261. Ayla

261. Ayla
It’s been five days since the earthquake, and things have been quiet—maybe too quiet. This unsettled Ayla. She had gotten used to horrors and battles, but ever since they had destroyed the Cursed Castle, everything had been quiet.
It felt like the silence before the storm, only that the storm ahead of them would be a very violent one. She prayed it wouldn’t be, but she learned to expect the worst. 
Rhobart retreated to a secluded place and had been watching the sky since he woke up. The hard lines covering his forehead indicated that he was in deep thought. Ayla had followed and been observing him for a while, as she thought of ways to ease his burden. 
Being a king wasn’t easy, especially when said king carried a huge burden over his shoulders. 
Rhobart sat on a fallen log, his back hunched forward under the weight of his problems. Ayla finally summoned the courage to make her presence known. She sat beside him, wrapped her arms around his arm, and pressed her cheek to it. 
“What troubles you?” she inquired. 
“Milton. He should be here by now.” 
Since the earthquake, Ayla had been worrying more than usual, but she kept it to herself as she didn’t want to burden Rhobart even more. He already had a hard time resting during the night, and he needed her to be strong in these times of uncertainty. 
“I’m sure Milton and Eluvene would be here soon,” she tried to lift his spirit. 
“Perhaps,” he didn’t agree or disagree with her statement. 
It’s been a while since they spent time alone, so Ayla proposed, “How about you help me look for mushrooms and berries?” wanting to distract him from his thoughts. 
“Woman, your obsession with mushrooms is not normal,” he grumbled. 
“Hush, you,” Ayla laughed. “Or else—”
A squeal left her lips as Rhobart pulled her into his lap. “Or what?” he questioned. “Go on. Finish your threat,” he dared her. 
“There won’t be any dinner for you!” she decided. 
He started tickling her. “Is that so?” 
“No!” she screamed as she tried to escape him, but it was no use. Rhobart was simply too strong. “Don’t tickle me!” 
“I say it’s a fitting punishment for trying to starve me,” Rhobart huffed before they burst out laughing. He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Thank you for distracting me. You are my light in moments of darkness.” 
Ayla leaned her head against his chest. “I love you, my King.” 
“And I, you, T’xoria,” he said seconds before his lips found hers. His tongue found its way into her mouth, and he tasted her for a long time before he pressed his forehead against her. “If not for you being sore after last night, I’d take you right here, against a tree.” 
She ran the tips of her fingers along his cheek. “I love it when you lose control and fuck me hard.” 
“Ah, Ayla. You have no idea how much I hold back since I’m scared of hurting you.” 
“Have I not proven how resilient I am?” she inquired. 
“It doesn’t mean you aren’t fragile anymore.” 
She huffed. “I am not,” she retorted. 
Rhobart changed the subject. “How is Drax?” 
“Despite what his parents did to him, he’s happy. It’s all due to Droyn. They are so in love.” 
“Droyn has been alone for a long time. He was worried he would never find someone.” 
Ayla placed her palm against his heart. “I’m scared the war will tear apart many lovers. Including Drax and Droyn.” 
What she didn’t say was that she was scared for Rhobart—for her husband. Vannia’s curse hung above his head, and Ayla was scared she would lose him. Her soul broke a little more each time she thought of losing the man who was her entire existence. 
“Such is the nature of wars,” Rhobart said. A vein thickened in his temple. “It brings chaos and destruction, leaving behind a sea of corpses.” 
“We will stop Beliar and bring peace to this world,” she reminded him. Those words were the only thing forcing her to move forward when she was doubting everything. 
Rhobart nodded. “What do you think about Marianna?” 
With all the preparations for the impending journey to Drara, they barely had time for deep conversations.
“I like her,” Ayla replied. “She’s strong and a good fighter.” 
“Do you trust her with your life? With our lives?” Rhobart pressed for hard answers.
Ayla didn’t hesitate to say, “I do. I also think she’s good for the twins.” 
Rhobart’s brows drew together. 
Ayla kept talking. “They always said they want a woman they could spoil and have many children with. Marianna could be that woman.” 
“But Zell is their n’alxa,” Rhobart reminded her. 
“She left them for another man. Marianna is doing her best to win them, but they refuse to see what’s in front of them. Eude and Hudde are like my brothers, but I won’t allow them to hurt Marianna,” she warned Rhobart. 
“I agree, but for now let’s not intervene.” 
Ayla said nothing because she disagreed with Rhobart. She was already intervening by teaching Marianna how to be a lady, even if she hated that Eude and Hudde saw Marianna as less, only because she had a different upbringing from them. She was certain that by the time they would pull out their heads from their asses, it would be too late and Marianna would find someone to love her wholeheartedly. In the past days, she had given the twins countless advice, which they kept brushing off, and enough was enough. The only one she would keep helping was Marianna. 
“Rhobart! Rhobart!” Tizgar’s voice came from the direction of the camp. He sounded troubled. “A wyvern came from the West and has been circling above the camp.” 
Ayla’s blood turned cold. “Galian?” she asked. 
Tizgar shook his head. “It doesn’t seem like that.” 
Rhobart stood, and Ayla grabbed his hand. “Don’t be scared,” he told her. “I’ll never let Galian harm you again.” 
She believed him. 
The three of them returned to camp just in time to see the wyvern land above the abandoned mine. Seconds later, Milton was helping Eluvene get down. 
Cheers of happiness spread around the camp. 
“We’ve been looking for you for three days. If not for Fluffy, we would not have found you. We almost gave up and headed to Drara,” Milton said as he and Eluvene made their way to where Rhobart and Ayla were. 
Rhobart stared at Milton for a few seconds before pulling him in a tight embrace. Milton returned the embrace a moment later. 
“Who the fuck is Fluffy?” Eude asked. 

Finally I have everyone back together and I will be working on getting them to Drara. The next update should be in 3 days.