Page 47 of The Lost Nation

No wonder Benedict was stressed out these days.

Chapter 21

Kali

“Will you calm down already? You’re practically vibrating.”

Erik put his hand on my lower back, and I closed my eyes and took a steadying breath. He was right. Disguised in a common dress and cloak with my hair loose around my shoulders, I was effectively disguised. No crown on my head, no fine clothes on my back. No mess of nobles falling over themselves to please me.

No one looked at me twice as we strode openly through the city.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I’dneverbeen unrecognizable before. Unnoticed.

Erik shot another glance at me. “I can take you back if you can’t handle this.”

His voice was kind, but there was a hint of a challenge. There was also a smidge of resignation, like he’d hoped for better from me, but hadn’t truly been expecting it. Well, I'd prove him wrong.

I squared my shoulders and kept walking.“Absolutely not.”I caught thesmall grin that curled the corner of his lip, but didn't say anything about it.

We strode forward as the sights, sounds, and smells of my own people surrounded me. Being immersed here and totally out of my element, I finally understood how onecould be the ruler of a kingdom and yet not reallyknowanything about it. The atmosphere down here wasn’t gloomy or downtrodden like I’d expected—instead everyone was coming together to pitch inwith an almost festival-like atmosphere.

Men and women alike were in lines, passing each other debris in a human chain to put in burn piles. Others tried to salvage what they could of a flooded home. A few vacant spaces were already cleared, beams dropped in rows to be used to raise a new house.

Erik paused before an open clearing where men and women cooked fiendishly, trying to feed everyone as they worked around the clock to set everything back to rights.

I saw my own guards mingling with the people, treated with wariness but eventually accepted as they sweat and bled along side the civilians. A wry grin twisted me mouth when I spotted a small ground of soldiers gathered around an elderly blacksmith, eating a bowl of soup and animatedly debating armor.

It lightened my heart—it made me feel as though I were apart of something greater, somethingimportant.

Then just as quickly it deflated. I realized I was being foolish. As their queen, I would never be a part of this. I would always be in my palace, disconnected and above them as the law commanded. Not making crude jokes and laughing in front of a crackling fire.

“We’re here.”

Erik paused in front of a home that seemed largely undamaged on the outside. I felt a slight bolt of fear, wishing I had my crown. I pushed such foolish thoughts away. I needed to learn to deal with fear myself, and stop relying on magick to solve all of my problems.

Erik’s hands came down on my shoulders and guided me inside the small stone house with a thatched roof. Wooden beams ran the length and width of the ceiling, similar to the ones I saw being raised for the new houses outside.

“Erik! You’ve come back!”A short, heavy woman wearing an apron accosted us, throwing down the sack she was holding.Erik was forced to let go of me as the woman attacked him in a fierce hug, and he blushed as she withdrew to kiss his cheekand pinche his ear.

Another voice rang out from the back of the house, irritated and mocking.“Has hishighnesscome back to grace us with his presence?”

A younger man peeked his head out, scowling. The woman sighed, waving him away with her hand. Her eyes found me, and widened dramatically. I cringed, knowing this was a bad idea.I could definitely run faster than her, but her shouting would definitely alert everyone else in the village of who I was. Maybe if I stuck to the back allies—

“Erik! Who isthispretty little thing?”

The next moment my spiraling thoughts were snapped in half as the woman seized me in a hug just as fierce as the one she gave her sonn. All the air left my chest in shock. When was the last time I'd been hugged?

Erik blushed down to the dark roots of his hair.“Mum!Stopmaulingher!”

The woman let me go and I slumped in relief. The younger man frowned, and came closer to get a better look at me. I wanted to shrink under their harsh gazes, unsure what to do with such scrutiny. My Nobles would neverdareglare at me with such judgement. I wanted to lean against Erik, or at least hide behind his large figure.

His firm grip on my shoulders made either of those choices impossible.“This is...uh,Kay. She works at the palace.”

Technically not a lie. I peeked up at them from under my eyelashes, embarassed at how shy I was. Gods, I was aqueen. I should be able to handle a merchant family of all things.

“Hello,” I managed, giving them a small wave.

His mother huffed, and tutted at me. “You terrible man, bringing this poor girl here to force her to work. Not terribly romantic. She won't get in trouble for abandoning her duties?"

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