The following part of the journey was uneventful to say the least.
Each night they would stay at an inn. One by one they would become less and less luxurious as their journey progressed further from the capital and closer to the North. They crossed villages and towns along the way. Lysandra had never been this far from the capital. She saw livestock, like cows and sheep, those animals weren't kept in the capital. Spotting a deer for the first time had been an event as Lysandra yelped and quickly pointed the deer out for Daisy to see.
On the ninth day Lysandra's carriage made it to the inn that the duke had indicated. It was larger than the ones she had been staying in during the previous days. Once the carriage came to a halt, Lysandra was eager to stretch her legs and have a look inside the inn.
Once inside the inn, an elderly woman walked up to Lysandra and her left eyebrow raised. The woman's hair was dark streaked with grey. "Would you look at that. It's not everyday I see folks like you coming all the way out here. Coming from the capital no doubt." The woman stated and regarded Lysandra up and down, followed by a hum.
"Do you happen to have a few rooms for the night?" Lysandra asked, trying to stay polite. She was unsure as to why the woman was looking at her like that. The woman had a cheeky smirk on her face as she put her hands on her hips. "That's gonna cost ya, you know. "
Lysandra was taken aback, not expecting the elderly woman to be this rude. "But of course I will pay for the rooms. I wasn't expecting they'd be free." Lysandra replied. The woman suddenly burst out in a warm laughter. "Oh he is going to like ya. You've got some spunk in ya." The woman still had that smile on her face. "Don't tell him I said so, but I like you already." She winked before being interrupted by an unknown man.
"Oh, come now Mary, don't be so mean." A deep voice called from behind. Lysandra looked around and saw a man getting up from his seat. He was tall, his hair light brown. He looked somewhere in his mid thirties with a scar running over his cheek towards his upper lip. Lysandra looked at the table where the man had come from. She spotted one more man sitting at the same table. "You know, Mary, the duke already paid for the rooms for tonight. Lady Atar I presume?" The man had turned to Lysandra and held out his hand in curtsy.
Lysandra was confused to say the least. She didn't know who this man was and the Duke had paid for her stay? "I'm Lady Atar, and you are?"
The man had a rough chuckle, scratching the back of his head after pulling his hand back. "Ah, the name is Brion, Captain of the guards of the North." He bowed his head. The man spoke with a thick foreign accent. "The duke instructed us to escort you, Hannic and I." The man pointed over at the other man who was walking over towards her. "Hello Milady," the other man greeted. He was almost as tall, blond, blue eyes. He bowed to Lysandra. "My name is Hannic. I oversee the wolves of the North. We will be guiding you through the forest. The duke asked us to give you this as well." The man now known as Hannic, handed over a small package with a note to Lysandra. "We will be your escorts. That way your guards can return to the capital."
Wolves? What was this man going on about? He was joking right? Lysandra looked at the small package in her hand. It was light and wrapped in simple brown paper. Meaning it couldn't be of high value. She pocketed it.
"Return? Are my guards not coming with me to the North?" Lysandra questioned looking over at Hannic. "Your coachman and guards will indeed be returning to the capital milady. Only you and your maid will be coming with us to the North." Brion stated..
"Oh I see," Lysandra paused. "Something to drink and a meal for me and my maid would be lovely though." She said looking at Hannic. "O-o-of course," Hannic walked off, passing Mary as the woman walked back to Lysandra.
"Do take a seat dear, some snacks will arrive soon." Mary said warmly as she pulled back a chair for Lysandra at one of the empty tables.
The inn itself was rather quiet. Besides her current guards and the new ones from the North, the tables were empty. Being seated, Lysandra took the package Hannic had handed her and placed it on the table. Daisy soon joined her at the table. "What is that, Milady?" Daisy inquired.
"A package from the duke it seems–" Lysandra put it down on the table and opened the note that was with the package. Written in poor handwriting she read:
"Use when needed.
-Khan"
Use– when needed? Lysandra could barely read the note. It was different from the previous letter she had received. Was this really written by the Duke? This note was written by someone named Khan. Could this be the Duke's name? Khan? He was known by his nickname the Demon of the North. Lysandra opened the package and found what seemed to be a piece of parchment. What the heck was she supposed to do with a piece of parchment? It had a symbol and text on it that she couldn't even read.
Daisy looked at the parchment and then turned to Lysandra. "Well that's uhm– unique." Daisy said clearly trying to be polite. Lysandra rolled her eyes and stuffed the piece of parchment in her pocket together with the note. "Useless that's what it is. I can't believe the guards are heading home tomorrow and instead of five we will only be escorted by two for the rest of the journey." Lysandra noticed she was getting cranky. Afterall, she had barely slept these last few nights.
"Here you go," Mary walked over, putting down a bottle of wine and snacks on the table. Meanwhile her guards had taken a seat at one of the other tables and already called for beer, it was clear their job was done.
"Do let me know if you need anything else?" Mary asked as she put down the glasses for the wine. Daisy looked up after taking a bite of the cheese.
"A bath perhaps?" Mary suggested. Lysandra looked a little embarrassed. "The last town with a bath we stopped in was four nights ago," she answered.
Mary was speechless for a moment. "You idiots!" she called at Lysandra's guards. "Why didn't you stop where the lady could wash? There are plenty of inns along the route. I will hurry up and draw some baths for you ladies upstairs."
"Who are you calling an idiot, you old hag!" The leader of the guards got up but before he could even get close to Mary, Brion stepped in. "You are telling me, you let the ladies go without a bath for four days?" Brion glared at the man.
"Yes we did, there was no time we had to get to you, savages."
Brion grabbed the guard by his collar and pushed him against the wall. The other guards quickly got up but the second Brion stared them down, they froze. "Let me make one thing clear. You are incompetent as a guard and unqualified to care for the duke's fiance. You're lucky it's me here and not the duke. He would have slain you where you stand." He let go of the guard and tossed him back at his men, before turning around to Lysandra.
"Do enjoy your meal, Milady." Brion said before returning back to his seat. The other guards had gotten up as well with their swords in hand, ready to fight. "Stand down! All of you!" Brion bellowed. He used a tone of voice that demanded authority. "Either you're a good guest to Mary's inn or you can leave right now!" That settled the hired guards right down. All swords were sheathed again and Brion sat back at the table with Hannic.
Lysandra's heart was racing– Had she heard that correctly? Slain? On the spot? The guards returned to their table clearly understanding that calming down was their only option.
After Mary got back downstairs she brought over two bowls of stew. With dinner served, Lysandra and Daisy quickly ate before heading to their rooms.
After closing the door behind them Daisy helped Lysandra into the warm bath and bathe. Lysandra had stated so many times that she could wash herself but Daisy always insisted it was her job. Even if Lysandra told her it wasn't necessary, Daisy took great pride in how well her Lady was taken care of.
"Just two more days—" Lysandra looked at Daisy who was looking around the bathroom. "I didn't think they'd even have warm water all the way up here. Not to mention that there is actual plumbing, just like the capital." Daisy looked over at the pipes as Lysandra was left speechless.
"What? Oh come on Milady, you were thinking the same. These people are called savages back in the capital. Yet this village has hot water and plumbing. Whereas the last two inns we stayed in didn't even have that." In private Daisy was always outspoken whilst out in public Daisy was the calm collected one.
Lysandra chuckled. "You have a point. The last town felt more like a village that was about to fall apart than be considered anything by any imperial standard." She leaned her head back letting her mind wander for a moment.
"Well alright—but don't get your hopes up. Maybe this is just an exception. Besides, the Demon of the North is said to bathe in the blood of the men he kills on the battlefield." Daisy said and instantly covered her mouth. "I'm sorry Milady. I–"
Lysandra let out a deep sigh. "No need to apologise Daisy. I have heard the rumours of my so-called betrothed." She said softly but the underlying fear was hard to miss.
After the maid had dressed Lysandra, she crawled into her bed for the night. Daisy bid her good night before retiring to her own room. This mattress was better than all the other inns before. Maybe she was just imagining it, after all she hadn't laid in a real bed in a few days.
Looking up at the ceiling after blowing out the candle, she held up her hand. "I just have to—marry the man, give him an heir and try to stay alive." Lysandra chuckled as tears started to run down her cheeks. What a cruel joke, marrying some brute who killed hundreds if not thousands of men in cold blood. Could her life get any worse?
Curling up under the sheets while holding her pillow tightly. Lysandra was exhausted.