49, The final stretch

Ayya woke up in the tent. It was still early, and she stayed in her cot for a while, listening to the wind outside, the soft murmur of voices from the camp and the sound Tenac made as he was getting ready. Today would be the day, Ayya realised. Today was the day when she was going to enter the city that she was born in. She never thought she would be back. It had been almost five years since she had left. A lot of things had happened in five years. It was rare that she thought about the people she left behind since she had stopped sending the letters to Anna. They appeared in her thoughts from time to time, but her life in Salmis was enough to keep her occupied. But the closer they had come to Dermes, the more frequent her thoughts had been occupied by her friends. She supposed that Zerden had married lady Sarah by now. Maybe he was a father as well. Anna would be thrilled to have a grandchild to spoil, Ayya thought. Erik would have taken over his father’s shop and probably had a family of his own. The thought of a bunch of small children running around the artisan’s quarters like she and Erik had done made Ayya smile. 

“Ayya?” she heard Tenac whisper.

“I’m up. I’ll be right out,” she answered. She got up from under the blankets and was happy she had decided to keep her slip dress on. The air was chilly. As they were going to be meeting the royal family and other important members of court before the day was over, Ayya skipped her usual plain white dress for one with a bodice embroidered with silver thread. As she stepped out of her bedchamber, Hinat and Firlea were walking in from the outside. Ayya smiled at her friends, and Tenac held a chair out for her to sit at the table. The four of them were soon joined by Sinhera. They had breakfast under a nervous silence. Everyone knew what the day would bring, and Ayya could feel them all bracing for it. After breakfast, they took out the maps of the last stretch of the road and the city. 

“I should come with you,” Sinhera said.

“I need someone to remain behind and keep the camp going and make sure our messages get to Salmis,” Ayya told her friend. 

“I know, I just don’t get why it has to be me,” Sinhera complained.

“Who else would I trust?” Ayya pointed out.

“Tenac?” There was a round of laughter from Ayya’s friends. 

“Sorry, my friend, but if nothing else, my father would kill him when we get back if he stays here,” Ayya smiled.

“Not going to happen,” Tenac said. 

“And, he is the only one beside me that speaks Heulu. It will give us an advantage if we can speak without being overheard,” Ayya added.

“Fine,” Sinhera admitted. 

“It will take us most of the day to travel there. We are lucky the roads are in decent condition,” Ayya then said. 

“It will start to snow before the day is over,” Tenac told her. Ayya had stopped wondering how he knew things like that a long time ago. She just nodded. 

“Then we better be going. Snow in this part of the world is nothing like snow back home,” she said. 

“Let me help you with your hair,” Firlea offered. Ayya smiled and let lose her hair. She guessed a simple braid wouldn’t cut it today. 

“Tenac, my comb is on my chest. Could you get it?” she asked. He brought her the comb, and Firlea got to work. Ayya sat and relaxed as her friend combed and then braided her hair and pinned the braids to her head. Ayya looked at the comb. It was still beautiful, even though it was worn by being used. Firlea tapped her on the shoulder when she was done. Ayya smiled at her. “Thank you. Now get your cloaks and make sure your things are in the waggons we will take with us. We’ll meet by the carriage,” Ayya told her friends. 

“I’ll make sure the waggons get loaded. Do you have anything you want to add besides your chest?” Sinhera asked.

“No, everything else is already packed on the waggons,” Ayya told her. Tenac had brought out the chest and Ayya smiled as she put her comb in it and locked it. It would be going back as well, she thought. It had been with her every step of her journey. As Sinhera left the tent with Ayya’s chest, Ayya and Tenac were left alone. 

“Are you okay?” he asked. Ayya took in a deep breath.

“I am. A little nervous, but good overall,” she nodded. 

“Anything I can do for you?” he asked. She smiled at him.

“Just having you here is enough. Could you just do me the favour that if you think I’m slipping back into my old habits, let me know?” she asked. A part of her was still worried that the city and the people in the castle would drag her back down again. She had come such a long way. She didn’t want to go back to being that scared little girl again.

“That won’t happen. You are strong and confident, you can do this,” Tenac told her and took her hand and gave it a squeeze. 

“Thank you,” she said.

“Time to put on your cloak,” he said, getting her cloak. Tenac helped her put it on. The soft wolf’s fur tickled her skin. He smiled at her and held open the flap of the tent to let her get out. She saw that the riders that were from the Lady’s guard were standing by the carriage with their horses. 

“Are we taking Estrela?” Ayya asked. 

“Yes, she will be one of the horses pulling the carriage. She won’t be happy, but she’ll do it,” Tenac smiled. 

“Good,” Ayya said. “This is seriously giving me flashbacks,” she then told him.

“Do you want to turn back?” he asked.

“No, and even if I did. We have come too far for that,” Ayya said with a smile. Firlea and Hinat came walking with Sinhera.

“Ready, ladies?” Ayya asked, and they nodded. Tenac helped the two aari into the carriage.

“I’m expecting regular notes. If I don’t hear from you within thirty-six hours, I’m coming to get you,” Sinhera said. 

“I’ll behave. And please don’t start a war while I’m gone. I have enough to deal with. One crisis at a time,” Ayya said. 

“I’ll do my best,” Sinhera nodded. “And you better keep her safe,” she then told Tenac. 

“Like I need you to tell me that,” he huffed. “I have already heard it from her father and both of our mothers. You aren’t even half as scary as one of them.” The two riders smiled at each other and nodded. Tenac helped Ayya get in the carriage and then they waited as all the riders mounted their horses and then they were off. 

At noon, they separated from the waggons and left a smaller team of riders to make sure they got to the city without issue. Ayya spent most of the day in silence. She was deep in thought and Firlea and Hinat talked amongst themselves. Ayya expected the landscape to seem familiar, but it didn’t. Then, she had only travelled this road once before, and she had been upset at the time. 

About an hour after they had left the waggons, the snow started to fall. Bigg flakes slowly drifted down and soon it blanketed the landscape. They continued their journey as the snow kept falling and Hinat and Firlea were amazed by it. Ayya smiled and then she realised how close they were to the city. 

“When we get over the next hill, we will see the city,” she told her friends. They looked at her.

“Are you okay?” Firlea asked.

“As good as I can get,” Ayya nodded. Tenac came riding up next to the carriage. He looked at Ayya and she nodded to let him know she was okay to continue. They came up on the hill, and Ayya leaned closer to the window to look ahead of them. The city looked smaller and gloomier than she remembered. Maybe it was the snow that caused it. Maybe it was her memories that played with her mind. As they got closer, she looked at her friends.

“This will be intense,” she said, and her friends looked at her.

“Intense, how?” Hinat asked.

“Both times I rode this carriage through the city, the streets were lined with people asking for help. It’s not easy to listen to. Be prepared,” Ayya explained. When they got close to the gate, they could hear the soldiers shouting out their arrival. Ayya braised herself as they went through the gate. The change was instant. People crowded the streets and shouted. Ayya looked out and saw the people. She heard their cries for help, and she could feel a bleak echo of a memory, of herself watching the white carriage driving by. She put her hand to her chest as her emotions almost became painful. It was even worse listening to the cries when they were directed at her, when she was responsible for fulfilling their wishes. 

“Oh my,” Firlea said. It was all any of them said. Hinat reached out her hand to Ayya and Firlea did the same. The three of them held hands and watched the crowd. 

“We are soon at the castle. It will calm down once we are inside the castle walls,” Ayya told them. As they drove through the gates that led to the courtyard of the castle, the crowd disappeared. Ayya squeezed her friends’ hands and then let them go. They stopped in front of the castle where the court was standing, waiting to greet them. Tenac opened the door. Ayya could see that he was affected by the crowd as well, even though he had his stone face on. 

“Are you okay?” he asked in Heulu. 

“Yes, it’s okay,” she answered him. Tenac helped them out, and they all turned up the hoods as the snow was still falling. The fluffy pelt that surrounded Ayya’s hood caught the large snowflakes, and they glittered in the light from the torches that were burning. Ayya took a deep breath and with Tenac just behind her to the right and Firlea and Hinat right behind him, she started walking to where the king and his family stood waiting. 

“Ayyanapia Teeran, protector of the white rose of Treenia, candidate of the aari and deputy of the Lady,” someone announced her. Ayya almost giggled when she heard her titles laid out in a long line. 

“My lady,” the king said, bowing his head. 

“Your majesty,” Ayya said, mirroring his greeting. 

“Let me introduce you to my family and my court,” the king said. Ayya studied him as he introduced her to his queen and then to the rest of the court. She remembered him as a prince. But the man walking beside her now was a king. He held himself with the confidence and self-importance of someone who knew their power. But, unlike his father, there was kindness in his eyes. 

“My castellan, Zerden Bore,” the king introduced her. Ayya almost flinched as she came face to face with Zerden.