Haven: Chronicles of Warshard (12 page)

A soft hand settled on her shoulder. Haven looked up with teary eyes. She wasn’t expecting the blue eyes that stared back at
her.

“Corrin,” she
said.

A sad smile spread across his face. The young man sat with
her.

“I was sent word Palmyra needed
help.”

Haven wiped her eyes, but the tears kept coming. For a moment she thought her mind had conjured him. She was surprised by her own
naivety.

“We did,” Haven breathed, “we
do.”

“I’m glad I stayed in Calisa then.” Smiling again, Corrin offered an arm around
her.

Never had she expected such gentleness from the king. Haven had always thought him to be an obnoxious man, but here he was offering her
kindness.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked as she relaxed into his
shoulder.

“I killed a man,” she
whispered.

“I’m sure it was in battle. You were defending
yourself.”

“No, I killed one in battle. But...” she trailed off, taking a deep breath to compose herself. “It’s my fault my adviser died. I saw Kadia and I... I couldn’t control myself. I shot an arrow at
her.”

“Did you hit her?” Haven shook her head. “It wasn’t your fault you know.” Haven began to protest, but Corrin cut her off. “You’re young and reckless. You can’t be hurt, but you don’t remember it’s not the same for everyone else.” Haven leaned back, staring at him with wide eyes. It was as if he had read her very thoughts. “Don’t look so surprised. You’re easy to read.” Corrin squeezed her shoulder and she settled back, closing her eyes. She was so tired. “We’ll get you through this, Lady Queen. We’ll all get through
this.”

Haven just nodded and found herself accepting the dark embrace of
sleep.

CHAPTER 12

T
he light of dawn had just appeared over the trees when they reached the Calisan border the next day. With Corrin’s entourage the going had been slow, but they were all well protected. Haven chastised herself again and again for her recklessness, while simultaneously recalling where she had fallen asleep late last night. On King Corrin’s shoulder. Heat rushed to her cheeks every time she thought of it. His words of assurance had been kind, but it all seemed quite embarrassing by
morning.

Keeping her distance from the young king, Haven rode alongside her guards. Another fortunate part of Corrin’s arrival, he brought
horses.

“Is something bothering you, Lady Queen?” Lareina asked from her
left.

Haven shot a wide-eyed look at her before composing herself. “No, of course not.” She didn’t need to look at her friend to sense the amused smile creeping up her face. Lareina hadn’t badgered her about the previous night yet, meaning she still had that unpleasantness to look forward
to.

“Are you
sure?”

“Quite.”

Lareina laughed and once again, they grew
silent.

Approaching the first of the Calisan valleys, Haven spotted a man on horseback riding swiftly toward them. The guards around them formed a protective formation, pushing Haven and Corrin’s horses side by side. Haven refused to look at him, keeping her eyes trained on the approaching
messenger.

“Stop!” one of Corrin’s guards shouted. “State your
business.”

The man did stop, catching his breath as he fiddled with his pockets. “I am here--” he breathed heavily, “to deliver a message from King
Evander.”

Haven steeled herself against exchanging a look with the Wakefin
king.

“What is it?” Corrin asked, pushing forward. Reluctantly, she
followed.

“Here,” the man thrust out a letter with the Calisan seal
unbroken.

Corrin took the letter and broke the seal. Haven waited patiently while Corrin read, taking this opportunity to look at his face. She knew how handsome he was from stories and from their meetings. But in the morning light, she was struck by it once more. Swallowing, Haven watched as Corrin’s beautiful face twisted into worry and then dismay. “No,” he murmured, looking up at the messenger, back at the letter, and then at
Haven.

“What is it?” she asked, losing her breath when the light caught his brilliant indigo
eyes.

“Kadia.”

“What has she
done?”

“She’s destroyed my fleet with her darkness.” Corrin looked away from her. “Our way to Seaburn has been blocked. How could she have known of our
plan?”

Haven couldn’t say. All of their people would know by now, but they wouldn’t tell Kadia’s men. Now that she thought about it, it would have been fairly easy to find out about their plan if the evil queen had even one spy among them. Gripping the reigns of her horse tightly, Haven moved toward the
messenger.

“You must hurry back to Evander with a message from
us.”

Haven tried to appear confident as all eyes fell on
her.

“The distraction must continue. The first must begin in three days time. We will continue to Seaburn without the
ships.”

“But how?” the man
asked.

“We will take the path under the sea. It is the only
way.”

The man slowly nodded and began to move his horse away, ready to take off
again.

“Wait,” Corrin said, “give word to Evander to send for my people. They are to do the same. We will all meet at the tunnel. He must command my army into the second distraction and meet with us when he
can.”

The messenger nodded and took off, rocks kicking up beneath his horse’s hooves as he disappeared through the
trees.

“We must turn south,” Corrin said once the man had disappeared. Haven agreed, and they turned their party toward
Eris.

Two days passed and their larger group traveled near the border of Salander. They moved south through Eris before turning east again, moving through the southern lands of Rythern. As they went, Haven and Corrin came upon many of their people, as well as refugees from Eris. Before they knew it, their party had grown from twenty to fifty, to nearly a hundred. These people had no desire to flee to the mountains, only to follow their rulers to safety. They trusted them, even if they had little supplies, and the going was slow due to the injured. Haven tried to stay strong for them, speaking with the children at night, sitting with the injured when they stopped to rest, attempting to distract them from their
pain.

When they had nearly reached nightfall on the second day, Haven found herself looking for Mirabel. Their numbers were always growing and Haven was having a hard time keeping track of all the children. Some were orphaned and others were with their family. They had a nurse or two keeping track and taking care of the orphans, but Haven was having a difficult time locating
one.

“Looking for
something?”

Haven turned to find Corrin watching
her.

“Yes,” she said quickly. “One of the nurses in charge of the orphan children. I’m looking for a
girl.”

“I haven’t seen any of the nurses tonight, but maybe I can help you find her.” Corrin stood from his seat by a small fire. Haven only nodded and continued. She couldn’t help but feel shy and embarrassed around someone so unfamiliar who witnessed her in such a weak moment. She couldn’t remember the last time she cried around someone who wasn’t one of her guard friends or her
adviser.

“Who is this girl you’re looking for?” Corrin asked as they moved through the crowds of people. Many rested in small tents or warmed themselves by
fires.

“She’s one of your refugees actually,” Haven smiled, remembering her adorable blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. “Her name is
Mirabel.”

“And you know her quite well?” he sounded surprised, but Haven wasn’t sure what
for.

“Not very well, but I’ve become fond of her.” Haven glanced at the king. His gaze hadn’t left her. “She’s a beautiful child who lost her parents. I enjoy her company. She lifts the spirits of everyone around
her.”

“She sounds wonderful,” Corrin smiled, and Haven quickly looked
away.

“She was – is!” Haven quickly corrected. “I will find
her.”

“Of course you
will.”

They proceeded with their search, Corrin asking her questions about herself or her people every now and then. Haven had never been very good at small talk, so she grew awkward quickly and often forgot to ask him questions in return. The young king didn’t seem to mind, nor did he run out of things to ask her. By the time the moon was high in the sky, he urged her to take a break. They weren’t going to find the nurses
tonight.

Sitting on a log beside an unoccupied fire, Haven relaxed, holding her hands out to warm
them.

“It is a beautiful night,” Corrin said, taking a seat beside
her.

Haven nodded and looked at the stars. “Yes, but a cold
one.”

Corrin laughed, though Haven wasn’t sure anything was funny. “You think you’d be used to the cold, living in Rythern,” he said. Heat rose to her face. “Not that it’s this chilly all the time, I’m
sure.”

It was Haven’s turn to laugh. “Oh, it is,” she said. “I’ve honestly just never noticed
before.”

Corrin looked at her in a way she wasn’t familiar with. Everything about him was unfamiliar, and though she didn’t sense anything dangerous about him, she couldn’t help but feel
wary.

“You are a very strange woman,” he sighed wistfully. Corrin laughed when Haven looked at him, offended. “Not in a bad sense, of course. You’re just different from the girls I’ve
known.”

Feeling cheeky, Haven smiled. “Most of the girls you know also have large breasts and frequent the beds of many men,” she paused, “or so I
hear.”

Corrin laughed, a very real, very true laugh. He hadn’t expected such words from a queen’s mouth. “You might be right.” It was the way he said it or the way he smiled after, but Haven wasn’t so sure if the rumors were true of the young king. Surely he knew what others said about him, and maybe that’s why this was so amusing for
him.

“Am I?” she
asked.

Corrin raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you
what?”

“Right.”

He smiled and shook his head. “You’re a smart girl, Lady
Queen.”

“Haven,” she corrected, before she realized this would be inappropriate. It was one thing to call a friend by name and not by title, but she barely knew this man. Even though she was sure she used his name before, it had been under different circumstances. Still, Haven found herself wishing he’d use her name. There was something different about the young king, something interesting that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She wanted to know this man, in a way she wasn’t quite familiar
with.

“Haven,” Corrin smiled. “A beautiful name, for a beautiful
girl.”

“Well,” Haven blushed. “Thank you.” She couldn’t think of anything else to
say.

“Call me Corrin, likewise,” he said. “I’d like it if we could be friends, Lady
Queen.”

Haven nodded and stood. “Yes, I would as
well.”

Corrin stood with her and for a moment, they were much closer than she had meant. “I should go,” she blurted. “My ladies will worry if I don’t rejoin them
soon.”

The young king simply nodded before bending and giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Good night, Lady
Haven.”

“Good night,” Haven squeaked before disappearing back into the safety of the
camp.

When dawn broke on the third day, Haven knew they must hurry. If the first distraction were to begin soon, it would gain them only so much ground before Kadia spotted them. They still had much distance to cover; Salander, part of Eris, and a good portion of Dagan. The first distraction would last several days and, hopefully, get them to the tunnel in time. The second distraction was what would really help them bring their people to safety. They had only one chance at this and they had to make it
count.

Approaching the river separating Rythern and Salander, Haven realized a whisper of sorts had moved through the crowd. Riding to the front of the line, she saw
why.

“Emeril!” Haven nearly leapt from her horse, joining the prince and his
guard.

“Haven!” Her friend brought her into a hug; one so tight Haven feared he would crush
her.

“You’re alright,” she
gasped.

No one had been sure of who had escaped Palmyra in time, leaving her overjoyed to see her childhood friend alive and
well.

“And you,” he said, releasing
her.

“What of your father? How many do you have with you?” she asked
quickly.

“Many more than I can count,” Emeril laughed. “And my father is alive, but still as he
was.”

“That is good to hear,” Haven paused, “Of the people, not your father of
course.”

“Of course,” he agreed. “We have much to discuss, I
hear.”

“Yes, we do.” They both turned to find Corrin dismounting his horse beside them. Haven wasn’t pleased to see the obnoxious smile back on his face, but it did help her push thoughts of the previous night from her
mind.

“King Corrin,” the men exchanged proper greetings before they moved from the crowd. “I’m surprised to see
you.”

“I was in Calisa when I heard Rythern was under attack,” Corrin explained. “We met with Haven and her party that night. Unfortunately we were too late to help at the
castle.”

Haven blanched at the callous way he used her name. Emeril did as
well.

“We did manage to gather a following as we made our way to you,” Corrin continued, oblivious to what he’d said. “You have gathered many as well, I
see.”

Emeril quickly gathered himself and nodded. “Yes,” he agreed. “Many of Rythern’s people fled this way as well. We’ve assembled a few hundred I believe, maybe
more.”

“That’s incredible,” Haven breathed, unable to contain her relief. “Do you have a roster started yet? Who is taking care of the children? How are your supplies?” she bombarded him with questions until Corrin’s laughter interrupted
her.

“Always the caring one,” he
said.

Haven was suddenly offended. “Don’t presume to know me, Lord King,” she snapped. “Emeril please show me to your nurses. I wish to speak with them at once.” Emeril nodded and led them away, leaving Corrin staring after them. Normally Haven wouldn’t have reacted in such a way, but this time the young queen could see what the king was doing. He was trying to make Emeril jealous. Why? She couldn’t imagine, and didn’t want to
either.

After taking stock of what they had, Haven and Emeril came to the conclusion that they were well supplied for the journey to Dagan. Under the sea was another story. Sighing, Haven sat herself in her tent. Her guards joined her, along with Toma and
Emeril.

“We will barely make the crossing, I fear,” she
said.

“We will make it,” Emeril assured
her.

“I hope
so.”

“Have you told him the plan?” Toma
asked.

“I haven’t,” Haven said, quickly describing the coming distractions and journey for the tunnel instead of across the sea. Emeril gasped upon hearing that Corrin’s ships had been destroyed, and their present location suddenly made sense to the prince. Before Emeril had been unsure where to lead the people, assuming they would still travel through Calisa and take the ships. The people had remained along the river for a few days, gathering supplies and readying themselves for the journey. Haven assured her friend that his actions were still warranted, but they had a much shorter distance to travel
now.