~.✧ Ethira ✧.~ [COMPLETE]

~.✧ three ✧.~

The carriage bumped along the uneven dirt road, making my backside ache only an hour within the journey. I'd left very early this morning, saying goodbye to my family—forcing myself not to cry—and I knew I'd get to Ethira in the dead of night tonight. While my mother had wanted me to stay in an inn and complete the travel in two days instead of one like it was generally taken, I'd forcefully pleaded that I take it in one.

It was hard to stay in public inns without everything flooding back.

I closed the book in my lap, completely uninterested in its contents. I rarely was able to read a book for enjoyment because it only felt like more tutoring to me, but I'd brought it because it was one of Saidy's favorites and I needed something not only to pass the time as we traveled but hopefully keep close to me when I missed her. I leaned back, my head resting against the inside of the back wall to the carriage, and I glanced out one of the windows to watch the world go by.

Right now, we were in a long stretch of pretty much nothing, but I knew we'd been stopping at the next town to trade horses. I wasn't sure how I felt about the towns. We hadn't passed through very many large ones yet but I'd already received an abundance of different looks. Some were simply curious which I couldn't blame, while others...

Let's just say I was slightly nervous to see how these people would receive me as their queen.

The scenery was gorgeous though. Much airier and more spread out than Austora. There were fields and hills and winds that swirled the long grasses into scenes that every artist would beg to paint. The cloudy sky held darks and lights and every once in a while the sun would peek through to create contrasting rays of light in the bleakness of the sky.

It was also interesting to see how these people lived. So far, I'd passed mostly farmers and, in the towns, what seemed to be tradesmen. But their clothes were different here, as were their interactions with one another. They wore mostly neutral tones: browns, greys, some dark reds and blues, tan, and ivory. And they generally wore less layers, too, despite it being cooler than Austora. Which I wouldn't mind getting used to. When I was younger, I often begged my mother if I could just wear my petticoats around the castle but she strictly told me that it was unladylike. I'd pouted and let her shove a dress over my head. Now, perhaps I could simply wear a dress without the excess fabric underneath that felt like it might suffocate me.

The carriage driver let out a loud "Woah!" and the vehicle stumbled to a slower pace. I leaned closer to the window to see that the town we were stopping in was coming up, just past a set of gates. I searched my brain for the town's name but I wasn't sure which one it was since we were making stops all throughout the journey. Mezline perhaps?

Our large procession of guards and fancy, royally marked carriage drew more than a few eyes as we entered, which was expected. At least these townspeople seemed more in awe than in judgment.

The carriage pulled around to a large community stables where one could rent and trade out their horse teams. We slowed to a stop and I set my book aside, my legs aching to move after the many hours I'd been sitting since last we'd stopped. I waited patiently for a guard to open my door and say that I was clear to get out even though I desperately wanted to burst out of this cage and start running down the street.