Chapter IX, Part IFor an inordinate amount of time since leaving the church, they had ridden in sile

Chapter IX, Part IFor an inordinate amount of time since leaving the church, they had ridden in silence; any semblence of a road, cobbled, dirt or otherwise, had long since vanished underneath the heavy footfalls of their steeds. Merek was grateful for the quiet. He was horrible at small talk and had not a clue as what to say to Andraste after the sermon. What could he say without tipping his hand? He stared at the back of the Queen’s head, ivory locks spilling over her shoulders, pooling at her waist. He sighed. He longed to tell her all his secrets, the plan hashed out by Dafydd, the role he had to play and the why, but when he thought about his sister falling into the clutches of Dafydd, he became tight-lipped. In no way, shape or form would he let that monster take control of Caroline, not as long as air filled his lungs. And so he sat, cradled in his saddle, listening to the buzzing of insects and birdsong coming from the trees. He knew they were nearing the entrance to Weissowen Forest, which piqued his interest. Why would the Queen bring him here unless she had something to show him, perhaps some damning evidence Dafydd would be giddy to get his hands on? For her sake, he hoped not.Emerging at a copse of trees with a thicket encircling them, Andraste cooed her horse to a trot and then stopped. “We walk from here. It becomes too rocky for the horses,” she said, squirming in her saddle, finding it difficult to dismount. Dismounting himself, Merek walked toward her and proffered a hand, a grin spanning the length of his lips. “‘Tis one of my duties to help a lady in distress, and even more so true when it comes to The Queen," he said, stifling a laugh as she continued to fight with the saddle and swing her leg around. "I can – I can do it. Just… need a little leverage and – Oomphf!” Swinging her leg a little too high, losing her balance in the saddle in the process, she pitched to the side. Before she could tumble to the ground, Merek’s arms were around her, one hand held against her back whilst the other supported her underneath her legs as if he were ready to carry her across a threshold. Breathing heavily, the fear of falling dissipating, she turned to face him and without thinking brought up a hand to his cheek, a smile blooming. Surprised, but instintively, Merek pushed his cheek into her palm, his eyes closing. They stood there for a long moment, then she cleared her throat, moving her hand from his face. “You have my deepest gratitude for catching me, but I believe I can manage from here.” The moment over, he sheepishly nodded his head and set her down, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. Regaining her balance, Andraste moved to one of the horses and stroked its long face. Nuzzling into the soft thin fur, she placed her mouth near Poppet’s ear and whispered, inaudible to Merek. Furrowing his brow, he watched as the horse seemed to nod imperceptibly. “What are you doing?” He asked, his mouth agape as the horse turned and started to trot off, his horse following suit until they both reached a steady gallop and were gone. “Did she just obey your command? How is that possible? And how is it we will return to the castle?” Waving him off, hiking up her dress a little, setting an easy pace into the wood, she answered him over her shoulder. “All shall be revealed, Merek. Now, follow me. 'Tis not very far, but the view is well worth it. I used to come here as a girl with my father and older brother, Henry, before…” “Before?” She stopped short, her back to him, her head low. “'Tis not of import, was a long time ago.” Changing the topic, she started up a trail laden with rocks, large boulders on either side of them. "Let us see how well you can climb, Merek.“Beginning // Previous Part 1 & 2 -- source link

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