Without a shadow of a doubt in her mind, Iris remained unmoved in her belief that Corvin was nothing more than just a savage, a plonker. Under different circumstances, she would've cut his manhood off. Being in a foreign land, kept her from doing so. Another time, she told herself, scrunching her eyes closed trying to wash away the horrid exchange between her and Corvin. Iris grunted when that did, absolutely nothing.
Galloping through the scorched northern plains, in the dusky light, infuriated to no end with Corvin's deed. She made headway faster than she'd expected and reached the border and the camp that she and Ian had once passed through.
Iris closed her eyes attempting to chase away the memory of those, ephemeral yet somewhat happy moments. She was haunted by the past. So many things came crashing, too many.
Iris grunted when they wouldn't go away. Riddled with guilt, and self-deprecation Iris pushed forward, hoping that once she was out of the camp. All will fade and she will forget. Foolish hope.
Leaning forward, bracing herself on the horse's mane she spurred the horse to go even faster. She needed to put as much distance between her and the place that turned her into a...Iris grunted exasperated, as she passed something that looked like a village, but there was nothing left of it. The destruction that the shikari had left in their wake, was a harrowing sight. Everything was made one with the ground.
Iris took her eyes off the village to look ahead of herself, and in the distance, Shaddow Valley stood. A shortcut to the Southlands. Iris huffed. There was no way she would gain passage through it again. Not after what she'd done last time. Iris quickly pushed the thought out of her head. The long way it was. Bumping elbows with the shikari was her greatest worry. She was in no mood or condition to face anything. Her ability had weakened even further, bashed and bruised with no means to defend herself. She had no choice, but to avoid them.
None had been sighted in a while, and she could only hope it would remain, as such. With no strength left in her, to fight anyone, let alone a creature spawned from darkness itself.
As she passed settlement after settlement, she'd gathered that wherever the shikari went, it could easily be considered dead ground. Iris continued to tread south with no intention of stopping anytime soon. She was on her own. So, she was confident that she could make the same journey in half the time. With that thought in mind, Iris nodded to herself and hugged the horse's neck. Well cared for, and rested, the horse had no trouble spreading his legs over the land. She tried to get a grasp of everything as she galloped passed. Most of the land was still intact. Lush greenery, forest bushes, all that had been stomped on were the villages. Iris frowned. She found it strange, but she couldn't ponder on the matter too much.
She had given her word that she would try to bring the two kingdoms together. To rebuild, and prosper. It was her new purpose. She had to do something to keep her mind off the fact that she had lost everything. She wasn't someone to easily succumb. So, fighting was her only option. Even if it wasn't for herself. That was the only way she found, to keep herself afloat, and not drown in her sorrows. After all, she'd tried all of those, and nothing good came out of it.
With no clue how long had passed, Iris noticed that the horse's gait had dropped to a canter. The horse was getting tired, she needed to find water and give the horse a break. Iris loosened her grip on the horse's neck and slowly pulled herself up to gauge her surrounding. Water was a priority for her, and the horse. The haze had faded rather quickly, but she still felt the effects of getting plastered. Iris pulled on the reins when the gurgling sound of water caught her attention.
" We're fortunate boy" Iris tugged on the reins to guide the horse to the stream, that lay at the foot of a hill.
Huffing, and gently trotting his giant hoofs, they slowly approached the stream.
Iris jumped off the horse, and threw the reins on the saddle, glancing around apprehensive. It wasn't ideal, but she had no choice. Being still, made her easy prey.
The horse huffed, and dipped his snout in water, and so did she next to him. He was a handsome boy. A majestic breed, strong and sturdy, resilient.
The horse raised his head and jumped on his hind legs, neighing. He'd sensed danger.
" Whoah. Shhh. Come down, boy. We are going" Iris tried to soothe the horse and the lowered back on his front legs.
She had no clue what he'd sensed, but she wasn't willing to wait and find out. Iris mounted the horse, brushing away the sharp sting in her ribs, and spurred the horse again. They would have to stop shortly again. That wasn't enough, for either of them.
Without waiting to find out what lurked in the shadows, Iris once more passed another village. That looked just as wrecked as the previous one. Tempted to go and have a look around. Iris pulled on the reigns just enough to skirt the village. Curiosity had gotten the best of her eventually. She gently tugged on the reigns for the horse to slow down. It looked abandoned. There wasn't much left, out of it. Walls, debris, torn roofs, some were downright smashed into the ground.
Iris spurred the horse, she'd seen enough. It was time to move on. What awaited once she reached Redkyte, was more of the same. Now, she was worried. If the Hessian royal family was gone, the South was in shambles. And there was no way she could get whoever had taken their place to ally with the North. That thought was worrisome. Iris frowned. All of this had begun with her and no matter the cost, she would be the one to end it. Ellora was gone. This was her home now. The only gate that she knew to cross was gone. Azra? Was he alive? Was she wrong? Iris shook her head. No. It couldn't be. It defied all she knew about Arkathira. But then again, she knew nothing. Iris puffed her cheeks. There was so much that she was yet to know. And what she knew had turned out to be utterly useless.