章 11: Have You Tried To Find Out?

Acutely aware of the fact that she was resting on his chest, Anastasia shot up straight. "I— I am sorry," she murmured an apology. She wondered how long she had slept with him cradling her in his arms. It was his warmth that was so soothing to her that she had fallen into a deep sleep.

"We will be stopping here for the rest of the night," Ileus too a deep breath before replying and got down from the horse.

Sitting on the horse, she surveyed the forest around her. Not much was visible except the hazy outlines of the trees covered with crystals of ice, shining dimly in the moonlight. They had stopped in a clearing—a gravelly patch of ground that was encircled with trees and bushes. The soldiers dismounted their horses and tied them to the bare trunks nearby. Holding her by the waist, Ileus helped Anastasia to the ground. As she exhaled raggedly, she found her breath turning into mist. She could hear water flowing in a nearby brook and wild animals howling in the distance… perhaps coyotes?

Soon a fire was built from the twigs, branches and logs that they could gather from across the floor of the forest and from what they had carried with them. Feeling extremely tired after riding nonstop for so long, Anastasia stretched and stifled a yawn with her hands. "I feel so smothered with this fog around," she said lazily and walked to where they were all taking the equipment out to settle down for the night. Her eyelids were heavy and sagged on a stump nearby.

As she helped them with the furs and rolls, she saw Ileus and their gazes locked for a moment. The gold of his eyes was unnerving. Her cheeks heated again. She lowered her eyes and bit her lips. When she was done laying out her roll, she saw that the mist had cleared a little and she stared hard into the darkness of the forest.

They all lay their furs close to the fire. Nyles walked idly to her. She gave her the green pill and said, "Have this m'lady. You haven't had yours for the day."

"Thank you Nyles," she replied to her exhausted, yet chirpy companion with an affectionate smile. Nyles was almost swaying from side to side. The poor girl had never been tortured to this level. She was so used to the palace comforts. "These pills are made in the palace Nyles. Do you even know the ingredients that are used in making them? How will you procure those ingredients once we run out of them?"

Her clothes were all crumpled and she slouched a little. "M'lady, I do know the herbs that are required to make the medicine, but I have to ask these men to stop somewhere for me to hunt for them." She rolled her eyes. "The way we are moving, it's as if we will never stop! Frankly, I am too tired of them and their antics."

Anastasia ate the pill and gulped it down her throat. It was so bitter that usually she used to have a lot of water after having it, but now she didn't fuss. She mused after gulping it down, "I feel fine these days. I don't think I need to have more of these pills."

Nyles' eyes became wide as a saucer. "M'lady don't even say that. We have had this conversation so many times. This medicine is necessary for you. Don't you know your heart condition? Don't you remember how depressed you get and your heartbeat increases if you don't take the medicine. This is to give you relief from all the anxiety your little, fragile delicate heart feels. I have pestered the healer at the palace to make the best ones for you." Her hand went to her heart. "I know what all you have endured in the palace and it hurts me so much."

"Oh Nyles, you are such a sweet maid. I hope all people in the world get assistants like you," Anastasia said, admiring the girl in front of her.

Nyles gave her a tired smile. Then she said, "I am going to sleep right next to you."

Anastasia nodded. "Come." Removing her sandals she lowered herself on the fur and lay down with Nyles on her left. It was so cold, that despite the fire that kindled merely three meters away, her breath was now freezing when she exhaled. It had been very cold in the day and the night grew colder still. She tugged up the fur and tried to curl up tight in her oversized sweater. At Viliniski, she had never ever had to sleep outside her bedchamber. There was always a fire glowing in the palace, which made the place cosy. A warm, soft bed and several furs always kept her comfortable. And not to forget about the magic. Yellow orbs of soft fire would float in the rooms towards the ceiling if the cold got really bitter. The servants would come with a small basket holding the orbs and then release them in her room. They would float and eventually go and rest on the ceiling.

Even though she remembered all the beautiful things about her palace, she shuddered the moment she recalled all the monstrosity that occurred behind its tall walls. Lust for the throne, for the power had driven her cousins to the level that they were beyond repair. Sometimes she wondered why did their father abandon them. Their mother had come to seek refuge with her twins to her brother's kingdom, when their father had abandoned them. She never knew the true story, but yes, their mother was too ambitious. No one dared mention Etaya's husband in the palace. He remained a mystery. Anastasia hated Etaya, her aunt, since she was a child. And she always wondered as to why did her father felt so duty-bound towards his sister.

At this moment, Anastasia didn't want to go back to that prison, to the horrors she had tolerated for so long. Those days were like an unending nightmare where she was alone and cold and miserable. An uncontrollable shudder swept through her body and she fought back bile at the back of her throat.

While those thoughts crossed her mind, someone laid beside her on the right. She stiffened because Nyles was already sleeping on her left. Who could that be? She tugged her fur from her face only to find Ileus settling beside her. His marble white skin glowed in the fire's yellow light and his golden eyes—they looked mesmerizing. He pulled the fur up and turned away from her. He was so close that she could feel his warmth through the furs, and smell the coppery and woody scent that she had come to recognize while being with him for the past few days.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw that Kaizan had settled down lengthways near her feet and she realized that he covered the length of all three of them. She looked up above him and saw that the mist had almost cleared. To keep a watch, one of the soldiers sat on a log that was rolled a few meters away from the fire. He placed his quiver on the ground and attended to the bowstring. She knew that they would take turns through the night to keep a close watch.

So close to Ileus, she felt comfortable, but sleep was nowhere. Perhaps she had slept for a long time on the horse. An hour later, everyone must have drifted off to sleep because she only heard the fire crackling. She turned over to face towards him and saw his back towards her.

"Are you asleep?" she whispered.

"No," he replied in a very low voice.

She smiled and a thousand questions came to her mind. "Do you think the bandits of the Dark Prince roam in these forests?"

Ileus turned his massive body to face her. The light from the fire reflected on her golden hair and she looked ethereal. "What do you think the Dark Prince is? Why would he roam around these forests? Do you think he has that kind of time?"

She shrugged. "Well, we need to be careful."

"I highly doubt you should fear him."

"Why?" She asked with wide eyes.

"You should be afraid of your cousin and his mad sister."

Anastasia stared in the darkness beyond him. He was right. She nibbled at her lower lip. "You know back at Vilinski, everyone could use their inherent magic, but I could never do it. Even though I am a princess and they say that I should have the strongest magic, I could never use it. I think— I think, my powers are too weak." She didn't know why she was even confiding in him. This was the longest conversation she had had with him.

His hand came to her cheek and he brushed it with his knuckles. Anastasia stiffened. This act of warmth was so foreign to her from him, from anyone… "Have you ever tried to find out why?"

She shook her head as a heat crept over her skin again. "There's nothing to find out. It's just me," she croaked.