13. Chapter 13

Chapter thirteen

A s soon as Haven and Roman told Binah their decisions, a small horse drawn carriage had shown up fully equipped for the day and a half long trip it would take to get to the castle. There was no roof, it was basically a platform on wheels with some hay, pallets, blankets and a spot at the front for the driver to sit. They had also been told that someone was already awaiting their arrival at the castle.

Haven had chuckled when she saw the carriage pull up less than five minutes after she talked to Binah. The older woman was currently packing them each a sack with some apples and bread for their journey.

"Are you sure you're ready for this H?" Roman asked as they stood watching the horses graze .

"No" She responded, only half joking.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun" Roman nudged her shoulder playfully.

"Mhmm sure" Haven said, looking at Roman where he was standing next to her. He seemed overly excited whereas Havens stomach was churning with nerves.

"Alright royals!" Binah announced as she walked towards them with their packs clutched in her hands. Haven did not particularly like being called that but it was better than children, a word which had been bugging Haven since she'd met the woman.

"This road will take you straight to the castle. Stopping once at an inn to stay the night and rest the horses. You are in very good hands with Trevor over there"

Binah waved to the young boy who would be driving the carriage. He barely looked 13 but Binah assured Haven he would get them to the castle with no problem.

As they walked over to the back of the carriage, Binah handed them each their packs and a cloak for the journey. Havens cloak was dark green and had a few holes but its thickness would certainly keep her warm since she was still only wearing the tattered leggings and shirt she had gone on the hike with.

With the cool breeze in the air around them, Haven was glad to have the cloak. Pausing before climbing into the carriage, Haven gave Binah a hug. No matter what happened with this whole royal fae thing she liked the old lady.

"Be safe my dear" Binah whispered

"Will do" Haven whispered back

Taking Romans outstretched hand, Haven climbed onto the carriage and sat with her legs hanging off the back and her pack nestled protectively in her lap. Trevor gathered up the reins. Before they could take off, Haven called to Binah and asked a question that had popped into her brain and refused to leave,

"Binah! What was Queen Montali's power? You said that King Rionach had influence over fire but what about her?"

Binah smiled like she held some sort of secret and said,

"Shadows my dear, she could manipulate shadows"

With that, the carriage took off.

***

It only took half an hour before Haven felt like pacing. She was a ball of nerves sitting next to Roman as the carriage traveled along, her foot was bouncing and she had been picking at her nails. It didn't help that an incredibly annoying strand of hair kept falling in her eyes.

"How much longer till the inn do you think?" She asked

"Probably awhile" Roman responded. He was laying on his back with his feet dangling over the edge of the carriage and looking up at the sky.

"Are you nervous?" She asked

"Not as much as I probably should be." Roman responded, "To be honest, something about this truly does feel right. Even just being here I feel more relaxed than I have in a long while."

Haven tried to avoid admitting that she was feeling the exact same way. Even her earlier anxiety had been nothing compared to what she had dealt with in the past. She may be a ball of nerves about the whole thing, but she couldn't deny that she had never experienced such an overwhelming feeling of being in the exact right place at the exact right time. Even while trying to pick out a college or going on dates or finding the perfect item at a thrift store, nothing ever made her feel as settled as being in this realm did .

"Aren't you worried about your parents?" She asked

Roman shook his head, "I didn't really have much back there"

Haven wanted to ask what Roman what he meant but he immediately changed the subject, the universal code for ‘I don't want to talk about it'.

"Are you excited to see a castle?" He asked

Haven smiled and placed her hand back down in her lap, the nail was chewed to the bed but at least it wasn't bleeding.

"Yeah, I am actually. I read a lot of fantasy books when I was younger, before I was so consumed with my fathers death and then trying to focus on school. This feels straight out of one, seeing an actual real life castle kind of solidifies that."

"Hey, look over there!" Roman pointed.

Looking over, Haven immediately saw what he was pointing at. Off in the distance was a small herd of wild horses grazing in some tall grasses.

"Wow" She said, the sight stole the breath straight out of her lungs.

"We have them all over" Trevor spoke up, "Sometimes the farmers have to put up a barrier of some sort to keep them from eating half their crops"

Haven laughed at that, the worst pest problem she had ever encountered was a stray wild bunny nibbling at her mothers plants. As they drove further from the herd, Haven laid down next to Roman and stared at the sky. Smiling slightly, she found herself truly excited about something for the first time in a long time.