A Bumpy Ride

A cold voice forced Daphne back into reality. "We're leaving." Devanka stood at the tent entrance with a basket of clothes.

"To where?"

"The Northern Kingdom. Where else? Did you think we wanted to stay in such a sickly place forever?"

"What do you mean by sickly?" Daphne scowled, unable to hide her contempt. "We have what you barbarians will never accomplish."

"Oh?" Devanka chuckled in response, stepping closer. "Underneath your towering buildings are maggots gnawing away at the wooden foundation. And beneath your blooming summer flowers are layers and layers of death and decay. Tell me, Princess, is that not sickening to think of?"

With those words, she motioned for Daphne to follow her.

There was no way Devanka came from a simple background.

As much as Daphne wanted to dismiss her, her accusations were not entirely untrue. She had long heard stories of corrupt government officials, and half of the money granted to support the poor never made it past the midway of the bureaucracy. But surely, that must be better than the Northern Kingdom, where your fate depended on how well you could swing an ax?

She shuffled onto a carriage, trying to catch a glimpse of her former home. Instead, the city was entirely covered by the rows of white tents, and all Daphne could catch a glimpse of was the crumbling city walls.

Wanting to bid farewell, she stretched her neck a bit outside, despite it not being proper.

Proper. Why did it matter now? She no longer was the face of the Kingdom of Eversun. The consort of the Northern King, whose reputation was as good as a prostitute's, should not care about being proper.

She craned her neck out even further.

The carriage suddenly shook, and as she tried to grab onto the sides, she saw the face she hated the most.

"My Princess, did you miss me?"

His oily smile only received an eye roll for a greeting.

"I had to tend to some very important matters and decide what to do with your precious Kingdom of Eversun."

He rolled up one of the window coverings.

"Some of my people were telling me to burn it to the ground and to let the people wither alongside it. Others were telling me to take all of the women and then behead the men."

Daphne's heart thumped as she wondered whether the man would go back on his words. Her fingers were ready to ball into fists.

"But I made a promise to you."

He took her hands into his.

The carriage moved.

"So I put in place a temporary governor until I could find the most fitting replacement. Everything will go on as normal."

More than anything, Daphne knew that the word normal was a lie. But at the very least, he didn't mention bodies nor corpses in his edict.

"Thank you." She said those words only to shush him.

She looked out the window, refusing to further interact with him.

"Don't miss your old home. Look forward to your new one instead."

He prodded her, squeezing her hand so that she couldn't wriggle free.

"I think you'll enjoy the North a lot."

Daphne only looked at the endless rows of tents. Even though they were moving, it was as if they hadn't as the scenery was the same over and over again.

She couldn't recognize the land in front of her as her own, and even when the tents would eventually be removed, the scars the stakes left in the land would never quite recover.

"I think I would enjoy the North a lot," she used her other hand to pat his. "If only it bore the name as a tribute of the Kingdom of Eversun, I think I would enjoy it quite a lot."

He only laughed in reply, pulling her head towards his broad shoulders.

"If you bear me a child, then the Northern Kingdom and the Kingdom of Eversun will become one."

Daphne couldn't stomach the thought, and his cool body seemed even more revolting than usual.

"You can't even die. So how can you give life?"

She seriously doubted that he was fertile.

"Did Your Highness want to try?" He reached for her painstakingly knotted buttons, whispering suggestively into her ears. "The carriage ride will be bumpy, but no one will be able to hear us with all the commotion outside."

She swatted him away, her face burning despite his cold temperature.

"You can find your countless other consorts if you want to relieve yourself, but stay away from me. This was not part of our original deal."

"But I have none."

His gaze was genuine, but she only raised an eyebrow. The scarring image of the countless scantily-dressed women from the previous night still danced in her mind.

"You're the only consort I have."

"Sorry, I meant your countless wives."

"I have not taken and will take no wife."

She ended that conversation, not wanting to expose him further of his lies.

"You should take Devanka as a consort." A sudden spark of inspiration came to her. "She practically worships you, and I'm sure she'll be much more of a pleasure to be around than me."

Her fake smile was met by a pair of lips that stole her breath away.

"I've never met a woman who wanted to gift away her husband as much as you, Your Highness." He said when he finally pulled away. "If you ever mention this again in the future, you know what my response will be now."

"I--"

He put a hand over her mouth, shushing her.

There was a flash of silver. A sword pierced the top of the carriage.

Then another.