Page 35 of When the Moon Met the Sun

“Well, I want to minimize the shock that goes through the townspeople when we get there, and I want us—you and me—to appear as a strong, united front. Would you be willing to ride with me on Atlas for the last few moments?” he asked.

I studied him for a moment, contemplating. This wasn’t exactly a shock—he was the freshly appointed king who took a Northerner as his queen. His people could be wary of not only me, but of him, too. In all honesty, it was probably the right move on his part.

No wonder he wants to display a united front.

“Alright,” I said after a moment, “I’ll do it.”

Robyn let out a small sigh of relief before thanking me. He shifted backwards in Atlas’ saddle, making room for me to sit in front of him.

My eyes widened slightly and I could feel the tips of my ears heating up. I hadn’t thought about just howcloseI’d have to sit to him for this scheme to work.

Robyn, likely feeling my confusing swirl of emotions—embarrassment, nervousness, and a dash of excitement—smiled up at me and promised, “I don’t bite.” Leaning towards me and lowering his voice so only I could hear him, he added, “Not until you giveme the all clear, that is.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, replying, “In your dreams, Thorntier.”

Nothing could stop the flush that crawled up my neck and cheeks, though, and from the smirk now upon his lips, I knew he’d noticed, too.

Settling into the front of the saddle, I pushed myself all the way forward and tucked my wings behind me, trying to keep some distance between the two of us. I didn’t know why he got under my skin so easily, but a little distance would do us some good.

Atlas seemed to have other ideas, though, as shortly after I settled in, he stretched his back like a cat, lowering his front half and raising his back half. Robyn, having nothing to hold onto, came crashing into my back and my wings.

A small hiss escaped my lips at the sudden pressure, but when Atlas leveled back out, Robyn didn’t remove himself. I could feel his solid form against my back, pressing against my wings and pinning them in place. I could feel every ragged breath he took, like it took a considerable amount of effort to be this close to me.

It took everything in me not to focus onhisswirl of conflicting emotions in my chest.

I forced my breathing to level out, only for it to hitch when Robyn slowly wrapped his arms around my waist. I could feel his breath on the shell of my ear as he murmured, “Just a little pretending, right?”

I swallowed, trying to push down the knot in my throat as I replied, “Right.”

That same powerful thing I had felt over a week ago returned, and I could feel it singing in my veins as the King of the South held me close to him, whispering in my ear about the town we were entering. Pulse pounding with more than nerves, he explained how he and the rest of the Valwain had been stopping in this town—Diorum—for as long as he could remember, anytime they went to stay at his family’s cabin. It was roughly halfway betweenCairnyl and Echen Bay, if you took the long way as we were, so it was ideal. They always stay at the same inn, and the innkeeper had been good friends with his parents.

I felt a pang of his sadness shoot through my chest at the mention of his parents, but he didn’t address it, so neither did I. We were already on thin ice as it was.

Snapping Robyn and I out of our own little world was the sound of people clapping and cheering. I realized soon enough that we were passing through the town’s gates, right into the heart of the place.

The crowd parted as we walked, some giving their congratulations, others welcoming the Valwain back once again, while some I noticed stood a bit detached, a bit guarded. And most of those guarded ones were staring right at me and Robyn.

That’s why Robyn wanted to show us as united.

Soon, we all stood in front of a three story building made of mostly different types of stones, some dark, some light, some speckled. There was a sign out front that readDorothy’s Inn, with a sweet looking middle aged female standing in the doorway, waving at our party.

The group dismounted our wolves and horses before the inn, Robyn having to catch me as I slid off of Atlas’ flank. His hands lingered on my waist just a moment too long, and when he did finally remove them, it was as though he had to force himself to.

Robyn left my side to approach who I assumed was Dorothy, the innkeeper, and I watched as she embraced him tightly, almost as a mother would. Upon closer inspection, I could see her medium brown hair beginning to gray at the roots, and the slight wrinkles she had from years of smiling and laughing.

My smile faltered as I gazed upon her. I suddenly found myself wishing to the Stars that my people could know what it was like to laugh and smile so freely, without any of the restraint they feel now. Like it seemed so many in the Southhad the freedom to do.

I rounded to Atlas’ front and gently raised a hand to his nose. When he didn’t immediately snap at me, I lightly pressed against his nose and thanked him for the ride.

“Here, give him this. He’ll love you forever,” a voice said from behind me. I turned around swiftly to see Ezra walking over, holding a small leather bag. He reached inside and pulled out a large chunk of some type of dried meat, and handed it to me.

It did not smell appetizing.

Ignoring the stench, I held it up to Atlas. In a flash, he ripped it from my hand and began devouring it.

After he finished a few heartbeats later, he gently bumped his head against mine, then walked over to where Lychen was sitting near Teagan and Margo, who were unloading luggage.

It wasn’t until Atlas walked away that I realized the luggage that had been strapped to his saddle had already been unloaded. I looked around and found that Robyn was nowhere to be seen, nor the innkeeper. I spotted Rayven standing near the luggage Atlas had held, and headed over to him.

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