Kanaru's Guide to Middlemist

The sturdy carriages waited in the courtyard. Rodnir directed Kanaru to ride with him in one, leaving the other two ambassadors in another. The captain would be in the third one, followed by five more carriages and a huge wagon filled with boxes. Even if the knights didn't have to ride one for travel, the so-called magic carriages would go through portals to get to Middlemist in a few days.

Actually, the magic lay in the horses drawing the carriages. They were gifted with abilities to cross through space, yet they were deprived of human forms. The carriages were only made with materials that made them part of the horses' bodies. These horses could be seen as slaves of the unicorn race. However, even these slaves had more power and influence than normal nobles.

"Do you ferry concubines one by one before leaving the castle again?" Kanaru asked as he settled on the carriage seat. He already said goodbye to his family by then.

"No, Burdett is the last destination for us. The other concubines had been sent ahead, while we continue our travels." Rodnir hummed, finding it easy to relax even if Kanaru was right next to him. "However, this method is not a one-way trip unless you don't want to eat, drink, or relieve yourself for the next two weeks. We will have stops to make it back to Middlemist safely."

Kanaru nodded and hugged the cloak on his body. It was so fluffy that it was like a pillow when gathered in his arms. He then caught Rodnir asking: "Are you having second thoughts now, Kanaru?"

The third prince shook his head and smiled a little. "Not really. I just don't know what to expect in the king's harem court. We did hear a lot of things, but I can't be so certain. After all, those things were only from hearsay and gossip. We don't know anyone who successfully sent a concubine over, either. Do you know? My brother got so worried he gifted me with a weapon…"

"If you ask me, it's better to keep a concealed weapon for protection." Rodnir chuckled as he slowly reached out to caress Kanaru's head. "However, using it against someone in the harem court will get you in trouble. It's fine to arm yourself; just be cautious of people who will find out one way or another. I heard it has become awful in the harem's court palace."

"You heard? I thought you live there…" Kanaru turned to Rodnir, not flicking the hand on his head. Even if that hand slid to his further shoulder, the third prince didn't care. "Did you lie to me?"

"Lie? Not really." Rodnir leaned his elbow on the back support, leaving the same arm around Kanaru's shoulders. "It's been four months since I last stepped inside the palace due to the routine recruitment. Even if I could source important news about the affairs of the king, I knew nothing about the changes brought to the palace. If there was any or nothing at all."

Kanaru flinched a little bit before nodding his head. He figured going around the kingdom's edge would be so hard for them as well. Even with magic carriages like this, they had to stay away for so long. Then again, since the recruitment was only done every five years, it was not that bad of a routine.

He just leaned back and rested his head on Rodnir's arm. "…two weeks, huh? I wonder how long this travel is going to feel…"

"Don't worry. I won't bore you to death, Kanaru." Rodnir chuckled as he watched Kanaru close his eyes and sleep in this position. "You're so trusting. Sleeping without any guards against me. Aren't you scared that I might go crazy and do something?"

"I don't think you will do something inappropriate, Rodnir." Kanaru smiled at the king's ward. "You respected the king too much to actually disgrace him with that kind of action. Please don't make me doubt you. I also think I should be more apologetic to you. I acted strangely when I offered to help you wash yesterday. Please don't think of it as me mocking you or something…"

"Seriously…?" Rodnir chuckled and only moved to copy Kanaru, leaving his arm under Kanaru's head. "I can't wait to go back home. For the first time, I feel excited to find the harem court…" 

…

Insects chirped behind the bushes as the sound of utensils echoed in the background. The chef knight prepared food for the traveling group, ensuring the prissy ambassadors wouldn't say anything. However, he wondered why the king's concubine was not staying inside their carriage. The bird prince was even hanging around him as if what he was doing was very interesting.

Then again, it was because Kanaru was trying to draw the edible plant life the chef was using. He was also recording the recipe of the soup the chef was cooking. 

Two weeks of nothing to do was too awful for the third prince who always jumped from one high place to another. That was why Rodnir taught him how to make a scrapbook of the things he saw for the first time. It was not hard to find paper, ink, and a few adhesives in Rodnir's hoard, which they traveled with. Also, the activity kept Kanaru occupied all the time.

"…we can't grow root crops like this because we live in a desert." Kanaru stared at the uncooked potato that had grown discolored from the effects of the solar flares. "Does it taste good?"

"It absorbs salt from the moist soil, so it's more likely to be salty. Then again, the cooking process extracts that salt to spread all over the dish. When you eat it later, it would only taste bland unless you pair it with meat and the soup." The chef didn't mind talking now that he was only watching his pot. The concubine was also sitting next to him and jotting down a few things.

The chef, however, realized how many pages had been accomplished in that book Kanaru was making. He then laughed. "You know, you're a strange one. Most candidates I met wouldn't even step on land like it would soil them. They wouldn't want to do things themselves. Take a look at you, though."

Kanaru flinched and blushed a little. After all, he was sitting cross-legged on the ground next to the cook. "I'll just wash off properly when I get to the palace. For now, I'm trying to write as much as I can for the book. This will surely be a good help when I send it back to my brother."

He even offered an excited smile to the chef. "This is going to be known as Kanaru's Survival Guide to Middlemist. That means I will record everything new that I see and how I can use it to survive this journey. I can't expect a servant to do things for me—I even have to learn their ways for King Fenris."