A Rock and a Heart Place (gxg)

Chapter 21

Inez trotted forward, Medya at her side, to meet the rider who sat still on his horse awaiting them. He was a handsome man with light hair and hazel eyes, but put way too much effort into his appearance, and looked over coiffed. The women stopped several paces away from him, noticing the group of men on horses further back beyond him.

"What can I do for you?" Inez asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Princess Inez, my name is Prince Joppa, the son of King Hudd. And I've come to help you get your throne back," the man said with a smile.

Inez didn't say a thing, this was certainly not what she had expected as she approached the city. Looking over her shoulder she caught the eye of Liana. "Liana, can you bring Nahmia up here please?" She turned back and smiled at the prince, not saying a thing until the others approached. Once they got there, Inez noticed that Liana's hand was in her pouch, hopefully gripping her truthstone. "Ladies, this is Prince Joppa, he says he's here to help me regain my throne."

Joppa nodded and smiled widely. "It was actually very bad timing. I think I just missed you as you were getting freed in the Great Hall since the fire was still hot when we got there. Had I been an hour earlier, you likely would be on your throne already."

Inez saw Liana nod slightly and was somewhat shocked that such a story was the truth. "And now you're here to help me get your father off the throne?"

"Yes, I very much desire to get my father off the throne, and I know in this our interests are aligned. If they weren't, I could have met you here with an army," Joppa pointed out.

Liana nodded once more at that, and Inez felt a rush of excitement. This could be a much easier way for them to get into the palace. Medya, on the other hand, was frowning at the prince. She didn't like him at all and was worried about what he might mean for the future. A princess needs a prince, and lo and behold, here was a friendly prince offering the throne to her on a silver platter.

"Prince Joppa, we'll talk more later, but in the meantime, we have to keep travelling to go see your father. Why don't you keep six of your fellows there, and send the rest home? That way nobody gets held up more than they need to," Inez directed.

"Of course, Princess Inez, I'll lead your troops towards the castle." Joppa bowed his head, and then went back to his men. Most of the men left, heading to the south, away from the castle, while six stayed with him. They were soon travelling some distance ahead of Inez's troops, and they set a good pace.

"I have to admit, those answers were startling," Inez remarked. "He and his men must have been that group that was approaching us when we left the Great Hall." She smiled lightly at the memory of their toboggan ride down the mountain and vowed that they would have to do that again, perhaps with Katja too.

"It seems so. Nobody else would have a reason to be up there." Medya agreed quietly.

"Are you okay?" Inez cast a worried glance over at her. She wasn't normally this quiet.

"I'm fine, just tired. It was a late night," Medya reminder her.

Inez nodded, though she wasn't entirely convinced. She knew that she could get the answers later though.

They rode into the sunset, a brilliant display of color that had many of the people in the troop smiling. Inez couldn't wait to show Medya the sunsets from the top of the castle tower, those had always been her favorites when she was growing up. But for now, the sunset was the signal that they should stop for the night and get some sleep.

Medya and Inez set up their tent together, taking special care to make sure the center pole was secure, just in case. Once the pillows were spread out, Inez grabbed Medya and pulled her into a fierce kiss, her lips hungry for her lover and serving as a reminder of what she hoped for more of later that evening. The Kittani moaned into her, body pressed tight and her good hand gripping the broad back of her queen, all thoughts of her previous nerves blown away.