Kae’s words brought a chuckle out of Loren. “You are right, we were headed there anyway. But still, I can’t help thinking this is my fault. I have to fix this.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “But there is one thing in my control.”
“What’s that?” Beside the princess, Kae shifted again. She turned onto her side, facing Loren as much as she could.
“I’m sorry for how I acted earlier this morning.” Loren said haltingly. Under the burlap sack, she was blushing. “I shouldn’t have gotten up and turned my back on you like that. Or hid behind the dragon magic.”
“Loren…”
“Really, I apologize. I should have handled it better. It’s just…” Loren sighed. “Kae, I don’t want you to be a servant; I don’t want you to be under me at all. I would like you at my side, treated as an equal. Treated with the utmost respect.”
“I shouldn’t have pushed what I thought was right for you either, princess. I mean… Loren. I assumed that was how things worked in your world.”
“In my world?”
“The castle. The nobility. Everything seems to work differently behind the castle’s walls, back where the guards block the view. I’ve seen enough of Markholme, the marketplace and slums, even the trader’s road to Markin’s Pass.” Kae chuckled. “You should have seen Ma’trii swimming in the Great Ocean. He came running back to shore, spooked by a wave.”
“How is life different?”
“I’m not surprised it never occurred to you, princess. You get to live your life in safety and security, sleeping in silk sheets and dressing in gowns. You get to eat the best food, and you get to eat it every day with no fear or not having enough.”
Loren was shocked at Kae’s words. She remembered the huntress saying something similar while under the Queen of Yureun’s spell. Kae’s insecurity about her status ran deeper than Loren ever thought.
Kae continued. “You get to live every day surrounded by family. You have your mother and father, and aides that I’m sure have been with you all your life. Sometimes, Ma’trii and I would sit on a root by the Markholme gates, you know? Always on a clear day. We’d look up at the castle on a hill, see the blue and gold flags flying from the towers. I’d wonder what life was like inside those walls. It must be nice, much better than sleeping in the dirt. I’d wish my father were still around to see it.”
“Is that really how you see us?” Loren asked quietly.
“The ruling class?” Kae answered. “The untouchable rich? What game I manage to hunt, I have to sell at the market just for a few coins to buy necessities. Maybe a decent, used bedroll because mine was beyond repair. Maybe a few new leathers because mine were worn too badly to be of use.” The huntress sighed and was quiet for a while.
“I’m sorry, Kae. I didn’t know how hard life was for you.” Loren said. She regretted the words as they left her mouth.
“Of course you didn’t know. It’s hard to see the gutters from the castle towers, right? Anyway. I know I don’t belong up there, with you. If anything, I’d leave the stench of dirt and wolf on all your clean linens.” Kae chuckled, but there was no mirth in her voice. “It’s not a place for me.”
“But…” Loren said haltingly. “Would you like it to be? If I was there with you, would you try living there?”
“In the castle? As what?”
“W-Well… You’d be at my side. Going to meetings with me, going to dinners with me, exploring the city with me.”
“Yeah, as what?”
As my wife, Loren thought. But the word stilled in her throat, choking her with the weight of what she wanted from Kae. Her heart leapt at the idea, but sank at the same time. From how Kae spoke of the nobility, the princess knew she didn’t like it, their privileged lifestyle. She didn’t like the life or what her place would be if she were to be in it. Kae would hate it, and maybe hate Loren for dragging her into it while thinking only about herself. Loren couldn’t say it, shouldn’t say what she really felt. She took a breath and willed her voice to be still. Just as she opened her mouth to answer Kae, a rough hand grabbed her by the arm.
“Hey!” Loren yelped as she was pulled upright.
A gruff male voice chuckled near Loren’s ear. The sack was whipped off her head, and the princess squinted against the light. Beside her, Kae was also pulled up, her sack removed. They were sitting in a cart, now surrounded by the bandits from earlier. They had stopped, the men dismounted, and were now at the iron gates of a city.
“We walk from here, boys.” Hamilcar said, coming into view. He had his hands on his hips as he looked up at the gate. It was a large, oppressive thing, all heavy iron and stone. Slits for arrows were carved into the walls beside the gate. “Get the other two. Ain, you carry the sack with the wolf. All of them are to be brought to the queen!”
“Queen?” Loren muttered. She watched as Hamilcar called to a guard posted at the gate, telling the poor man that he and his band were expected at the keep. The gate rose slowly, the portcullis pulling out of the dirt with a slowness that brought Loren a feeling of dread.
As the gate rose, she realized they were already in Sagna.
Chapter Twenty Two
The capital city of the kingdom
