The wind blew around them, and time seemed to stand still. Erik studied the face of his young bride, which was framed by wisps of auburn hair that had escaped a long braid, but was unable to discern what her expression meant. He hoped that he had not offended her by not addressing her as ‘Your Highness’. Although her kingdom had fallen and she was no longer considered a princess, she may not see it that way.

Certainly she was surprised to see him, that much he could tell. He had planned to just wait until the entourage arrived at the keep to meet her. But as the time grew close to their arrival, he grew anxious, and could wait no longer. 

But surprise wasn’t the only emotion that was on her face. He couldn’t put his finger on it. But it also did not show what he had expected to see. Somberness, resignation. Perhaps loathing. 

After all, he had executed her father, the King of Kyleon, just three months ago. 

Any daughter would resent being forced to marry her father’s killer. Unfortunately, neither of them had any say in it. And all he could do was make the best of the situation.

A long moment passed of them staring and studying each other, then Karissa’s expression softened and she smiled, dipping into a curtsy.

“Good day to you as well, Your Grace,” she said. Straightening, she turned back to the carriage to beckon her servant to her side. “This is Lilian,” Karissa said as the other young woman also stepped down from the carriage and curtsied to him. “My lady’s maid.”

“Greetings, Your Grace,” Lilian said.

“We were not expecting to meet you on the road,” Karissa continued. “Your message…”

“Yes, I do apologize for surprising you.” He wracked his brain for a suitable explanation for the change in plans, and settled on the most obvious. “There have been recent reports of wyvern sightings in the area, and I thought it best to escort you the rest of the way as an added measure of protection.” 

The lady’s maid’s face went a shade paler, and her eyes darted to the tree line. 

“But I do not anticipate any trouble, it is only a precaution,” the Duke added quickly. 

Karissa smiled at him again, then laid a hand on her servant’s shoulder. “With the Duke and his knights here now, we will be well looked after,” she said softly. Lilian nodded and seemed to relax ever so slightly.

Are her words sincere? Erik wondered. Or is she only saying that to comfort her lady’s maid? 

“Please, join us,” the former princess said, gesturing towards the small cooking fire that her men were tending. “We were just about to eat.”

“Thank you, we would be happy to join you.” Erik bowed again, then walked back towards his knights who were still settling the horses to graze in a patch of grass. He nodded amiably to the gray uniformed guards, who all nodded back. That was encouraging, at least. None of them seemed overtly hostile towards him.

“Let’s eat and then be on our way,” the Duke said once he reached his knights. There was a quiet chorus of agreement.

“So that’s her, then?” Benedict asked in a low voice, nodding towards Lady Karissa. The knight had been unhappy, to say the least, to leave the keep to accompany the Duke, but it seemed now that his own curiosity was piqued. “I wasn’t expecting her to be so… thin.” A couple of the other knights nodded, also stealing glances at the Duke’s new bride.

Erik looked back over his shoulder to Karissa, who was sitting down on a stool that had been placed near the cooking fire while her lady’s maid collected a plate of food for her. He noted that she was indeed thin, or at least thinner than he would have expected. Perhaps her grief over the loss of her father has affected her appetite. 

Erik eyed his knights sternly, then turned back to Benedict. “Keep that to yourself, hmm?”

“You think I’d go up to a lady and call her skinny to her face?” Benedict scoffed, eliciting a few chuckles from the others. “I may be from Jourma, but I’m not a complete dolt!”

“Jourma or no, don’t go around spreading your opinion as fact,” Erik continued. “The people need to meet her for themselves, not make up their minds before she’s even had a chance.” I still need to make up my mind about her…

“Yes, Your Grace. My apologies.” Benedict ducked his head, but came up again with his trademark grin spread across his face. “So, what do you think of her so far? Your opinion is fact, after all.”

“I’ve a mind to send you back to the keep,” Erik said, turning and leading the way to the cooking fire. “You didn’t want to come at all, remember?” Benedict rushed to his side.

“Oh, come now! I can see you’re nervous, I’m just trying to-” 

“Ah, Your Grace, knights of Hallel,” a sandy-haired young man of the Kyleon guard said as they approached. “Please help yourselves. I’m afraid we’ve only caught a few grouse this morning, so meat is limited, but there are plenty of vegetables and dried fruits from our rations.”

“Thank you, Sir…?”

“Oh, I am not knighted, Your Grace. I am Dalvo, Captain of the Kyleon guard.”

“Thank you, Dalvo. I must commend you and your men on being able to hunt even a few grouse in these dense woods. This area does not offer favorable conditions for small game.” The young man lit up as if he had just received the highest of honors, then ducked his head.

“Oh, well, thank you, Your Grace. We do what we can.” 

“Dalvo is indeed a highly skilled bow hunter, Your Grace,” Karissa said from her place a little ways away from the fire. Her plate had a small portion of grouse meat, a generous helping of steaming carrots, and what looked to be dried peaches.

At least she is eating, Erik thought.

“You flatter me, my lady,” Dalvo said, his face turning a bright red. Karissa chuckled lightly, but said nothing more.

The Duke’s men gratefully accepted the plates offered to them, each with identical portions of their choice of steamed vegetable, dried peaches, and some part of a grouse. The men all seated themselves on the grass and began eating. 

The Duke hung back until the last of the Kyleon guards had served themselves, then took the last portion for himself. He decided to stand instead of sit, and scanned the trees surrounding them. Although the excuse about reports of wyvern in the area had been just that, an excuse, the reports were nonetheless true. 

The real reason that grouse were hard to hunt in this area was because they had either fled from the wyvern, or been eaten by them.