Page 115 of North Queen
“It’s fed from a hot spring in the falls,” Tahla told her.
Like the cave.Norah paused, reliving the memory. She thought of Alexander. He was marching on Kharav right now, ready for war. He was coming for her.
“Are you all right?” Tahla asked.
“It just… reminds me… of a place back home. I was thinking of it.”
“Do you miss the North?”
Norah nodded. “Parts of it. Mainly the people.”
“You’ll see it again, though. Right?”
Norah forced a smile.Maybe.
“Come on,” Tahla called to her, swimming toward the falls. “Come over here.”
Norah followed and found herself under a shower of hot water. After the long days of riding, it felt incredible.
Tahla reached into a basket that had been placed by the falls. “Here,” she called, holding something out in her hand.
“What is it?”
“Corian. It’s a soap root. Smell it.”
Norah brought it to her nose and breathed in its sweet fragrance. “Smells incredible.”
“Wash your hair with it. You’ll breathe its scent all night.”
Norah grinned as she lathered the paste into her hair and rinsed it in the falls. She took a deep breath. She finally felt clean. Clean from the journey. From the fear. From the pressure. Clean from the sorrow and the heartbreak. She knew it was temporary, but for now, she would relish it.
A stack of folded garments lay by the pool as they made their way out of the water.
“Here,” Tahla said to Norah, handing the clothes to her. “Put these on.”
Norah shrugged into a long-sleeved dress, and Tahla tied it behind her. They laughed as they combed out their hair, and for a short while, the weight of the world felt a little lighter.
“Thank you for this,” Norah told her. “Your kindness—”
“Don’t.” Tahla smiled, grabbing her hands. “We’re sisters now.”
Norah smiled and then nodded, feeling a little emotional. In this moment, everything was perfect.
Tahla and Norah made their way back to the celebration and sat by the fire, enjoying cups of warm, sweet wine.
“He has his eye on you,” Tahla told her, “and I don’t think it’s for worry of your escape.”
Norah looked across the fire to see the Shadow King gazing back at her.
“Do you not like handsome, powerful men who change the fate of kingdoms for you?” Tahla asked.
Norah smiled but then grew serious. “He changed it for himself. And there are many incentives in this marriage for him. I’d be foolish to believe he had feelings for me or to let myself have feelings for him.”
“I don’t know about that.” Tahla smiled back toward the king. “That look doesn’t say, ‘Hooray! I’m getting archers and steel and rocks!’ or whatever you have in the North.”
Norah smiled at her. “I appreciate your effort to scheme a love affair into my situation, but I don’t want to hope for that. It’s better I accept this for what it is—an arrangement that will help both our kingdoms. I believe he and I could be friends, allies. That’s what I hope for.”
“Fine, I understand,” Tahla whispered with a mischievous smile.
