The Dragon's Coveted Wife のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

"I want to know who it was!" Saffron heard Elric's raging voice ring through the corridor outside of her room. She wearily opened her eyes. The drapes were drawn tight against the sun that she could see reaching around the edges of the thick brocade. It gave the room a suffocating feeling. She sat up, intending to open them a bit but her legs were still a bit shaky. She wasn't sure of the exact poison she had been given but she knew that it was the type to cause paralysis, judging by her weakened limbs and her previous difficulty breathing. It was nearly tasteless in her tea. Had it had more time to dissolve, it would have been impossible to discern. Whoever poisoned her did not have a strong background in the practice. Thankfully, her grandmother was a skilled woman who made sure to teach Saffron how to heal ailments of all variety, natural and human-induced. She took a swig of the water next to her bed after thoroughly checking its contents. She swilled the cool liquid around her

The landscape shifts as the carriage trundled north. Saffron is heavily bundled in furs as the temperature drops the closer they get to the border. What began as soft flurries of snow has increased to heavy, damp clumps that smack the carriage wetly. She had drifted into an uneasy doze but was startled awake by a strange dream. The feeling of unease lingered even while she is awake. Elric pulled her closer to him, giving her some of his warmth. "We are nearly there. Thank the gods we aren't going to the King's castle. It would be another week of traveling in this. Not to mention he built his castle into the side of a cliff. Dreadful place," he said to her, his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder. Saffron was intrigued. She wanted to see this treacherously placed castle. It sounded like something from the fairytales her grandmother had read to her when she was a child. She pushed past Elric a bit to glance out of the window. The terrain was rugged and rocky; the trees wiry and s

Saffron sat stewing in her bed-chamber; anger and embarrassment rocking through her. She had walked right into the home of Elric's previously intended bride, completely unaware. Elric hadn't said a word about Mira. He didn't even bother mentioning anything about her outside of hinting that she was dreadful. She felt absurd. It explained the familiarity with which Mira had greeted Elric. Her friend had hinted that Elric and Mira had been…intimate before. Saffron groaned and buried her face into the pillow she held on her lap. She knew that Elric had been with other women, but she didn't think that she would have to associate with them, much less be a guest in her home. She wasn't sure who she was more furious with, Elric for not explaining the situation or herself, for not putting everything together sooner. She could kill him. Her face burned, thinking about the grin on Mira's face as she told Saffron that Elric had been hers first. Saffron could tell by the anger in her eyes that

The bells had quieted but Saffron still felt uneasy. Elric was staring at her, gauging her reaction. "I'm not going to faint if that is what you are thinking," Saffron said, staring down at the dead man. She had pressed her fingers to his neck and listened for his breath. He was gone. "I've seen you mend a dragon and heal yourself from poisoning. I have no inclinations that this would make you faint," he said with a smile. She found herself smiling back at him; the ice had thawed. "Are you alright?" she asked her, her eyes assessing his body. His face was flushed and there was a thin trickle of blood running from his throat where the man's blade had nicked him. "I'm fine. I'm curious as to who the hell this is though," he replied and nudged the man with the toe of his boot. "You don't recognize him?" Saffron asked. There was something familiar about him, but she didn't think it was so much his appearance as it was…something else. Elric shook his head. "I don't believe so. I h

The next morning dawned bright and clear. After weeks, the harsh rains have finally left, leaving the landscape feeling washed clean. Saffron stepped from the tent, enjoying the frigid breeze on her face. She hadn't slept well. Elric's body pressed against hers had left her feeling frustrated and empty. She knew that she didn't want their first time to be in a camp surrounded by soldiers but that did nothing to quell the deep ache she felt for him. With her journal in hand and a cloudless sky, she set out to forage. Elric had left her a note on the table stating that he would be in meetings for the day and drew her a small map to where he would be should she need him. She felt warmth towards him and had tucked the note in her pocket before leaving. Her cloak billowed out behind her as she stepped into the forest. She knew that these trees bordered on her own familiar Wood, but this forest felt…empty compared to hers. She knew it was the distinct lack of magic that suffused the dens