Page 26 of To Fight and To Fold

It was as if Thea never existed. As if she was a figment of Aaryn’s imagination.

The search was short, because there was nothing to find.

“You truly found nothing of note in the initial search?” Aaryn asked, pulling the door open.

Jarrick answered, “Nothing. Why?”

Aaryn—couldn’t. It was too much. Seeing Thea’s room—the emptiness of it; the undeniable, physical proof that she had never intended on staying, that she’d had ulterior motives.

Aaryn felt so stupid.

Jarrick took one glance at her and waved the other guard away. “You look like you need to retire for the day. I can escort you back to your room and⁠—“

“Actually,” Aaryn finally spoke up, “I’d rather not be secluded in my room. Am I allowed to leave the castle grounds?”

Jarrick’s brow furrowed. “Yes; you are not a prisoner, Aaryn.”

“I think I’d like to take one of the horses out. Clear my mind with the fresh air.”

“Would you like company?” Jarrick asked.

Aaryn managed a gentle smile, a twinge of something prickly bristling through her. “I’d like the time to myself, actually. But thank you for the kind offer.”

“Of course, Tethered Aaryn,” he said, with a polite nod.

The use of her formal title—which felt wrong now that she didn’t have a dragon to accompany it—felt pointed coming from him. Had she upset the prince by declining his offer?

The feeling of wrong-footedness persisted as they parted ways. He headed off in the opposite direction with his knights to do something princely, she was sure.

Aaryn headed for the stables, since she had time to waste.

It wasn’t as if she had a dragon’s scales to brush now, did she? She supposed she wouldn't be trimming Starspark's talons. And she didn’t exactly relish the idea of sitting in her room alone.

The stable hand offered her a chestnut beauty and a satchel full of oats, apples, and a canteen of water, though she promised she'd only be a short while.

Aaryn let her thoughts wander as the horse trotted slowly through the fields.

What would happen in the months to come? Without a dragon, Aaryn didn’t belong with the Tethered any longer. She couldn’t do her duty to the crown, couldn’t earn her place in the castle.

Would she be retired? Like the Tethered who had—skies forbid—lost their dragons to battle?

It was never discussed amongst the other keepers, what happened… after. All Aaryn knew was that they no longer lived in the castle. She didn’t even know if they were still alive. Could the grief of their broken tether hurt them?

Aaryn didn’t want to find out. She shivered at just the idea.

The sun was strong and warm and bright, chasing her shiver away, though a distant fear remained. If she didn't have a dragon to care for, would they send her off to live with her mother? What of her stipend?

Three years was not enough to overwrite a childhood of hunger. She’d saved most of her allowance over the years. Perhaps her mother had been saving what Aaryn sent her, too. If she was told to leave the castle, would her mother make room for her?

…Maybe Aaryn should pay her a visit. She had a horse. Her cottage wasn’t very far.

And who wouldn’t want a hug from their mother after what Aaryn had been through?

Mind made up, she directed the horse onto a more well-worn path, and trotted on. Cobbled roads and passing carriages were traded for dirt trails and small homes that grew closer together the further out she went.

It was a far cry from where she’d grown up, which was even further. The cottage came into view, small but lovely, with blooming flowers and trees surrounding it. It looked… like a dream, compared to where they’d come from.

She tied the horse to a nearby tree, gave him water and oats to make sure he was alright, and maybe stalled a little. By the time she turned, her mother was standing on the small porch, staring.