Chapter 17: The Body Between Them

Saffron hadn’t spoken to Elric in nearly three days. His explanation had fallen flat. He halfheartedly told her that he just hadn’t thought it was important to know! She was infuriated but mostly still embarrassed by the entire Mira situation. Even when she slept, she couldn’t escape the woman’s taunting eyes. Elric had gone from sheepish to standoffish. Once he realized his charms wouldn’t thaw her icy exterior, he instead also withdrew.
The weather seemed to match their mood. It rained torrents down on them as the carriage made its slow journey back south out of Udril. Saffron didn’t know if they were headed back to the capital or to Avolire. Elric hadn’t said anything and she wouldn’t deign to ask him. She halfheartedly wondered if they would even still go through with the marriage.
She wasn’t sure that she wanted to. She didn’t appreciate being made a fool and then for him to act as if he were the injured party…she felt the anger rise again although it was more tempered now than it had been a few days ago. She was weary from being on the road and the tension between them was sapping her energy. How she longed to spend some time alone outdoors.
Saffron wondered what would happen if she should just disappear one evening. They obviously were not sharing sleeping quarters; it would be easy enough for her to slip away. She couldn’t go back to Gilramore or Runswick, but many other towns weren’t that far. Only a few days' journeys. South. She would go south. If she never saw snow again, she could die happy. She had read stories of the ocean. She had longed to see the great waves crashing against the shore and feel the hot sand beneath her toes.
She was sure she could find work as an apothecary near the ocean. Healing wounded fishermen, skin lesions from too much time underneath the burning sun, and whatever other ailments plagued the people that lived near the wondrous water. She could nearly feel the sun beating down on her when she was gently shaken. Saffron shook her head. She hadn’t realized that she had dozed off.
The clouds still unleashed their fury from above. She glared darkly at the gray sky, missing the open blue sky that had danced through her dreams. She thought that she could still smell the briny air, or that was at least how it was described in her stories. She had never ventured that far south. Saffron realized that Elric was staring at her strangely. He must have spoken to her.
“Sorry, what did you say?” she asked, pulling herself back out of her daydreams.
“I said we are going to have to stop here tonight. The driver said that the road is washed out. The horses won’t be able to make it through,” he replied, looking quickly away. She realized that she was still scowling from the weather. She smoothed her features to appear more pleasant, if distant.
“Very well. I suppose we don’t have another choice in this,” she replied, gesturing at the downpour outside of the carriage. “Where are we?” she asked, trying to peer through the onslaught. She could barely make out lights dancing in windows near her but nothing else.
“Dornwich. We are about a day outside of Runswick,” he replied. She felt her face fall. She had hoped that they wouldn’t be headed back to the palace. She felt now that she should highly consider her earlier plans to just disappear into the night. Although it would be quite a soggy journey if this weather kept up.
“I see,” she replied shortly and followed him into the storm.
The tavern, The Singing Huntress, was the largest that they had stayed at on this strange and unusual journey. It was also the nicest. There were no pockmarked floors or mismatched chairs. Everything was carved from deep, rich mahogany that shone brilliantly underneath the many lamps. The man and woman behind the bar were dressed in finery and they looked more like patrons as opposed to workers. They were older and smiled widely at Saffron and Elric as they entered.
Upon seeing Elric, they both fell into deep bows. “Welcome, sire! It has been quite a while since we have seen you! Will you be staying with us this evening?” the woman asked, her brown eyes as bright and friendly. Saffron liked her immediately. She had an open sociable face, one of the few in this kingdom that Saffron had seen. The man smiled as well but seemed to be more reserved. He nodded his head towards Saffron and disappeared into the door behind the bar.
Saffron glanced around quickly. Despite the weather, the tavern was nearly full. People huddled around tables playing cards, laughing, and smiling. Saffron felt jealous of their gaiety. She wanted so badly for the tension between her and Elric to soften so they could go back to how they were just a week ago. She wondered how things had gotten so badly tangled so quickly. She snapped back to the conversation between Elric and the woman.
“Just the one room, I am afraid. It is our nicest room, however. It has its own private bathing chamber.” She was saying, her eyes flicking between their faces. Saffron watched Elric from the corner of her eye. He seemed to want to refuse the room and she was flooded with indignation. Fine, she thought, I’ll just leave and save him the bother of having to share a room with me. Courtesy dictated that she say nothing though, so instead, she kept her face blank. She would just leave once he was asleep, the ungrateful oaf.
“One room is fine, Rosemary. Thank you. This is my fiancée, Saffron. I apologize for not introducing you sooner,” he stepped aside, and Rosemary looked shocked before smiling widely again.
“Oh, how lovely! Wonderful to meet you! To celebrate, dinner is on the house! I’ll have it delivered to your room so you can share it together!” Saffron and Elric awkwardly gaped, not knowing what to say. Saffron had hoped to eat by herself, as she had the past few days. Rosemary threw her a small wink before dashing back behind the bar.
“Well, I guess we should head up,” Elric said and slowly began walking towards the large staircase that sat in the far corner.
“I suppose we should,” Saffron quipped and followed behind him. She saw Rosemary watching them. When she caught her eye, Rosemary smiled a knowing smile and went back to serving a man at the bar. Saffron also felt the man’s eyes on her. He raised his drink in a mock toast and downed it without taking his eyes off of her. With a shudder, she hurried after Elric. She wasn’t sure why he was so unsettling, but she began to hear a bell sound in her mind. It told her this man was dangerous.
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The room was large but still had a cozy air to it that Saffron found irritating, under the circumstances. The bed was giant, it took up nearly half of the room. A large roaring hearth sat opposite it and a small dining table and chairs were in the corner. Saffron peeked into the bathroom and nearly fainted with delight. A large tub sat in the middle of the room. She hadn’t had a proper bath in nearly two weeks.
Elric deposited their cases at the end of the bed and looked around the room, his eyes pausing on the bed which seemed to loom towards them. He supposed he could sleep in the window bench if the evening warranted it. He wanted to just pull her into his arms and tell her he was an idiot, but he felt as if too much time had passed and his window for an apology had closed.
So instead, he stared dumbly into the fire. A knock sounded at the door and a tray was brought in. Two heaping bowls of steaming soup, a large loaf of crusty bread, and a bottle of mead sat upon it. Saffron barely looked at the tray.
“I’ll have a bath,” she said and disappeared into the bathing room. Well, at least dinner will be quiet, he thought and settled himself at the table. After a few bites, he let his spoon drop into the soup. It was delicious but he could barely taste it. He didn’t want to eat without her. He would talk to her now. Even if it were too late, she would know that he hadn’t thought to tell her about Mira because it had meant nothing to him.
For courage, he took a long drink of the honeyed wine. Warmth blossomed through him as the mead flowed lazily through his veins. It gave the room a softer edge and he felt as if it had helped open his heart. He was being an idiot. He should have just told her she had been right. Instead, he had to argue. It was amazing she hadn’t just fled in the night.
Elric stood, taking a deep breath, and walked towards the bathing room. As he lifted his hand to knock, another light knock sounded on the other door. Confused and annoyed he went to answer it, planning on raging at whoever dared disturb them.
The door swung open and Elric yelled out as a dagger slashed through the air at him.
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The water was blissfully warm as Saffron sank into the large tub. Rosemary must have sent someone up as soon as they walked it. She felt the tension of the last few days seep away into the hot, bubbly water. She stretched languorously and reveled in the sensation. She hadn’t felt clean in weeks and the water was working its own mysterious magic on her heart.
She should talk to him, she knew. At least give him a chance before disappearing. Maybe they could at least part as friends. This thought sent a pang of hurt through her. She did not want to just be a passing acquaintance of his. She had grown rather fond of the giant oaf, despite his shortcomings.
She groaned and sat her head back against the tub. They were both acting like spoiled children, neither wanting to apologize. She would speak to him tonight. After that, she would make up her mind, if he even still wanted to go through with the marriage. She supposed that even if he no longer had feelings for her, they could have a pleasant arrangement. It was better than going back to the Baron and being subjected to whatever he had planned.
Saffron shuddered at the thought and glowered, thinking about Elric being with another woman. No, it had to be all or nothing. She couldn’t bear it otherwise. Her mind made up, she sank beneath the surface of the water, her hair splaying around her as if she were a water nymph from one of her books. She let herself float for a moment, getting lost in a daydream when she heard the bell again.
She wondered if she was going insane but the last time it happened, something bad had occurred. She rose to the surface, sputtering. She froze when she heard something from the next room. It sounded as if the furniture was being knocked around by ghosts.
Saffron pulled herself dripping from the tub and tugged on her gown. She eased open the door and covered her mouth with her hand. The man from downstairs bore a large dagger and currently had it pressed to Elric’s throat. Elric’s eyes had begun to droop. The pressure of the man’s arm pressed into his throat. She reached for her healer’s bag which she always wore. It lay on the floor near the tub. She pulled her own dagger from its depths and charged.
The man jerked in surprise as Saffron burst from the room, screaming and sopping wet as if she were a banshee. The man had released his arm enough that Elric, gasping, was able to pull free. With a shove of his elbow and a sickening crack, the man’s face crumpled, and his body fell to the floor.
Saffron stared at Elric over the man’s lifeless form. He looked up at her and gave her a derisive smile.
“We really have to stop meeting like this.”