There was a pause. Katryna thought about it for a moment before rolling her eyes and chuckling. “That was terrible!”
Trish smirked, “I knew you’d like that one. I have cruder jokes I could tell you, but I wouldn’t want to hurt your delicate sensibilities.”
Katryna scoffed sarcastically. “‘Delicate sensibilities’?” She paused for a moment, thinking. “A friend of mine came back from war with one leg. We still don’t know whose leg it was.”
Trish chuckled to herself, shaking her head.
“How’s that for delicate sensibilities?”
“You’ve proven me wrong, princess. Where’d you hear that one from?”
“Ralf the squire, back in Redwatch.”
“Why am I not surprised? Helped get your mind off of whatever was bothering you, didn’t I?” Trish said.
Katryna nodded, realising her handmaiden was correct.
A cluster of whetbugs buzzed through the fields and all around the group. Their knife-like shape and huge bulging eyes freaked out most Camridian girls, but Katryna eyed them with a warm sense of familiarity.
It had been years since she’d seen a whetbug.
“Are you excited to be coming home? It’s been, what, six years since we left the capital?” Trish asked.
“Excited isn’t the right word, I don’t think,” Katryna said.
“Pardon m’lady, I didn’t mean it like that,” Trish said apologetically.
Katryna shook her head. “No, I know you didn’t. I’m sorry. I’m anxious, is all. Not sure how I feel about anything right now.”
“That’s understandable. So much has happened, and everything is so up in the air.”
“And how many times have I asked you?” Katryna snickered. “You don’t have to call me m’lady, Trish.”
Trish smirked. “I know it annoys you, that’s why I keep doing it… m’lady.”
Katryna rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. Her attempts at making her feel a little better seemed to be working. Her stomach had stopped churning.
“What about you?” Katryna asked. “You haven’t been back to Ravenrock in just as long.”
Trish exhaled deeply. “I don’t know how I feel either, I guess. Where is home for me? Ravenrock was never really my home to begin with and it isn’t my home now. Frostcliff was never really my home either, to be honest. More of a business stopover for my father’s trading ship. Then, when I came into your father’s service, Ravenrock was my new home. So, I don’t know, I’m not sure what to expect or how to feel.”
“You and me both, Trish.”
Trish had been hired to serve as a personal handmaiden, all the way from Frostcliff in the faraway kingdom of the Highlands by her father on one of his various travels. Both Trish and Katryna were quite young at the time. Fourteen, we were, I think?
“I guess…” Trish paused. “I guess, I am a little excited to see Edrick, though.”
Katryna smirked as Trish blushed.
“Edrick, hey?” Katryna chuckled. “Creator, I forgot about him!”
“It’s been so damn long though, I’m not sure if he will even remember me.”
“Of course, he’ll remember you! How could he not?” Katryna gestured to Trish, acknowledging her beauty.
“I broke his heart when I left with you for Redwatch. Told him I may not ever come back. We were just kids-”
“Oh, pig’s arse,” Katryna cursed.
“M’lady! Language!” Trish gasped amusingly. “Do you expect to address the court with such a foul mouth?”
Katryna was hit with what felt like a punch to the stomach. Nothing made her ache more than the thought of having to come under the eagle’s eyes of all the Camridian lords, ladies, courtiers, and nobles again. Nonetheless, she put the thought aside.
“Last I heard, Edrick was working for your family in Castle Bower as a servant,” Trish continued.
“Well, that’s good news then. You won’t have to travel far to see him once we get there.”
“Damn, Edrick was so good in bed, too,” Trish randomly added, clearly daydreaming. “The way he ran his fingers through my hair…”
Katryna burst out with a chuckle. “Trish!”
“What? It’s true! Hung like a giant, too.”
Katryna put her finger to her smiling lips, “Ssshhh!” She peered back at her riding company to ensure they have not heard the conversation.
Trish shrugged with a smile.
The sun rose higher in the sky as the day went on. Katryna’s company made their way down the Spring Mile at a decent pace. She wanted to arrive at Ravenrock by nightfall. However, the closer they got, the more dread she felt. She wasn’t at all eager for this long-awaited homecoming.
“Katryna, what have you done?!”
By the time the sun was setting towards the horizon and the sky erupted in flaming orange, the Spring Mile was coming to an end, and dirt roads gave way to cobblestone. The area became busy with people of every social class going about their business.
The old cobblestone roads were covered with manure, straw, and mud. The smell of sea salt drifted into the air, drowning out the stench of peasant life and animal faeces, and the distant squawking of grey gulls hinted at the company closing in on their seaside destination.
Tulip suddenly let out a whinny of pain. The horse staggered, nearly throwing Katryna forwards off the saddle. Instinctively, she held her grip and stabilised herself against the sudden motion.
Tulip continued carrying on as if in distress, refusing to walk any further.
Trish leapt from her saddle and grabbed Tulips’ reins to stop her from panicking. “What is it? What happened?” Trish asked.
Katryna took in a deep breath to settle her shaken nerves before jumping down to check. “I’m not sure. She just freaked out.”
The company came to a halt on the side of the road to check on Tulip. Katryna made some gentle whispers into Tulip’s ear to settle her, stroking her smooth mane as she did. The mare continued to whinny. Katryna
