Sweetie whinnied beside Ivy and turned her head impatiently.
"What is it, girl?" Ivy patted the mare's neck.
Sweetie whinnied again.
"Do you hear something?" Ivy had gotten restless while Kenric visited the town and had taken the horse with her to wander about. Evening neared, and she decided to find a spot for them to camp. Surely Kenric would be tired when he returned and would be grateful that she had saved him the time and trouble of finding a good place.
She had found a spot hidden well away from the road and the town that had a nice layer of grass to pad their bedding.
The horse bobbed her head again, then turned and trotted off.
"Sweetie, come back!" Ivy hurried after her and wondered at the mare's behavior. Then she understood.
"Sweetie!" She heard Kenric greet his horse. "Where is Ivy?"
"I am here." She emerged from the trees and saw him standing in front of Sweetie. Concern wrinkled his brow.
"Where have you been?" His typical anger flashed in his eyes. "I told you to stay over there. Why can you never do as I ask? There were soldiers in the town. I feared they had found you and taken you!"
Though his words were harsh, they melted Ivy's heart. Warmth spread through her body and she realized that his anger—perhaps his anger all along—was really concern. He had been worried about her. He cared. He just didn't know how to express it.
"Stop looking at me like that, Ivy. It is nothing to jest about!"
"I found us a spot to sleep," she said to pacify him.
"When my heart stops pounding I might be able to appreciate that."
She fought down her smile. "I did not mean to upset you, Kenric. I only meant to help."
He shook his head and rubbed at his eyes. "You seem to have rather upsetting ways of helping."
"But I have been helpful. Even you must admit that." She finally let her smile show.
He glanced heavenward. "Show me where the camp is."
She took him to a spot where the pine and aspen trees thinned and left a leaf-covered grass floor for their bedding. Together they unloaded the packs and the new items Kenric had purchased and set up a bedroll for each of them. Then they sat down to eat a cold, but delicious meal.
"Perhaps someday we will dare light a fire again," Kenric said between bites. "But not tonight. I do not wish to wake up with a sword in either of our faces."
Ivy yawned. "I do not wish to wake up at all. I feel as though I haven't slept in a month." She stood and stretched. "I think I wall retire now, if you do not mind."
He shook his head. "I will see to Sweetie and then sleep too."
He walked away to care for the horse. Ivy lied down and pulled two blankets over her. She thought sleep would take her immediately, but she was still awake when he returned. He removed his tunic and crawled under his blankets that were set up about six paces from her own. She closed her eyes and listened to his breathing mingle with the hooting of owls and the chirping of crickets.
The chaotic events of the past two days swirled through her head, then her thoughts turned to her path to the palace—if that was indeed where she chose to go. What other dangers lay ahead for them? And what about when she reached the palace? Would she truly face Rymond and expose him? How could she if he was surrounded by guards and soldiers?
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The Sapphire Broach
الخيال (فانتازيا)Everyone believes Ivy's parents-the king and queen-were killed in a tragic carriage accident and that she went missing, never to be seen again. But she knows the truth. She knows that King Rymond, the man who took the throne after her parent's death...
