I don’t want the books to get ruined. There were a lot of interesting things there.”
“What’s the big deal? They’re just moldy old papers stuck together.”
“They are not! Books contain all sorts of wisdom. I heard the Seer at the Eye of the World writes down the history of the world as he sees it. His work is very important; without the knowledge in his books, we’d have no idea what goes on in kingdoms far from us.”
“So he’s like the greatest Spymaster, what’s the big deal?” Kae said with a scoff.
Loren stared at her, and remembered something the huntress had said to Spymaster Isran earlier. “You really can’t read, can you?”
“Nope, not at all.” Kae said, unperturbed.
“Your parents didn’t teach you?”
“Mother died in childbirth, father died the year after I learned how to shoot with a bow. I was maybe five years old.” Kae looked pointedly at Loren. “That’s why I talk about Ma’trii so highly, princess. He’s the only family I have. He’s been with me since before my father died, and we grew up together. He taught me how to live. So, do forgive me if I can’t read, princess. I’m lucky enough to be able to hunt.”
Loren fell silent after that, and walked on with Kae at her side. She caught herself glancing at the huntress as they walked down the main road, paved with flagstones. The huntress was so sure of herself, unashamed at any ignorance, and so nonchalant about everything. She did come off as arrogant and narcissistic, but the more Loren listened to her, the more she understood this huntress.
Kae had to be self-reliant at an early age, while Loren had servants attending to her every need. While the princess had the weight of ruling the kingdom after her mother and father on her shoulders, Kae need only stick to what she knew and what she could learn on the fly to survive. She had what she needed to live, and didn’t need or want much else. It was an altogether new perspective for Loren.
“Halt there, princess.” A guard at the gates said, holding his hand out. The gates of Markholme ran under the far wall of the city, and the portcullis was drawn all the way up. Its wood and metal frame had rusted somewhat from the seasonal rains, but the spikes that sank into the ground every night when the city was closed were still as sharp as ever. “Spymaster’s orders, you are to stay within Markholme and the castle grounds.” The guard continued, in a matter-of-fact tone.
Kae glanced at Loren, and knew immediately from the look on the princess’s face that she was going to
