This love is like a curse (22)
* * *
Contrary to her expectations, the path turned out to be calm.
Although the nights followed one another, thick as tar, nothing bloody ever happened - the morning invariably came, and they set off again before the sun rose to its zenith.
Although the heat-stricken soldiers lagged behind, slightly delaying the schedule, the pilgrimage progressed without serious hindrance.
At the head of the procession was Gareth with his personal guard. On the fifth day after leaving the palace, they reached the small town of Sortika in the northwest, spent the night there, and then headed further north.
All this time, Talia did not take her eyes off the escorts sent by Senevier. They pretended to be ridiculously loyal, but Thalia never let up her guard for a moment.
They are just waiting for the right moment. It was clear as day that something terrible was about to happen. Wasn't every case in which Senevier was involved followed by the ominous shadow of a conspiracy?
If not today, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow... Soon a bloody spectacle will unfold before her eyes. Thalia didn't know if she was afraid of this or expecting it.
Every time she saw how kindly Barkas treated Ayla, while he was cold and indifferent to her, she wanted a terrible tragedy to happen immediately.
If these two were disfigured beyond recognition, it would at least bring relief. It would be better to see his corpse at Ayla’s feet than to watch him standing next to her.
But as night fell, she was seized by a suffocating fear. No matter how many times she told herself that she didn't care if this man died, it didn't help.
Trembling with anxiety all night, Thalia ran out of the tent before dawn. She walked through the darkness until she saw him. Only after making sure that Longboat was alive and breathing did she feel that she could breathe deeply again.
She hurriedly walked along a narrow path overgrown with bushes until she heard a horse neigh and froze.
Making her way through the dense thickets, she saw a gray stallion with a black mane.
The longboat confidently led the huge horse to the source. He knelt down on one knee and pulled on the reins, forcing the animal to bend towards the water, then with his other hand he scooped up water and washed the stallion's long, powerful neck.
Sunlight filtered through the foliage, playing with silver highlights in his hair. Thalia, who had been watching this scene with bated breath, closed her eyes in despair. No matter how much she tried to cut this feeling out of herself, her love for Barkas continued to grow like a tumor, eating away at her from the inside. There seemed to be no way out of this quagmire.
How to get rid of these feelings?
Leaning her back against the tree trunk, Thalia stared mindlessly at the sky, and then languidly turned around. And then she noticed Ayla walking along the path and quickly hid behind a tree.
It looked like she had just gotten out of bed - a light robe was thrown over her thin dress, her long hair hung loosely over her shoulders. Her appearance was just as, if not more, scruffy than Thalia's.
But, despite everything, nobility and dignity were preserved in her.
Perhaps there is something in this woman's blood that Talia will never be able to find, even if she dies.
“There you are,” Ayla said quietly, her cheeks turning a light blush.
She carefully walked over and sat down next to him on a flat stone.
Longboat looked at her. Ayla, as if unable to bear even this calm gaze, gently curved the corners of her lips into a smile and took off her shoes. Dipping her feet into the spring, she laughed quietly, splashing the water.
The neighing of a horse, splashes of water and ringing laughter disappeared into the cold morning air.
Thalia had a hard time holding back the urge to jump out and grab her stepsister's hair. She wanted to tear those smiling lips apart, tear out that chattering tongue. But she didn’t want to see Barkas rush to protect Ayla.
Soon, having played enough with the water, Ayla extended her hand to him. But instead of helping her up, Barkas bent down and wiped her feet, then, like a faithful servant, he carefully put her shoes on.
This scene pierced Thalia as if a dagger had been stabbed into her heart.
She turned sharply and ran away. Branches and grass scratched her arms and legs, but she felt no pain, as if all her senses were dulled.
She raced along the winding forest path like a driven horse until she tripped over a tree root and fell. Lying in the bushes and breathing heavily, Thalia suddenly laughed.
What would Senevier say if she saw her like this?
Surely, she would have shook her head, knitting her graceful eyebrows together.
Thalia even heard her mocking voice from somewhere far away.
“You have two options. The first is to get the man you want at any cost. The second is to accept defeat... but at least make it less humiliating.”
It seemed like she really wanted Thalia to seduce him like some slut. But Thalia would rather die than become like Senevier.
She took what she wanted without hesitation. And Thalia didn’t know what to do except pray for this torment to end soon.
She raised her eyes to the sky shining through the branches, then stood up. With tired steps, she emerged from the dark forest and saw several knights scurrying around in confusion. Having passed them, she headed towards the carriage, but one of the guards - Ruvon, it seems? — he sharply blocked her path.
-Where did you go without saying a word? - he blurted out. - How many times have you been told that you can’t walk alone without protection!..
But then he fell silent. The sight of Thalia, pretty shabby, clearly stunned him.
- What... What's wrong with you?.. Have you really been attacked?
The princess silently walked around him and climbed onto the steps of the carriage. But he didn't seem to want to stop. Grabbing the door frame, he continued in a harsh tone:
“I have a duty to protect your highness.” Therefore...
“Someone might think that you really care about me,” Thalia looked down at him with contempt. - Looks like you were told to keep an eye on the “mad princess”, huh? Well, if you’re going to follow, do it properly. It's not my fault that you, idiot, were flapping your ears.
He pursed his lips as if he didn't know what to say.
Talia slammed the doors shut in his face.
There was a loud groan as the door pinched his finger. Apparently, the glove protected him from serious injury, but his muttering and swearing continued for quite some time.
As always, Thalia ignored all of this.
If she listened to every word said by those around her, she would have gone crazy long ago. The first thing she learned after becoming a princess was to ignore everything unnecessary.
Talia pulled the heavy curtains shut, blocking out the faint morning light coming through the glass, and curled up like a hedgehog.