Songs of Fallen Stars

10

Elara

I find Rion outside, there is a carriage with two massive horses. I move around the carriage and bump into someone. A young man who can’t be more than eighteen,

“Oh I’m sorry” I say as I catch myself, grabbing onto the side of the carriage.

“No, It’s my fault, Lady Elara. Please forgive me” He bows low and backs away from me quickly.

I turn to see Rion standing behind me. A powerful aura is surrounding him, no wonder the poor kid looks terrified. I'm even a little frightened by him right now.. I step away from him.

“Are you alright?” He asks, stepping closer to me.

“I’m fine”, I start walking away from the carriage, looking at what was going on around it. There’s a group of men talking with Yazier, they are too far away for me to hear anything. I see a few of the men look over towards me then immediately turn back towards Yazier. I can tell Rion is behind me again.

“We are ready to go now” He says as he holds his hand out for me to take. He helps me into the carriage and goes to close the door, but Rosa rushes towards him.

“Something to keep her mind off the journey” She hands him a bag and he looks inside before placing it in the carriage with me.

“Thank you Rosa” I smile

“Safe travels, I will see you when you return Lady Elara.” She smiles back at me before Rion closes the carriage. A minute later, I feel it move into motion.

Within a few hours I’m bored, and feeling motion sickness. I open the little wooden window and look out, seeing a man on a horse riding beside the carriage.

“Excuse me.. Can you ask Rion if we can stop?” I call out to him. He looks over at me giving me a small nod and picking up the speed of his horse, he disappears.

The carriage stops and the door opens,

“What’s wrong?” Rion asks as he looks me over.

“I don’t feel well” I say as he helps me out.

I take in a few deep breaths and try to calm my stomach. It is cramping and I feel like I’m going to throw up.

Rion sniffs the air around me. It reminds me of a dog tracking its prey.

“Are you hurt?” He ask suddenly,

“No..” I answer in a confused tone.

“Then why do I smell blood?” He asks, reaching for me, and looking me over again.

I feel all the blood drain from my body and go into my toes.

No.

This can’t be right.

I can’t have my period, it’s only been two and a half weeks since my last. Have I really been here for two weeks already?

I feel light headed suddenly and I stumble forward. I’ve been sitting for hours, the blood is rushing back into my legs.

Rion reaches out and catches me, picking me up like I am nothing and setting me down back in the carriage.

“I can smell your blood. Why are you bleeding?” He asks gently. His teal eyes seem to be much darker than normal.

“I got my period, I’m fine. It’s nothing to worry about”, I say embarrassed.

“Your period?” He repeats, like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about.

“Yes, my period… the thing every woman gets each month…It usually lasts for a week” I speak slowly, treating him like an i***t.

“I do not know this term.. A period… It is not something that happens to our females. What does it mean?”

“It means… It means I am able to have children, that I can get pregnant” I explain, feeling silly telling a full grown man this. But like he said, it’s not something the females in the realm go through.

Lucky bitches.

“You say it lasts a week?” He looks worried.

“I usually only have it for three or four days”

“You can only get pregnant four days out of the month?” He sounds astonished.

“No… getting my period means I am not pregnant, but I can get pregnant all month.”

“I see.. Well your scent is filling the air, we will have to keep moving.. Beasts will be coming to investigate your scent soon enough… The men are getting curious” He gestures to the men around us, they seem uncomfortable.

Is the smell of my blood really that bad?

“How do you feel?” He hands me a bladder full of spirit. I take a small sip and sit back in the carriage.

“I’m a bit tired” I yawn. At least the spirit is strong enough to subside my cramps. I need to figure out something to use as a pad, “I need some clean cotton cloth”, I tell him.

He thinks for a moment before nodding and disappearing for a few minutes coming back with a clean white cloth, handing it to me. I thank him and excuse myself. He closes the door and the carriage starts moving once more. I rip the cloth and fold it into squares, placing one of them between my legs. It will do for now. I have enough to last a few days. I tuck them into the bag Rosa gave me. On the other side of the carriage there are furs and a small pillow. I grab them and curl up on the bench, pulling the fur over my shoulders.

I try to pretend I am home on my own couch, watching a cheesy movie and eating a heaping pile of chocolate with my electric heat pad. But I’m not. The thought I may never go home makes me tear up a bit.

My stomach and back are riddled with cramps but I manage to fall asleep, with the help of a few more gulps of spirit. The road becomes rough and I’m jolted awake. I look out the window and it’s getting dark. The carriage jolts to a stop, sending me flying off the bench and onto the floor. I groan in pain as I sit up, and pull the furs off me, tossing them to the side.

The door opens and I see not Rion but the young man from this morning.

“Are you alright Lady Elara?” He asks as he sees me on the floor.

“I’m fine..” I say as I rise.

He stands there staring at me, unmoving. “Are you alright?” I ask unsure of what he’s doing.

He looks like he’s under a trace as he moves forward, climbing into the carriage.

“What are you doing?” I ask, my voice shaking.

“You smell…. So good” He licks his lips as he moves closer to me. I push myself into the corner of the carriage, trying to get away from him. He is just inches from me now, advancing quickly. He grabs my ankles and pulls me towards him. I grab onto anything I can and scream as I kick at him. He’s pulled away from me suddenly, I hear him yelp in surprise.

I look out to see Rion holding the young man by the neck, he tosses him to the ground and growls at him. It is a thunderous noise that shakes the ground beneath us.

“I-I’m sorry… I don’t know what came over me…” The young man says, shaking his head clear.

“You touch her again and you will die” Rion warns, “That goes for everyone! Anyone lays a finger on her and they lose their head” He yells at the entire group.

Rion turns to me, his stature softening as he extends his hand to me. I take it without hesitation and he pulls me from the carriage. He sets me down and leads me to a large tent, opening the entrance enough for us to slip through.

“We will rest for the night and leave at first light”

There’s a bed and a lantern lit beside a round wooden tub, I can see steam coming off it. A nice hot bath sounds great to me right about now.

“I thought you’d like to bathe… I’ll let you have some privacy.”