Bags had been packed the night before. Lessa had very few items to pack, aside from her Kathardrean clothes, she had a waterskin, that was all. Zar filled the rest of Leo’s saddlebags with supplies. Her poor horse was packed heavier than either of the other horses because she would ride Storm part-time.
Storm woke Lessa up well before their normal time. It was still full dark out. Lessa dressed quickly, anxious for the day ahead. She only paused when she came to her sword.
Deliberately, she had always left it in the tent, on her bed. She never put the belt around her waist. She always carried it in hand to training sessions, and once she was done using it she promptly deposited it back on her bed.
If she were honest with herself she would admit she was scared of what she was capable of with it. She was scared that if given the chance she could and would hurt someone.
But now.
Now, they were leaving safe Haven. They were setting out into the greater world. Who knew what was out there? Who knew if she would actually need her sword without the magical dulling chains?
She buckled the belt around her waist.
The main room of the tent was empty so she went outside. There stood Rina along with Zar. She pulled her hands away from his cheeks and wiped both of her own.
“Lessa.” He handed her Leo’s reins.
“Why are we leaving at this ungodly hour?” Worran yawned the words as he led his horse from around the other side of the tent.
Zar cast his eyes around like a thief expecting to be caught. “I’d rather escape without any fanfare.”
“Well, this is turning into a lovely morning,” Worran spoke to Lessa the moment his eyes found her.
With a mighty eye-roll and scoff Lessa mounted her horse, taking care to position her sword so that it didn’t tangle her legs as she climbed up. The second Zar mentioned fanfare she was eager to be gone.
“Goodbye mother, I’ll be back before you know it.”
He kissed her forehead as tears freely rolled from her eyes.
“You come back to me Lazaron. I won’t lose you too.”
While Zar was mounting his horse Lessa made the mistake of making eye contact with Rina. With the acrimony present the woman might as well have cracked Lessa with a whip.
Rina's hand clutched his leg, and she implored up to him, “Swear you’ll come back to me. Swear it Lazaron.”
His reply came as a whisper, “I swear by my name, Lazaron Tasmer Rhodrin, heir to the Crown of Kathardra, that I will come back to you.”
She nodded and pulled away, somehow managing to cry elegantly.
With a great leap, Storm launched into the sky, her great wings catching her body at the pinnacle of her upsurge.
Both Worran and Zar’s horses tossed their heads and danced once the dragon pushed into the air. Zar circled his bay once then let him launch forward into a tightly controlled trot. Lessa fell in behind him, and Worran’s dappled gray followed paces behind her.
The duty they carried weighted their collective mood for hours. They left Haven behind to nothing but the sound of clopping hooves. The compacted dirt road gave way to a trail that was well-worn by Lessa’s own boots. They passed through the meadow where she spent so many hours and days training. The wild grasses here had been trampled down so thoroughly there was nothing left but fresh tree litter and dirt.
As they rode through she wondered if she would ever see this place again. So many bruises had been earned here, so many memories made she almost regretted seeing it go.
Her eyes moved to Zar’s messy dark hair ahead of her. Did he also think fondly of this place?
Almost as if he heard her thoughts like Storm, he turned and offered her a wistful smile. Lessa’s heart beat harder in her chest. He surly was also feeling the bittersweetness about this parting.
Her eyes fell to her saddle. It was not the Western style she was used to, there was a low handle where she was used to having a saddle horn. And the flaps were thinner, making her knees feel closer to the horse. It wasn’t unpleasant. But she would have to get used to it.
Lessa’s eyes moved back to Zar’s back. The sun was starting to peak above the forested hills, it caught his messy dark hair in a golden halo.
Deep in her chest, Lessa felt a blossom of light. Rich with radiance it warmed her from her soul to her fingertips. This was not the first time she felt this, but it had become so strong she could no longer ignore it.
And as blissful as it felt Lessa knew she couldn’t feel this. Not for him.
“Why not?” Storm asked curiously.
“I…” Lessa struggled. “He is a prince!”
“Only in name.” The dragon replied.
“I. I can’t. I just can’t. As much as you don’t want to hear it, I do not belong in Kathardra. And he is a prince. He is going to marry a princess.”
And just like that, the pendulum of emotions swung. The bliss Lessa felt moments before turned to dark misery.
The thought of Zar so much as looking at another girl made her want to claw the hypothetical girl’s eyes out. And yet, she knew he would never think of her the same way she thought of him. To him, she was a tool to take back his kingdom.
“It seems you, little Lessa, have stumbled across the one pain I cannot protect you from. Love.”
“I can’t love him, Storm.”
“I don’t think you get that choice.”
“So, Lessa.”
She jumped a little at Worran’s voice and blushed. She hoped her thoughts had not been transparent on her face.
“How long have you been a swordmaiden?” Worran pulled his horse alongside her own.
She noted that his reins laid across his pommel unused.
“A couple months, I guess.” She said trying to figure out how long she had been in Kathardra.
“Hold it. I saw your little performance the other day. You can do that after a couple months?”
Eyes on the fir trees lining their path, she nodded abashed.
“You really are breathtaking.”
“Does that work on other girls?” She asked him suddenly.
He was surprised. “Does what work on other girls?”
“The brazen compliments, does that work on other girls?”
“What works on you?” He asked without the decency to look ashamed for even a moment.
“Not much.”
“Nights on the road can get really cold.” His barely there smirk was coy.
“That’s not a problem for me.” Her tone had gone flat.
“How’s that?”
“Her bed is a dragon, Worran.” Zar had swung his horse around so that they were now riding three abreast.
“That wouldn’t bother me.”
“Worran.” Zar’s tone was low.
“I’m just saying a little kiss-”
“That’s it.” Lessa huffed and threw her reins to Zar.
“What are you doing?” he asked, concerned.
“I’ll see you later,” she dismounted her horse and walked back in the direction they had come.
Storm crashed through the trees and Worran’s horse bolted.
Zar struggled to keep his mount and Leo under control.
“Please stay out of sight,” Zar called out as Lessa climbed into Storm’s saddle.
Lessa stayed on Storm’s back for the rest of the day. They circled high above where the boys traveled.
The landscape was breathtaking.
They were traveling through a valley between two low mountains. Forests covered each with profound living green. A river snaked through the valley in a bold blue line, where the sun-kissed water reflected brilliant white highlights toward the sky.
Now and then Storm would see herds of deer foraging their way through an open grove. She enjoyed swooping low and watching them scatter.
She especially enjoyed watching predators flee her presence. Once she spotted a bumbling bear who crashed through the undergrowth in his efforts to escape her gleeful torment.
They were sure to circle back around to where Zar and Worran rode along the river at least once an hour. There was no difficulty in Storm finding them, even at the height they flew. Her vision was hawklike, picking up the smallest details at distances such as these.
The sun was just starting to slip lower when Storm said “They’ve stopped.”
“I suppose we should join them.” Lessa sighed audibly. “Any idea what I should do about Worran?”
“I would bite him.”
Storm’s suggestion was less than useful.
“I don’t want my mouth anywhere near him.”
“What about Zar?” the dragon teased.
“That’s not funny.” Lessa smacked the scales in front of her but Storm didn’t even feel it.
Big slow circles brought them lower until Storm fanned out her wings like sails directly over the river and dropped straight into it.
Water sloshed all around them, and Lessa scrambled to lift her legs, trying to not get soaked.
“Thanks,” she mumbled dripping sarcasm.
Lessa stood on Storm’s back and leaped to the bank, finding the camp Zar and Worran were setting up a couple of paces into the trees.
Both boys were occupied unsaddling their horses. Lessa at once started removing gear from Leo.
“Please stay out of sight when you are up there,” Zar spoke to her over the back of his bay, just as he slid his saddle free.
“I know.” She started loosening the buckles. “Could you see us?”
“Barely.” He conceded.
“And you knew where to look. Storm can see everything around for miles. She’d see anybody else long before they saw us.”
“Lessa. If a person is seen riding a dragon we’d have bounty hunters looking for us the next day.”
“I get it,” Lessa said with a shrug. “The only way someone sees Storm is if she lets them.”
He didn’t look satisfied.
With a yank, Lessa pulled the saddle from Leo and turned to Storm. “We aren’t going to be seen, right?”
The dragon was just settling herself between two trees which had just enough room for her. She blew a jet of steam from her nostrils into the dirt in recognition.
“See?” Lessa asked Zar.
“It understood you?” Worran asked, staring at Storm.
A low grow started rolling from Storm.
“She is not an ‘it’.” Lessa corrected him. “And she already doesn’t like you. I’d watch what you say around her.”
Worran eyed Storm. She turned her green eyes on him and stared back with all the passive intimidation of an apex predator.
His eyes jerked away.
Satisfied, Less fell into the pattern she had established with Zar when he first brought her to Haven. She would gather wood for a fire and he would use magic to light it. She managed to find a decent armload and dumped it where the fire would be.
The boys had stretched a canvas tarp between two trees and staked it down for a tent they would share.
Lessa started on another load of wood. But a hand met hers on the branch she was grabbing.
“Let me help you with that.” Worran had come up behind her and reached around her to rest his right hand on her own.
It was pure reflex, Lessa elbowed back hard, directly in Worran’s ribs.
He let out an "oof" as he cringed away from her blow. She dropped to the ground as she swept her leg out, kicking his feet out behind him. He stumbled forward, trying to not completely lose his footing.
Like a viper Lessa rose behind him and grabbed his left hand, she twisted it around behind him, one foot in front of his ankle brought him to the ground, and she fell forward with him to land half perched on his back.
Somehow, her sword was in her hand. She held it to his neck.
"If you ever touch me again, you lose your hand, " the threat came out a growl, as ruthless as Storm's.
"Agggh," Worran groaned, "Fine. Alright. My hands will behave..." He smirked into the leaves and dirt, "I can't speak for yours though."
"Ugh," she spewed, giving him one last shove into the ground before she relented and sheathed her sword.
Worran rolled onto his butt rubbing his shoulder, Lessa glared at him. His shoulder would be fine, the same could likely not be said for his pride.
In unison, their eyes shifted over to Zar.
His eyes remained on the fire starting between his hands. "You deserved that," his smirk betrayed him.
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