Kae sat on her side of the bed. She bounced on it, chuckling softly to herself. Loren noticed that the huntress did that often, bouncing and laughing on beds. She thought it was a quirk, just something that Kae does, until she approached and sat in it too. It dawned on her suddenly. Kae was used to sleeping on the ground, with barely a roof over her head. A bed was a luxury. Anything soft and warm, out of the cold brisk air of Aldoran, was a luxury.
The huntress lay on the bed with her back to Loren, as they had a couple times before. Kae always respected Loren’s space, always trying to move as little as possible in her sleep so as not to disturb the princess. As Loren rested her head against the feather pillow, she thought that perhaps the huntress didn’t want to have much more to do with her. With a sigh, Loren shifted onto her side, her back facing Kae.
“Good night.” She said.
Kae didn’t reply. Loren tried to think none of it and tried in vain to force her doubts and insecurities out through a long exhale. It didn’t work, but the adrenaline from the past couple of hours was wearing off. Loren could feel her body getting heavier with each breath and her eyelids began to fall, but still her mind ran a mile a minute. She thought of Kae, of Danna, of her mother and father back in the castle, and of her dragon pendant. The rage and pride were not like her, and yet they were not like Lind either. She thought she knew the dragon quite well, having grown up with the large blue and gold beast in the caves beneath the castle. He was always patient with her, even as she would climb his claws and grab at the spines along his back to clamber on and play with his wings. If it wasn’t from Lind, where was the change coming from? And why?
“Princess?” Kae’s voice was soft in the darkened room.
Loren’s thoughts snapped back into the present, and she opened her eyes. “Yes, Kae?” she asked, but there was no reply. The princess looked over her shoulder, and saw Kae awake, and looking right at her. Loren’s heart leaped into her throat. “What is it?” she asked again.
“What do you want to happen?” Kae said. Her voice was soft but it sounded loud in Loren’s ears.
Loren’s gaze darted all over the place. She looked at the covers, the ceiling, the back wall, anywhere but Kae’s sharp and curious gaze. She couldn’t meet the huntress’s eyes. “What do you mean?” she muttered. “What do I want to happen with what?”
With us? The princess wanted so badly to say.
The huntress only smiled.
“Kae?” Loren said again.
The huntress’s face was inches away from her own and she saw they way Kae’s eyes were unfocused, how her expression went lax as sleep slowly took over. She saw Kae slowly closing her eyes. Her eyelashes were long, the princess realized, and they fluttered as Kae attempted to fight sleep. Maybe she was thinking of more to say, but exhaustion overtook her. Loren chuckled silently at the thought. Maybe in her sleep-addled state, Kae thought she already voiced her question, received an answer, and was satisfied with it. A lock of dark hair fell over Kae’s face as her breath evened out, becoming long and deep as the huntress drifted off.
Loren realized how peaceful Kae looked while she was asleep. She had never gotten this close a look at her before, since they used to sleep with their backs to each other. The hair on her face seemed to tickle her nose, as Kae exhaled a puff that sent the lock of hair flying an inch away, only to come back and settle in the same spot. Without thinking, Loren reached over and gently pushed Kae’s hair out of her face.
“Loren…” Kae muttered in her sleep.
Loren froze. Her pulse raced in her ears again, and she stayed as still as possible. Kae said nothing else. Loren pulled her hand back to her side and smiled. Maybe Kae was dreaming. Maybe it was a dream about her. The princess pulled the covers over herself to hide her giddy smile and resolved to go to sleep this time. She didn’t turn away from Kae.
Chapter Twelve
The next morning, Loren found the bed empty when she woke. She felt a tang of disappointment when she saw the empty space beside her, then immediately scolded herself. They were just friends, sharing a bed out of necessity. Nothing more. The princess shook her head and sat up, taking stock of the room. The light outside was bright, it must have been mid-morning. Kae’s pack was still on the floor, as were her boots. The bag was open, showing that the huntress’s belongings were a bedroll, old flasks and other containers for water, and several bundles wrapped up in a cloth. She didn’t have much in the way of spare clothes. Loren winced. Just the night before while Loren was packing, she must have looked like she brought her entire wardrobe on their journey. The princess vowed to buy some nice new things for Kae at the next possible opportunity. Perhaps as well as more knives for her knife belt and some arrows. And some soap.
As Loren was pondering her gift list for the huntress, the door to their room opened. Kae walked in, dripping wet and wearing only a towel around her body. She saw Loren awake and the blush that spread across her body made her skin look as red as a tomato.
“Princess!” she stammered, clutching the rough towel closer to her body. “I didn’t think you would be up so early.”
“I was worried I would sleep in too long.” Loren said lamely, turning away and
