Chapter 17 Arrangements
Sharon
Taking a deep breath, I forced back the tears that were threatening to face and thanked him again.
“It's my job,” he said in reply.
“There's a basket under the seat, I managed to get us something to eat.” He added.
I bent to retrieve the basket, set it on my knee to open, and couldn't help my little squeal of excitement.
There was a loaf of fresh bread whose divine smell proclaimed it to be freshly made, there was a small plate of boiled eggs, a small dish of fragrant butter and a clay bottle of milk.
“There's water and a small knife underneath there as well.” Mikel added, his eyes still fixed on the road.
“Aren't you going to eat?” I asked as I retrieved them.
“ I had a quick bite while waiting for the carriage in the village, you go ahead and eat.” He replied.
With a nod and quickly murmured assent, I leaned back and tucked into the best meal of my life.
Of course food was not and had never been scarce back home, with my parents being who they were, we always had more than enough. But with so many things to do and so few hours to do them, I barely had time to eat, some days I would actually be so rushed off my feet that I would forget I needed food until my stomach cried out when I got into bed. On such days, it boiled down to a choice between sleep and food, I would inadvertently end up going to the kitchen and stuffing myself with whatever I could find in just the right amount to soothe the pangs of hunger, before crawling back into bed.
I was on my third slice of well buttered bread when Mikel spoke again.
“This is the last lap of the journey, we should be at the palace in two hours at most.”
And just like that, my throat went dry, and I could no longer swallow, I literally had to choke down the last few bites, when all I really wanted was to set it down, but I didn't dare waste food.
With everything that had happened since I left home, I had managed to forget exactly why I left home in the first place.
I had been sold as a slave, a sex slave,of you will to the alpha, a recluse of a man that preferred to run the affairs of the pack from behind a screen and through his beta and couriers, a man who was openly rumored to be a monster, with the added promise that he would probably kill
me when he got bored. With my terrible luck, boredom would probably set on as soon as he saw me, which meant that by this time tomorrow, my head could probably be hanging on a pike. With that sobering thought, I gingerly set the basket aside and sat up straight.
But then again,it wouldn't be too bad of a way to die, my subconscious quipped after a few minutes of mental silence.
Hadn't I often prayed for death, as a way to escape the life I was born into. And dying by an alpha's hand or decree meant my soul would have a trip to the alpha life. Surely the goddess wouldn't be villainous enough to send me back still cursed would she?
Besides, a man had hurt himself saving me, I had gotten a good night's sleep, and had an uninterrupted meal, and I was going to meet the alpha, even if it was the briefest of time, a death that came with such harbingers couldn't be so bad could it?
Heck no!!! I answered my own question (in my head of course).
Besides, if I was being honest, I had to admit (to myself at the very least) that I would much rather face the most gruesome death possible than go through what my father did to me with another man.
With that cleared up, I reached for the bottle of milk from the basket and nearly drained the bottle in three large gulps. Returning both the bottle as well as the entire basket to its resting place under the seat, I curled up under the cloak once more and let myself drift off to sleep.
Rever
Watching her from the corner of my eye, I smiled when she finally picked up the bottle of milk. I was starting to think that maybe I should have laced the bread or butter with the sleep inducing powder instead. But now she was finally drinking the milk, I kept one eye on the road, and the other eye on her, watching her as she guzzled down the milk, set down both bottle and basket, and curled back into herself. My smile widened when she fell asleep almost immediately, and I quickly brought the horses to a stop behind the nearest tree I could find, I needed to contact Lasmay, but I couldn't do it while she was awake, I could have contacted him back at the village, but for reasons I couldn't even explain to myself, I was loath to leave her alone for even a second longer than was necessary.
Making sure that I was not being observed, I closed my eyes and mentally reached for the bond I shared with Lasmay.
“ Your grace!” His voice exploded inside my head, forcing me to wince.
“Where the hell have you been?” He demanded.
“Do you have any idea how worried I have been?” He continued.
Apparently, distance and the fact that he couldn't even see me weren't enough to stop his scolding tongue.
“ Relax Lasmay,” I said, trying to placate him.
“ I'll be home soon, I just ran into a....... situation I hadn't envisioned,” I added, turning to look at the woman sleeping behind me.
“ What situation?” The voice inside my head demanded.
“ Were you attacked? Did you run into any of Pier's men?”
“ Relax Lasmay, not everything is about pier, there does seem to be a slight problem I need your help with though.”
“ What!!” He thundered, and although I couldn't see him, I was sure he was swinging his arm in that semi threatening way he did when he was frustrated.
“Within the hour, a carriage with two bay horses will arrive at the palace, its occupants will be a young beautiful sleeping woman, and a man with auburn hair and a passing resemblance to me, he goes by the name of Mikel Franson. You and a few people will be waiting at the gates. You will introduce Mr Franson as the alpha's trusted courtier from the outskirts of the park who has come at the alpha's behest, make sure that whatever instructions he gives are followed and take him into the palace with you.”
“ What.....” he started, but I quickly interrupted.
“ I will explain everything as soon as I can, but for now just do as I say.”
“Of course your grace.” He replied, and I could practically hear the sigh in his voice.
About half an hour later, I turned the horses down the wide driveway that led to the palace to find them waiting just as I had asked.