~Mirandiona💎

The first thing I was aware of, was the skies awful stench of dirty bodies and dried sweat. The second thing I was aware of, was anxious jittering accompanied by the shifting of beds and floorboards.

Keeping my breath even I wait until I'm fully awake before giving any signs of my awareness.

"Is there a reason you're all staring?" I ask opening my eyes to see a dozen or so guards all sitting around the room watching me like a vyx watches its prey.

All eyes dropped and the majority of them shifted uneasily.

"We're sorry your majesty." One of the men standing by the door speaks up. "We just never thought we'd ever have such an honor to be in the queen's presence. Much less able to guard her and her mate as they slept." The man confesses.

Letting my body deflate with a sigh I turn my head downward to the woman stirring beneath me. I didn't bother correcting them on the fact that she wasn't actually my mate, it was irritating constantly trying to correct people, might as well leave close enough as close enough.

"Mhmm..." Serana groaned as she wrinkled her nose and began to blink the sleep from her tiered eyes.

Leaning forward I catch her gaze. "Why are there people staring at us?" She grumbles sleepily, to which the guards in the room shuffle uncomfortably once again.

"Why do you think?" I mumble back.

She hums in acknowledgement before letting her head lull to the side as she tries to fall back asleep. Narrowing my eyes I angle my head and blow a sharp burst of air straight up her nose.

With an almost vicious jerk she snorts and shakes her head like Ovah would when I did the same thing to him. I was up and off of her before she could recover enough to retaliate. My wing tapped against a nearby guard's shoulder in the process, sending a shock of pain through the base of my wing and down my adjoining arm. Gritting my teeth I make sure to keep my face neutral and step away from the woman.

Serana rolled out of the bed and onto her feet, nearly falling into another bed in the process. Groaning she straightens up and turns a glare on me. "How are you already up? You're less of a morning person than I am." She grumbles rubbing at her arm, likely to get some feeling back in it after having me lay on her all night.

Fighting to tone down my self satisfied smirk. "Because it irks you." I say as way of explanation. In truth I wasn't quite sure, maybe because I waited until I was fully awake before moving.

That earned me another glare as she dropped her arms and let her wings go lax. In response I gave her a fanged grin and turned to adress the guard I had bumped earlier.

"Do you know where we could find a way to the Qrinto shelf?" I asked diverting the attention of the room away from mine and Serana's interaction.

The guards eyes flick down to my injured wing before meeting my gaze. "There's a couple merchants downstairs, have a cart headed for Algrie. I'm sure they'd be more than willing to take you along." She points over her shoulder at the door.

Only a couple? Awfully brave for merchants. "Thank you." I nod at her before sidestepping and making my way to the door.

The room's occupants split to make a path as I walked through them. Serana was close behind me on my injured side forcing them to give a wider berth so they wouldn't block her, and by extension my wing which half stuck out perpendicular to my body.

Slipping through the door I quietly trot down the stairs and into the entry way.

"I hope you enjoyed your stay, your majesties!" The woman working the front exclaimed as we headed for the door.

I gave a polite smile and a small nod in acknowledgement. Serana on the other hand waved and bid her farewell.

Walking out into the snow covered street we were both met by a wave of cold that had Serana wrapping her wings around herself in an effort to keep warm. Chuckling at her expense I scan the area for any signs of prel.

A distinctive neigh sounds from the left drawing my attention. Looking over I see the tail end of a cart peaking around the corner of the building. Without a second thought I start walking toward it forcing Serana to follow my lead.

"Damn it! Nani something's wrong with his hoof and he won't let me look at it." A woman's voice yells from out of sight.

Glancing over my wing at Serana, I give her a quizzical look. She shrugs in response and walks past me to see what the commotion was.

I follow close behind and round the corner to see vibrant cerulean wings next to a deep brown prel and deep purple wings with shocks of bright yellow in the primaries on top of the cart.

"What do you mean? He was fine yesterday." The woman on top of the cart stands up and hops down to join the cerulean winged woman by the prel. "Move." She orders pushing, I assume her daughter, to the side and kneels to examine the foot the prel had off the ground.

The moment she touched his leg the prel jerked and nearly stomped on her hand. The woman drew back and bared her teeth in a snarl. "He may just be faking it again." The woman growls, looking up at the large beast.

My brow shot up at this and drew my attention back to the animal.

Serana chose this opportunity to step forward and join the conversation. "Do you need some help?" She offered drawing the attention of the blue winged woman.

The one with deep purple wings doesn't even bother to turn as she answers. "No. We're perfectly fine. And no, you can't have a ride. I don't know how many times I have to tell yo-" The woman was cut off when her daughter kicked her leg sharply, earning a vicious glare from her nani.

The woman looked ready to chew her head off when her eyes caught on to us and by extent the lavalieres. Not everyone knew what the lavalieres looked like and wouldn't know them on sight, but news of our arrival last night likely spread quickly and they could assume.

"If it's a bother we can find another way up." I interject, grabbing Serana's arm to turn her around.

"Oh! No no, no I thought you were that kid that keeps bugging us about hitching a ride." The older woman stands up quickly trying to stop us. "Please, excuse my tone. I didn't realize." She quickly does a bad imitation of a bow.

"That's quite alright." I assure with a nod of understanding. "If you could give us a ride to the Qrinto shelf I would be grateful." I turned to face them, revealing my sling and the injured wing in it.

"What happened?" The blue winged woman asked staring at my wing.

"Aika!" The other whacks her with the arch of her wing followed by an exasperated glare. "You are addressing the queen." She hisses at her daughter.

Serana snorted but kept her mouth shut. Giving her a sideways glare I speak up. "It's alright. Someone thought my wing made a good perch." Serana smirked at my answer and gave me a look.

She knew I wasn't really mad with her so I couldn't hold it over her head very well. Rolling my eyes I turn my gaze back to the two women before us.

"Well, we would be honored to give you a ride your majesty, but without Cicaro I'm afraid we can't get the wagon up." She motions to the prel still nickering and holding his leg up off the ground.

Releasing Serana's hand I step forward to stand in front of the merchant. "May I?" I question, motioning to the prel.

The woman hesitates for a moment, looking about to refuse the aid when her daughter tugs on her arm. "If you think you can help." She concedes, stepping to the side.

Bowing my head in thanks I step up to the large animal. He spooks for a moment, not knowing who I was. "Shh..." I whisper lifting my hand to his snout.

My palm hovered before his nose only a few moments before he nickers again and starts to grab at my hand in search of food. Chuckling at him I run my hand up the bridge of his nose and stroke the soft fur on the side with my thumb. Careful not to move too fast, I lift my other hand and place it just before the base of his wing and harness.

He seemed calm and wasn't jumping from my touch so I slid the hand on his nose under his neck and forced his head over my uninjured shoulder and wing. "Try looking at his foot again." I ordered.

With the way I had my arms around him he couldn't rear up without driving himself into my claws and he couldn't pull back or push forward because I was in the way. I had also learned from the stable hands at the castle that wrapping your arms around a prels neck helped them feel more secure and safe, the way their nani's would do with their wings when the colt was threatened.

The merchant silently crouched down and reached for the injured hoof.

The prel jerked a little but stilled when I tightened my arms around his neck. He neighed softly and I could feel his ear pin back as it brushed my hair. "Shh, you're okay." I murmured, gently stroking my hand up and down his neck.

The woman grunted and seemed to pry something out of his hoof. I could see Serana out of the corner of my eye scrunch up her nose in sympathy for the animal. "Is that a metal pin?" She questions trying to see around the woman's frame.

"Aye, looks to be one of ours too. Aika check the wagon see where this fell out from." She orders her daughter.

Without a word the blue winged woman plucks the pin from her nani's hand and sets about finding its proper place, disappearing under the cart.

The other was still kneeling next to the prel's foot examining the injury. "He's not bleeding, thank the Drace, it only got the outside of his hoof, he should be just fine now." She diagnosed standing up.

Stepping out from under the prel I looked down in time to see him hesitantly put his hoof back down, testing its integrity. When he bobs his head with a pleased neigh and puts his full weight back on his leg I couldn't help but grin at the quirky animal.

"Reminds me a bit of Ovah, don't you think?" Serana's voice sounds next to my ear.

Glancing at her out of the corner of my eye, I purse my lips and nod in agreement. "A bit less dramatic." I add watching Aika reappear from under the cart.

"Found it!" She proclaims proudly. "It fell out of the rear axle, I'm surprised the wheels didn't fall off." She informs, hopping up onto the front seat and checking the cart cover to make sure it was latched on good.

"Alright, well he should be fine." The other woman says standing up and motioning to the prel. "Will you be riding the whole way back to Algrie or would you like us to take you someplace specific?" She ask looking up at us.

"Just to the shelf." I answer, "If we ride any further with you it could put both your lives in danger." I warn. Something wasn't right with these two and I didn't want to get in the cart with them but it was too late to back out.

The woman nods her head in understanding and motions to the cart. "If you'll hop in the back we'll be on our way." She says turning back to the cart and climbing onto the front bench with her daughter.

A wave of unease washes through me as I usher Serana to get in the wagon before me. Clambering into the back through the semi-small hole, with as much grace as I could with my wing in a sling, I take a seat on a chest next to a closed basket that looked to be filled with fruit. A loud snap was heard from the reins and suddenly the cart was jerking forward and gaining speed rapidly.

Serana clutched at the crate she was on, looking about ready to jump out the back and just fly.

Chuckling at her distress I try to give her a reassuring smile. Judging by the glare I got in return it didn't work.

Shifting my foot I press it against hers to give her something to ground herself with. She stills and the slight tremble in her muscles lessen as the cart gained height.

Looking out the back I see the anchoring cable and beyond to the town steadily getting smaller. I watched as the cable dropped away beneath the rim of the land shelf to be replaced by the dark greens, browns, blacks, and whites of the forested landscape.

Shifting in my spot I fold my uninjured wing and lean against the curved wall. It would be a few minutes before they found a clearing open enough to land in and take off from.

It took a good four hours to fly from the rim of the Qrinto shelf to the broken center where Algrie once resided. And that was if you were just flying and not weighed down.

I still wasn't sure how we managed to get so far southeast. When we had gone after the herd it was to the southwest, where the outer rim of the Qrinto shelf was only an hours flight. When we chased the herd of carbinnox it must have taken us a good ways east and then between the phynx and the babbo pack we somehow ended up on the southernmost end of the shelf.

After about thirty minutes the cart finally started to descend. Sitting up I look out the back to make sure before reaching over to grab Serana's hand out of her lap. If she didn't like the take off, she's definitely not about to like this.

Serana twined her fingers with mine and looked up at me with a tense expression. "Please don't claw me." I plead just before the wagon hit the ground with a jarring thud and continued to toss and rock as it rolled over the uneven landscape until it came to a stop.

Forcing my jaw to unclench I pry my hand out of Serana's and sit up to pear out the back, I see a long flat expanse of white broken by the jagged line of churned snow where the cart had passed and a line of trees in the background. The sound of rushing water and distant crashing flowed through the air. A waterfall?

Standing as best I could in the wagon bed I make my way to the opening and slip out to land on the ground on all fours. The snow was surprisingly thin, likely do to the suns unrelenting rays.

Standing upright I suppress a shiver and move out of the way to let Serana out and make my way to the front of the cart. I came around on Aika's side and looked up at the two women. "Thank you." I bow my head in gratitude. "Would you point us in the direction of the nearest town or outpost?" I ask.

Aika points toward the cliff where a river fell away to land somewhere far below. "There's a guard outpost twenty minutes from the edge of the cavity. Not sure how long it'll take you to get there on foot." She says giving me a sympathetic look.

Gritting my teeth so I won't glare at her I nod my head again in acknowledgement.

"Good luck your majesty. Are you sure we can't take you farther?" The other merchant ask, looking around her daughter.

"Quite certain. You've done plenty." I assure.

Serana decides to interject her own opinion when the woman looks about ready to try and convince us to continue on with them. "No offense, but there is no way I'm getting back in that cart." She proclaims firmly.

Glancing at her out of the corner of my eye I note that she was a touch paler than usual and had her wings firmly wrapped around her body.

"If you're sure..." The woman trails off waiting for one final confirmation that we didn't wish to go with them.

"We're sure." I state in a strong tone, leaving no room for further questioning.

The woman closes her mouth and nods in acceptance. With a flick of her wrist the reins snapped and the prel were galloping to leap off of the cliff edge. We watched them go for a moment before I huffed and started trudging through the snow toward the cliff's edge.

"Where are you going?" Serana questions. I hear her footsteps crunch in the snow behind me. "You can't fly." She points out.

Scowling at the landscape in front of me. "Thank you, I wasn't aware." I snarled over my shoulder.

It wasn't fair of me to snap at her, but it was beginning to get irritating being babied and pitied. That along with the fact I was loosing all feeling in my feet and lower legs was enough to make me beyond irritable.

Serana was quiet as we reached the edge. Glancing at her I see her jaw locked and her gaze cast down at the sheer-face of the few hundred foot drop-off bellow us.

Letting out a sigh I let my shoulders and good wing drop. "Sorry, I know it's not your fault." I apologize quietly.

She looks up at me from the corner of her eye before turning completely. "Don't worry about it. So, how are we getting down this? Because I am not carrying you." She says in a much more upbeat voice than she had a moment ago.

A smile tugged at my lips for her effort to ease the tension. Taking a breath I look down on the vertical drop before us. "I was planning on climbing." I tell her. "But we'll have to do it quickly, the rebels won't be far behind us."

At that she looked up and turned her questioning gaze in my direction. "How do you know that?" She ask, as I sit on the snowy cliff to start working my way down.

"Whole caravans of merchants have been attacked and raided, but those two women are going to Algrie completely unafraid of being attacked. I would assume it's because they're in with the rebels. The only reason they didn't carry us all the way to them is probably because the rebels would have destroyed their cart to kill us." I explain my reasoning.

"Huh." She huffs sitting down to follow me over the cliff's edge. "Why didn't I think of that?" She berates herself.

Looking up I see her feet just to the side of my head. "You haven't had to before." I answer. Looking back down I carefully pick my way over a slight rise in the cliff's dominantly vertical face.

I hear a sigh from above me but I don't dare take my eyes off the rocks. "Still." Serana says. I see her foot move to grip a small ledge, talons digging into the dark stone, when the ledge gave out from under her weight.

My heart leapt into my chest and I nearly panicked before she righted herself. "Why am I climbing? Can't I just fly down and wait for you?" She looks down at me with pleading orange eyes.

Letting my breathing even out I nod my head in agreement. "That's a good idea. For someone who was raised in the Shattered Mountains you're not a very good rock climber." I couldn't help but to tease.

She huffed and rolled her eyes at me. "The only reason you are is because you've spent your entire life climbing castle walls." She shoots back.

Looking up I realize that she'd stopped climbing and was now a good ways above me. "If I didn't know better I'd say you sound jealous." I call back before continuing on my way down.

There was a gush of wind as Serana leapt off the cliff above me and landed a few feet below and to the side of me. "Since when do you ever know better?" She ask, with a teasing lilt to her voice.

Chuckling at the other woman, I pick my way down until I've passed her. "I know better than you." I finally respond.

"What?" She laughs. "That doesn't even make sense." She argues.

"Whether it makes sense or not doesn't matter, it's still true nonetheless." I shoot back.

There's no response for a moment then I feel a whoosh of air soon followed by the sight of Serana landing on the cliff below me. "Still didn't make sense." She huffs looking up at me.

Letting a grin spread across my face I simply shake my head letting her have the final word on the matter. Serana stays quiet after that, not wanting to give up her claim on the final word no doubt.