The Light of Miera: A Guard's Request (Book 1)

1 - Chapter Three

Thanks to her shift change, Reyla was up early to take the Princess to visit twin nobles Lierin and Tierin.

It was already warm as she made her way through the quiet palace to the princess' room. Nasir gave her a wry smile, hoping she harboured no resentment for making her take his shift, receiving only a nod in return as Reyla passed through the door.

She wouldn't say anything, but Reyla was furious her shift had been changed at the last minute, yet again. It was an all too regular occurrence. She was often given the social roles as she was the only woman on the Princess guard. In fact, she was the only female soldier in the whole of the Freya Army, the other women (there were seven in total) having become medics.

Being the only woman in the Freya Army was never as much of an issue for Reyla as it was for others. She was sixteen when she decided on her dream of becoming a knight and now she had been given the chance she was not going to let anything stop her. Save perhaps being arrested for sneaking around with the Princess, but she had long since made her peace with that.

Arafrey was already dressed and sitting with a finished breakfast plate, waiting for her. She looked to Reyla as Ceal cleaned away her crockery, her emerald eyes shining the greeting they so longed to give each other.

"Ready?"

"Suppose," grumbled the Princess, her glimmer quickly fading.

It was only a short distance to the twins' house so they walked, cutting through the market on their way toward the noble district.

Although the previous night had left a substantial longing deep within her, Reyla was the height of professionalism. She walked a few feet behind Arafrey, far enough to guard efficiently but still close enough to smell her lavender fragrance.

Arafrey always smelled of lavender. Reyla made the perfume herself using her artes upon wild-flowers. She had quite a talent for this yet lacked the skills others had with healing artes.

Reyla scanned the market, eyeballing the patrons as they passed by. Daring them to test her.

While the Frey were known for their sagely robes and flowing attire, these were often expensive and wildly impractical for traversing the forests. As such only those of noble birth tended to wear them and many of the Frey around them wore tighter-fitting leaf-leather garbs. A sure sign of their working-class status.

The aroma of fresh herbs and flowers breezed through the market carrying with it the distant sounds of a flute coming from the Cross Road Pavilion. This was soon overpowered by earthy undertones from mountains of succulent fruits and vegetables piled onto the wooden stalls.

The markets were always busy this time of the morning. The merchants called out to the passers-by in hopes of a sale, an ever-present droning that swallowed most other sounds. Reyla noticed Night-Shift Guards from the palace, trying to stay awake long enough to do their shopping before dragging themselves to the barracks. Others looked like the staff of noble houses collecting the groceries of their employers or nattering housewives who had nothing better to do than gossip and ignore their children all day.

Arafrey turned over her shoulder as they passed by the flower stall. She half smiled to Reyla, the smell of fresh lavender joining them in a secret moment of intimacy, then carried on.

It pained Reyla to have to walk in silence through the busy market, the distance between the secret lovers serving as a strong reminder of what could never be. She longed for the day she would be able to take Arafrey's hand in hers and walk along the street. A day where they didn't have to hide their feelings. A day where she didn't have to lie. But she knew that day would never come.