A Marriage For The Best...

Lesald only gave a small tired nod as he explained the situation to her and smiled a bit. She was still a bit tired and only caught that they had to wait for some over turned cart. She hoped that it would happen quickly for she was starting to get sore from sleeping in the carriage. It had been made to protect and even though the inside was nice, that could not change the fact that it still made her neck sore. However, as the sounds of fighting caught her attention, she looked to Sikander curiously wondering what it could be.

As his own expression hardened he felt her heart jump into her throat suddenly, those weren't farmers out there at all...She looked to Sikander worriedly, doing as he said and keeping to her spot, her hands held nervously to her chest as she watched him grab his sword and leave into the fight. She was afraid that they would come and attack the carriage so she instantly covered the windows up as soon as he was gone, better they not know of her any time soon, or things might only get worse.

After that it was a matter of waiting for it to end, praying that everything would be fine and that they would be able to move on without to much trouble. She also hoped no one was terribly hurt, the idea of blood was never very appealing to her...
 
As Sikander's boots hit the ground, he saw one of the would-be assassins holding a javelin in his hands. All at once he saw the the javelin being hurled, and swung the sword around in response. The sword hit the javelin in a glancing blow, the head cutting across Sikander's arm before embedding itself in the side of the cart.

The blow swung Sikander around, though out of the corner of his eye he could see one of his knights riding down on the assassin, the dust created by a galloping corpse hiding the actual event. But once the dust was cleared, it was his night who rode away and the assassin was left on the ground.

He took a deep steadying breath, standing outside the door, covering the gash with his hand. He knew Lesald could see him, and tilted his head just enough to glance at her. If he hadn't been there, that spear would've likely flew into the carriage and... Well, a wound seemed preferable to what would have happened then. "It didn't hit the bone." He said through gritted teeth, shifting his sword to his left hand, right arm pained and hanging limply.
 
As Lesald watch Sikander take the hit to his arm, she let out a loud gasp. Her face paled as she noticed his arm go a bit limp and him just simply shrug it off before putting his sword into his other hand. She could not believe that he was still going with such a deep gash in his arm. She hoped he was alright, there would be no point for her to be there if he was going to die before they were married, and that would only complicate things as well.

She was a little shaky now as she waited for the fighting to end and for them to be able to get out of there as quickly as possible, she didn't want to stay there any longer than was necessary. She also hoped that they fight wasn't to bad, she'd hate to hear that some of the knights were also injured or even dead. For now she just cuddled into her seat, pale and scared for what was going to come.
 
The sounds of fighting continued for a few minutes more, until all at once they stopped, leaving an eerie silence. A minute later, Sikander opened the door to the carriage, panting softly and looking bloodied. He looked Lesald over, almost a hint of concern in his eyes. "Are you alright? It's over. We've won." His lips curled into a small smile as he said the last word, the familiar rush of victory coming over him. He savored it for a moment, but only just a moment. There was work to do now.

There were some bodies on the ground, but most were now just off the road. Four of the assassins were kneeling on the grass, surrounded by soldiers with weapons drawn. The way that Sikander turned away from the door to the carriage and walked towards them seemed to be an invitation to follow. And maybe it was. If this woman was going to be his queen then she should know how he ruled- And how he dealt with threats.
 
When the sounds of fighting died down she glanced toward that door worriedly, wondering who it was who had won the battle out there. When Sikander opened the door she felt a wave of relief was over her, glad that it was no the assassins who had gotten victory. She must have looked terribly pale for she caught a glimmer of concern in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by what seemed to be the excitement of victory.

When he left the door open she curiously peaked outside through the window. She could see the men on the ground, the loser of the battle that had just taken place. She stepped out quietly and watched from near the carriage, still a little nervous about the area around them. She couldn't help but wonder what he would do with the guilty party now...
 
Sikander paced slowly in front of the kneeling assassins, looking them each in the eye in turn. He still held his sword, and waved the tip slowly back and forth across the line. "Well now... you are all poor assassins. A good one would have died rather than be captured. But you were, and now we have to do something with you."

He looked to the captain with a steely glare in his eye. "Make them deal with bodies. See that ours get a proper burial. See that theirs get burned. And after that..." He walked in front of the assassin with the most responsible look in his eyes and pointed the sword at his chest, saying, "Take him for questioning.

"And for the rest..." Sikander made a short chopping motion with his right hand, "They get what any other would-be assassin gets: A strong length of rope and a sturdy branch."
 
Lesald couldn't help but feel a little nervous as she watched him pace back and forth in front of the guilty survivors. It was as if he were a lion, sizing up his prey before he lunged for their throats to end there lives instantly. As he voiced their judgement A pang filled her heart, the thought of taking another persons life made her feel ill but she knew that those men would have killed Sikander and possibly herself if they had not been stopped. She hoped that they would be long gone before the men were dealt with so that she would not have to witness it.

She continued to wait for Sikander quietly, her head hanging down slightly and she thought about all that had happened. She had not expected anything like this to happen on the first trip they were to share and she wondered if it would even be safe for her to step out. Of course, she couldn't believe that she was the reason those men attacked, they had not made much of a move toward the carriage and seemed more aimed to kill the king. She wondered what it could have been that provoked such an attack, she would have to ask them one they arrived at their resting spot.
 
Sikander assigned enough of his guards to manage the prisoners while leaving enough to be a reasonable honor guard for the carriage. As he turned to walk back to the door, he withdrew a small cloth from his pocket and wiped the blood off of his sword. No sense in letting a good blade rust. It was with a somewhat awkward motion that he sheathed his sword with his left hand, then took a small first aid bundle, the kind used to treat small wounds in the field.

He glanced at the gash in his arm before looking at Lesald. It seemed almost incomprehensible to him that she would be so affected by this. He had never not been ready for battle, had never had any doubts that he would not be a warrior king. It had been ingrained into his nature, it seemed. The readiness to fight. And this wasn't the first failed attempt on his life. If there was any pity in him towards her discomfort it did not show across his face. He only quietly said, "We need to get moving. We've lost too much time here."
 
With a small nod of her head, Lesald stepped back into the carriage and took her seat once more silently for them to continue on. She made no move to say anything to Sikander at the moment, she still wasn't completely comfortable with what happened back there and didn't really want to think about it. She was not used to violence or blood like he was, her kingdom believed in speaking things out before resorting to any type of fighting. She was also a bit nervous as to what had brought on the attack. No one would back at her home would ever think to do that to her family or anyone else for that matter, for a group of people to attack Sikander out of nowhere made her wonder what the man had done in the past for it to be this way.

As the carriage started on its way once more she glanced out the window to see the captured men working on digging graves for the dead soldiers, each with a grim but almost proud look on there face. They were strong men in her eyes, one had to be trained well to be able to keep proud right before one was going to die. She looked away quickly as her stomach gave a nervous churn, she did not like death...It seemed that she would have to get used to it now though.

"How much longer do we have?" She asked him softly, looking over at his wound a little worried. It would be terrible if it was a bad injury.
 
"It's not going to be long, we'll have to speed up to make our schedule," Sikander said as he took his seat, pausing a moment, not sparing a glance out to the soon-to-be dead men. Instead he set the bundle down beside him, quietly adding an insincere apology as he began to loosen his shirt, setting the layers down across the aisle so that he could have a clear view of the wound.

Any thoughts of impropriety never crossed his mind. While he might have been aware of how some might view this scene, him only in a linen undershirt in plain sight of a woman of high birth. But that never occurred to him. He was still Sikander the warrior, and he only saw it as dressing a wound. It wasn't the first time that he had done it, his soldiers had seen him bleed, so why should she be any different? And this wasn't the worst wound he had ever received, smaller nicks ran around his arm, though the more dangerous near-misses were still hidden beneath his shirt.

"Whoever paid for those assassins should have paid more," He said, still looking at the wound as he stretched his arm out in front of him. He took a small glass bottle of sharp-smelling disinfectant, the only sign that he was aware of the stinging it caused as he poured it over the wound a slight increase in how measured his breaths were. "They should have never let themselves get taken alive. Months of planning were wasted there."
 
Lesald looked away once he started to remove his clothing to look at his wound. She knew that she shouldn't be so embarrassed since that was all that he was doing but years of being kept away from men made her more shy than one would think. She continued to look out the window and listen to him speak as he dealt with his own wound. He seemed so calm when talking about the men that had just tried to kill him, even think that the man who had paid for them should have paid more. She would have questioned his sanity if he had been anyone else but Sikander was a man of military might, it would be surprising if he didn't let such an attack just slide off of him. Once his wound was dressed he looked back to him again, though she only looked at his face for he was still in his under shirt.

"Who would want to kill you? Do you really have that many enemies?" She asked softly as the night started to take over the sky outside of their carriage, the scenery moving faster past them to show the horses were being pushed as much as possible. "I thought that you would have some enemies but not one's that would actually try to kill you with assassins..." She added so that her question did not sound foolish.

Her eyes darted from him to the outside, keeping an eye out for their stop. She wanted to rest and hopefully forget all that had happen back there. If she was lucky she might be able to sleep her stress away and start fresh in the morning, though considering how jittery she was at the moment she didn't think she would find the rest that she desperately wanted.
 
"Who? Your father. Anyone my kingdom shares a border with. Anyone who feels threatened by me. Anyone who would rather take their chances against whatever heir outside my family that the throne passes to," Sikander said in a matter-of-fact tone, though he did wonder just who had sent the assassins. He would know then who to strike at next. "We might find out from the one who isn't going to be hung. Even if he doesn't know who paid for the attempt, if it was through one of the guilds, we'll learn which one," And there was no doubt in his voice that the man wouldn't talk, that he'd somehow resist the interrogations.

He started to dress, but stopped. He looked at the cut in his sleeve, running the edge of his finger over the tear in the cloth. The edges weren't terribly bloody, thankfully, but the gash would stand out. And his intention right now was to act as though no attack had happened.

He leaned closer to Lesald, holding the garment out towards her, saying, "If you wouldn't mind... could you close up the tear? When we arrive I want there to be no definitive sign that we were attacked. Whoever paid for those assassins most likely paid to get them into the country and waited for months to get them into place. The attack here was doomed to fail, probably a hasty attempt to get me while I was travelling. They might still have an agent who could report to their employer. And I want that agent to report nothing but that we arrived."
 
The fact that he said her father brought a frown to her lips for a moment. Her father may have not been completely pleased with the man sudden request to marry her but he was no fool! To hire assassins to kill Sikander would only cause trouble for their tiny and peaceful kingdom. On top of that he wasn't the type to instantly hop into a fight, even if it was for her. He had to think over things for a long time and debate the risks, it took him nearly half a year to decide on the building of large defensive walls for the capital! No her father was certainly not the one who hired the assassins.

She was brought from her thoughts as he requested for her to repair his clothing of the tear they had gotten from the spear. She took his shirt gently as she shuffled through her little trunk for a small sewing kit. Once she had it she quickly got to work stitching up the tear quietly. Her fingers worked skillfully as they had on her knitting, the tear disappearing as it had never happened. The only sign that it was torn was a slightly different tone of the thread she had used. She tied off the tread and cut it with a small bite of her teeth before holding out the repaired clothing back to him.

"Will we be safe for the rest of the trip? If there are more out there they might attack again won't they?" She asked softly as she packed up her sewing kit and put it away.
 
"I doubt it. Before long at this rate we'll be out of this forest and into places where no one would try such a bold assault. No one in their right mind, at least. I still believe that this was a rushed attempt brought on when someone heard that I would be travelling. And it's succeeded as much as the rushed attempted deserves." Sikander dressed again, momentarily brushing his fingers over the neatly stitched line in the cloth, admiring the work. For being done rushed and on the road, the quality was outstanding. The briefest of grins twitched across his lips at the thought of how she had proven useful without any of the qualities he would have sought in a bride. Fate was a curious thing.

With every step that he could take now taken to try to wipe out any trace that the attack had left on him, he said a small, "Thank you," and sat back in his seat, closing his eyes and allowing himself to relax. It was strange but with the danger gone his mood seemed to worsen, a subtle drop in his features. He always seemed happiest when dealing with threats immediately before him, and became less so when the immediate dangers were gone.

"Not long at all now," He said as he glanced out the window again, at the darkening countryside.
 
The idea of them still being in danger wasn't welcoming but she felt a little better knowing that they were almost there and the chance of another attack was less likely. She sat back in her chair, nodding her head slightly at his small thank you and looked out the window of the carriage, watching the darkness take hold of the forest slowly. A lot had just happened in a short amount of time, and her mind felt both very tired and terribly awake at the same time. She wasn't certain if she would be able to sleep well that night knowing that their were people following them with the intention to kill...

She couldn't help but wonder what would be next, they had only started traveling and they had already witnessed an assassination attempt on Sikander's life. She hoped that they wouldn't face anything worse than that for the rest of the trip, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle anything worse than that. The rest of the ride to the resting spot was spent thinking and quick glances out the window, watching the night take over and looking for the rest stop.
 
They arrived at the governor's mansion with little fanfare, the grand house set on a hill overlooking the nearby city, the lamplight looking like a second patch of stars across the ground. The governor, a round man with a hard eye for finances, welcomed his king and future queen graciously, leading them slowly but not too slowly(So that the luggage could arrive first) to their room, apologizing- again, graciously- for the lack of choice available.

Still, the man knew what a hint looked like, and when Sikander bade him good night he left quickly, leaving the royals alone in the chambers. They were furnished with dark wood, no matter how bright the lamps were the room would still have a half-lit feel to it. Sikander walked through them, the large bedroom and closets, sighing softly as there was only one bed. Granted, it was a large bed, and three men could have slept on it at once and never touched, but it was still only one bed, and he could already imagine what Lesald would say about that.

He held one hand up as he looked at her, his voice gentle yet firm. "This is fine. If you wish to be alone you can have the bed, I can find something else without complaint."
 
A feeling of relief came over Lesald as they arrived, the mansion looking rather welcoming even though it was dark and only the lamps from the house showing any light. The governor, a stout man, greeted them kindly and lead them to their room slowly. Lesald wished he would have gone faster but she did not want to come off as rude, even if she was dreadfully tired. When they did arrived she looked around curiously, saying a polite good night to the governor as he hurried off.

The first thing she noticed was the bed...The one bed. She was taken a little by surprise that the governor thought that they might lay in the same bed together, they weren't even married yet. It seemed that Sikander was reading her mind at that moment for he offered the bed up to her, saying he would sleep elsewhere. She felt a little guilty at his offer as she noticed that there were not other places to really get comfortable in the room and on top of his arm had been injured during the earlier battle.

"I...I have no problem with sharing, there is plenty of room in the bed for two and since we are to be married then we might as well adjust to having...close sleeping quarters at night." She said softly, looking down at her hands out of shyness. "Besides, you should lay in a proper bed after...earlier."
 
"If you're certain," Sikander replied as he watched her looking at her hands. Why was she so shy? She had no reason to be, and yet she was. He wasn't certain whether it confused him or attracted him or some combination of both. It just seemed so out of place on one as fair as her. Whatever she was doing, it was making him feel like a monster without understanding why he cared that he felt that way. He'd ordered cities burned and slept without a moment's discomfort, but he felt even the slightest bit remorseful about forcing her to share a bed- And only share a bed- with him?

Still there was something, however slight, he could do to try to soften this inexplicable weight on his conscience. He shed the outer layers of his clothes, down to something more comfortable, before reaching into his satchel to take out a stack of reports and bills. He set them onto the wooden desk set into the corner, letting out a small sigh as he slid into the chair.

"If you want to turn in you may, I need to work for a while," He said with his back turned to her as he forced himself to focus on the sheets and figures, the menial things that formed the day-to-day work of the king. It was not all battles and strategy, he'd learned at an early age. Much of ruling was done through the pen. He forced himself to focus on the papers, because where the desk was built into the wall the wood had been polished to a mirror-like finish, and even though it was faint, Sikander's eye was still drawn to the reflection of Lesald.
 
Lesald looked up curiously when he turned away and pulled off some of his clothing to get comfortable before pulling out some papers and sitting down at the desk provided. When he said she could turn in on her own she couldn't help but feel a little grateful to him, even if he really had to work on those papers. She looked around the room, seeing if there was a place to change only to see that the cover there was was a rice screen set off to the side.

She wandered over to her trunk and pulled out a plain white shoulder less nightgown as well as a hairbrush to tame her golden locks. She slipped behind the rice screen and started to undress, removing her gown and her corset from her body and leaving her underwear behind. Lesald also let down her long golden hair before slipping her nightgown over her head. She collected her clothing from the floor and placed them into her trunk neatly to be possibly worn again.

After that she pulled down the cover of the large bed, smoothing them out a bit before she sat upon it quietly and began to slowly brush out her hair, working from the bottom to the top.
 
Luckily for Lesald, the screen was not backlit, once she stepped behind it she vanished from the reflection he couldn't pull his eyes from. Or rather, luckily for Sikander, as he wasn't sure what he would have done if he could have watched. He wasn't used to these feelings of desire, especially not ones that he couldn't understand. He forced his eyes back onto the words as she sat on the bed, his back turned to her still, though thanks to the polish of the wood he could still see as she brushed her golden hair.

What he knew though at the moment, was that no matter how long it took he would sit here until he was sure she was asleep. Earlier he couldn't resist the impulse just to kiss her, and that was sharing a carriage. Now, he was not sure what he would do. No matter how beautiful she looked in sleep he had the strength of mind not to disturb her then.

He signed what documents he needed to, read what he needed to, but still drug his feet, even doing nothing at the end as he waited for her to sleep, to alleviate some of the temptation he felt, a sore pulling of his heart. He wasn't sure if she knew or could suspect at his reasoning, but at this point he could care less.
 
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