*Ana*
It will get better once we reach the mountains. I can only keep repeating. It's so very hot, that I can feel the sweat soak up the back of my traveling gown. And I don't need to ask to know everyone is suffering.
Mykhol certainly is. Though, he tries to hide it. He smiles after me, a reassuring notion as if to say this isn't so bad. But just as he smiles, it fades quickly. And Mykhol falls back to stare out the window, a strange look on his face, as if miles away.
If he was going to be like this, I should have told him to stay. I can't help but feel some guilt. He is doing his best, but the suffering is clear. And as much as I wish to prevent it, it's too late, and we are too far to turn back. I can only swallow down my guilt, and move to rest my head against the cushion of the window.
"Ah!" We all cry as the carriage, moving into the grassier plains, sharply runs over a rock, throwing us off. Mykhol slides right into me, making me slam my head right into the glass with a loud knock.
"Ow," I hiss, sitting back, and rubbing my head, feeling a small bump from the spot, just as I hear a laugh and look up.
Naska is covering her mouth but smiling.
"Careful, your Empress." She says, trying not to laugh.
"Naska," Mykhol turns at the moment, regarding her, and just as fast, Naska stops.
"My…apologies, Your Empress," Naska speaks, looking down at her hands. It a surprise to me. I've never seen her that quick to…reflect. But I nod to her.
"I'm sure it was funny at the time," I simply go, seeing it might just be a nervous thing. Like how one reacts to a sudden event, and it wasn't anything harmful. It was just a laugh.
I know she didn't mean anything malicious by it. No, Naska was simply caught off guard, I'm sure. And with that, I feel Mykhol lean over.
"Come, Cousin." Mykhol moves, patting his hand on his lap."Lay on me if you want to sleep."
"I…" But I stop, as I stare after him. The offer was a bit more repulsive because of the heat. I can already imagine how hot it would be. Why I can already start to sweat from it.
"No, thank you." I return, leaning back, and try once again. I shift myself to be comfortable in the seat, trying to sleep again. But now there was a new problem.
This damn pain. I can feel it begin again.
What is making you so angry? I sigh, glumly, and simply move, rubbing the spot. I wince as my hand presses at a particular place, feeling some kind of tight knot that won't seem to unravel.
I wish I knew what was causing you. Because I am growing tired of dealing with it. Finding it only subsided if I rubbed it or took a hot bath. Otherwise, it pulls and pulses inside. And I just want to sleep.
"So vexing," I whimper. Mykhol must have heard, because he moves to touch my arm.
"Is it your stomach?" He goes, very mindful. "Are you having more pain?"
"It…appears so." I breathe through, just as another tight pull has me clamp my eyes closed a moment. "It's…rather insistent."
"Does it seem tight?" Naska prompts in the moment, leaning forward. I have to nod.
"Yes," I answer but not before looking at her with some surprise. "You… How did you know?"
"Oh, well." Naska only replies, turning to give a funny smile to Mykhol, which he returns with a light show of fang back. The exchange makes no sense to me.
"What?"I ask, looking between both of them, but neither answers. They only smile to each other."Really?" I go on. "Why are you smiling so, cousin?" Was there some joke I didn't catch?
"I wonder," Mykhol shrugs instead as if that is all.
"Cousin?" But Mykhol only shrugs again, making me huff. He is being quite unfair, and just being worse, because the heat is this terrible.
He could give up on his silly games, for just this once, at least. I pout. But I guess I will have no luck there. It seemed Mykhol was fit to keep his secret.
And Mykhol seemed more interested in something else.
"I feel quite peckish," Mykhol turns, and as if on cue, Naska is about.
"I prepared it just as you asked, Lord Mykhol." She pulls out something wrapped in wax paper, unfolding it to reveal something fresh and bloody, before handing it over.
"Doesn't that smell divine?" Mykhol goes, leaning in to take a deep whiff of the raw meat. As if transfixed, he unwraps more paper, to fill the whole carriage with the smell of blood.
"Cousin!" He knows better than that, I go and hold my breath, expecting to gag at the strong smell.
Until I have my first, blood is still noxious to me. I can barely stand the smell. And I expect I start to retch and feel sick any miniature.
But oddly… nothing happens.
Is the smell…just not that strong? I gingerly lower my hands, still apprehensive of the scent. But again, I don't feel sick. Even when I smell the air, nothing. It doesn't smell bad.
No, actually… it smells quite good.
"What is that?" I have to ask, curious. "It's meat, isn't it?"
"Rabbit," Mykhol unwraps more paper, taking a slice off to chuck into his mouth. His toss is sloppy, spilling a red droplet onto his chin. It shines back at me, like water.
"Rabbit?" I go, leaning in, sniffing again.
Is it a raw rabbit? But…it smells…so good. I sniff again, testing to be sure. But it is. The smell is enticing, so much, so that my mouth waters and fangs tingle.
It…does look rather good. I can't help but drop my gaze over it. The red plump meat, glistening and fresh. It…makes me rather hungry.
"You don't say," I remark, leaning closer, closer, my hands crawling onto Mykhol's lap, to loom over it in his hand.
"Would you… like some, Anastasia?"
"I…" Just as I can feel the word 'no' automatically come up, Mykhol holds the morsel over to me. His smile is already on.
"Please," He motions it closer, practically feeding it to me. "Have as much as you like."
And with that, I snap, suddenly so hungry, and can't stop. I rip off a strip and eagerly begin to eat. A burst of blood instantly fills my mouth, and for a moment, making me want to gag on reflex, but it washes away, and I swallow.
"It's quite good!" I exclaim, again surprised by the newfound taste. And I am quick to take more. Ripping off another. Then another. I keep on eating, quickly, not satiated until the horrible fact that the paper is blank. It's all gone.
"Ah," I gasp, just realizing, and blush embarrassed. How could I? "Cousin," I look back, mortified, as I am. " I didn't mean to eat it all,"
"No worries, Cousin." Mykhol only smiles easily. "I'm happy to see you enjoy the food."
"Ah…yes." I return, but it doesn't ease my embarrassment. I don't know what came over me. But Mykhol doesn't give me time to think. Because Mykhol leans forward to brush back my shawl, immediately feeling the hot air kiss the sweaty skin and make it feel sticky.
"Don't," I warm, moving the shawl back in place, to cover my hair. But Mykhol just laughs, his tongue darting over his lips.
"You've grown, Cousin." Mykhol licks up the fallen droplet, before flicking his tongue to clean his fangs. "Already twelve, now." He muses. "Why…you'll be having your first blood soon enough."
"That…yes." I shift back in my seat. "I know."
"So much is going to change for you." Mykhol goes on, and I nod.
"Yes, it will," I reply. "I'll be officially instated as Empress." And I'll finally be free from Aunt and Uncle's regency. It's enough to make me smile because I've been looking forward to it for a long time.
I will run things how I deem fit. It's been my biggest dream, No more regents. No more second-guessing my ideas. I can make my own decisions. I turn to the window to look at the trees coming into the forest.
Why, I'll start with redesigning the hospitals for public use. And then I'll- Why there really is so much that I want to do. All things I couldn't before.
But once I am Empress, I can. I only need to wait. Wait and-
"And you'll get a husband." Mykhol's words drop my train of thought right there.
"Husband?" I find him just smiling, not sure if he meant it as a joke or not. He spoke so easily about it."Husband…you say?" I repeat, a bit more calmly. But the word sounded funny, a bit foreign too.
"Of course, you will." Mykhol just laughs sweetly. "You have to have an heir, Anastasia."
"An heir…" I repeat, again, something that wasn't at the forefront of my mind. But he wasn't speaking nonsense. No, not at all.
I would have to marry, yes, because I am the Empress, after all. It was par the course, to sire an heir. I got that. But still…The idea is rather hard to consider.
"I…I'm not sure how that's going to work."
"Not going to work?" Naska scuffs, rolling her eyes, smirking to Mykhol as if to amused."How wouldn't it work? You'll find some poor blockhead and do your deed and -"
"Once you're Empress," Mykhol cut in, looking back to me, his tone softer. "we will search for a suitable husband."
"Search…for a husband?" I already feel ill at ease by the idea. I have no experience with men. So talk of husbands is a bit…
"I fear this is completely beyond me," I must be honest. "I'd rather think of this…at a later date, and not now."
"Ana, really." Mykhol, however scuffs, but grows a smile again. "It's not a terrible thing if you think about it, Cousin,"
"It's not?" I admire how certain he sounds. "You sure?"
"Yes. In fact," Mykhol stretches out his hand to caress my cheek. "Consider it quite fortunate."
"I….I don't follow."
"You already know me." Mykhol trails a finger to find a loose strand of silver hair. He strokes it. "So consider it."
"Consider what?"
"Marry me."
"Marry…Oh, really!" I tsk and pull back, rolling my eyes. "Stop with your jokes, Cousin!"
For a minute, I thought you were going to help me. But of course, he's up to his tricks. When will I ever learn? I shake my head, it really is getting tiresome.
Marry Mykhol? I almost laugh. No, it's too absurd. Marrying Mykhol would be like marrying a dog. I can't even imagine it.
"It's too hot for such things." I turn back to the window and close my eyes again. The air is slightly getting colder, I can already feel it, we must be nearing the mountains start.
If things keep on going, we'll make it in a decent time. I simle, feeling myself relax with my shoulder dropping, and head falling over. My eyelids grow heavier with every blink, maybe letting me get some good sleep this time.
Marry Mykhol? I dwell on it one last time. No way. What a…crazy idea.
*Mykhol*
Mykhol sat quietly, next to Ana on the cushion, his eyes watching after her. Watching to see her chest rise and fall, the gentle snore, to know she was fast asleep. Giving him a chance to drop that damn smile finally.
"You won't even consider it?" Mykhol's voice was so low that it was almost lost to the carriage. But Naska was close enough to hear.
"Lord Mykhol?" Naska reached for his hand, concerned to see his strange expression. But Mykhol recoiled from her. "Lord Mykhol?" Naska looked on shocked.
"Quiet." Mykhol hissed through his fangs. His eyes went back to narrow in on Ana. "You'll wake her."