Chapter 29

As it turned out, when the healers told Soren he was allowed “short walks but no other exercise,” they weren’t joking. It was a full week before they allowed him to move into a guest room at the keep, and another one before he was given free rein to walk wherever his legs could take him. 

As soon as he was able, he spent his days shadowing Annalise. Nothing in his time in Orighet had given him any cause for suspicion, but he’d sworn to protect her, and protect her he would. 

Even though it seemed she needed him less and less with each passing day, the time they spent together only grew. 

As the days turned into weeks and the snow on the ground grew in height, Soren watched Annalise settle into life in Murana like it was a comfortable robe made of the softest fur. When Soren was in the infirmary, she visited him daily, spending several hours playing cards or listening to him tell stories. When he moved out of the infirmary and could start walking more, she stayed by his side as they took gentle walks through the village. 

In her time away from the toxic court of the Serpent King, she’d blossomed. Not that she was ugly before—but now, under the care of her doting aunt and eccentric uncle, there seemed a lightness, a brightness around her. Her curse still hung over her head like a cloud, but she was free from her mask as she went about her day. As he watched her across the table at dinner in the great hall, laughing at one of her uncle’s ridiculous stories, Soren found himself smiling. 

Every day Annalise asked him how his hip was doing, and every day he told her that the healers said it was getting a little better. According to the healers, Soren needed to wait several weeks after the injury before he returned to fighting or extended riding or doing anything where he might fall. It pushed back their travel plans, but there was nothing to be done; he’d made it known to Annalise in no uncertain terms that he went wherever she did, healers’ advice or no. On his second day in the infirmary, when his fear of being left behind ran the strongest, he’d spent most of his time planning the best way to steal a horse and chase after Annalise if she left. 

Thankfully, Annalise seemed more than content to wait for him to heal. As he watched her flourish, Soren wondered if perhaps being in Murana, surrounded by loving family and those who wished her well, was giving her time for some much-needed healing after the nightmare of the Dovean court.  

Even now, as he sat across from her at the edge of the cliff that overlooked the entire valley, Soren marvelled at her beauty. 

Golden hair braided back from her face and then falling loose into a cascade of curls that reached her mid-back. Eyes the blue of a deep pond in the middle of winter under perfectly arched eyebrows and long dark lashes. Skin like milk with cheeks the color of a pink rose. A mouth the shape of an upturned bow with plump lips that always seemed on the verge of curving into a smile. The column of her throat was delicate, her shoulders well proportioned as if she could carry the weight of the entire world on them, and her chest…

Soren coughed and looked away, his cheeks burning as though someone had lit them on fire. 

“Are you okay?” Annalise asked as she portioned the dried meat, cheese and apples between the two of them. 

“I’m fine, just got something stuck in my throat.” 

“You should be careful. If you choke, I can thump you on the back, but if you stop breathing, I can’t exactly do mouth-to-mouth.” 

Soren jerked his head around to look at Annalise, shocked by her choice of words. For a moment she didn’t even seem aware of what she had said, but then the faint pink of her cheeks turned a deep red. “That is, I suppose if you’re choking and something is blocking you from breathing, there really isn’t much of a point of mouth-to-mouth, anyway.” 

He opened his mouth, closed it, nodded, and then they both set into the food as if by mutual agreement that silence was the best course forward. 

As he stared off in the distance, Soren eventually registered a golden brown smudge that detached itself from the nearby mountain ridge. The smudge grew as it flew towards them until he was able to make out wings. 

Just as he started to wonder what kind of gigantic bird would have such a great wingspan, Annalise gave a small cry and leapt to her feet. Soren followed her as she walked to the middle of the clearing and struggled to believe his eyes when he saw the pair of winged horses draw close and then touch down. 

Both of the horses were mares, one a dark seal brown and the other a chestnut nearly the color of a winter sunset. The two mares folded their wings, one pair black and the other chestnut, and shook their heads. 

“Princess Annalise, what’s going on?” he said, keeping his voice just barely louder than a whisper as the pair of winged horses stared at the human couple. 

“They’re called rhys and they live around here. Surely some of your lessons included them,” she whispered back.  

“Yes, but only as legends, beasts so rare they might as well have been myths. Seeing them here in the flesh is…” he trailed off, unable to put his thoughts into words suitable enough for the majesty of the rhys.

“Like seeing a fairy tale come to life, yes, I feel the same way. The brown one’s named Brunen; she’s bonded to Helene,” Annalise said as the two horses approached. 

“And the chestnut?” 

She shook her head, pursing her lips. “I don’t know. She wasn’t here before.” 

“Were you expecting to see them today?” 

“Not at all. Helene brought me here the first time and introduced me to Brunen. I’ve been coming up here every few days since, because of how peaceful it is, but I’ve never seen so much as a feather.” 

Brunen approached and stretched her neck and head out to Annalise, who held out a gloved hand for the mare to nose. “She and Helene are bonded and communicate through their thoughts.”

“Can you understand her too?” Soren asked, mindful to keep his voice quiet. 

“No, only bonded riders have that privilege.” 

“Did Helene say how one bonds to a rhys?” 

Annalise remained very still as Brunen nosed from her gloved hand up her long sleeves all the way to her shoulder, keeping her eyes on the mare as she continued her conversation with Soren. “She said the rhys choose who they want to bond with, and it could be anyone who comes up here to meet them.”

“Even a baby carried by its mother?” 

A smile graced her face. “I don’t know about that, but she did mention something about one bonding a grandmother. Helene didn’t go into specific details, but from what I’ve heard around the village, when it happens the bonded riders just kind of… know.” 

“It’s amazing that I’ve been here for so long and yet didn’t know about them.” He didn’t say it out of reproach; the rhys were awe-inspiring creatures, and he didn’t fault the Muranans for not telling a foreigner about them. 

“Helene said that they take great care to protect knowledge of the rhys. That’s why they only have market weeks three times a year—spring, summer, and fall—when they let merchants enter the valley; it allows the rhys to hide while still giving the people a chance to trade for goods. During the winter, the rhys come into the valley for shelter and food if the weather is bad enough. Our arrival disrupted their plans.” Annalise glanced at Soren, one corner of her mouth quirking up. “Helene told me it was okay to bring you here. I think she approves of you.”

A flush crept over Soren’s neck, suffusing his cheeks with a warm sensation and robbing him of a response.

Brunen appeared satisfied with her sniffs and nudged Annalise’s shoulder before stepping back and making way for the other mare. 

The chestnut stepped forward and stared at Annalise. With slow, measured steps, she walked in a circle around Annalise and Soren, then returned to the front of the woman. The mare was magnificent. While smaller than Brunen, there was a delicate fineness about her head that continued through the lines of her body. If Brunen was a battle-ax, strong and heavy, the chestnut was a rapier forged by a master craftsman. With her head high and ears perked, the mare drew closer until she was practically on top of Annalise. 

For a moment the two were frozen in time, their cloudy breaths intermingling in the cold winter air. Then, in a whirlwind of chestnut coat and feathers, the mare spun on her heels and galloped away, throwing herself into the sky with wild abandon. 

Brunen tossed her head and gently bumped Annalise with her muzzle before she followed after the chestnut. 

Annalise closed her eyes, an expression of deep sadness and regret flitting over her face before it settled into something as emotionless as the ivory mask she’d worn in Dovea. Just as Soren was about to say something to lighten her mood, she opened her eyes and shook her head. “They really are amazing creatures, aren’t they?” 

“Very much so.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “Are you okay? You looked sad.” 

“Did I?” She considered the thought before shrugging one shoulder. “I guess a small part of me wondered what it would be like to be bonded to a rhys. It must be a wonderful feeling to know that you’re never alone and that you’ve always got a friend nearby.” 

“You don’t have to wonder what that would feel like. I’ll always be in your corner, Princess Annalise.” 

One corner of her mouth ticked up into a bittersweet smile. “Until we get to Rea and I’m married, you mean to say. After you’ve completed your mission, you’ll be on your way back to Dovea. Although thank you, Captain Soren, it is certainly a nice sentiment that warms my heart.” 

He bit his tongue to stop the confession that rose to his lips. Thankfully, Annalise didn’t seem to notice, and she flung her arms out wide. “Plus, can you imagine how it would feel to fly on one of them? How exhilarating that would be?” 

“To be honest, I’m quite terrified of heights, but I’ll believe you when you say it sounds like fun.”  

She chuckled, and her eyebrows rose. “How did I not know that you’re afraid of heights?” She gathered their leftover snacks and wrapped them up before placing them in their saddlebags.

“Probably because I wasn’t until I started working on a ship.” Soren dusted off the tree stump and wove his fingers together to give her a boost into the saddle as he talked. “I don’t mind anything if it’s the height of a small tree or less, but the masts of a ship are very tall and the further up you go the more they sway.”

“I see. Are there any more fears you have that I should know of?” 

“Why? So you can use them against me?” 

He’d never be able to thank Annalise’s aunt enough for convincing her to forgo the mask during her time in Murana. Having the opportunity to look at her, to see her face with all of its expressions, was an immeasurable gift. 

She was looking at him expectantly, and he realized that he’d completely missed what she’d said. “I apologize, Princess, I didn’t hear you. Can you repeat that?” 

She smiled and shook her head. “It wasn’t really anything important; I was being silly.” 

“Then I’m particularly sorry I missed it—you’re always so serious. I’ll probably be old and gray by the time I have another chance to hear one of those witty quips that I know you keep bottled up.” 

He swung into the saddle with hardly a grunt. It had taken some wheedling and more than a few bribes, but he’d convinced the healers to let him ride out with Annalise on two conditions: they only walk the horses, and that he take the calmest mount in the stable. 

She rolled her eyes at him, but her laughter was music to his ears as they set off. “Fine, I’ll tell you since you’re always so clever and appreciate a good joke. I said that I’d never use your fears against you, even though now I know you wouldn’t dare lock me up in a tall tower as punishment because you’d be too scared to make the climb.” 

The words flowed out of Soren like the free-flowing stream they rode beside, and he wasn’t able to stop them any more than he could have dammed a river with his bare hands. “I’d never lock you in a tower. A beauty like yours deserves to walk among the people, to inspire them to feats of artistry, courage, and love… not to be hidden away like a miser with his handful of gold.” 

The blush across Annalise’s cheeks deepened, and he immediately regretted his words. 

“I’m sorry, I fear that was inappropriate of me. Please forgive me, Your Highness.” 

The smile she graced him with was like a shaft of sunlight between the clouds. “Don’t fear, Captain Soren, I will treasure your compliment without reading anything into it. I can only hope your words are prophetic, considering my future in Rhinnea.” 

At the reminder of Annalise’s upcoming nuptials, Soren’s heart twisted in his chest like she’d stabbed him, but he somehow managed to keep his face neutral. “Yes, of course, it is my hope as well that you have all the freedom you wish for in your new home.” 

“I suppose only time will tell.” She sighed as she looked up at the sky through the bare branches rustling above them in the wind. “Did the healers tell you when you’ll be able to travel again?” 

“Another three weeks, I’m afraid, and they said that would be pushing it.” 

“Three  weeks?” She exhaled through pursed lips. “With the travel time to Rea, that’ll leave us with what? A month until Spring Equinox? Five weeks at the most?” 

He nodded. 

“Five weeks… well, it’s certainly not much time to learn about my betrothed, but I suppose it’s not like I really have a choice, even if he’s an odious swine.” 

“You always have a choice, Princess Annalise,” Soren said carefully.

“But do I?” Annalise smiled sadly at Soren. “Do I really have a choice when any path that doesn’t lead to marriage means my people will pay the price with their lives?”

Soren didn’t trust his traitorous tongue to say anything, and instead bit the inside of his lip until he tasted blood.