Noble Falling (4 page)

I began to cry as a sickening laughter built in my chest. “My entire duchy will be taken before my future husband would even hear I have been attacked! Zoriah finally found a way to do what the rest of her family could not.”

“Milady, you still have your life. Do not give up yet.” Ori handed me a hard chunk of commoner’s bread and an apple he had pulled from his bag, “Here, you should eat.”

My appetite was nonexistent, but with difficulty, I chewed a small piece of the bread. I watched as Ori tipped the canteen to his mouth, guilt flooding my body at the disappointment registering on his face when he realized it was empty. Still, he said nothing, only placing the empty container on the ground.

We sat in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. When I had managed to choke down the last of my bread, I finally examined Ori now that his armor had been shed. Like most soldiers, he kept his hair short, but there was something familiar about him. I was suddenly struck with the realization that this was one of the men my maids fawned over day to day. I had always found it amusing to watch them, trying to get the attention of whatever guard they fancied that week, but especially so when the man they chose showed no interest in return. Ori had been a particularly interesting case, for while he showed no interest in the women among my employ, he also seemed to lack the bedfellow among the guards that usually accompanied such disinterest.

Abruptly pulling me from my thoughts, Ori stood, brushing the breadcrumbs from his tunic.

“Your Grace, we should sleep soon.” Ori began moving around the clearing, using the last rays of daylight to kick the biggest of the branches and rocks toward the tree line. “At first light, we can move again. There should be a village just west of here where we can find food and hopefully learn where you will be safe. If things in Eniva are as bad as we fear, then I will get you to the soldiers at Ferrum who can give you proper escort to Seyna.”

I took a small bite from my apple, ignoring the voice in my head saying safety was now out of my reach. Once Ori finished cleaning off a suitable area for us to sleep, he handed me his only blanket, and as I took it, I realized there was something I had not said.

“Thank you.”

“It is no trouble, milady. I am sure I am more used to sleeping without one than you are.” Ori smiled slightly.

“That’s not….” I hesitated. “I meant thank you for earlier.”

“I served your father loyally, and I would do nothing but the same for you.” Ori sprawled his body out across the clearing, propping his bag under his head. “Goodnight, Your Grace.”

“Goodnight.”

My reply was so quiet, I doubted the guard even heard. Content either way, I moved as far across the clearing as I could, stretching my sore body along the cool grass. At least with the blanket, I knew I could fight the worst of the night’s chill. But it wasn’t the weather I was most concerned about. Flashes of the attack passed through my memory every second my eyes were closed. The last image of Surea, the closest thing I had to a mother for most of my life, would not be forced away.

Tears began to prick my eyes once more, just when I thought I had none left to shed.

W
ITHOUT
my tent to muffle the hoots of owls and the shuffling of various small animals running through the brush, the sleep that hesitantly overtook me earlier in the night vanished. Once I was awake, I began to overthink every noise that reached my ears. Every rustle of a plant became the footsteps of a Dakmoran soldier, every call of a bird morphed into the piercing shriek of a sword leaving its scabbard. The more I tried to ignore the sounds of the forest, the more the cold seeping in through my thin blanket and the tiny stones and twigs littering the ground under my already aching body bothered me. I was not used to this. No noble was expected to sleep on the ground, and even the more adventurous members such as my father were at least given a cot and heavy blankets when traveling.

I gave up on sleep, staring at Ori’s form as he slept, completely undisturbed by the world around him. Jealous of his ability to rest, I sat up, feeling the strain in my muscles as my hopes for sleep vanished. Stretching, I realized my limbs ached even more this morning. Feeling the burning in my legs and the stinging in my feet, I dreaded the distance Ori and I were to travel when the sun finally peeked over the horizon.

Eventually I stood, wincing at the pain in my body. The cool air kissed my skin, and I wrapped the blanket around me, hoping to gain some warmth. A sliver of sun appeared in the distance, sending tendrils of orange through the morning’s fog.

Soon, when the little clearing began to brighten, Ori groaned as he tore himself from his dreams.

“Up already, milady?” Ori’s groggy voice drifted toward me.

“I did not sleep well.”

The guard slowly climbed to his feet, pulling his arms above his head as he did so, “Let us hope you don’t have to spend more nights on the hard ground. It is something that takes a while to get used to.”

I handed Ori his blanket when he began moving around our small campsite, thanking him for letting me use it. The guard scratched at his morning stubble as he offered a smile. He pulled another apple from his bag, our breakfast for the day. He reached for his knife, which had been left in the grass, and used it to split the apple. When he gave me my portion of the red fruit, I realized mine was noticeably larger.

“We’ll save the bread for midday, but I’m afraid once it’s gone, we’re out of food. We will have to find that village and at least get some food and water.” Ori took a bite of his breakfast, the crunch of the apple a surprisingly loud sound in the forest.

“When would we be able to reach it?” I silently hoped it would not be far.

“With some luck, we’ll come across it before nightfall. Unfortunately, our run yesterday might have taken us farther off course than I intended. And, even if we get there before the sun sets, there’s the risk of traitors or Dakmorans watching for us, so we’ll have to wait until it’s dark to approach. We also have to worry about you being recognized, and that dress won’t help us to go unnoticed.” Ori threw the core of his apple into the trees.

“I doubt anyone would believe me if I said I was the duchess, at least not with my dress torn to shreds.” I took another nibble from my apple. “Do you really think the Dakmorans would move even deeper into Halvarian territory?”

“In their own colors, never. But….” Ori hesitated. “If Dalric organized this whole thing, I doubt he would let the Dakmoran presence be known if he could avoid it, so they are probably in plain clothes or even guard uniforms.”

“So yes, we must be careful.” I knew there were too many unanswered questions to be careless anyway.

Ori nodded as he placed his armor and gambeson in his pack. His sword was still belted around his waist, holding the tunic he wore close to his body. “We can leave as soon as you are ready. We’ll have to stick to the woods until we hopefully find a small trail. Traveling on the main road will be too dangerous.”

“I should find peasants’ clothes if at all possible.” I finished my breakfast, thankful that the fruit had been fresh.

“Good idea. No one would believe a simple peasant is traveling in a dress like that and with an equally impressive necklace.” Ori stood and draped his pack across one shoulder, “We have no coin, but we might be able to trade something for food. Some villager should be able to sell the fabric of your dress for a good sum. Hopefully they will recognize that and give us what we need.”

“And if that won’t work to get us food?”

Ori shrugged his shoulders. “I might be able to trade some of my gear, but I’d rather not resort to that this close to Eniva. Everything I could possibly trade is marked by the Meloran crest and is standard issue for the guards—too easy to track.”

As he finished speaking, I tried to slip the stiff leather shoes back on my feet. Despite my best efforts, I whimpered as my feet were abraded once more. Ori immediately rushed toward me, unsure of what was causing my pain.

“Your Grace?” Sincere worry was painted on the guard’s face.

“It’s—” Deciding that showing him might be easier, I sat on the ground, removing the shoes once more and sweeping my dress aside to expose the tender flesh.

Ori knelt beside me. “May I?”

Once I nodded, Ori carefully examined the blisters on my feet. “Milady, why didn’t you say anything about this?”

“I did not realize they would hurt worse today than they did last night.” I grimaced as Ori’s hand touched one of the more tender areas on my heel.

He removed his knife from its sheath and I flinched, not sure what he intended to do. He placed it on the ground next to him, pulling his pack over his shoulder. The guard retrieved his gambeson, laying it on the ground as well. Throwing his bag out of the way, he reached for the dagger and turned it to the shirt, cutting strips of padded cloth.

“What are you doing?”

“Do you absolutely need these shoes whole?” Ori picked up the pair that had been tormenting me.

I looked at the scratched leather of the shoes, knowing they would be worth nothing even if I could tolerate the pain they caused. “Why?”

Without responding, the guard began destroying the shoes, ripping the soles away from the decorated leather. Frustratingly, I knew I was not going to get any answers until he was done.

“These won’t be the best things, but I promise you, they will be a lot more comfortable until we can get you something else to wear.” Ori placed the now bare soles of the shoes against my feet. Then he gently wrapped the cloth around my wounds, securing the hard leather, making a rudimentary sandal. After tying the straps of the makeshift shoes together, Ori sat back.

“There, those should last you the next few hours until we find that village.”

“Ori….” I moved my feet around. They definitely still hurt, but they felt remarkably better. “Thank you.”

Once again, the soldier’s mouth curled into a smile. “It is no trouble, Your Grace. When I was a little boy, I grew so fast that my parents couldn’t keep providing shoes that would fit more than a month or two at the most. So, I eventually started wearing modified versions of what I made for you.”

The guard helped me climb to my feet, and I felt slightly more confident I could manage the walk to the village. Once he decided I was okay, Ori hauled his pack back over his shoulders and turned toward the woods. I followed close behind.

“Where does your family live?” I found myself oddly concerned he would think I was ordering an answer from him.

“I know quite a bit about your family; it’s only fair I tell you of mine. They live on a small farm outside of Eniva. My father used to sell some of his extra grain in the city, but that was before the wars broke out. Now, we barely maintain the farm well enough to feed ourselves. My sister helps, but my father is growing old, and my mother can barely manage to stand long enough to stir a pot. That’s why I joined the guard, to bring some extra income into the family. Of course, that means we have less help on the farm, but we must do what we must.”

I always thought the simplest of things could tell you the most about a person. I learned long ago what kind of men were drawn to different positions within the castle guard. With Ori, I felt as though it were no different. His decision to train as one of my family’s elite personal guards could mean one of two things: he wanted power, or he was the kind of man who was loyal until loyalty was deemed as undeserved. Seeing how he was responsible for my rescue, I chose to believe the latter.

Eventually, we came across an actual trail leading down to the village, and our conversation stopped. The sun was creeping toward the horizon, but we were afraid of running into anyone. Though it was a dangerous decision, we were too tired and too thirsty to continue walking through the brush and chose to wind our way closer to the village on the trail. Coming over a hill, Ori pulled me into a group of rocks which would shelter us as we looked out upon the village. From our perch, we could see several people moving through the cluster of houses in the small valley below.

“I don’t see anyone out of the ordinary.” Ori had climbed on top of a boulder, gaining a better view as he pressed his body flat on the rock. I chose to stay closer to the ground, sitting in order to give my feet a break.

“Is it safe to go down there?”

Ori slid off the rock and shrugged. “We don’t really have a choice. We need supplies. I don’t even have anything I would need to catch dinner for us now.”

“And I need information. Tallak won’t start looking for me for another two weeks, and that’s if he even hears I have been attacked.” I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, worrying that Dalric might try and cover the attack up.

Ori’s voice forced me away from my own thoughts. “We’ll try one of the houses farther away from the village center. Hopefully they’ll be willing to help us.”

“Here.” I removed the emerald necklace and gave it to the guard. “One less thing someone could use to recognize us.”

He nodded, dropping the shining stone into his bag before moving back toward the trail. I followed the guard, trying to listen if anyone else was rustling the plants nearby. We kept to the trail, mainly because I think Ori was just as tired of fighting his way through thorny branches and raised tree roots as I was. Once we made it to the valley, we returned to hiding ourselves within the trees, slowly making our way toward a house on the edge of the village with smoke billowing from its chimney. Reaching the door to the small home, Ori knocked lightly.