He was up before the moon had set with a little time to spare. She was still asleep, although, Iris had tossed and turned all night, restless. The journey ahead perhaps worried her. Going into enemy territory wasn't the smartest decision he'd ever made, but a necessity. Arvun wasn't one to trifle with, and all he had was to defend himself and Iris was his blade. And hope that he wasn't wrong about her powers, that they were more than just scraps that lingered in her body after she'd passed them to Azra. She didn't know enough nor wanted to know, and for once he didn't know where to look. Fiahtyr forest was a good place to start if it weren't overrun by monsters.
She groaned in her sleep, when his blade clattered on the table, and languidly opened her eyes.
" We are leaving as soon as the moon sets," That was instead of good morning. She heaved a heavy breath and dragged herself out of bed, rather sluggishly, unwilling. He understood as much since he felt pretty much the same. Simele was an auspicious time to visit Oros. It was a time when all discords were put aside to celebrate. Five days where everyone gathered within Caral. Five days where castes were not an issue among Orians.
At a staggering slow pace, she eventually dressed, and shoved her feet into a pair of servant boots. If the stars were aligned, they should reach Neith Gorge by evening. A beautiful place, a piece of paradise for the sinners of the Seven Seas.
No questions were asked about Oros. Either she knew all there was to know, or she wasn't expecting to return to Hessia. Not alive. anyway. Arvun and Ruvy had inculcated fear into their neighbouring kingdoms for generations. The Ruthless Kings, were indeed to be feared. Ruling over their lands with an iron fist, and strangling trade, in order to force the hands of those who depended on them. Arrington had ceased trade with Oros and Umayad long before he was born. The South was the only kingdom that traded the little they had for gold and precious stones.
The green fields of Hessia stretched before them, peppered with various trees, and lush forests. Hessia was beautiful, rich, and painfully deserted. With almost all its denizens huddled up within the crumbling walls of Redkite. One last still-standing outpost, barely.
The beauty riding next to him remained silent as the void itself. The quietness around them was loud, deafening almost.
The sun rose before them and continued rising and descending across the sky until, finally it once again touched the hill behind them, as they neared Neith Gorge.
In the steely light of the dusk, before them stretched Neith river, that spilt into the Erithian Sea. The song of the birds filled the Gorge one last time before the cover of darkness would silence them all. From a tree clinging to the cliff, a bird flew spreading brightly orange wings, fanning its long white feathered tail, akin to a veil.
" Such exquisite beauty," Iris breathed the words, making him turn his attention onto her.
" I couldn't agree more," He studied her features as he'd done many times before. A bird of paradise.
" We should set camp here," He said as he unmounted the horse, and began unstraping the bags of the horse's back. A small tent would suffice for her. He would have to keep watch. Behind the veil of night, many threats lurked and he wasn't willing to take any chances.
" We should have something to eat and then rest," He said as he stretched his hand holding a chunk of bread and some smoked boar sausage.
" Thank you," She said as she took the sausage and the bread out of his hand, and began taking bites out of each. He tried to recall whether he'd ever seen her grimace at the food placed before her, but she always ate it, regardless of wether it was good or bad.
Nodding, he sat down on a rock, not far away from the tent. A perfect spot since he could see everything around him, and since they were on a cliff he didn't have to worry about any threats coming from behind him. Almost all hawkdrakes were hunted down, nothing from above.
" The tent is not big enough for both of us," A smile crept on his lips.
" I think, I can squeeze in if I try," He quipped, as he pushed himself off his rock to fetch the flask of water.
Her furrowed brows and worried expression were enough, to know that she would rather sleep outside on the cold damp soil than huddle with him in the tent.
" One of us has to keep watch, " He took a deep breath in," And you need rest more than I do," He handed her the flask and returned to his rock. In twilight, glimmering green eyes searched his features, wary of his words. Almost three moons had passed and she still didn't trust that he had no ill intentions towards her. Corvin cleared his throat, to chase away the unease creeping up him.
" Get some rest," He said as he sauntered back to his solitary rock. Fishing out his hunting knife, he picked a broken branch off the ground and began carving it under her watchful eyes. She hadn't moved nor said anything more. Two more days until they'd reach Caral, and the silence would cease.
Eventually, she crawled up into the tent, while he kept watch under the star-spangled sky. Mid-winter wasn't a pleasant time to sleep outside but he'd lived through worse. Moonlight reflecting on the smoothly running waters of Neith river transformed the river into liquid silver. A sleeping giant crawls its way to its final resting place. Erithian Sea.
For the first time since he'd set foot on southern lands, he felt the North calling to him. A distant beacon. It was time for him to return home to his people.