The first day of travel was fairly peaceful and boring. It wasn’t until evening when the trouble started. It turned out that Jerath was more cautious and overprotective than her father. A few hours before the sunset he veered off into a forest to make sure they had a well-hidden camp. When Tianna tried to start a fire to make dinner he stopped her saying the smoke could alert pursuers and took out some dried rations and water.

At first, Tianna believed that the pursuers really were on their tail and they had to be particularly careful, but Jerath all but said himself the next day that no one should know they had left yet.

“What was with all that caution last night then?” Tianna demanded.

“Just in case,” Jerath replied, “We can’t risk you getting hurt no matter what.”

Ah, so this was because she was the Queen’s heir. For some reason this only made Tianna’s frustration worse. “Wouldn’t it be even more suspicious for campers not to make a fire at night?” she pressed.

“I did research and it is common for travellers to avoid using fires when there is no official campsite prepared,” Jerath replied calmly.

“There was one, you just went to a weird spot,” Tianna argued, “No one is going to think it is normal to go deep into some random forest when a campsite is right there!”

“If other people were to find out who you are-”

“The only reason they would find out is if we decided to discuss top secret things right in front of them. I am a girl who came from the middle of nowhere. Who would even suspect me?”

Jerath started to look annoyed now. “Believe it or not, anyone from the capital would think you look similar to the Queen because of your hair and eyes. Your mother may be blonde, but only the Queen has golden hair like that!”

“Whatever you say, bronze-head,” Tianna scoffed, “Is metallic hair a dragon thing?”

“Usually our hair in human form is the same color as our scales. The Queen is an exception to this.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Tianna demanded.

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“The line of the queens began when a dragon married a human,” Jerath explained patiently. Tianna already knew this. “The small amount of human that was passed on to the current Queen influenced her human appearance so it is different from her scales in dragon form.”

“I really don’t see how this changes anything,” Tianna sighed, “We are nowhere near the capital yet. We are staying in the campsite next time.”

She expected him to argue back but Jerath just accepted. “I will follow your order for now, but as we get closer to the capital I will be unable to comply.”

“And how close is ‘closer’?” Tianna asked suspiciously.

“Past Belleas,” he answered.

That was most of their journey! Tianna was glad she had spoken up now or it would have been too late. Perhaps if she was raised a royal or a noble, Jerath would have been the perfect guard. However, as things were, he was hard for her to get along with. He put her safety first, his duty second, and her feelings third. Everything else in the world seemed to be far below that. Tianna knew for a fact he had not slept that night.

Just asking him to relax definitely wouldn’t work, and he would probably be tenser in an actual campsite. Tianna had no defensive skills besides the necklace she had not told him about, so he probably felt he needed to be extra vigilant.

What they needed was another companion, but that was where Tianna got stumped. If she asked Jerath he might bring another guard type and her journey might be twice as bad. Anyone they met on the road would likely be vetoed by Jerath as well. For now, the first option would likely be best.

“Jerath,” she began.

“What?” he asked, his tone slightly snappy.

Tianna winced. She had definitely pushed him too hard earlier. “Isn’t it too dangerous to travel with just the two of us?”

Jerath leveled her with a suspicious gaze. “Get to the point.”

“I think I need another guard,” she told him, “If you keep skipping sleep every night you won’t last for very long.”

“You’re right, but I was the only one who was approved,” Jerath told her, “It might be possible for you to choose another guard on your own, but if you choose them it has to be someone you trust with your life. I am only someone your father trusts with your life.”

“Someone I trust with my life,” Tianna repeated. Other than her family and some people back in Vale who definitely could not protect her she had no one. “What happens if it isn’t someone I trust with my life?’ she asked.

“The person you choose will likely follow you into the castle. The castle may be more dangerous than anywhere we go on this journey,” Jerath replied.

Tianna felt chills. So the end destination was incredibly dangerous. She had guessed as much but hearing it was somehow different.

“What if… we just find someone strong to travel with?” Tianna asked, “They won’t be my guard but we could make a deal to protect each other on our travels?”

“That would be ideal but just stumbling across someone like that is unlikely,” Jerath told her, “Besides if we continue at the pace we are going now when we reach Rayfield the festival will be in full swing.”

“A festival right now?” Tianna asked, “It is a little early for the Peace Festival, and the Great Melt happened a while ago.”

“Rayfield is known for celebrating around now in honor of the person who created their town,” Jerath replied, “The festival is probably a bit too excessive but no one minds an extra chance to celebrate.”

“Why in the summer? Summer is already packed with holidays,” Tianna asked.

“It is probably the day the town was officially created,” Jerath guessed.

“Probably,” Tianna agreed.

Somehow the air was less tense than before. It was a little easier to get along with Jerath and he no longer seemed as strict. Tianna was relieved, but she still had a lot on her mind. From the sounds of things she only had until they reached Belleas to get in contact with a potential travel buddy.