Two brown horses called Marschula and Apalla were being made ready for the Queen and Archymides.
Amlin was one of the stable hands, she had Marschula. The Queen's horse was bigger than the one the strategist was riding, she was faster too. She did not make eye contact with the Prince, though, he was there. The Queen's saddlebags were filled with the things she wanted, Archymides liked to travel light and only had a sword equipped to the saddle. When the horses were prepared, Amlin nodded at the young man working with her whose name she couldn't remember and steered the horses forward to the riders. Archymides saddled up by himself, grumbling to himself about how he was still young and such. Galian accepted Amlin's hand and help, Amlin averted her eyes and didn't see Galian smile at her. She called Larian over and Amlin stepped away bowing. Larian took his mother's hand.
"Remember what I told you. And that I love you," she said, he hoped she wouldn't burst into tears but it seemed possible then.
Larian smiled and nodded with the confidence she'd hoped to see in the moment. Archymides took the lead, kicking Apalla's side and Galian followed, not taking her eyes off her dear boy until she had to focus on the road ahead. Men on horses towing spears followed them all the way to the gate.
In the armory Leyden was getting suited up, for he would soon be departing too. There were two women and a man with him, the two women he knew from his army days, they were the same age as him, looked as though they'd seen just as much too. Yeera and Eilee. The man, Brennen was the youngest of the lot, a true volunteer.
"Whatever we run into, stick together, no matter if its trolls or goblins. Fight together, stay quiet, move swiftly, and we'll come home. Have you all said your goodbyes?"
He didn't know if any of them had anyone to say goodbye to, and left it at their nods. He took a deep breath as he looked upon his squad.
He was in full armor when he brought firewood into the house but Morrigan seemed better.
"You're sure this is okay?" He asked. She had been reading, and was being polite though she was annoyed to be interrupted, or was at least making it seem that way. She nodded.
"Because I can back out anytime before I'm on that horse."
"I'll be fine," she sounded genuine.
"Then I have to get going."
He was hoping to get a final hug, and she rose and wrapped her arms around him.
"Just don't take your time coming back, okay?"
"I'll never abandon you."
"Wish I could go with you," they laughed and smiled but both knew she meant it.
"Me too."
Larian struggled to come up with lasting words for the rescue squad, they sat on their horses at the stables waiting for him to put his thoughts together. He wanted to badly to sound official, and impressive.
"Stay true to your purpose, believe in yourselves and know that when you return, bards will sing the songs of poets about your deeds."
It sounded better out loud than it had in his mind and he saw smiles form on their faces. They bowed to the Prince then turned their horses to head for the gate, Leyden found Morrigan with a look over his shoulder once more and he waved. She didn't stop waving until the gate closed behind them and they started down the Farod in a trot. She ran up to the wall and watched them disappear into the horizon. Sandril ran up and joined her, barking and wagging his tail, he was whining until Morrigan scratched behind his ears.
"Hungry?" She asked and laughed when he barked happily and wagged his tail fast enough to create a maelstrom. Morrigan pointed to the house and they started off. She felt calm, calmer than she had been in days, there had been so much anticipation about the event that now it had happened there was relief.
It was nearly evening, the ship to ol'Yen would be leaving in an hour or so based on Amlin's recollection. She found Larian in the throne room and bowed to him but he waved her off like he didn't like the sight. She made sure they were alone, or at least, somewhat alone.
"This is our last chance."
He'd forgotten about her ship and her vision of a happy life, it took him a moment to remember what she was referring to.
"Would you really just have me pack up and leave? Look at where I am now."
She moved a little closer bringing guards closer and that startled her. Larian shook his head in their direction and the guards went back to pretending they weren't listening.
"If you truly love me, you'll come with me."
Larian rose and moved closer to her, he had to send guards away once more with frustration, he strolled with her to a more quiet place in the hall.
"You doubt what I told you is the truth?"
She shrugged. "Your reluctance is making me think about it."
"Why leave at all now? Until certain people return this is my castle, I have the Capital all to myself, and it would be a lonely existence without you."
She'd never thought of that, even though he probably did still love her, she'd never break protocol so much that she'd be allowed in the castle for more than an hour, they wouldn't be sleeping together in royal quarters, that seemed impossible, though wonderful. She focused intently on him.
"Can I sit on the throne?"
Larian laughed, "I don't see why not."
Morrigan shuddered when an ember fell on the floor next to her and she put it out as quickly as she could. She stayed by the fire, just further over and picked at some bread she had put on a plate because that was the extent of her skill in the kitchen. She passed some to Sandril every so often who was sitting next to her, waiting patiently with hopeful eyes that were impossible to ignore. When she'd had enough she set the plate down and let him finish the rest to his great joy. Her eyes fell on the fire, its dance nearly hypnotized her into sleep, but it was more of a reverie. She could hear her sister's voice, light and soft even though she had matured, the last thing Elara had said was that she would soon be leaving to go off on her own. She had ambitions to open a clothing shop, to knit and weave, perhaps to make fine jewelry on the side. Morrigan had laughed, Elara wasn't the least bit handy. Sara, her mother, was tying her shoes into her teen years, but there that night, Morrigan wished she had pursued that goal, she wished she had something to remember her by other than the sound of her scream before the orc slashed her throat, she wished that she had taken up the sword before that night, and had been there, not off playing with friends, to protect her. Elara had always been closest with Sara, and they had died together, and Leyden had made them all pay for it. She had never seen him angrier than he was that night, he didn't cry until he got back from the snowy islands.
They were gone, there was nothing she could do about it, her father, having only been gone a few hours, was probably still alive. She couldn't sit by and do nothing while he went and got himself killed. She didn't want the Prince to become the new king and visit her and tell her that his body would probably never be found in more polite terms. She had to do something, she rose to look for something, not even completely sure what that something was. She pried open a chest near the door and withdrew her rusty short sword and a knife that Leyden always kept there, she unsheathed both blades and examined them. If she followed the trail, maybe she would be able to catch up to him in a moment he needed help. Or maybe she'd be dead by the time she reached the river, either way, there was no way she was going to stay home, her mind wouldn't allow it, she went outside like she didn't have another choice.
She had changed out of her dress into a light traveling garb, the boots she had were too small now but they would do. With her weapons on her belt, she pulled her hood over her head meant to keep out the rain on the clear night and moved through the city. Sandril had been tilting his head in confusion in the cracked open doorway for nearly five full minutes before he decided to follow her.
She felt silly as she neared the gate for being so secretive, nobody was going to tell her what she could or couldn't do, but the guards probably weren't going to let her out so she had to think of a plan rather than risk getting put under watch. She reached the top of the wall stealthily, her thin frame was helpful in the endeavor, her footfalls remained light upon the stone and didn't wake the fat guard sleeping in the chair creaking from stress. She looked down from the wall's edge, a fall certainly wouldn't kill her, but whether she would break a bone or not was less certain. She noticed various supply crates, probably empty, stacked up the wall a little to her left about halfway up. She would have to fall a little but they would catch her before any real damage could be done. She looked at the guard again but knew even if he woke right then and there she'd slip down and would make a run along the river. She didn't even think about turning back and let her last opportunity slip into the void. She dangled one boot as far down the wall as she could then she allowed herself to slip and landed on the top crate with a small crash. She groaned a little, her feet felt sore already but she pressed on and reached solid ground where she hid behind the crates and brushed herself off.
Her gaze fell on he river, the water looked silver in the moonlight and it redirected itself like the veins on her arms. Before she could take more than a few steps she heard a voice, it wasn't the guard, it was Cara.
"Are you going after them too?" She whispered but Morrigan still told her to shush. Cara scaled down the wall the same way she had, and Morrigan noticed she had also changed into clothes apt for traveling. She would've gone alone but was happy to see someone of the same mind.
"What are you doing? Why would you even want to come?!" Morrigan was terrified, even more so when she realized her whisper had broken.
"Why not?" Cara shrugged and Morrigan covered her mouth and Cara tried to continue speaking though it was muffled. Morrigan let go, trusting she had learned to whisper.
"No really why?" Morrigan asked with fervor.
"Because what could be more exciting than a quest to free a King from the dragons of a mountain? Why are you going?"
Morrigan tried to think of the best way to iterate her feelings, but there was not a single clear reason, there were many.
"My Father's all I have left."
Cara understood, "and you're hoping to come up in support if something goes awry. I like your reason, let's go."
Morrigan couldn't lie to herself enough to convince herself she wasn't afraid to do it alone, and Cara was following her of her own volition, it was nothing she'd been roped into doing, if something bad happened to her, it would certainly not reflect badly on her.
"Alright then. Can't hurt to have somebody watching my back."
Cara slapped her shoulder and Morrigan winced a little, Cara wasn't that much bigger than her but she could pack a punch.
"That's the spirit!"
Morrigan pointed down river after rubbing her shoulder a bit, "they're about a day ahead of us already."
"Then let's get going."
They moved forward, feeling the wind against them, then they turned around because they heard barking.
Sandril was whining on the wall, looking utterly crushed to see Morrigan leave him. In her resolve she'd forgotten all about her poor friend, though he certainly couldn't come with, one of the other farmers would take care of him until she got back. She was most concerned with his barking and struggled with distancing herself or calling him over for just a moment, her obligation to be there for him was winning out.
"No! Go back!" She allowed her voice to rise a bit so he could hear but covered her mouth, spur of the moment plans were never executed to perfection.
Sandril hung his head and started walking back, looking back towards them every so often, but then a moment of madness overtook him, he'd noticed the crates they both had used to get to where they now stood. Sandril slid down the wall a bit while Morrigan rushed back to catch him, the dog landed on the top one, then the stack toppled over and he looked all around for a solution, perhaps from the dog god. Morrigan got there just in time and he jumped into her arms while the crates broke upon impact with the grass and dirt. Morrigan looked up at the guard on the wall who was amazingly still snoring, if he hadn't been a snorer she might've thought him dead for sleeping through such a commotion. With a little distance between them and the wall, Morrigan and Cara both gave Sandril the attention such a brave dog deserved and he calmed down and stopped barking.
"Is he a bloodhound?" Cara asked, assessing the use of him perhaps.
"I don't know, why?" Morrigan asked, she had an arm around his chest and was scratching his back to steady him.
"He knows your father's scent, he could help us stay on his trail."
Morrigan realized she was right and smiled at her friend. "Such a good, useful boy." His smile was from ear to ear. "I don't think he's making it back over the wall either so you're with us now boy."
He wouldn't want it any other way. They moved along the path again, this time without having to turn around.
"We'll just have to keep him quiet," Cara said.
"Do you have weapons?" Morrigan asked, noticing that while Cara was dressed for the occasion she didn't seem to have anything pointy, not even a stick.
"No but it looks like you brought enough for both of us."
Morrigan removed the knife scabbard from her belt and passed it to her. "We'll get better ones if we can find any."
They continued down the river path, picking up the pace, Sandril matching it, while Cara studied the blade.