"Damnit! Where is she?" Prince Joppa complained as he slammed his gloved fist into his thigh. He and his troops had set up camp between the mountains and the castle, thinking that Princess Inez would quickly march to confront his father. But so far, she hadn't shown up, and they were doing nothing more than disrupting the few traders that came through while they searched their wagons.

"Prince Joppa, she may not come this way, there are other options. Or, as your father said, it may take her some time to recover from the effects of the curse. She could be sleeping and resting before she goes to challenge the king," pointed out Captain Kaspar.

Joppa just snarled, upset at being thwarted. "If she doesn't come this way, where else could she go?"

"She could stay in Winterhaven, which seems highly unlikely, or she could take a ship northwest along the coast and come into the capital from there, getting allies in the coastal cities on the way, or she could take a ship east to Southington, and then up into Dallinia and approach the capital from the east," Kaspar said as he ticked off the options on his hand.

"And all we can do is wait?" Joppa scoffed?

"We would be better served having spies in all of those places. When we hear of her arrival, then we go to find her and offer our services as mercenaries," Kaspar suggested.

"Fine. We will stay here for a few more days as a precaution but get word to our spies to be on the lookout for her," Joppa commanded.

The second time they slept in the tent, Inez didn't wake up with Medya on top of her, which was too bad in her mind. This time she woke up spooning the slim woman, her body tucked in close to Inez and her little cat ears twitching to tickle her nose. She had always been attracted to the more ladylike women, like Aethyl, but Medya was something else. Inez had a sudden tear in her eye as she realized that her Aethyl must have been some of the ruined statuary in the shrine room, but she hadn't been able to recognize everyone.

As sweet and nice as Medya had been ever since she freed her from her prison of stone, Inez could tell that she was a dangerous woman. Not that she needed to fear her, but that if provoked she could defend herself. The sword that she had leant her was proof enough of that, and her magical tricks seemed quite potent, even if the only used them for killing squirrels. But right now, she was sleeping peacefully, and Inez could only imagine if they were somewhere warmer, and not sleeping in all their clothing just to keep the chill away.

But then, if that were the case, Medya wouldn't be in her arms right now, would she? She closed her eyes and just enjoyed the warmth of the girl in her arms, wishing that life could be different somehow.

Her eyes snapped open as she felt movement in her arms. Medya stretched her arms over her head, turning onto her back as she started to wake up, and leaving her face just inches from Inez's. As her chocolate brown eyes fluttered open, a look of panic came over her features and she tried to scoot away. But this time Inez was ready, and her arms were like iron bands around Medya as she held her close.

"Shh, shh... It's ok. Don't be scared, it's just me." Inez held her close, seeing some of the panic dissipate, and the tension start to ebb away.

"I'm sorry, I was just startled a bit," Medya admitted in a soft voice.

The princess looked down at her temporary captive, still trapped in her embrace. "Medya, are you afraid of me?"

Medya looked away, then closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm not afraid of you, no. I'm just not used to dealing with royalty. This whole situation is overwhelming, and you're..." she stopped talking, unsure of what to say.

"I'm what?" Inez asked, confused.

"You're you! You're this big, strong warrior princess. You're going to rule this country and be the queen soon and topple a regent who stole the throne. You're going to go down in history as this woman who changed the world for the better. I'm along for the ride. I know at some point you're going to need to go attack King Hudd, run your country, marry a prince somewhere and raise your heirs. People will be talking about you forever," Medya said passionately.

Inez looked down at Medya, who still had her eyes closed as tears leaked slowly from the corners. She reached over with her thumb, wiping them away before leaning down to kiss her on the forehead, eliciting a gasp in response. "You know, for all of that fanciful storytelling you just did, you never mentioned that none of it would be possible without you."

"Pfft. I pressed a button on a magic device given to me by the crone that hired me. Put her in the history books, not me," Medya waved her hand away.

"Perhaps I will when you introduce me to her. And you did get a few things wrong with that story by the way."

"Such as?" Medya asked, finally opening her eyes, and staring up into Inez's.

"First, if I do reclaim my throne, then I can make sure that any history says what I want. And I have a feeling that before this trek is done, I will have a lot to say about you in any history that is written. Second, while I may be tall and strong and good with a sword, I'm still just a woman doing what needs to be done. Just as you are, we're only different by where we were born. Don't think any less of yourself because of your circumstances. And last, there will never be a prince in my story. But maybe another queen," Inez added with a smirk.

Medya felt her breath hitch at the end of all that. She couldn't have been flirting, right? The bright blue eyes gazed down at her, as if seeking her reaction. "I think I like the history you write better."

Inez smiled happily down at Medya, hoping that there would be a little less awkwardness now. "Then stick with me and help me write it."

Medya nodded quickly, trying to keep from getting too excited, but knowing her heart was already close to bursting. With that being settled, they packed up their camp and set off back down the river.

They were walking quicker this time, as Inez had more stamina now after having gotten another good sleep and more squirrel meat. Around midday, Medya grabbed Inez's arm to stop her. "I think we're coming up on a town. I smell cookfires, and horses."

"That's great! Maybe we can buy a horse!" Inez replied happily.

"Yep, but we need to alter you a bit," Medya noted. She quickly took a branch on the ground and lit it on fire with her little fire spell, then after a moment, blew it out. Rubbing her fingers on it once it was cool, she got a little soot on her fingers. "Sorry, you're too beautiful, people are going to remember you." She said offhand while gently rubbing a little of the soot onto Inez's forehead and cheeks, as well as a dab on the nose.

Inez was trying not to fidget under her touch. Having Medya call her beautiful already had her insides swirling, and the touch of her fingers gliding over her face made it even worse. The only good thing was the cowl still covering the cute little pink nose and her lovely lips, because if Inez had seen her biting her lips, then she would have wanted to kiss her without restraint. But that would set their relationship back, and Inez couldn't bear to have that happen.

"Am I ugly yet?" Inez finally askes once Medya stopped adjusting the smudges.

"Yep, you're hideous. A troll would flee in terror at the sight of your gorgeous blue eyes and..." Medya stopped suddenly, blushing. "Sorry, yeah, you're as unforgettable as ever, but I can't do much about it."

Inez blushed again, wishing she knew what she was going to say before she stopped herself. "Well then let's go check the town out. Maybe we can get a hot meal and a bath too!"

The town was soon in sight, but it wasn't much to look at. A small bridge spanned the river, with a mill downstream of it. On one side of the river stood a blacksmith and a cooper, neither of which the pair needed. But thankfully the other had a small inn and a stable, which was perfect for their needs.

They tried not to walk too quickly towards the inn, but before long they were both almost jogging there. In the yard outside the inn, next to the stable, stood over a dozen horses. Hopefully, some of them were for sale, and they could make better time towards the coast. They slowed as they got there, not wanting to arrive out of breath, and then stepped inside the common room. It was surprisingly busy room, with a dozen or so men at several tables pushed together all raising tankards in some sort of celebration. The smell of some unidentified meat roasting over the fireplace helped offset the stale wine smell, and the pair took a corner table away from the men. Medya had Inez take the corner to look out into the room, while Medya kept her back to the room, and placed a small mirror on the table so she could watch for danger.

"Why do you face away from the room?" Inez asked. Most people would keep their back to the wall to prevent anyone from sneaking up on them, but Medya did the reverse.

"I have to take my cowl off to eat. They'll know I'm Kittani as soon as I do if I'm facing them. I can hear or smell them coming, and the mirror lets me see everything else," Medya explained. "That group in the corner is most likely bandits. If they knew a Kittani was here, they would have already tried to take me."

Inez could only nod sadly, once more wishing there was a way to keep her companion safe. Living in a world that is out to abuse you at every turn is not much of a life.

A young blonde teen stopped by their table, bowing her head. "Can I get you ladies a drink, or some food?" she asked in a shy voice.

"What would you eat if you could afford it?" Medya asked the girl kindly.

"The stew. It is a day old, but the bear had good meat on him and the cook always puts in potatoes and carrots. The beaver roasting on the fire is stringy. The bread is fresh, and I'd stick with the water as the wine is like vinegar," the young girl replied with a tiny grin.

"Two stews then, and a few loaves of bread. A pitcher of water as well."

"She's a nice girl," Inez smiled.

"She's a slave. Probably owned by the tavern keeper. She had scars on her wrists from manacles," Medya replied bitterly. She hated slave owners and was always looking for the signs.

Inez just shook her head, upset at herself for taking things at face value. Slavery had been outlawed for centuries in Appalya, so it never occurred to her to look for it here. "I have a lot to learn about the world outside of my borders."

The girl was back shortly with the stew and bread and a second trip brought the water and a pair of mugs. "That will be 5 silvers."

Medya slipped 8 of them onto the table but held her hand over them. "If I leave extra, do you get to keep it?"

The girl looked over her shoulder at the barkeep, but he was getting ale for the men in the corner. She just shook her head. Medya took her hand off the money, and let the girl take it. There was no point in having her beaten for bad service.

"Eat quick," Medya ordered, her eyes on the mirror as she watched the men in the corner casting a lot of glances their way. Inez noticed the men as well, and they both spooned the stew into their mouths as fast as they could. It was hot, but they needed the nutrients. The girl had been right about it too, it was tasty.

They had finished the stew, but not the bread that they were using to sop up the juices, when one of the men approached them, preceded by his stench. "You ladies seem to be able to use your mouths pretty well. How about you show us boys what else you can do with them?" came the slurred offer.

Well, there goes the bath, thought Medya.