Border Crossing

Richard took the pair of pants and nodded, dropping his others on the floor without a thought. He had never been shy . being a prince, he'd never been given that option. "I am a little put out that I was unable to protect you when the mermaid queen became upset. But I am not angry with you."

The woman held her dress against her breasts and backed toward the door, feeling for the handle on the wall. "I did what I was told. Even your slave knew her place and left when she was told. I am not stupid enough to disobey the king's captain of the guard!"

Marisol blushed slightly when she realised she was staring at Richard and quickly busied herself with tidying the room somewhat. "Have you ever thought about... marrying the Queen? It would make sense if you want to take your brother's army on."

"But stupid enough to allow the king's prized pet to run free." Auron snarled, advancing on the woman now. Before she had the chance to get the door open her had slammed both palms against the solid wood, trapping the blonde in the space between his massive arms.

"The queen? Huh?" Richard had never thought of marriage for himself. It had never crossed his mind. "Can I not combine the army without marriage?" 

"Please..." the woman closed her eyes and shook her head, all but sobbing. Yeah would have met his eyes and stared him down. Even if she was afraid.

Marisol shrugged her slender shoulders. "Shouldn't you have someone to love you... though?" She asked. "I think... I think the queen would be a good match. "Powerful, wise... very beautiful."

"What? A moment ago this was all you wanted." Auron sneered, his fingers grabbing hold of the dress she was clutching against herself and tossing it aside.

"I dont believe in love. I will take on my brother's army alone before I worry about a marriage of convenience." Richard snorted, lacing the front of his pants up. "Be careful, Marisol. If you are placing your faith in love, you will be disappointed."

The woman cried out in fear, knowing full well that there was no one coming to save her. Her selfish husband had been paid well to ignore whatever he heard. He was probably still drunk and lying on the floor. He could care less.

"I was born a slave, your highness, I have never known love." Marisol replied, her voice cracking slightly before she picked up the teatray off the table and headed to the door.

"Just as I thought... worthless." Auron sneered, picking the woman up and physically tossing her away from the door. "Prey I find my wife. For if I don't..." His ice cold smile made it quite clear that she wouldn't like for him to finish that threat.

"Then you are the lucky one." Richard said softly,  dropping down onto his bed  and turning to face the mirror. "Would it be possible to beg for tea that does not make me sleepy?"

"She is your slave...you called her that..." the woman sobbed from the floor. "You never said..." one hateful look from him had her scrambling off the floor and out of the room.

"I shall have someone bring you some, sire." Marisol replied, desperately trying to put her emotional walls back in place. He claimed she was lucky, it was an easy remark to make when you were born into privilege.

Auron finally found his shirt and stomped over to the window. A glance down told him he wasn't that high up. Finding Yena wasn't something he was doing for his king, it was for entirely selfish reasons.

"As you wish." Richard sighed. "But I will need you back here soon to operate the mirror. I will need to try and smooth things over with the queen. Even if I don't marry her. Not to mention I do want to try and look for those dragons." 

Yena moved on to another village. She had walked through the night without stopping, trying to keep from thinking about Auron even a little bit. She'd finally hit the exhausted point and stumbled, her legs refusing to carry her one step further.

The silver tea tray suddenly bend in two and the china upon shattered on the floor. Apparently Marisol wasn't as in control of her emotions as she thought. 

Yena was stumbled upon by one of the hunters from the nearest village. He had been tracking what he thought was an animal until he came upon the young woman lay in the leaves. He shouldered his bow and knelt down to check she was still alive. Though he was of the village, the hunter didn't live within it, he had his own cabin deep in the forest, and it was there he took the unconscious young woman and carefully laid her on his own bed before setting an iron kettle over the fire to heat some water.

"What's wrong?" Richard asked, turning fully to look at her. "Did I say something?"

Yena was simply too tired to fight the man who lifted her up. She lay on his bed after he laid her there and stated at te crackling fire, hating herself.

"No." Marisol replied quickly as she knelt down to pick up the broken pieces of china. "I'll open the mirror for you now, and have someone else bring you your tea from now on." She insisted, a portal in the mirror activating without her even looking at it; clearly Marisol was a more powerful mage than she had Richard believe.

The hunter wasn't yet aware Yena was awake, and was tending to the fire while boiling a kettle of water ready to make soup with the kills he had skinned and hanging from the ceiling. He whistled quietly to himself as he worked, clearly quite happy out here away from people.

Richard's dealings with the queen lasted several hours and in the end the woman had stepped through the mirror. The cabin boy who brought the tea had been unable to open the door though he wasn't sure why.

Yena didn't know what to make of the human. Ones who wanted to be alone scared her. They were pack animals by nature. When they were alone like this, it meant there was something wrong with them.

Marisol had avoided the cabin the entire time. She knew she deserved it for betraying him like she had, but Richard had managed to wound his mage servant. She had so much power that he didn't know of, and yet was terrified to use it.

"Is it the animals? They botherin' you?" The hunter asked, seeming to finally realise he was being watched, though he didn't turn around.

Though none of them knew it, nothing had happened with the queen. The talks had turned serious and she had come through only to speak with the prince face to face. In the end an agreement had been made. Kane had to be stopped. The mermaids would help.

Yena didn't answer. Her stomach was growling loudly enough that she didn't have to. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten anything.

Marisol was staring out at the sea, wondering if the mermaids were right there, watching all of them. She hoped Garrik had made it, at least someone deserved to get what they wanted.

The hunter chuckled quietly and rose to his feet, offering a bowl of stew out to her. "It ain't poisoned, if that's what's worrying you."

Garrik found himself in a watery prison. His mother wanted him as far away from Alice as possible. He was no closer to the woman he loved than he'd been when he'd been freed by the mage. 

Yena took the stew and ate it ravenously. Her insides felt like they were on fire. There was an odd feeling in her belly. Something stirred and she knew.

"Garrik? Can you hear me?" To the crew Marisol would look as though she were simply deep in thought, and not saying a word.

The hunter held out a second bowl with a smile. "You two haven't eaten in a while, have you?" He asked gently.

Garrik'a head shot up, though he was only half surprised to hear the mage's voice in his head. "Yeah I screwed up. I never found Alice. Just got myself locked in another cage." 

Yena winced. So she wasn't the only one who noticed. It really was true. She stopped eating and looked down at the dramatic round to her once overly thin belly.

"Did you manage to speak to anyone?" Marisol asked. "Richard is with the Mermaid Queen right now..."

The hunter smiled again and shook his head. "Don't worry, it was the scent that gave it away." He assured her. "Drawback of doing what I do... Can't turn it off." He added, tapping his nose.

"I talked to one guard. She said she saw her but was forbidden to say where. She hinted at forest and elven lands though. Which would mean she's back with the dalish." Garrik said, trying not to sound too hopeful. 

Yena didn't finish the stew. Once again he'd set off warning bells inside her. She set aside the bowl and frowned at him, ready to get off the bed. Only...her legs wouldn't let her they were still extremely weak.

"Perhaps she went back to the kingdom she inherited from her dead husband?" Marisol pondered. "I'll do my best to find out, but just hold on until then, please?"

The hunter shook his head again and lifted her a little further up the bed before tucking her in and covering her with heavy animal skins and furs. "What are you running from, girl? The father?"

"I'm not going anywhere." Garrik sighed. "Good luck finding out more than I have. She's a ghost. She won't be found unless she wants to."

Yena frowned, shaking her head. It wasn't so much Auron she was running from. But Kane. She couldn't imagine what the bastard would do if he discovered his pet was now carrying a dragon child.

"Not even for you?" Marisol asked. "She loves you, does she not?"

"Don't say much, do you?" The hunter mused as he put fresh water over the fire. "I'm not going to hurt you, and you don't have to tell me anything at all about the father."

Garrik didn't answer this but Marisol would be able to feel his uncertainty. A moment later, the mage would feel a tap on her shoulder. "You done tuning me out?" Richard asked. "The cabin boy makes terrible tea."

"I can't stay here." Yena said, again trying to get up. "You're scaring me,  shem."

Marisol jumped considerably, dropping a teacup she had been holding into the dark water below. "You were busy... Being a king."

"Shem I may be, but I'm not in the habit of hunting elves, girl." The hunter assured Yena gently. "Worse things out there than me, I promise you that."

"A prince." Richard corrected. "Marine won't let me forget it anymore than Kane will." He sighed, meaning the mermaid queen.

"I am not so sure there is anything worse than humans. In case you've missed it, they are the ones who are destroying the world." Yena muttered.

"People aren't in the habit of letting you forget what it is you truly are." Marisol remarked, hating how much her chest hurt when she heard Richard call the Queen simply 'Marine'.

"I can't disagree with that." The hunter agreed. "But it doesn't mean every human is that bad. Is every elf a mage?"

Richard sighed again and pushed his fingers through his hair. "I agreed to let her stay on the ship and the other mermaids will stay close by. She tells me Kane is tracking us."

"I don't know very many elves." Yena admitted. "I don't really know very many people at all to tell the truth."

Marisol wasn't quite quick enough to mask the look of pain in her violet eyes as she looked up at Richard this time. "And you didn't think my magic was enough to keep you safe?"

"But you feel qualified to judge them?" The hunter asked as he dropped his lithe frame down into a chair by the fire once more. "Perhaps we can learn from each other, for a time?"