A Marriage For The Best...

Silently, Lesald brushed her long golden locks slowly, making sure to take out the knots that had formed from being tied up and out of her face. Once she was done she set the brush to the side and gave her hair one last run through with her before glancing at Sikander quietly for a moment. She couldn't help but notice he seemed more tense at the moment, almost as if he was staring at his papers blankly. She assumed that he was just tired after the long trip and attack and just needed some rest, she knew that she did after all of that.

"Will you be coming to bed soon?" She asked him curiously as she shuffled her way under the covers and fluffed her pillows a bit. "You shouldn't stay up to late since we will be leaving early tomorrow." She finished as she leaned back into some pillows, looking at him quietly as she waited for his reply.
 
Sikander, shook his head, but it wasn't a negative gesture. It was all he could do to keep from laughing, a darkly humorous kind of laugh, the kind that you give before you ask Fate "Why?" He had on the small smile of a man continually attacked by Fate as he stood and undressed down to his pants, but no more. He went to the lamps in the room and blew all but one out, which he dimmed to the level of a candle. From the opposite side of the bed he slid underneath the covers, lying against the edge of the mattress, eyes forward, looking to the ceiling.

Away from temptation.

"Good night, Lesald," He said to her without looking at her as he laid his hands on his chest, one finger rising and falling as he began to control his breathing, a technique he'd learned for sleeping in the field. And while life and death were no longer being decided, this still felt like combat to him.
 
Lesald watched him quietly dim the lights before getting into the bed next to her, a small bit of nervousness coming over her for a moment. She couldn't help but wonder if he would try and doing something to her like he had in the carriage when he kissed her. Her fears were pushed away though when she saw him close his eyes and begin to breath slowly, wishing her a simple goodnight.

"Good night, Sikander." She said softly before turning on to her side and closing her eyes, attempting to try and sleep somewhat before they left tomorrow.

She breathed slowed easily and before long she was out like a light, her breathing light and soft. She cuddled into the pillows in her sleep, like a child cuddling into a doll before bed. Her golden locks pooled aroundS her head as she turned throughout the night. Slowly though the evening her body made it's way across the bed, more out of simple movements than cold or any other reason. By morning she was laying right next to Sikander, her head resting on his shoulder slightly. The only thing that would wake her then would be a nudge or a soft call...
 
When Sikander awoke the only sign that he made was that his eyes opened. He didn't move, didn't want to move, didn't want to wake her. He watched Lesald sleep, so close to him but yet so far away, separated by the distances of etiquette and taste, by what defined a proper relationship.

Softly, ever so softly he shifted so that he could lean in and touch his lips to her forehead in a kiss that was barely a touch at all. And with that he slid away from her, off the bed, leaving her to settle without him. He started to dress as silently as he could, his feet making barely as sound as he walked around the room. He went to the desk again, looking over a last few items and figures, his back turned to her.

He looked back to the bed, just watching her, the hollow space in her stance where another body should fit. His body. He wanted to climb back beneath the covers with her and just hold her, though he new he couldn't. He let out a low sigh as he shook his head, picking up his boots and beginning to walk towards the door.
 
Lesald did not away until Sikaander was gone for almost half an hour, the young woman have been in a deeper sleep than she was used too. She let out a small yawn as she sat up, stretching out a bit as she looked around for her former bed companion. She noticed that she was in the middle of the bed and assumed she had made her way over there through out the night. She only hoped that that was not the reason that she was alone in the bed, she would feel guilty for having forced him out of bed because of her movement in her sleep.

She did not have time to sit around a feel bad though, she needed to get dressed so they could get back onto the road. She slipped behind the changing screen once more and slipped out of her pajamas and into another lovely dress, once again shoulder less and flowing. It was a pale pink this time though and seemed to have a bit more lace to it then most of her clothing. She let her hair hang low instead of putting it up, tying it back with a white ribbon. After packing her trunk back up once again she stepped out of the room, heading down to the dining area that she remembered the governor mentioned as he lead them to their room.

She made her way down the halls to where she remembered there being a dining room, using her nose to help guide her toward the possible meal that she would be eating before they departed...
 
Sikander had just broken away from a quiet conversation with one of the territorial officials when he saw Lesald, and had he not been attempting to mentally harden himself against such acts, he would have stared. Hers was a simple, elegant beaut that never seemed to fail to draw his eyes.

He moved sot hat he fell in beside her as he walked, a pleasant smile on his face that took him by surprise as he realized it was neither fake nor forced, but genuine. "Good morning, Princess," he started to ask, "Did you sleep well last night?" And that was all that he asked. She seemed to panic when he kissed her, how poorly would she react to learn how she had lain when he woke? No, he would not do something that cruel to her.

As they walked, he could tell what was guiding her, and began subtly leading her towards the dining hall, not touching her but stepping ahead at times to indicate where she should follow.
 
Lesald approached Sikander quietly as she noticed him speaking with another person in the hall. She did not want to bother him but she would otherwise get lost if she continued to wander around on her own. She smiled slightly at him as he asked her how she slept, his smile becoming that infectious.

"I slept very well, I hope you slept just as well as I had?" She asked him in returned as she followed him to the dining hall.

When the arrived the smell of the food invaded her nose quickly, reminding her how hungry she actually was. She had gone to bed without supper since she had been so tired and it had also been far to late to wake the cooks up to make something. Now that she was near the food she could feel her stomach grumbling in hunger. As she looked over the table full of food curiously, wondering if it was really all for just the two of them to eat alone.

"Is this all for us?" She asked softly, mostly to herself though she left it open for him to comment if he wished.
 
"I slept well indeed," Sikander answered as he walked into the dining hall. As she looked over the table and asked, he answered, "For our travelling party," unable to resist a smile as he saw the look on her face. He stepped just slightly away so that she could get what she wanted from the table as he continued, "The others ate while you were still asleep. I chose to wait for you before I did.."

There was nothing in his tone to show that he thought anything of it, just that it was the proper thing to do. He looked out to one of the large windows illuminating the dining hall. He wasn't sure yet that he wanted to be on the road, but he knew that he did want to see this new castle site. And travelling with Lesald thus far had proven less unbearable than he might have imagined. In fact, it was quite bearable. Perhaps even pleasurable.

He cleared his throat, before continuing and saying, "We won't have to travel so hard for the rest of the trip, so we should not arrive so late at our destinations from now on."
 
"Oh..." She said softly as she realized that it was also for all the guards that had come along with them. She couldn't stop the small embarrassed blush come to her face as she started to fill her plate, taking mostly light things and an extra pastry for herself as she took a seat and began to eat slowly.

Lesald did not speak much as she ate, her hunger was taking over much of her thought process...Then again she hadn't eaten since they had that small meal during the trip the other day. She looked up at him curiously as he mentioned that they wouldn't need to travel as hard as they did on the first day. Lesald had expected that they would be traveling quickly until the reached their destination.

However, the idea of taking a more leisurely was sounding rather nice, especially after the other day's attack. Also, being able to have some time to enjoy her evening and eat a nice meal was also appealing. She set down what she was currently nibbling upon and looked up at him.

"Alright, then...That will be nice, it will mean that we won't be completely drained from the carriage ride." She said simply.
 
Sikander filled a plate of his own and took a seat across from Lesald, that same genuine smile on his lips as he began to eat. After a few bites he cleared his mouth and added, "No, we should not be travelling as long in the carriage for the rest of the trip. I've sent ahead to alter our arrangements accordingly. And if we need to... I have the authority to make alterations. " There was only a light tone of boasting in his voice, not a threatening one but rather an amused one, and he did do his best to smile with the joke.

The sun had well risen by the time that Sikander and Lesald had finished eating and preparing for the day's journey. At last they were walking out into the courtyard. The knights assembled there all mounted their steeds as they saw their liege approaching. A few started to grin at the sight of what they though of as the two lovers, but a harsh glare from Sikander cut them off.

He opened the door to the carriage and stood beside it like a proper gentleman, a pleasant expression on his face as he said, "Well Princess? Shall we start the day's travel?"
 
Lesald was quiet mostly at breakfast, letting Sikander lead the conversation at the table. He seemed to be in a better mood that morning which was starting to rub off on her as she smiled slightly at his little gloat. She did not do much else otherwise until it was time for them to leave. She walked toward the carriage right next to him and couldn't help but notice the guards smiling a bit, though they suddenly stopped as Sikander glared at them. She smiled as he held the door open for her and stepped into the carriage simply as she spoke.

"Yes we shall." She replied softly as she sat down, adjusting the skirt of her dress as she watched him hop inside the carriage and the parade of horses and guards start to trot off at a simple pace.

As they made their way along the road, Lesald pulled out her knitting once again and started to work upon the growing project to pass the time. Though they weren't rushing like before she knew that it would still be a long trip for her either way. She found herself glancing out the window often though, she kept getting the feeling that something wrong was going to happen. She didn't want to bring it up with Sikander though, he'd more than likely think her silly to be worrying over what seemed to be a peaceful forest. Then again, after the attack yesterday she just wasn't so willing to trust the forest that surrounded them just yet. She only hoped that today wouldn't be a repeat of before...
 
Sikander caught her glances out the window towards the treeline, and frowned slightly in... sympathy? Pity? He wasn't certain what emotion to ascribe this feeling to, a need to reassure her and ease her concerns. "We'll be leaving the forest country soon, the countryside will become much more open. The castle site is in the north, the hill country. I doubt that there would be any assassins so foolish as to try to attack me in a place so exposed."

Sikander did not believe in chivalry beyond using it as a tool to appear to be a 'Good person.' His grandfather and his father had both taught him that if you were in a position where you would lose too many men saving civilians, you held your forces back from a more opportune battle. If your opponent turned his back to you, and you needed him dead that badly, you stabbed him. Good deeds and acts of charity were only to be done when they would lead to charity towards you or when the image they created would be worth the cost.

Which is why he surprised himself when he added, "And even if they did, I would not let anything happen to you," with the finality in his tone as though he would die first.
 
Lesald paused in her knitting as he began to speak, her eyes moving from the window to land on Sikander with a bit of surprise. She did not think that she had been looking out the window so noticeably. In fact, she though she was hiding her worry quite well. Her cheeks tinted the faintest red as he explained that it would be unlikely for another assassination attempt to take place since they would be leaving the forest soon, the color only darkening as he mentioned that he would not let anything happen to her if there was.

She was a little surprised to hear him say that but it served its purpose and comforted her enough to relax her, though she still seemed a little uncertain towards the woods. They could not get into the plain fast enough as far as Lesald was concerned but she would not push the guards or driver to go any faster if Sikander had such confidence about the situation. She smiled a bit at him, it more meaningful than polite, and spoke softly.

"Thank you...I feel much safer knowing that."

She looked back down at her knitting once again and started to focus on it, trying to ignore the passing trees and much as she could. She did not want to make herself worry any more since it only seemed to cause her stress. Her fingers moved quickly as her project grew, quickly taking shape into something, though it was still very hard to tell.
 
The trees began to grow shorter and farther apart as the sun traveled higher in the sky and the road rolled onwards beneath the wheels of the carriage. Soon they gave way completely to the starts of wide fields tended into well-ordered farms separated by fences and hedges with the occasional glimpse of an irrigation channel or a natural river, a few clumps of forest remaining at the edges of the fields where they would be too much work to clear away.

It was by the banks of one of these clear, slow moving rivers that they stopped for a short rest, to let riders and royals stretch their legs. Though Sikander was enjoying the ride with Lesald more than he had expected to, he still cast a somewhat envious glance at the knights and their horses. Riding felt so much more natural and right to him than being driven did.

"We'll take a few minutes to rest now, if you want you can walk around the area, but don't go out of sight please," Sikander said to his bride-to-be as they stepped out of the carriage, a note of concern in his voice as he reached the end of the sentence. He had somewhat unnerved himself, by realizing that she could have been harmed in yesterday's attack, yet that hadn't been on his mind then. He didn't like the idea of Lesald being in danger.
 
Lesald stepped out of the carriage quietly, looking around the field a little more comfortable now that the trees were far away. She turned to look at Sikander as he addressed her, telling her not to wander off to far from the group. She nodded her head in understanding, wanting to stretch her legs out as she headed out into the fields for a small stroll. Though she liked carriage rides around the area she heated the cramped feeling she always got in her legs when she rode for long periods of time.

She headed off into the field, slowly making her way father off from the group, she stayed in site though, making sure that she could see them from where she was at all times. She found herself looking around often though, still a little nervous about her surroundings. No matter what he said, Lesald had a feeling in her gut that something was going to happen that day, be it good or bad. She tried to not think to much on it though since it would only make her more skittish. She paused as she heard the snap of something off to her side, somewhere in a large patch of tall grass. She looked at the spot quietly for a moment before looking away, shaking her head as she assumed that she had only imagined that she heard something...

Oh how wrong she was.

A sudden sharp pain took over her left shoulder as an arrow flew right past her head, cutting her shoulder deeply. A loud scream slipped from her lips as the arrow threw her off balance, making her fall onto the hard ground as she grasped her shoulder in pain. She turn her head to see a few men slip from the tall grass...Assassins! Her face paled suddenly as she sat frozen, the men approaching quickly with intent in their slightly exposed eyes...
 
"Lesald!" Sikander whirled around as he heard her short scream and broke into a run towards the sound. The guards reacted almost as quickly, trying to pull ahead of Sikander so that they could better protect their king, but he refused to be anything less than the first to reach her. He burst through the tall grass, drawing his sword and holding it with both hands as he saw the assassins.

They were only assassins, they weren't trained fighters, especially not ones to go toe-to-toe with heavily armed warriors. One of their number, however, decided that the chance to get the king was worth the risk. As the other two turned to run and got struck down by arrows, he drew a slim, straight stabbing sword and met Sikander's charge.

The battle was short, barely worth a mention. Sikander attacked with a fury that even he could not have expected, and steel met steel with a few short clashes before the would-be assassin found Sikander's sword driven through his chest. He let out a choked sound, and Sikander kicked him off of his blade and onto the ground. Then he looked down to Lesald, his eyes still hard from combat, blood dripping from the tip of his blade as he asked, "Are you all right?"
 
Lesald held her shoulder tightly as she looked toward the calling of her name, Sikander must have heard her scream. She looked from the assassins tot he grass, hoping that he would arrive sooner than they men would kill her. The blood was slipping through her fingers when Sikander arrived, her face pale as she felt slightly dizzy. She watched as two of the assassins ran, leaving her alone as the last one tried to fight Sikander on his own. The fight was not long though as Sikander was fueled by what seemed to be anger.

The assassin's life was ended with a swords through the chest, making Lesalds stomach turn a bit at the sight. She tried not to look to much at the now dead man as she tried to sit up on the ground, her hand painted red from her injury as she looked up at him weakly.

"I-I'm fine...I was hit with an arrow though." She said weakly as she made a move to stand, though she fell back as she was over come with dizziness. She looked terribly pale, more from her fear than any blood loss. Her hands were shaking slightly and she looked like she might break down at any moment.
 
As Lesald started to fall backwards, Sikander was there in an instant, keeping her standing as he supported her. He took her hand and lifted it away from the cut so that he could inspect it, then placed her hand back over it, his over hers to apply more pressure to try to control the bleeding. Save for the wound, blood trickling down her arm, the way that they were standing might have resembled a romantic scene fit for a painting.

From a wellspring of tenderness that had never imagined possessing, Sikander began to gently lead her back to the carriage, moving only as fast as she could, letting her lean on him as needed. Mentally, he was kicking himself, just as much pain as the wound was causing her, it was causing him frustration and anger at himself.

He turned his head towards one of the knights who passed them to check the bodies, his voice a low order: "See if any are still alive." Trying to kill him was nothing new, but trying to kill Lesald made him want to rage. If one was alive, he would receive the best medical treatment to regain his strength, because he was going to need every bit of it for when Sikander questioned him.
 
Lesald felt weak and tired, the feel of her blood covering her fingers and running down her arms unnerving her to the point where she gladly into into Sikander for comfort. She looked at her wound more seriously as he removed her hand, holding onto her shaking fingers before covering it up again and putting pressure on it. It didn't look terrible, though all that blood was making her sick and pale. Lesald let him lead her away, leaning into him lightly as they made their way over toward the carriage. She needed to his, to get her wound wrapped up and her mind cleared.

She knew that he was at risk, it seemed to be used to it by now...but her? She was only from a small kingdom, one that she was certain these assassins didn't even know about. Why would they even attack her? Maybe it was because she was to be Sikander's wife? She wasn't certain completely and she was more focused on getting the blood cleaned up than figuring out why she was now a target. She glanced down at her arm for a moment before looking back up again. Well, her dress was certainly ruined down, she would need to change completely if she didn't want people to know what would happen.

When they arrived at the carriage she climbed inside, though a little clumsily. She leaned into the corner, holding onto her shoulder gently as she looked up at him, tired and weak.
 
Sikander stepped up into the carriage after her, shutting the door and pulling the shutters closed as he found the same kit from yesterday and opened it, a look of silent intensity as he started to treat the cut. "This will burn," He said, using his free hand to hold her elbow and keep her arm still as he poured the disinfectant over the wounded area. He let it stay until he was satisfied that her wound had been cleaned, and started to wrap it tightly after wiping away the blood and disinfectant.

"This was a mistake," He said in a low voice, more to himself than her. "It's not as safe as I thought it was. Not for you, at least. If you can make it, we'll try to get back to the Capital tonight. It will be more secure there, as I have my spy network start tightening though the nation."

"How do you feel? Honestly." He said, his voice rising in volume slightly to a somewhat more conversational tone as he lifted his eyes to hers. His were dark, unreadable, his face a stony mask over the emotions that he felt struggling within him, demanding expression in the face of his constant denial and stoicism.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back