The Varyan Princess

Yve

Yve couldn't deny it, she pitied the young princess. She knew better than to meet her once again but knowing that she was a prisoner in her own home reminded her of when her own father wouldn't let Yve out of the house until she cut her golden locks short. Back then, even she wished there was someone she could talk to.

"Look at those fools," said Lord Thorne as the knight and the lord rode in the carriage.

After a day of training, Yve had been hired by the house of Tora'el to guard over the lord as he hunted for wild boars.

"You'd think that after our king gave them their sustenance they would gain more weight," the lord scoffed. Sir Yve looked out the window to see a lower class farmer harvesting corn from his field and his wife milking a goat in their barn. She said nothing, she couldn't speak her mind, after all, she was paid to do only one thing: guard Lord Thorne. "I'm so glad my father isn't one of them."

Sir Yve stayed silent once more, letting the young lord speak his mind.

"Have you met King Auriville?" He asked.

"Once, to be knighted," she answered. The lord rolled his eyes and leaned his chin on his palm.

"That must've been fun." He said sarcastically. "I met him a couple of times, once in the Winter Ball when my father introduced me to him. By the way, did you get invited to princess Valencia's birthday gala?"

"I am required to go, as a knight." She answered. Lord Thorne gave the knight a sly smirk.

"So you're not going to be wearing a pretty dress?" He teased. Sir Yve hated the way Thorne belittled her knighthood but she could not let it get into her head. Instead, she just crumpled her first in her gauntlet. "That's a shame, I would've loved to see your tight body in a corset."

"I reckon you've met the princess then since you've met the king," she said. She knew the answer as the princess told her herself but she had to change the subject as she had gotten too uncomfortable. Lord Thorne frowned and looked back out the carriage.

"Unfortunately not, such a shame though. I would have loved her to be my bride. I heard she is going to be engaged with the retched prince of Veyre. It's great that our kingdom is dealing with Veyre, more Veyrese wine an' all, but I would have been a much better suitor than prince Arjen."

The knight tilted her head in confusion. "The king agreed to the engagement?"

"Not yet, but king Sincere is willing to pledge allegiance when their heirs become wedded." Lord Thorne answered. "And honestly, our king would have to be stupid to turn down an opportunity like this."

Yve knew a fair amount about the Veyrese mages as they were quite a lot of Veyrese recruits in Yamore Dimía. They were most famous for their grapes which they crush and ferment into wine. Although Yve has never tried Veyrese wine, she was told it has pungent taste but went down the throat smoothly. She has also been told that it could get the heaviest of drinkers inebriated in only one mug. She also knew one more thing about the kingdom of Veyre: King Sincere was a force to be reckoned with.

Just as the carriage entered the Leodosa Forest, the horses stopped at their place and began to neigh as the coachman whips the reins. Curious, Yve looked behind her to see the coachman struggling to control the horses.

"Everything alright?" She asked.

"They won't budge. Something is stopping them." The coachman responded. Yve looked out the window to see nothing but trees and leaves. She looked down at the ground, deducing what kind of creature it could be. Then, it popped into her mind. There is only one creature that can stop a horse in its place.