Page 14 of Ruins of Magic
“It’s not that simple. How many times do I have to explain that to you? I’m not free to make choices about who I marry.”
“You are a princess. You make the rules!” he argued.
A tear slid down her cheek making him feel terrible for his outburst, but he hated everything about the situation they were in and wished he hadn’t been ordered to tag along.
With camp made in a new cave Leeric had found towards the base of the mountains, Valaria went to one side to settle down for the night, while Arion chose the far opposite side to sulk in a cold corner as far away from the others as possible.
Chapter6
The next morning, as if on repetition, they packed up and headed out. Arion hadn’t slept well at all still upset about the argument he’d had with Valaria.
The day went by slowly, mostly spent in silence as they made their way up and down the low-lying mountains separating the north from the south. The sunny morning had faded into a gloomy afternoon that mirrored the feel of the group. Valaria and Arion were back to ignoring each other and the tension between them felt tangible.
“What’s going on with you and the princess?” Taneth finally pulled him aside and asked.
“Nothing,” Arion insisted.
“Nothing?” he asked skeptically. “You’re ignoring each other and both of you are intolerable to be around. So what’s up?”
“I made her cry,” Arion admitted. “I hate this situation the king has put her in and I hate being dragged along to watch it.”
That was the core of it all and as the words tumbled from his mouth, he knew it was absolutely the truth.
“Well, get over it. We can’t control the king’s actions. We are merely servants to the crown, but that girl is also your friend. You’re not here because the king wanted to piss you off and rub it in your face. You’re here because he knew it would be hard on her and she would need a friend.”
“I don’t know if I can just sit back and support her through this,” Arion said miserably. Jealous rage festered anytime the duke was mentioned. How was he going to handle being in the man’s presence again?
“Like I said, get over it,” Taneth said before walking away.
“He’s right, you know,” Garron said, taking a seat next to Arion on the cavern floor.
“Great, you’re on his side too, now?”
“It’s not his side, it’s hers. She’s our friend, Arion. She’s hurting and doesn’t like this arrangement any more than we do, but she may not have a choice in the end. Right now, this is just a visitation. Nothing is going to happen to her. You aren’t going to lose her.”
“Yet,” Arion added, because they all knew it was just going to be a matter of time.
He stared across the room as their eyes met and held. His body began to warm from the inside out. He had to learn to control his feelings for her and start supporting her, as a friend would.
“I’m sorry,” he mouthed the words to her.
“Me too,” she mouthed back quietly. The scowl upon her face immediately transformed into the first smile he’d seen since their argument. He vowed to himself to do better about keeping her smiling.
They both settled down to sleep feeling a little better and less upset with the other.
Morning came again and this time as they packed up and left, things remained uneventful. No zanzars or trolls showed themselves. Arion was convinced that perhaps he’d only dreamed it all.
Garron had largely been shadowing Sir Leeric since the journey began, but today he took post next to his friend.
“Did you and Valaria work things out?” he asked.
Arion shrugged. “I don’t think she hates me anymore.”
Garron laughed. “She never hated you. I don’t think she even could. Have you seen any more trolls or anything?”
Arion nearly choked. He had been mentally convincing himself that he had only imagined the trolls, that maybe there had been something in the cave making him hallucinate. Now, as Garron so earnestly asked, he felt even more crazy for thinking they didn’t exist, than that he had in fact seen and talked to one. He wished Zallon were there to talk things through about it all.
They walked until high noon before stopping. While Leeric and Taneth assisted Ailsa with lunch preparations, Arion told them he was going for a walk but would stay closeby.
