Bab 36: Chapter 36: Unusual Homecoming

In the uncomfortable silence of the swiftly moving river, Rowan realized she had never travelled alone with General Tarik before, or without her handmaiden. She also realized how silly she had been when Elduine told her he had to go.

‘I still have so much to learn about being queen,’ she thought.

Taking a peek at General Tarik, he seemed to be doing much better since Atrian gave him that root to suck on, though he still had a strong grip on the boat.

As they sailed, further along, old familiar landmarks of the queen’s childhood home began to appear. Rowan pointed them out with such joy, General Tarik forgot his queasy stomach and listened to her chatter away happily.

Coming around a turn, Rowan suddenly became quiet. The small keep came into view, its grey walls fading into the mist rolling off the lake.

“It looks so much smaller than I remember it,” she laughed half-heartedly.

“Living in a palace tends to change your perspective,” Atrian offered kindly.