The Princess and the Blade

[Soran Nightblade]

Artisuren's eyes flashed momentarily at the command, but he got down from the carriage. He walked past Laurius and Havitharon, avoiding them both, and climbed into the carriage to sit opposite Jim's two maids. The women's eyes went large as saucers as the tall, horned being entered and faced them. Artisuren didn't know what to say to them, so he glared out the window.

"Excuse him. He did not sleep well," Havitharon said, climbing in next. The maids recoiled slightly at the new being, even larger than the first. But at least this one spoke. "Pardon the short notice, but your lord has asked that we travel with you."

"I... I see. Welcome, then," spoke the braver of the women, wondering why both newcomers were already staring out the windows as if they'd left something important behind.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara frowned at the carriage and Laurius offered his arm to her. "You'll be safe," he said. "I'll protect you." Tenara tried very hard not to scowl at him.

"I can protect myself, thank you."

Laurius slipped his arm around her and guided her towards the first carriage. "Princess, if you want this to work, you need to act like you enjoy being in the company of your suitor."

Tenara threw up a smile and climbed into the carriage with Laurius following quickly behind her.

[Soran Nightblade]

It was close to nightfall when they finally dropped pace and the sound of the dirt path under their wheels changed to that of a paved road. Havi raised his head and studied the scenery outside. They'd entered the port town where Lord Preshton's ship was anchored. He looked over at Artisuren, who seemed to be resting again. The longer they rode, the worse the other Ivis had looked. His complexion seemed pale, and a thin sheen of sweat coated his neck and face.

As if feeling eyes on him, Artisuren startled awake. His glassy eyes fell on Havitharon, and he snarled. "Quit staring, Thvoros."

Havi was unfazed. He lowered his voice so they wouldn't wake the dozing maids. "Does he know?"

Artisuren looked out the window. "Know what?"

"You're obviously bond broken. Have you explained it to him?"

"No, and I don't intend to."

Havi raised a brow at him.

"Mind your own fucking business. It's got nothing to do with you, or him."

Havi rolled his eyes, giving up.

In the carriage ahead of them, the knife in Laurius's jacket grew gradually warmer through the fabric.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius began to shift stiffly in his seat, but not too much because, unfortunately, Jim had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He picked at his shirt, slipped his hand beneath it and felt at the dagger there.

Tenara's gaze drifted away from the window to him. She almost ignored him, but then he hissed and pulled his hand away. "Something wrong?"

"This thing is getting hot again," he said nudging Jim and guiding him to lean his head into the carriage wall. He untied his tunic and pulled the blade from the sheath, wrapping the edge of his cloak around it. "I thought I'd fixed it when..." He hesitated.

Tenara glanced away, back out the window. "When you forced him?"

"I didn't..." Laurius frowned. "Whatever it seems like, Princess. That's not what happened. How do I stop this?"

"I don't know," Tenara said. "I thought it was a rut, but it seems different and I don't know enough to tell you what it might be or how to fix it. We'll need to consult Havi."

"How long does a rut last?"

Tenara remembered being tangled in a bed with Havitharon, endless rounds of pleasure and want. Her cheeks burned. She remembered being connected—knotted—over and over. She missed it. How strange. She missed that binding pressure linking them together. Tenara cleared her throat. "A few days."

"And if this is something else?"

"Like I said, we'll have to ask Havi. I'm sure we can sort it out on the..." They pulled into the docks. The smell of salt filled the air. She couldn't tell if she was thankful or not that they had gone to the southern port town instead of using the capitol docks. To be truthful, she wasn't sure which docks they'd taken her to in order to sail to Arken. She told herself it was the capitol's though, and that made this one less...

Less.

"You've gone a little pale," Laurius said.

"I don't like sailing," she said. That was a lie. She had, once, liked when people took her sailing. But, the idea of being on a ship again felt like ants beneath her skin. Her chest tightened.

"Sea sickness?" Laurius asked, hissing again as he touched the blade.

"Something like that," she murmured as the carriage rattled to a stop.

[Soran Nightblade]

When the carriages finally stopped, the maids shuffled out. "Is he alright?" one asked Havi, glancing at Artisuren.

"Yes... He does poorly with carriages," Havi said.

The maid accepted that. "Come on, lads. We'll show you where the servants' cabin is."

Havi followed her out, looking ahead to the carriage parked near the other end of the dock. He could just make out Tenara's form beside the gangplank. There were so many ships here. Would it make Tenara worried about... *Are you okay?* he asked her through the sword.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara almost jumped as Havi's voice fluttered into her mind. *I'm alright... Are you? How is Artisuren? His blade is heating up again...*

The dock was busy with hands loading supplies onto the ships. The sun had almost set, and the oil lamps had come alive. The shadows of the dock seemed darker than when they'd first arrived, though she thought it might have been her imagination. Every noise set her heart racing and she kept her back to the ship, waiting her turn to go aboard.

"Where are you heading off too?" a voice said, and Tenara might have registered it as familiar if her heart hadn't been pounding in her ears. She glanced up to find Elias approaching. An entourage filed behind him—some servants carrying luggage, a few guards, and what she assumed were minor nobility or advisers of some sort.

Adrenaline spiked through her, dizzying. Part of her filled with some terror his presence didn't justify, and the other part of her was full of rage. Both sensations warred with her so fiercely it proved to freeze her stiff.

"I'm going to Ighten," she finally said. "To visit my suitor's home."

His gaze drifted to the sword on her hip. He broke from his group and approached her. "Suitor?" he asked. "Did my threat rush you into an entanglement, Princess? So afraid of marrying me, you found some random man to take you."

"Your threat hardly influenced this match," she scoffed.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, taking it in his. Her eyes flared wide, and she tried to pull away but he held it fast. A bud of red light flared dull in the back of her eyes and she felt the ache of her magic in the pit of her stomach. No. No. Control.

"I still want that sword. Give it to me, and save yourself a lot of pain."

"Let go of me before I melt your hand like I melted your brother's," Tenara said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Enjoy your trip. What is it? Two weeks? Three weeks? Lots of time at sea," he said and the light in Tenara's eyes fizzled. Suddenly the fear was stronger than the anger and she felt numb. She didn't even register he was placing a kiss on her lips until his shadow began to depart, and she felt the wet warmth of his lingering touch. "I'll see you soon, I'm sure."

Suddenly, Laurius was there, his arm tight around her shoulders. "Prince Elias," he said, holding out a hand. "We meet again. So sorry to hear about your brother, but I did warn him..."

"Ah, Laurius Mar," Elias said, glancing between them. "Oh, I'm sorry. You're the suitor Tenara mentioned?"

"Yes," Laurius said. "We hit it off at the ball. Star-crossed and all that. I do think I hear the bell of your ship, Prince. Wouldn't want you to be late. Do reach out if you'd like to collaborate on any more projects. I'm sorry to be rude, but I must get her on board."

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi glanced back at Artisuren, who had apparently been roped into helping the maids lift the heavier luggage off the carriage. *He's... complicated.*

When Tenara didn't respond, he stepped around the carriage and tried to get a better view of her across the dock. There were some others there with her, but he didn't pick out their silhouettes from this distance. *Tenara?*

The maids were calling to him from the cargo plank. He glanced again at the people gathered around the other carriage, then reluctantly followed them up into the ship, out of sight.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius guided Tenara up the passenger gangplank, his arm curled gently around her until they reached the top. *Tenara? Tenara was a second from answering Havitharon when Laurius asked, "You two have a history?"

"Something like that. After he drugged me into paralysis, he tried to get me to help him kill his mother with the sword," she said. "I need to find Havi. I can't get too far away from him or he'll lose his corporealness..."

"He's likely helping the servants load the ship. When we cast off, I'll direct them to our room."

"Our room?" Tenara asked, happy for the momentary distraction.

"You were not a planned guest on this ship. It was already rather packed, and there was nowhere else to put you. I'll sleep on the chase. You can have the bed. Havi and Artisuren can sleep where they like. Maybe we'll all end up in the bed together if we're lucky." He winked at her, and she understood it for the joke it was. He was trying to lighten her mood.

"It makes sense, I suppose—why you don't want to court me for the throne. You like men."

"I like anything that strikes my fancy, Princess," he mused. "Come. This way. I'll settle you in our room and find our familiars."

*I'm fine... I bumped into Elias. I'm on the ship now and Laurius is taking me to his room...*

[Soran Nightblade]

*Do you feel safe alone with him? If he does something inappropriate, tell me immediately,* Havi said, wishing he knew the ship's layout better. Luckily, it was a medium-sized vessel, and such ships could only be arranged so many ways, even on his world.

Havi and Artisuren followed the other servants to the rear berth of the ship, where the luggage was stored and cots and hammocks served as sleeping quarters for the help.

"We ladies usually take the cots and the boys the hammocks, if you don't mind," the maid was saying to Havitharon. "Gladys has a bad knee. Though I'm afraid the hammocks aren't ideal for people with such long... everything," she noted, then blushed as she thought her comment through.

"You, you look ready to faint. Lie down this instant," she ordered Artisuren.

"I'm fine," the Ivis snipped, but could produce little venom when speaking to a female.

"Nonsense, down you go," she argued.

He chewed his lip. "What else?"

She thought for a moment. "Put your legs up above your heart. Take deep breaths. Loosen your shirt, and put something cool on your face."

He obeyed, sitting on a hammock, but noticed with a pang of anxiety that the commands had zero impact on him physically or mentally, despite coming from a Yurivis. Was the only person who affected him.... Outrage squirreled up inside him. He refused to accept it.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius guided Tenara to a room near the stern of the ship. She began to panic that it was too far from Havitharon, but he assured her that he was likely just below them. The room inside was spacious but not large. There was a full-sized bed built into an alcove with a large porthole window, a chase lounge bolted to the floor tucked near a corner. Built-in cabinets hugged the wall on either-side of the ship.

*I'm safe...* Tenara assured Havitharon.

"Fuck," Laurius hissed and pulled the knife from his shirt again. He tossed it onto a small table. It wobbled with the sway of the ship. "That is hot. I need to find him before he burns the ship down."

Tenara nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Go. I'll wait here. I... I don't want to go lower."

Her heart was skipping in her chest. The sound of waves licking the hull made her chest tight, and Tenara wondered how she was going to be able to endure weeks of this.

It would get better, she told herself. This wasn't the same.

"Alright. Watch that. I'll be back," Laurius said, and slipped out the door.

Tenara glanced at the dagger before she put her hand on the sword and held it tight. She thought of Elias, and his hand reaching for hers. Only, she came realize, he'd actually been reaching for the sword. Her hand had been on its hilt. Would he have taken it? Shoved her into the ocean and set sail with it? Instead, he'd kissed her. She frowned and scrubbed her lips with the back of her hand. He was toying with her. He likely had some plan to get the sword, and he was biding his time. Fuck him. Next time she'd set his clothes on fire and watch him flail uselessly until he succumbed to the flames.

Laurius is coming to find you both. The blade is extremely hot. I see it sizzling on the table... Tenara touched it with the tip of her bandaged finger and hissed.

[Soran Nightblade]

*Okay,* Havi said, relieved. He was eager to find his way back to her. Something felt wrong about the ship, and he intended to stay at her side. He glanced over at the other Ivis. Artisuren had turned to face the wall, his legs and arms draping out of the hammock like a poorly-caught grasshopper. He took no relish in watching the Ivis suffer, but he also felt no personal investment in the man's well-being or happiness, and neither did anyone else here. Except perhaps Tenara. Tenara wouldn't abide to see any living thing suffer, he thought. It occurred to Havi how fortunate he'd been to arrive at this world connected to someone that saw him as a person, who had the power to support him and was willing to come to care about him.

*I will join you as soon as I can,* he said, feeling like he should reassure her, or maybe himself.

Beside Tenara, Stalker pressed his long snout firmly into her lap.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara brushed her fingers through Stalker’s fur, nodding at Havi’s words and forgetting he couldn’t see it across their mental connection.

Beyond the porthole was the night sky. The sun had dipped beyond the horizon, and she thought the room would feel less claustrophobic if its hopeful light was high in the sky. The room wasn’t small. There wasn’t any reason for her to feel as if the walls were closing in on her, other than her mind was running away with itself.

If she didn’t get herself under control, her magic was liable to slip out on its own. She could already feel its pressure budding in the center of her being. The last thing they needed was for her to blow the ship up in the middle of the sea.

Deep breaths. Calming thoughts. It’s just a boat. Just a ship. She wasn’t bound. Wasn’t drugged. Wasn’t unable to keep herself safe. Everything was fine. The tightness in her chest eased a hair. The budding, unwanted pull of power fizzled to a whisper. She drooped and laid on her side along the edge of the bed, brushing her hand over Stalker’s head.

——

Laurius moved through the ship as quickly as possible, but he did get turned around three times. The lower decks were for passengers of meager means, then servants, then crew, and finally cargo. But they could still be a bit of a maze to navigate.

He slipped into the servants shared room, looking around for the aliens. They might have been easier to spot if they didn’t blend with the shadows in the space.

“Found you,” Laurius sighed, coming around to have a look at Artisuren. “You look like shit. Can’t stand to be away from me for a few hours, eh?” He reached out and brushed a hand over the man’s forehead. “He’s burning up. Let’s get him back to my quarters and we can nurse him there.” He said it so easily, as if nursing him would mean giving him liquids and rest and not the opposite. But, he was among others. He glanced at Havitharon. “Can you help me?”

[Soran Nightblade]

Artisuren glowered up at the man. He'd expected to be left here, but he'd come. Of course... the dagger was important to him. His voice made Artisuren shiver. "If you k-know that then d-don't send me away in the f-first place," he snapped.

Havi raised a brow at the way the two spoke to each other. He wouldn't call it caring, but it seemed more familiar than he'd expected. He wondered if something else had happened the night before.

He didn't particularly want to carry the man, but if it would help them get to Tenara faster... He walked to the hammock and framed the man in his arms to lift him, only to catch an elbow to the stomach. "Don't touch me," Artisuren warned, slurring his words. Havi rubbed at his ribs in irritation, then secured both the man's wrists in one large hand before wrestling his struggling form over his shoulder. "Be still, or I'll drop you," Havi sighed.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius guided them back to his room, this time only making one wrong turn. “This isn’t the same ship we took on the way here. It is only slightly different, but just enough to be annoying. Here.”

Laurius breezed into the room, keeping the narrow door open for Havitharon.

Tenara sat up, and Laurius turned his attention to the movement. “Thar’s Mercy, are you seasick already?”

“No,” she replied, a bit defensive.

“It’s that kiss isn’t it?” He came to her and felt her forehead, or at least tried. Stalker’s lip curled a little and he pulled away. “You probably shouldn’t let poison master’s kiss you.”

“I didn’t let him kiss me. He just did. And I’m fine. How is he?” She nodded to Artisuren slung over Havi’s shoulder.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi and Artisuren both stared at them with equally unsettled looks.

"What kiss?" Havi asked. "Poison master... you met the prince?"

Artisuren just frowned blearily. The way Laurius felt her forehead was exactly the same as he'd just done to him. There was no concern in it... it was just an assessment. Why was he thinking about it in the first place? "Just put me down," he growled. He attempted to get the taller Ivis with his knee, but Havi had him firmly braced to avoid further incident.