Azazeal looked over at the woman sitting across from him, reading her book quietly. The gentle sunlight hit her face from this angle, giving her pale skin an ethereal glow.
His wife. Elora.
They'd been married almost two years, but she still had him at arm's length, and he could hardly believe he'd talked her into coming with him on this trip.
The only reason she had given in, he suspected, was that the activities of the winter festival excited her, and she had to tolerate his presence for it.
Peering out the window, he couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking in that mind of hers.
As the carriage headed along the road toward the city of Ardennes, the sprawling farmlands that encompass Crimson Sky and the majority of its wealth lay out before them.
He nodded to the captain of his Guards and Casteel met his gaze.
They would soon arrive at the woods which Azazeal preferred since travelling on these roads with no cover made him feel a bit of agitation.
He looked back at his wife and stared at her for a while, he finally cleared his throat as he asked in a quiet voice
"Are you enjoying the journey, Elora?
His expression remained blank as he talked, his voice remained devoid of emotions, but internally he was anything but calm, all he wanted was to feel her eyes on him and hear her soft voice speak to him.
She'd been quiet all morning, she hadn't said more than three words since the trip began .
And it was always in response to the maids.
Her distant actions made him nervous for some reason.
" I hope it's not getting tiring "
Her response was hesitant, her voice clipped.
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you."
She turned to face him with a small frown, gesturing at the stack of scrolls balanced on his lap.
"Do continue please, don't let me get in the way of your work," she said politely, not meeting his eyes.
Azazeal licked his lower lip, his grey eyes growing dark.
"What do I have to do, to have a minute conversation with you?"
"Excuse me?" Elora asked, her voice soft but there was an underlying attitude that dared him to continue disturbing her.
He gives her a nonchalant look as he says.
"You're in a carriage with me and you have no reason to avoid me, so it's only normal to have a conversation I believe."
He leaned back slightly, the red robe he wore shifted a little revealing the skin of his throat, as he spoke his pale pink lips moved slowly as if he was speaking to a child that lacked comprehension, his calm but demanding behavior exuded a quiet sort of seduction that mesmerised Elora.
She blinked, shaking her head lightly to clear her wondering thoughts.
She could barely find any words to utter.
"Y…Your Majesty, we speak all the time."
"I told you to call me Azazeal."
He loathed it when she used his title. It emphasized the distance between them all the more.
"I doubt a conversation about Winter and whether or not the food is to your liking is considered a conversation. And that is the only thing we've spoken about since we started this trip"
"A-Azazeal …" She hesitated, her brows furrowing as if she'd just said something grave.
"My King," she corrected, making a scowl appear on his face.
Internally frustrated, he managed to keep a calm facade but ran his fingers through his silvery hair, mussing it up.
" You had no problem calling me Azazeal the other night Elora, what changed?"
Elora looked at the moving scenery outside, her lips pursed unwilling to answer his question.
She couldn't possibly tell him that calling him by his name would cause a familiarity she didn't want, an intimacy she didn't dare explore, if anything, she wanted to stay as far away from him as possible and keep the distance between them.
"You said we weren't talking, what do you want to talk about?". She asked, horribly changing the conversation.
Azazeal clicked his tongue lightly
"I don't know," he says, his voice low and measured,
"My dear Elora, don't you think that it's a bit of a bother that we have been married for two years now, and we hardly know each other?".
She probably didn't think it was an issue. He wasn't foolish enough not to know her alienation of him was intentional.
The last thing she wanted was to get to know him better.
"As I said that year, since this marriage is a political arrangement, it'll be better to continue it as a marriage of convenience." she reminded him, her voice soft but distant, and clipped .
He eyed her for a beat, without speaking, and she squirmed in her seat.
"And I thought I made it clear that I won't be having such nonsense with my mate.
It's like we take one step forward and ten steps back every time, why are you so stubborn" he finally asked, his voice quiet and defeated.
Elora scrambled for a reply, but she was spared from having to respond by the knight who had opened the carriage door.
"My king, we're almost at the forests now "Casteel said, his face blank as he reported.
Looking toward the startled lady, He smiled softly and nodded toward Elora " Good evening my Lady "
"Good evening Casteel" she mutters her mind still on her earlier conversation with her husband, her eyes followed Azazeal quietly as he left the carriage with Casteel in tow.
She released a soft sigh, dropping the book on her lap, " What in the goddess's name is his problem?" She clicked her tongue in annoyance but her heart still raced at the look in his eyes when he had spoken
It's like we take one step forward and ten steps back every time, why are you so stubborn?
She blinked, was that all it was? Stubbornness?.
No, he wouldn't understand. She was doing the right thing. Trusting people with her heart was what led to her demise in her past life, she wouldn't make the same mistakes this time no matter how many times she had to reset her brain and close off her heart.
The days of travel are long but Elora is happy alone inside the carriage.
The king didn't come back into the carriage after their conversation, he claimed that riding with the knights would be safer on account of the forest, and since Elora rarely permitted her to leave the carriage, she spent much of the time reading, and viewing the scenery.
Ever since she left Crystal Tide, Elora hadn't had the chance to get a glimpse of the lands or see outside of Crimson Sky Pack, so she utilized her opportunity wisely.
"My lady, do you want some snacks?" Irene asked with a smile and Elora rolled her eyes at the woman in front of her
" Will you stop feeding me only when I grow this big?" she said, widening her eyes dramatically eliciting a laugh from the maids.
" You still look so frail and pale, I'm only worried you need to eat more nutritious meals and soups, don't worry it feels light in the belly my lady."
Elora's lips curled into a sneer. Her maid has been extra protective and caring since the poison incident, Elora feels like a fat pig being raised, if she wasn't eating, she was reading or sleeping.
She was halfway through the book when the carriage lurched to a halt. Elora would have toppled over had the maids not caught her just in time. The sound of horses stamping grew heavier in the air.
She could clearly hear strange voices shouting as someone banged on the carriage door.
Somebody was yelling at them to get out of the carriage.
She leaned out the window and her heart raced as her eyes scanned their surroundings.
Wild-looking men emerged from the forest ambushing the knights,
Sharp canines and long claws
Her breath quickened, her heart beat spiking
The calm forest has now turned into a warzone
And Azazeal was nowhere in sight.