Princess Nymeria's Arc

Chapter 20 of 32

Morning light slid through the timber shutters at Madam Honey's inn. Nymeria woke on a narrow bed with her bags packed at her feet. Lyra sat on the sill, biting into a warm roll. Crumbs dotted her tunic. She had promised, last night, to explain why Nymeria had to leave. Now she chewed and watched her friend wake. "You eat when you're nervous," Nymeria said. She sat up. The black wolf lifted its head from the floor by the bed. Lyra swallowed. She was rarely serious, but her jokes ran out fast this time. She set the roll down and wiped her hands on her leggings. "Okay. I lied a little. Not about the packing. About who I am." Nymeria waited. Her heart moved faster. "Say it." "I'm not just a hunter," Lyra said. "My father is King Caladorn. My mother is Queen Celeste. I'm an elf princess." She said it plainly, like she was ripping off a bandage. "I came here on my own for a while. To live simple. To hunt. But I promised my parents I'd come home. And it's time." Nymeria stared at her. The girl who had taught her to skin a rabbit. Who had given her a black horse and never once fallen under her charm. A princess, like her. "You've been royal this whole time," Nymeria said. "And you never told me." "I wanted a friend who liked me," Lyra said. "Not a crown." She held Nymeria's gaze. "That's why I trust you. And that's why I'm asking." "Asking what?" Lyra slid off the sill and knelt by the bags. "Come home with me. To my parents' castle. I don't want to walk in alone after all this time." Her voice cracked, just once. "And you can't stay here. Not with the prince knowing what he knows. Not with your father's hunters out there. My people can protect you. Elves aren't touched by your charm. You'd be safe." Nymeria looked down at her own hands. She thought of Tobias walking away. Of the bell ringing. Of how thin this small room felt now. Here she was hunted and known. With Lyra she would be a stranger again, but a guarded one. Downstairs, Madam Honey climbed the stairs. She pushed the door open with her hip, a basket of bread on her arm. She read their faces in a breath. "You're going, then." It wasn't a question. "I have to," Nymeria said. Saying it made it true. Madam Honey pressed the basket into Nymeria's hands. "Then eat on the road. Both of you." She hugged her once, hard, without fear of horns or eyes. Nymeria stood and lifted her bags. The wolf rose with her. "I'll come," she told Lyra. "With you." Lyra grinned, herself again. "Good. My mother will love the wolf." They walked out into the yard, where the black horse waited. Nymeria left the inn behind and turned toward a new castle, and a new road out of hiding.