Queen of Ashes │ Season 1 │The Journey

20 │Docking

After the storm, the last days on the ship went into a calm atmosphere. The view was filled with sea so steady that it was difficult to imagine that it took only a moment for it to change into the most dangerous place a ship could sail through.

Freya kept her human sleep schedule, abandoning the habit of waiting for the Vampire Prince until he woke up. This way, they successfully avoided each other and didn't have to talk about what took place in her cabin during the storm. Firstly, her mind was still in a state of denial that she would have anything to do with stopping the flow of water. Secondly, her body was in a constant state of frustration with its pitiful longing directed at the handsome Prince. Moreover, when he left her cabin earlier, she had the impression that something was bothering the Prince, and her instincts told her that it might have had something to do with her.

Either way, she decided that a few days of avoiding each other would calm down their emotions a bit, so when they docked and continued their journey, they would calmly return to their banter and friendship.

As for Giselle, Freya didn't dare to tell her about her thoughts about potentially having some sort of magical abilities. It was better that way for the moment. She didn't fully believe what Leander had the nerve to suggest, so why should she tell others about it? Her maid was finally starting to recover—obviously getting used to being on the high seas, so why ruin it with her colorful hallucinations?

Finally, some land could be seen on the horizon. With each passing mile, the buildings of the kingdom of Forladrin became more and more visible. The port they were heading to was called Thevell, and from what she remembered from previous conversations, they didn't plan to stop there much. They planned to stock up on small things necessary for further travel and set off.

"Quite the view, huh?" The man's deep voice brought her out of her thoughts. For the past few minutes, Freya had been leaning against the railing, lost in thinking, not noticing the silent figure creeping behind her.

"Yeah, they like to build high," she commented on the tall buildings that seemed even taller with every minute. While at home, she heard stories from visitors about their neighboring kingdom's attraction to build upwards. While in Carda the tallest buildings were usually one—rarely two stories high, in the kingdom of Forladrin height was not an issue, height was their goal.

"You were avoiding me."

Freya turned around in the blink of an eye as if she had just been caught in mischief.

"Don't deny it." Leander looked at her with a look calling reprimand, making her feel like a child.

She swallowed loudly, fighting against her sense of pride. Ultimately, however, she decided to admit that he was right. "Yeah, I did."

"And why was that?"

"I didn't want to bring up the water issue. Also, you seemed somehow absent... I didn't want to stand in the way."

The Prince sighed. "I won't talk about it if that's what you really want."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Consider the topic closed, then," he murmured. "As for my mood, I guess I've needed to sort some things out."

Freya raised an eyebrow with curiosity. "And did you?"

"Sort of..." He smiled lightly.

Turning back toward the approaching shore, she barely restrained herself from asking a deeper question. What conclusion did her companion come to? And what were his dilemmas really about?

"You're up early today," she said instead.

"I heard we were reaching the shore. Since the sun was starting to set, I figured it wouldn't hurt to leave the cabin early."