Yvonne rose at dawn, aiming to depart and return home as quickly as she could. She peeked into Alexis and Auberon's room, finding them gazing back at her from their bed.
"What's wrong, mama?" Alexis asked while yawning.
"Nothing, sweetheart. I just wanted to see you both before I head out on my trip, remember?"
"I talked about this yesterday. You'll be staying with grandpa until I return, right?" Alexis nodded slowly.
"But I don't want you to go, Mommy! I want to come with you!"
Auberon mumbled as he climbed out of bed to wrap his arms around Yvonne's leg.
She gently ruffled his hair. "I know, darling, but I have to go. I'll be back before your birthday, I promise, okay?"
"Okay," he said reluctantly. After getting Alexis back to sleep, she had to carry Auberon back to her room when he wouldn't settle down.
"Will you die, Mama?"
Yvonne was taken aback momentarily. "Well, he's still harder to deceive than his sister. My son is both clever and charming," she thought.
"I won't die, sweetheart. I'll return safe and sound, I promise."
"Promise."
He nodded, and moments later he drifted off to sleep. Once she tucked him into her bed, she turned to gather her belongings and quietly closed the door behind her.
She met Arnold at the doorway, nodded at him, and then walked away.
___________________________________
By midday, she was out of Tyrane, heading toward the border points. By dawn, she expected to be near Malisha's boundaries.
# Malisha
Third kingdom of Marly.
The third throne of Marly, it ranked higher than Tyrane, yet they were closer in proximity than the other kingdoms.
"So! I'll start from there."
# The six kingdoms in Marly are:
Ailantika ---- The first kingdom.
Fiyord ---- Second in rank.
Malisha ---- Third in rank.
Reigon ---- Fourth in rank.
Cyrus ---- Fifth in rank.
And Tyrane ---- The sixth kingdom. In total, six kingdoms in all of Marly.
Based on their historical records, the Malishains had a notorious reputation for being brutal and unruly, while the Ailantikains were the quiet but lethal type, acting behind the scenes; it was a widely known truth that few dared to mention openly.
Fiyordians were fairly straightforward, but push them too far and they could become deadlier than the Malishains.
Reigonians, on the other hand, focused on trade. There was no other place in all of Marly that had merchants like them... Well, that was the case then; currently, they were under the control of a tyrant king obsessed with wealth and land. Nobody really knew how it came to that, but it was their issue to resolve.
Then there was Cyrus, the religious kingdom—peaceful, free-spirited, friendly, yet very detached from their neighboring kingdoms. One could almost consider them an independent nation. Lastly, Tyrane, revered for their extraordinarily fertile and expansive lands; agriculture was their hallmark, which likely made them a target for other kingdoms.
"If only we had a reasonable king..."
Yvonne sighed. "I probably won't manage to travel through all five kingdoms in a week, but I will start with Malisha before heading to Fiyord and maybe Ailantika."
Yvonne urged her horse onward, which she had received as a gift from Arnold on her eighteenth birthday.
As she barely crossed the border points and went deeper into the forest, on the left side of the boundary markers, her horse suddenly halted. Yvonne didn't push it forward; its stopping indicated that something or someone was ahead. She dismounted and tethered the horse to a tree trunk, advancing cautiously with her whip and blade at her sides. Climbing a tree for a better vantage point, she soon heard the entire forest come alive with the sounds of marching feet. Quickly, she jumped down and untied her horse.
It was better that it looked wild, as that would help conceal the presence of its rider. After cutting it loose, she climbed back into the trees and waited patiently.
Based on their appearance, they appeared to be Malishain merchants, but why were there so many of them? They looked suspicious. Yvonne held her position in the trees until they passed by, her suspicions growing stronger when she spotted a young girl in a ragged white dress.
She was chained and being dragged along, but what truly astonished Yvonne was that the girl resembled a Cyrusian.
But that can't be right—Cyrusians had no dealings with the other kingdoms, and even if they did, they would never sell their own people as slaves. That would be viewed as treachery against them.
Does that mean she's not a slave? If so, she might have been either kidnapped or of mixed heritage, which was quite rare.
She considered leaving the girl, but...
Merging into the crowd was simple. She edged her way toward the girl, attracting only a few curious glances.
"Pttff!!"
"Hey! Are you okay?" The girl's head snapped up, her eyes scanning around, eventually landing on Yvonne. She shook her head and cautiously approached Yvonne.
"Help me!!" Her face was bruised and swollen—had she been beaten?
Yvonne nodded in response.
Pulling away, she let out a loud whistle, and her horse came charging into the crowd, catching them off guard, giving Yvonne the opportunity to escape into the woods. She stopped only after ensuring they were at a safe distance from the crowd.
"Thank you so much, miss," the girl said, curtseying while trying to catch her breath.
"And I thank the Lord for making you an instrument to rescue me from a life of misery."