Melody
Decorum be damned. I didn’t let Tio leave me alone for the night, not since the battle. Not after the memory of him taking an arrow through the shoulder as he threw himself in front of me. Not after watching countless people scream in pain and perish. Not after the end had been so close to the two of us, the chilling memory still lingering like cold fog over a field.
I held no reservations anymore. Especially after spending the night in his arms, under the constant stroke of his fingers in my hair when I nestled close and tucked myself under his chin. He’d even offered to stay above the covers. I didn’t let him, though we didn’t indulge in each other. I’d just wanted to hold him, to feel his chest rise and fall beneath my hand, to allow my very soul to be warmed by his closeness.
When dawn broke, it had come too soon. I wanted to live in this moment forever; safe, cozy, entangled in him, leaving the burdens and uncertainty of the world outside those elegantly carved floor to ceiling doors.
But Tio stirred, and the tension on his face was as readable as ink on a page. And as much as I wanted to keep us frozen like this, I also agreed.
“We’ll go back today. I’m sure Nicholas will receive word that the stock wagons are ready and we can leave,” I said.
His fingers renewed their lazy strokes, and he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I think I should go ahead of you.”
I pushed onto my elbow, glaring at him. “You’re not leaving without me.”
“Sunshine, the chaos of battle is one thing, but the aftermath…” He rubbed his temples with one hand.
“Sunshine?” I glared, but a tiny smile broke free. My chest warmed at the nickname I immediately loved.
His hand plopped on the bed, and those oceanic eyes lit a fire within me. “Of course. You’re the light of my days.” His smile turned rogue as he leaned forward, sliding his hand into my hair, securing his grip, pulling me forward until our mouths collided.
Kisses and smiles and teeth, a collection of happiness personified until our lips broke free.
His eyes took on a weary weight. “I mean it, Melody. You’ll never look at a beautiful bed of grass the same without seeing dark marks of phantom blood. The smell of death will invade your nose and whisper reminders on a random breeze.” He swallowed, expressing the ugly reality that remains long after the incident was over. “It stays with you.”
For the first time, I saw the scars of battle that don’t get left on the skin. I couldn’t not touch him, not offer him some sort of comfort. My palm grazed his jaw, and he turned into it, pressing a kiss to the center. “I’m not some plucked flower to be kept in a vase.”
His eyes softened. He knew that fight with Nora still lingered at the back of my mind.
“I know, sunshine. I just don’t want you to wilt.”
Nora requested I join her on an errand to South Harbor, and since the supply wagons for Rahana still weren’t ready, I obliged.
We exited the carriage in our former town, stealing the attention from those who wandered past. A home I’d never been to before stood in front of us, and Nora banged the knocker against the wood. We waited a beat or two before someone answered.
“Melody! Nora! How lovely to see you,” Tryssa said, propping the door wider for us to enter. “Come in, please.” She assessed the carriage and guardsmen waiting by the curb, almost extending the invitation to them until it clicked. “Or should I say, Queen Ellanor.”
“Tryssa, please, Nora is fine. Thank you for letting us drop in on you like this.”
Tryssa’s hair contained multiple rollers, her dressing robe cinched and slippers adorning her feet. “Oh psh. I suppose I don’t have to inquire as to how you found my address, citizen records and all that.” She tossed a wink over her shoulder. “Have a seat, have a seat. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Something stronger?”
We politely declined her offer. I hadn’t quite gained my appetite back since the battle, and I was anxious to get back to Tio.
“I have something to discuss with you,” Nora said, folding her hands in her lap, back straight and perfectly poised.
“Of course, dear. Erm, Majesty,” Tryssa said while taking a seat in a patterned sitting chair across from the chaise we sat upon. Her style consisted of a mesh of patterns and colors, but it was cozy and lively.
“As you know, my sister and I hope to usher in a new reign of acceptance toward magic wielders.”
Tryssa smiled broadly. “Of course.”
Nora sighed, but pushed forward. “We, the king and myself, have recently accepted a group of magically displaced citizens from Argora Vale. I don’t know if word has traveled here about it yet.”
Tryssa nodded with a smile. “It has.”
“I’m unaware if you’ve also heard there are those who are less open to the idea, those who believe matters of violence are the appropriate way forward.”
Considering the inquisitive look on her face, I assumed that meant no.
