Her Travel Companions

"I am not going to tell you the reasons for my trip right now, but will go forward to what I have seen and witnessed these last few days," the maiden tested, and at Father Gianpietro's consent, the Captain also agreed. Only Prince Klaus was staring at her with his feline judging glare, as if to say, 'All in due time, Milady, I'm just letting the mouse think it can escape.'

The recent events of the last two past days lingered in her memory. And Alexa knew that when she had the opportunity to sleep, no doubt the disturbing images would come back in her dreams.

But she couldn't tell things as they actually happened, could she?

Her mind wandered to the fateful afternoon facts where they simply should have led the way, as omens warned, but she had been unable to do it. Was it really as Father Gianpietro had just said, Destiny, this mysterious God, linking the events with a higher purpose?

Alexa didn't know, not yet.

"I, and the diplomat Iain Bressac, and also the man we hired to guide and protect us, were riding down the road…" she started.

°°°

After the past rainy night, the next cloudy day brought them to a small inn by the river for a hot meal in the morning.

Iain complained of hemorrhoids.

Locke, the mercenary who still accompanied them, after all, they went through, cynically said an incubus had visited the wrong maiden the night before, and that was the cause of the other man's hemorrhoids.

Alexa laughed as she ate the porridge, but Iain didn't find it that funny at all. He just said they'd have to slow down, and Locke agreed, while he used his head to motion Alexa to the little tavern's kitchen,

"Lex, how about a discount on our travel rations, huh?"

"Why don't you do your trick, for a change?" she winked in response.

The smell of roast and fresh-baked bread was irresistible to Lex, but she was penniless right now. Iain was the purse keeper.

And accordingly to Iain, 'we must save any possible coin for unexpected needs'. It was the motto they go with, while Ian greedily kept the coins from Locke. And Lex.

"Because my trick is really effective, but I don't want to waste our time or my cock with those ugly maids," the devilish mercenary replied, munching his meal.

"So what you want is for my face to be remembered around so our persecutors can find us faster?" Lex snapped, pulling the hood of the travel cape a little tighter over her face.

"Hmmmmm, actually, your smartass is right, Lex. I don't want problems now that we're almost done. But honestly, I don't know if I should…"

Lex laughed again. It was not this time the maiden would play the angelic, kind boy who would get some free food for the trip. Even women liked to feel appreciated by a 'boy' with 'his' looks. Angel, that was how they invariably sighed.

But that had already proved a mistake not long ago.

Luckily, Locke was really efficient with the sword and had been able to rescue Lex... and then put a ridiculous price on it.

It would have been easy to win the friendship of the women at the tavern, but Lex didn't think it worth the risk. Her masculine clothes and long-lived experience dressed as a boy for most of her life allowed the trick to be convincing most of the time… but not always.

Locke tossed a coin in the air, saying,

"Shall these maids get wiener with their buns?" His tone was so naughty that there was no doubt in the connotation of his words. He was always like that, and Lex didn't really care.

She laughed along with Iain as the coin fell to the tails, meaning YES. Jonah Locke, the Englishman, would take chances to convince one of the women to feed them.

Locke just shrugged, wiped his mouth, and nonchalantly went to the kitchen's area.

Lex didn't know how this was could the rude man managed to get his free food trick, but it invariably involved wild coitus first.

As they waited, the boy-dressed maiden and her fiancé's messenger sat on the stone bridge's railing, trying to make the most of the shy sun showing behind clouds in that early afternoon. Lex leaned against Iain, seeking more heating; after months and so many adventures together, she trusted him. But not so much in Locke.

"The weather is really getting colder and colder, isn't it, Lex?" said the long-faced, freckled redhead messenger. He had nice looks that hid the fact he was greedy and full of pedantic quirks. But his parley, bargaining, and language skills proved to be very useful along their journey.

"Yeah, my socks haven't dried up yet, nor have my boots."

"That's no more suffering than my hemorrhoids," said Iain, but this time Alexa suppressed a laugh.

Iain, who was the oldest of them, and this adventure was really testing the endurance and courage of her fiance's servant. He was dedicated and loyal, and she wouldn't laugh at him suffering from the dry diet and riding so much and so often.

In addition, she spotted the swaying of colorful banners and standards coming down the road. Iain saw the same.

"It's a procession, just pull the hood and wave, no one will be surprised by a boy sitting on the bridge," said the experienced English messenger, jumping off the rail with an ouch! of pain.

Lex continued where she was, enjoying the cold sun, and waiting for the noble retinue to pass.

Two different flags stood out, but the farther north they went, the less her knowledge of heraldry made any sense.

The entourage should have four carriages and about forty people on horseback, plus some coming further afield. From where Lex stood, it became noticeable that two of the wagons were far behind, and they moved along the road with difficulty, being pushed many times into the most difficult spots of the muddy road. Even watching it was cringy.

When the party finally got close to the bridge, Lex noticed they all had tired or angry expressions. She had planned to wave cheerfully at their passage but changed her mind.

Some of the guards, who carried white-and-red-patterned uniforms with a wolf symbol, talked to each other before one of them shouted to Lex, or rather the bridge boy,

"Do you know anyone who can fix wagon wheels, lad?"

Lex just pointed at the inn, not showing much of her face. It was all that she could do to help.

The entourage split in two at the entrance of the bridge. One part would stay to solve the problem of damaged carriages, and another part would go on, Lex guessed.

The maiden wondered if her hired warrior was going to be taken by surprise in his lovemaking at the back of the inn. But it was unlikely.

Lex watched as the other maiden stepped out of the carriage for a stretching and air with her companions, as she waited to move on. The girl dressed as boy admired and envied the lady's beautiful lilac and green dress, her purple cape, and was absorbed by watching them when she heard beside her,

"Lord Jesus, what an ugly woman! Watch, Lex! When she reaches hell after her death, the demons will welcome her back! We go now! But what the hell about this place that's populated with ugly women only?!" Locke grunted as he buckled his belt behind the bridge wall, "Let this entourage pass. I've heard that this caravan takes a Prince's bride!"

Lex nodded, not understanding why Locke was always so talkative when he returned from his casual carnal affairs, but saw that he carried a sack that smelled of fresh food, and merrily followed him away from the bridge.

"Is the maiden in the carriage a princess?"

"Uh, I overheard a conversation, she's the bride to the Kielstadt's Prince, or whatever."

"Isn't Kielstadt our next ship's port of departure?"

"Yes, but let's not get the ship there, It's a busy crowded big port. We'll take the ship in a smaller port where the ship will stop for water," said Iain, who joined them.

"Can't we go to Kielstadt, join the wedding festivities?" Lex asked the men, momentarily hoping for some moment of amusement in her existence that in the last year and a half had become a nightmare. "It's going to be so crowded that no one will notice us."

The men looked at each other, and said, in unison,

"No!"

They knew the maiden's restless spirit.

Only when the entourage had taken a half-hour lead from them, did the trio cross the bridge.

The trampled and muddy terrain made it hard for them to continue on the road, and they soon regretted their delay in the inn, seeing black clouds with their bellies full of rain rapidly approaching.

"If you hadn't been taking 'getting food and thanking the stay', which was already well paid with sounding cash, we would have gone further and not been behind this damn bridal entourage," Iain grumbled to the warrior, in a grumpy mood.

"Ah, if the incubus would have been kinder to you last night, your ass wouldn't be so sore, and your mood would be better!" replied Locke, but then changed the subject, spotting something in the horizon,

"Hey, Lex, look, say hello to 'your friends'!" said the mercenary, pointing to a flock of crows in the black sky, hovering a spot not far away.

The maiden looked up at the sky and didn't like what she saw. It was a large number of crows, and they did seem to flock over carrion. 'Does anyone need me?' wondered Lex.

°°°

Going back to the present moment, Alexa said,

"and we spotted the Bride's entourage, but as we wanted to get to shelter fast because it was about to rain. We avoided the path after the entourage and tried to overtake them across the field. That's how we came across something terrifying."

(CONTINUES)