Chapter 48

This chapter has been copied from the original and may contain typos and grammatical errors.

~*~

Barnabus’s wife had fussed around long enough to get them ready for their stay on the island. They had food packed, spare clothes, soap, candles, everything she could think of to make sure they were prepared.

“Isn’t Krista going to come and see you off?” Gloria asked while securing her pack.

“Lady Krista left three days ago. She was required back home.” Seneca answered without going into detail.

“Oh.” she paused. “How long was I in that room?” she asked with a raised eyebrow and a curl of her mouth.

“About four days.” he said as he hoisted his pack.

Henry peaked his head around the corner from the kitchen and walked over. “Are you two youngins ready to get going? The sun is setting.”

Seneca rolled his eyes and scowled at him. “You know I hate it when you call me young. I’m a year younger than you; we’re the closest in age to anyone around.”

“Still younger than me,” he said in a chipper tone. “I’m coming with the two of you. Someone has to guard the two most important youngins on the continent, and I’m sure Lady Krista would appreciate the chaperone.” he winked.

“That won’t be an issue.” Gloria and Seneca said in unison. Gloria smiled and chuckled, Seneca just rolled his eyes with a grimace.

“Isn’t Gloria closer in age to you than I am? According to the timeline, she’s only about 9 months younger than you. “ Henry mentioned as he walked back to the kitchen.

“Age has nothing to do with anything. I’m three years younger than Blake, and we’re- I- I hope we’re still a ‘we’.” she looked a bit confused.

“If things are going right, he isn’t much of a problem anymore. Nor will he ever be again.” Seneca commented. As he did, he felt his heart twist.

Gloria had an empty look on her face with glazed over eyes. She had been handling everything rather well until this point.

“Everything has been happening so quickly, it’s hard to let anything sink in…” she said, as if finishing his thought. “And I’m not sure I want it to.”

He grabbed his pack and walked out to the yard where the dew was starting to catch in the grass as the temperature fell and the bugs started swarming at any lightsource.

Seneca thought he heard Henry saying something in the house. He could hear his deep tone resonating, the tone was soft and reassuring. Seneca couldn’t be that kind. He couldn’t measure up to Perfect Henry, and kindness didn’t win wars. Kindness wouldn’t get him on the throne.

A breeze spun through the trees and up his shirt, chilling him. The house had been too warm, so the chill was comfortable. He always loved this time of year, where he could enjoy the temperature outdoors without having to bundle up and also not sweat from simply sitting in the sun.

Henry and Gloria exited the house together. They’d made a good pair, if Gloria wasn’t forbidden fruit. They were both kind and tender, strong but not fast to jump to violence. Maybe if Blake was confirmed dead they would get together. Henry needed a good girl on his arm.

They reached him, and without much ado they walked down to the shore. There was a boat waiting for them. The area was fairy lit, a trick that Gloria knew how to do if she could do magic. Instead, she looked at it and wondered how a society that was so far against witches would still use lights that were summoned by the occult.

The island was barely visible in the gloom on the horizon, but she could see the old lighthouse sticking up from the firm ground. They didn’t light it much anymore since this area of the continent was supposed to be used only for villages and not shipping. If there was no shipping, they didn’t need a lighthouse that far out in the bay.

The ride took about half of an hour, and the sun had set beyond the horizon by the time they reached the island’s pier. It was well built and still in good condition, which assured Gloria for some reason. She didn’t have to worry about it falling into the ocean if there was a bad storm.

The two boys set off towards the cottage on the island, but Gloria was surprised at how large the island was. They had referred to it as a small island, and yes, it was smaller than many of the Islands she came from, but by continent standards, this could house quite a few people with room to spare. Her whole extended family could live here and probably be able to thrive.

Gloria arrived at the door just as Henry gave it just enough of a push to open the cottage. It appeared to have two floors, but it was terribly dark inside. She decided to stay outside in the moonlight until they lit more candles. Seneca stumbled over a piece of furniture and cursed under his breath. Henry found the fireplace and took some kindling out and lit the dry logs.

Gloria wandered into the room and looked around. It was truly a small room, with a bench, fireplace, little table and kitchen. But it appeared to have the blessing of interior plumbing, so she wouldn’t have to worry about using a chamber pot or going outside in the dark to relieve herself.

“Welcome to the cabin on the isle, Ms. Reed. May I show you to your room?” Henry asked while Seneca rubbed his shin.

“I get my own room?” Gloria asked.

“There are two rooms, It’s only fitting that you have your own room while Seneca and I share a room.

“But the larger room has only a double bed! How are we going to make that work?” Seneca protested.

“It’s only appropriate. And as neither of us are interested in men, I don’t see why sharing quarters will be a problem.” Henry counterd.

“It’s not just sharing quarters, it’s sharing a bed!” he fussed.

“Neither of us are going to be sharing a bed with Ms. Reed, so that ends the discussion. You are betrothed to Lady Krista, and I would not wish to have Ms. Reed’s virtue brought into question. If you like, we can take turns sleeping on the bench until we make different sleeping arrangements.”

Seneca rolled his eyes, and having found that his leg is still in one piece and no longer searing in pain, the three of them walked up the stairs. The landing was small, with a chess board on it and two doors.

“The room on the left is yours, Ms. Reed.” Henry commented. “From what I’ve heard, it’s rather small, but it should give you privacy.

“The room on the right is our room. If you need anything, feel free to ask either of us, and we will try to aid you.” Henry, having finished the tour, opened the room to the right, and plopped his pack onto the floor near the door. Seneca pushed past him and was then out of sight to Gloria, and she grabbed the handle of her own door and opened it. As with the rest of the house, it was dark and she wished that she could use her magic to light the candles. Or to meditate and see if she could contact Midshore. The words wouldn’t be there, but they could share feelings, images.

She thought about how much energy she must have built up. Would it be enough to reach Midshore? Or had these trinkets not been simply a stopper but a drain on her powers? Would she have any power left when they came off? How did they work?

She heard the creak of a bed frame in the boy’s room, and she hoped that they didn’t make much noise. The walls looked sturdy, but she hoped that she wouldn’t hear them snoring.

~*~

“Ugh, I forgot how hard it was to walk all day, everyday.” Anwyn rubbed the small of her back. “I can’t believe I did this while I was pregnant.”

“You weren’t very big yet when you did, but I know what you’re talking about. We’re traveling lightly, and I already feel like I need to sleep for a few days.” Liam agreed.

“Good thing we should be coming up on an inn soon. If I remember, there’s a little cluster of buildings coming up on this road.” Romeo assured. “We should be able to sleep in a bed tonight.”

“If you’re wrong, I’m going to hit you.” Anwyn said.

She didn’t have to though, because as they turned the corner, they saw the inn standing like an oasis in the desert.

“I could use a good meal, and I’m sure you two could as well.” Romeo smiled, then shot off running towards the inn like a little kid. Anwyn squealed and she and Liam ran after him.

The inside of the inn was well lit, with a long counter and several tables for patrons to eat at. There were a few people milling about, but not enough to think of the place as crowded.

“I’ll order some food, you guys go and find a table.” Anwyn said. They nodded and walked into the group of tables, and Anwyn turned to the counter.

“Hello, lass. How can I help you?” asked a woman who looked to be 10 years older than Anwyn. It had been a while since anyone had called Anwyn a lass, even longer since she had felt like one.

“I would like three meals, whatever you have cooked up, and I need lodgings for three people for the night.” she listed.

“We have a hearty chicken just cooked, and unfortunately we only have one room with a large bed available. Will that suit you?” the woman asked.

“That will do fine. I’m sure we can manage with that.” Anwyn smiled. The woman went to go and get the food, and she looked around. She knew that she was nowhere near where she grew up, but she was wondering if she would see anyone she knew.

The woman returned and as Anwyn gave her payment for the food, she noticed that the woman was looking at her face a bit more intensely than was normal.

“I- I don’t mean to pry, but you look so much like the late queen. It’s remarkable. I’m sure you hear that all the time, but I can’t believe the similarity.” she marveled.

“I get that a lot. It’s just a coincidence.” she assured.

“Well,” the woman’s voice became hushed. “I can tell you’re not from around here, most people aren’t, but I would be careful if I were you. The king is fervent that he’ll find his lost queen and they’ll live happily forever. I’m not sure how anyone could live happily with him, so I’d be careful if I were you.” she warned.

“Oh, um, thankyou.” Anwyn responded. How did this woman even know who she was? Or what she looked like?

She took the food and walked to the table Liam and Romeo had picked out. She must have looked baffled because they both looked at her with changing expressions.

“What happened?” Liam asked, scanning the counter area to see if anyone looked suspicious.

“The woman thought I looked like the late queen. She recognized me. I don’t know how, but what if other people do too? What if the king finds me?” she started to get anxious.

“No one is going to find you, we just need to make sure that you aren’t recognized. Maybe you could go to the little market down the way and find something to cover your hair and face. Make it hard for people to recognize you?” Romeo suggested.

“I should be more careful. You two are lucky, the only people you need to worry about recognizing you would be other guards.”

“And Blake.” Liam growled.

“He won’t be much of a problem; if we see him he’s done for.” Romeo commented. “I also think that you should be accompanied at all times, Anwyn. Who knows who’ll be able to identify you, or over hear something. We don’t know how many spies the King has, and we don’t need you being carted off to the capitol. One of us should always be with you. To even out the odds.”

“Now I feel like a burden.” she said.

“A burden we are willing to shoulder. Don’t worry, you make up for it in other ways.” Liam bumped her shoulder with his. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he rested his against hers.

“I wish Lily was here.” Romeo said. “Then I could be as sickeningly sweet with her as the two of you are.” he laughed.

After they finished eating, Romeo went up to the room to bathe and see if he and any clean clothes left to wear.

No one else recognized Anwyn and Liam as they went about their shopping, finding a simple head scarf and face covering that didn’t cost much. Liam bought a new outfit; the armor of a guard in training clothes was a bit conspicuous and if the kingdom was truly in the middle of a civil unrest, they didn’t want to be visibly choosing sides.

As the pair were returning to the inn, they passed three young men exiting. “Are you sure we’re not lost? You never were very good with your directions.” one of them said as they passed. Liam raised an eyebrow at Anwyn and they both smiled. Oh, to be young and lost.”

Anyone want to guess the time? It's 11:20pm! I guess some things never change.

I'm really trying to develop the plot, but as I've said, it's hard to figure out what the characters want in my head. It's like what I imagine caving is like: you have an idea, but that idea may not work and the medium is going to be something it wants to be anyway? I heard that you don't carve an elephant from marble, you free it from marble. Well, my characters aren't coming forward clearly. It's like I have a fuzzy elephant

I really liked the idea of Anwyn in bed with the two men she's shared a bed with, but having it be super pure. I love this trio so much. As some of the characters show, it's hard to have two caring parents, imagine having three very dedicated ones!