The Beauty in Pain | Book One of In Pain Trilogy *EDITING*

7. The Capital - Tosh City

They didn't talk at all for the rest of the way to Cyrello. For weeks upon weeks, while they rested and camped, while they trotted along on their horses neither Saenar nor Mynera exchanged words. At most, when they happened to be in each other's company, they would nod to acknowledge the other's presence then move on. Other than that, they were always apart. Mynera was either riding alongside the king, entertaining him, or she was riding alongside the advisors, causing them fits of laughter and insightful conversation. Saenar stayed by himself, a little away from the crowd, a loner.

Mynera resisted the urge to look over her shoulder at him again. She was currently riding up front surrounded by fat, sweaty men on horses. They were talking all around her, asking questions but she heard none of it.

"Excuse me, what?" she said with a laugh of apology. "I'm sorry, I zoned out a bit."

Lord Helbert, the king's closest advisor and head of the King's Council, leaned over on his horse and, for a second, Mynera thought he was going to topple over, for surely shifting all that body weight to one side was dangerous. He remained upright, however, at least long enough to send her a toothy grin and whisper, "I said, the prince sure is lucky to have you for a bride."

Mynera smiled at him although she really wished he would lean away. The sun was beating down on his fat, sweaty body and she was afraid that if he stayed any longer, his stench would surely kill her. "Why, Lord Helbert, you sure are a master of flattery. Why is it that you don't yet have a wife?"

Lord Helbert leaned away, looking a bit uncomfortable. "A-ah, well, I do have a wife. She is in in the capital."

Mynera feigned her surprise. "Really? She must miss you dearly then, and you her."

"W-well, I guess. I don't really know."

"You don't know whether she misses you or not? Oh come now, Lord Helbert, you are a wonderful man. You look like a loving husband and a faithful one too."

Lord Helbert looked as if he was having trouble swallowing and he was sweating profusely, even more than before. "A-ah, yes-"

"So, of course she misses you. To think you're surrounded by so many pretty maidens and you still remain faithful. I applaud you, Lord Helbert." She clapped her hands together, watching with satisfaction as his face reddened with embarrassment.

"Y-yes, thank you, my lady," he sputtered, trying to get away as quickly as possible. "I have to, uh, talk of some things, um, with the others. S-so if you don't mind."

"No, not at all. Pleasure talking to you."

He practically ran with his tail between his legs. She enjoyed that. It served him right for flirting with her so blatantly like that. He was a pig. He looked like one and he acted like one too.

She rode by herself for the remainder of the journey. It was soothing; the silence. All throughout the trip to the capital she had not had a break from talking, whether it was to the king or to someone else. She chattered on ceaselessly since the moment they've left their first camp and so the silence that descended on her was as welcomed as it was relieving. 

Such is the curse for being such an interesting person, she thought with a wry smile. Such is the curse indeed.

Mynera continued to ignore Saenar to the best of her ability but it wasn't long before she found just how limited her abilities were. He was a constant presence behind her, a prick in the back of her neck. She could still feel the anger radiating off him, even from the distance, so she kept her head straight refusing to meet the eyes that were burning into her back.

It was nothing, she told herself. He had a lover and because of that she had pushed him away. At first, she hadn't really cared whether he was there or not but now that he wasn't she felt ... different. Maybe it was because she had thought he was hers alone. Her prince, her husband. But he was never hers. He was Charmaline's.