snow // h.s

fifteen

<Diana>

We reached Remcastle two days earlier than we’d expected. The horses were at a walk, their heads bent as they puffed and set their hooves down one after another, sluggishly.

Seanix and Harry sat in one corner of the wagon, talking in low tones and I was curled up beside Mariette, my head resting on her shoulder. Zayn was stretched out on the bench opposite us, his good arm thrown over his eyes, his injured one lying across his stomach.

Terra sat on the other side of Mariette, her head leaned back and I could almost feel the strength she radiated.

I couldn’t get much sleep at night for nightfall was when the dam in my mind broke and images of Lois and Dave resonated in front of my eyes.

I would lie on my side, holding back tears myself as I watched Mariette’s shoulders shake with sobs.

Harry would be with me sometimes, lying down behind me with one arm thrown around me, his head resting on my shoulder but most of the time, he lay awake, thinking.

Now as we made slow progress towards Remcastle’s gates, my body felt fatigued and sore as if I was carrying a ton of bricks on my back.

Mariette noticed. “You have to get lots of rest once we’re in Remcastle,” she said, stroking my hair gently. “You’re exhausted.”

“I'm really fine-” I cut myself off at the concerned look Harry turned to me with.

He shifted next to me and pressed a hand to my forehead before pulling it back. “She doesn’t have a fever.”

“I thought you were an explorer, not a doctor,” Terra remarked, her eyes still shut.

“I know a few things.”

His hair fell in front of his face as he regarded me, his hand resting on the side of my neck. “Pulse is fine, too.”

“I'm fine,” I spoke, stifling a yawn. “Just tired.”

Realization dawned on Harry’s face, probably remembering how he held me last night as I sobbed into his neck. I’d been hysterical; everything had seemed to hurt including my insides but he’d held me to his chest, whispering into my ear until my eyelids closed from exhaustion.

As Harry returned to his seat beside Seanix, the wagon stopped and the flap pulled back to reveal our mute driver who signalled for us to get out.

Remcastle’s gates were bronze, gleaming in the morning sun and sentries dressed in red stood in front of them, backs straight, chins up.

Through the gates and further into the city, I could see a large charcoal grey mansion with towers on each of its four corners. The gates creaked open, seemingly by themselves and we, hesitantly, walked forward.

As the gates shut behind us, we turned to find our wagon driving off back the way we came.

Four guards flanked us, quickly, guiding us down the paved streets, past tall skyscrapers, small bookstores and a very popular restaurant named Luigi’s.

It seemed like any other city, the crowd surging down the streets minus the businessmen and skateboarding teenagers.

We were put into another wagon and driven down the streets, weaving through the crowd at a slow pace until we reached the grey mansion I’d spotted earlier.

Its iron gates groaned open and we proceeded inside, the horse’s hooves clopping on the gravel as we circled around the cul-de-sac.

Waiting for us on the wide grey stone steps was a tall man wearing a cloak of deep crimson red, reminding me of mine which had been taken away at Crow Tower.