"The north?" I asked, and Mother nodded.
"The Duchess has been insistent that I send you to her, especially after the assassination attempt," she explained. Sienna had been pushing for this? "And it's the safest place I can think of. I'll be leaving for the South in a few weeks, and I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving you here," she added. I nodded in understanding.
"It'll be nice to see Sienna again," I mumbled, though there was someone I was less eager to encounter.
"I know all this movement is taking a toll on you, but you'll have to bear with it for a while. It will all be over soon," Mother reassured me. I nodded, knowing that even though a change of scenery might be unsettling, staying cooped up with no solutions in sight was worse.
"I'll start getting ready," I said, and she nodded.
"I'm sending Ariel with you. Bella has already left, so it'll be just the two of you," she continued. I nodded again. "When it's safe for you to return, I'll inform you. You can't travel by road because it's a long journey and not safe, so you'll use a teleportation circle." That was better than traveling the distance, though it would still have side effects on my body.
"Okay," I replied.
I didn't have much to do, so I was ready by the next morning. I walked out of my room and saw Ariel standing outside.
"My lady, are you ready?" she asked, and I nodded.
We boarded the carriage and set off. We didn't use the teleportation circle until we were well clear of the main part of the manor. As I looked out at the unfamiliar scenery, I sighed.
It was warmer here than in the East. The North, known for its snow, was just beginning to experience the seasonal shift. Snowfall here could last a long time and was often accompanied by blizzards and snowstorms.
"It'll take a few hours before we get there," Ariel said, drawing me out of my thoughts. "We're somewhere around the capital now. The Duchess's residence won't be too far from here," she explained. I had finally reached Sienna, but now that the goal was accomplished, what came next?
Everything I planned for the future seemed to be accelerating, which was good, but it left me with nothing to look forward to and heightened my anxiety.
"You were in the same dorm as the Duchess, right?" Ariel asked.
I nodded. "She seemed to have taken a liking to you because as soon as she took over from her father, she extended an alliance to Alden," Ariel said. Was that truly the reason? She likely had a more complex motivation behind the alliance.
"You know, the North has always been independent and rarely involved itself in the country's affairs. People even say it's a country of its own. Everything here is controlled by the Fox family," Ariel continued. I hadn't bothered with information that didn't concern me or guarantee my survival, so I wasn't aware of these details.
"Support from the North could be significant for Her Grace, especially with Rosen making moves now," Ariel said. "We were initially going to rely solely on intimidation, but things have changed for everyone's survival." Changed how? I didn't ask for clarification, as I felt I might not want to know the details.
The rest of the ride was thankfully quiet. My thoughts were preoccupied with every worst-case scenario I could imagine. However, I was relieved to know that Sienna was friendly with Alden.
"We should rest a bit before continuing," Ariel suggested.
We disembarked and entered a restaurant to eat before setting out again. The mansion was supposed to be in the mountains, so the journey would take a while.
"We need to let the horses rest, so we'll be here for a bit," Ariel said. "If it takes too long, we'll stay at an inn and leave in the morning."
"Okay," I replied.
Everything about the North was different—from their food to their clothing and manner of speaking.
"What would you like to have?" a waitress asked with a bright smile. She had an accent similar to Sienna's, though it wasn't as pronounced.
I was eager to see Sienna soon. Even though I had seen her at the reunion, I felt I owed it to her to visit her, and now I was finally doing so.
"The North is really beautiful," Ariel said, leaning on the table.
"It is," I agreed.
"I'm glad we didn't have to travel for nearly a month and go through numerous checks to get here. I'd probably be complaining if that were the case," she said, looking out the window with a sigh. Having traveled with Ariel for a while, I understood her sentiments.
"When is Bella coming back?" I asked.
"She'll return to the East after finishing her business in the South," Ariel replied.
"I'm sure she's fine," I said reassuringly.
"She is. You don't need to worry, my lady. Bella might not seem it, but she's strong," Ariel said with a smile. I wasn't the one who was worried, but I appreciated her attempt to reassure me.
"Okay," I nodded.
We ate and chatted for a while before heading out again. We were escorted by a few Northern knights, but as we neared our destination, their numbers increased. The number of horses, carriages, and people seemed to have multiplied.
"It seems the Duchess knows of our arrival," Ariel observed.
I could only nod in response.
As the streets grew darker and people began turning in for the night, the surroundings changed from urban to a forest path. We traveled for some time before we finally reached a massive gate. It took a few more minutes before we came to a halt.
"We're here," Ariel announced. She got down first, then I followed, assisted by the coachman. My legs ached, and I felt dizzy despite having been seated all day.
"Faina," I heard as soon as my feet touched the ground. I looked up, but before I could make out my surroundings, I was enveloped in a tight embrace.