Departure

Outside the lovely-dovely bubble, a crowd of worried people had gathered. They'd carefully crept closer when they noticed something amiss. Despite Aston telling them to leave the couple alone, there were some soldiers whose worry about Katherine was just too extreme. The leader of them all was, of course, Jack.

Above his dark brown eyes, his brows were furrowed deeply as he scrutinized the dome, one hand already on the hilt of his sword. Dorian and some others who helped Katherine train were hardly better. None of them had ever seen the power of their prince and commander in action before, but watching it flicker hungrily like a black, unholy fire towards anyone that approached it, it didn't take a saint to know this thing wasn't natural. It was something evil, best exorcised by a priest, and not let run free.

"Should we try to break it?", Dorian asked his Captain worriedly, but was instantly berated by Aston.

"Don't you dare try! They are testing something of utmost importance right now! It's to lay the foundation for a long-lasting and beautiful marriage!" At the last sentence, a mischievous, nearly lecherous smile curled his lips upwards. "They might even use the chance to do more private things right now. I'm sure they won't like being interrupted."

It took two seconds for the guards to combine his words with his mimic, then clamor broke out.

"What are you saying about our Lady?!", Jack roared. "My - our Lady would never do something dirty even if she was tempted by a devil! Not even the prince would dare to - no, never! She is a brave and pure maiden! Hold your mouth if you don't want me to seal it shut with my blade!"

In his fervent defense of Katherine, Jack couldn't even form whole sentences anymore. Before he knew it, he had his sword in hand, ready to protect the moral of 'his daughter'. Following the example of their Captain, ten-some guards did the same, turning Aston's smile into an ugly grimace.

"Easy there, boys, easy. I just made a joke. Really, you're totally - "

"What the hell are you all doing?" A cool voice interrupted the tension, letting Aston turn around like he had found his sole ray of light. The darkness around Katherine and Nathaniel was finally lifted, exposing them to the chaos around them.

"Brother!", Aston exclaimed and flew over to them, nearly crying with gladness. "Your guards are treating me so poorly. They even wanted to attack me just because I made a joke! I didn't know they have no humor! Please call them back, okay? I really did nothing to deserve this!"

Slightly amused, Nathaniel raised his brows. "To me, it looks like you are the joke. What are you begging me for when you can resolve this yourself? If you think you did nothing wrong, you can proof it in a duel. You against each of these guards. Your chances of winning are exactly as high as the possibility that you really did 'nothing wrong'."

Aston's face scrunched up into a pout when he heard this. "But it's for real, I did nothing! Why are you pushing me into the fires of hell? I thought you would help me!"

But soon realizing how Nathaniel would remain stoic, Aston wittily changed tactics and pointed to the entourage of the king that was ready for marching at the entrance of the valley. "Look, we don't have time for duels now. We really need to get going, you know?"

Gazing at all his guards who'd rapidly sheathed their swords when they saw their master, Nathaniel suddenly grinned wickedly. "I know. We don't have enough time for duels. But since all of you have enough energy to fight, I see it as you forfeiting your horses today. You better don't fall behind."

Over the groaning of the guards and Aston's continued protest, Nathaniel called: "Sam, take their horses with you! Pack more food and water on them, so we won't need to stock up too soon."

"Yes, your highness."

"Wait!", Katherine suddenly called out. "Me too! Take my horse as well, Sam!"

Instantly, Nathaniel's brows furrowed and the arm he had around her waist pulled her closer. "Dear, what are you doing?"

"Training of course! You're doing this to train them, and I need training as well!" When she looked up at him, Katherine's eyes were shining so brightly, that he just couldn't deny her wish. "I'm even wearing the right clothes for this, look!"

When Katherine spun for her husband to see, he heaved a sigh. He'd hoped to have some more time with her, but it looked like that had to wait until sundown when they camped.

"Alright." Softly, he kissed her head, then turned his steely gaze to his guards and brother, silently commanding them to support and protect her - and not lay a finger on her themselves. "You know what you have to do. I need to consult the king once more before we part ways, so I'll be riding the carriage today. Aston, don't fool around. Sam, disguise those two in case they are seen."

With Aston and Katherine magicked to have brown hair and eyes, everyone left the valley in a hurry. The running company, of course, was furthest behind. Despite this, Aston and Jack even deliberately ran slower to guard the back - even more so since Katherine was there. Their own quarrel aside, none of them would let her come to harm.

.

Refreshed by her magic thrice till midday, Katherine finally gave in around teatime. Completely spend, she joined her husband, the king, and his mistress in the carriage, and was so exhausted that she didn't even mind sleeping in front of them all. For lack of space, her head rested on Nathaniel's lap, who used the opportunity to comb her wildly disheveled hair with his gloved fingers.

The king and lady Orchid watched them silently, the first one with furrowed brows, the latter with a gentle smile. Then lady Orchid took the king's hand and leaned her blonde head on his shoulder, which made him relax as well. Like this, the imposing lion and the wild snow wolf turned into pillows for their wives. An whole hour passed until lady Orchid's deep breathing signalized that she fell asleep as well. Only then did the two Royals return to their former topic.

"So, how can I trust you with this again after being failed - how many times? I can't even count anymore", Nathaniel asked quietly, his gaze not meeting the one of the king, but instead caressing his wife tenderly. There was not an ounce of anger in him, as if he had decided the king wasn't worth it anymore.

"You have no choice but -", the king started gruffly, but halted when a red and sharp glare suddenly shot his way. Much more placid, he continued: "Fine, I will take Aston with me. You trust the boy, don't you? He always admired you more than me, so his information will be trustworthy. He and his mother will both keep me on the track we decided on. You know they want me to resign as well, so even if I, for chance, decided to change my mind..."

He left the sentence hanging, until Nathaniel nodded slowly. "Alright. But Aston will be the one leading this operation. Since you decided to resign and make me the next king, this, and anything following it, will be my decision. I don't want you as anything more than a mascot. So don't brew any ideas by yourself."

Hearing those harsh words, the king flushed like he wanted to explode then and there, but in the end, he only grumbled his agreement between pressed teeth.

Nathaniel nodded with satisfaction and soon changed the topic. "Besides, what about this woman from the Glaciar Coast?"

Heaving a long sigh, the king acknowledged that he wasn't the center of the world anymore. Still, it would take a while for him to digest this change. "She's waiting for us at the next outpost together with your wife's beloved maid. You know that not only your soldiers are trustworthy. Aston's own people send them there save and sound."

"And here I thought he only had drinking buddies and dubious magicians as friends", Nathaniel said with a shake of his head. "His habits sometimes even confuse me. I should have known better."

"Well, he's doing the best he can to play the fool. Were he born a commoner, I doubt he'd have been penniless. Not with his acting talent and the joy he shows just living." Talking about his son seemed to lighten the king's mood again. With a satisfied sound, he caressed lady Orchid's long blonde hair. "I'm just glad he doesn't want to be a king. Ruling is so troublesome."