Before Ava could disagree, I stepped up to her horse. “Sit forward,” I told her. She passed me an unsure look, like she didn’t think this was a good idea, but I gave her a small smile to let her know it was fine.
She scooted up in the saddle to make room for me, and once I was comfortably behind her, we were off. The soldiers led the way at little more than a canter, but it only took a few minutes on the road before everything began to change. There wasn’t as much forest because of all the farmland we were passing, and the miles between here and the castle were flat enough that I could actually see our destination. The capital city of Ronan, though I still didn’t know what it was called, stretched out for miles beyond the farmland. It wasn’t like Guelder, though, where the castle was situated at the heart of the city. The castle was visible across from the city, and was nearly half as large.
The sight of it seemed to excite everyone, as our pace increased to where I could tell Albus was working to keep up. At this speed, it took little less than an hour before we got to the massive stone castle. The gates opened as we reached them, and while the soldiers slowed our pace inside, they didn’t stop until we’d ridden past a second gate and all the way to the rear of the large yard. We came to a halt in front of the stables, each of the soldiers dismounting and passing their horses to a stableman.
Once Ava and I were on our feet again, she began to pass her reins off, pointing to Maddox as she did. “Keep her with my horse.”
The man nodded and took the horse and Maddox into the stables. While five of the six soldiers disbanded to go their own way, their leader motioned for Ava and me to follow. We trailed her into a tower with Albus at my side, up a rounded set of stairs, and down a wide hall to a door where two soldiers were standing guard.
“Is he in there?” our guide asked one of them.
“Aye, Commander,” one nodded. “But he’s with council.”
“He’s waiting for this interruption,” she said as she bypassed him for the door, opening it and stepping aside for Ava and me to enter first.
There were two men in the room. One was sitting at the end of the single long table at the center, with his head bent over a piece of paper so the only bit of it I could see was the crown. The other was a man in green robes, standing at the king’s side and pointing to something on the parchment. When we walked in, both of them looked up to see about the disturbance, and by the gods I knew immediately that we’d come to the right place. King Akhran was Ava’s father, of that I had no doubt. He had the same soft, dark skin, the same round nose and, best of all, the same brilliant, emotive blue eyes.
He leapt out of his seat the moment he focused on her, and without even being told, he knew who she was. “Avarona?” he asked, a slow smile creasing the corners of his mouth. The very next moment he was pacing across the length of the room, and it made me nervous for only a second before he wrapped his large arms around her, pinning hers to her sides as he lifted her in a tight hug.
In spite of everything I’d been through the last couple days, I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that he appeared so happy to see her. By the time he set her down again, her eyes were full of tears, which she hurried to wipe away when he let her go.
“Look at you,” he breathed in awe. “You’re beautiful.” He looked at the soldier who’d brought us here and repeated, “She’s beautiful!”
“Yes, Your Grace,” the commander agreed with an amused chuckle.
“Like your mother.” King Akhran glanced back at the man in the robes. “That’ll be all for now, thank you.” The man nodded and left, and the king looked at the commander again. “Bring my wife.” She did the same and retreated out the door, closing it behind her. Akhran stared at Ava for nearly a minute, speechless and with a sparkle in his eyes. Then his gaze softened and wandered from her to me, and I saw him take in the especially marred look of my shoulder. “You’ve had a rough journey,” he pointed out.
Ava’s mouth fell open, and though she clearly had so much to say, it took her a while to actually get something out. “How did you know I was coming?”
“I hadn’t spoken to your mother in years. Fourteen to be exact.” He gave a knowing grin. “Imagine my surprise at receiving a letter saying you’d run away.”
“She got a message to you?” Ava asked in shock.
“Indeed,” he said with a nod. “She suspected you’d try and make it here.” He turned his gaze on me again. “Who is it that’s accompanied you?”
“Your Grace, this is—” Ava seemed about to give him some title or position, but I had none, and she faltered for a moment over what to say. “Kiena. And Albus.”
“It’s a pleasure,” the king said to me, and my only experience being addressed by a king was with Hazlitt. While this didn’t feel like so formal a meeting as required me to kneel, I made a deep and respectful bow. “Please, no,” the king chuckled, motioning for me to straighten up. “Ronan formality ends with a title. No need for grand gestures.” He stuck his hand out to Albus, allowing Albus to sniff him before rubbing the top of his head in greeting. After he’d satisfied himself with petting my dog, he motioned toward my shoulder. “You’re injured, Kiena.”
“It’s nothing, Your Grace,” I said.
“She’s being modest,” Ava disagreed. I cast her an embarrassed glare, because the last thing I’d have is a king fretting over it, but she simply raised her eyebrows at me, challenging me to deny it.
The king’s lips curled with delight at the exchange. “Come,” he said, walking past us for the door. “I’ll escort you to my personal physician.”
He led the way out, and as we followed him down the hall, I heard the two soldiers who’d been guarding the door trailing behind us. “Did you find much trouble on the road?” he asked.
While Ava walked at his side, I stayed a couple steps behind them, too unsure of myself to engage in actual conversation. He was Ava’s father anyway. I didn’t want to get between them.
“Hazlitt had men after me,” Ava answered. “They were responsible for Kiena’s wounds.”
“You’ve made your friend an enemy of her kingdom, I imagine,” he accused, though his tone was so lighthearted it seemed like he hardly minded. He glanced backward at me as we turned down another hall. “An enemy of Hazlitt’s is a friend of mine, Kiena.” Then he turned with a smile and said, “And a friend of my daughter’s is a much welcome guest.” Even from behind her, I could tell that Ava grinned when Akhran called her his daughter. I nodded gratefully at him. “Will you be staying long?” he asked Ava.
“I had hoped to stay as long as you’d have me,” she answered.
“Good!” he said, peeking back at me again. “And you?”
I refused to look at Ava as I answered, because I didn’t want to know if it disappointed her as much as it disappointed me. “Just long enough to ensure Ava’s comfort, Your Grace.”
“Very good.” He stopped at an elaborate door, opening it up and smiling at the middle-aged woman inside. “Sevedi, a patient for you.”
The woman, whose height rivaled mine and who had long, curly black hair and bright brown eyes motioned us in. “Who have you brought me?”
“This is Kiena,” the king answered. “See to her health. I’ll send someone to bring her to us when you’re done.”
It was clear he meant to keep taking Ava somewhere else, but her face fell instantly. “I don’t- uh—” she stuttered, and though she couldn’t actually say it, the reluctance was written all over her expression. She didn’t want to leave me. Either she didn’t trust them with me or she didn’t trust them with herself, but I felt comfortable. I doubted this place was anything but safe.