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And she had Briarsong.
She cleaned the blade in the water, resisting the urge to hug it, and slid it back into its sheath.
The urge to fall back against the bank and curl up was overwhelming, but she knew that meant the need to get up was pressing. She’d progressed beyond cold, beyond discomfort. Forcing herself to walk quickly, she traipsed to her pack, shouldered it, and walked back to the rocks where she found a shallow alcove that almost passed as a cave. It would do.
She made herself up a fire, stripped herself of her clothes, and hung them up as well as she could. Next thing to deal with was her wounds. Most of them were superficial and not worth wasting the elixir, so she used it sparingly, only on the wounds deeper than scratches likely to hinder her movement.
She glanced up at the sky, and then back at her dripping clothes, and sighed. There was still plenty of daylight left, but she’d be foolish to force herself back into damp clothing and continue onwards. She’d help no one by sickening for something and dying in the cold. A terrible end to her story.
Juliana had no choice but to wait out the rest of the day here, turning her clothes, slowly folding back into them whenever they were dry.
It was a dull, boring way to pass the time. She was almost glad when sleep came.
Juliana woke in the cave, nearly toppling over when she discovered that she was sitting next to another version of herself.
I’m still dreaming,she realised.I must be.
Indeed, she couldn’t feel anything—but her mind seemed alert and awake.
Why wasn’t she at the palace?
“Nice of you to finally join me,” sneered a voice from outside.
Juliana turned. Hawthorn sat besides the remains of her campfire, arms folded, glaring in the shadows. “What are you—” she started.
”Asword,Juliana?“ he hissed, leaping to his feet until he was towering over her. “You risked your life for asword?”
“Wait—what are you doing here?”
“Don’t change the subject!”
“Oh, I’m changing the subject!” Juliana said, rising to her feet and whipping out the smallest of her blades. “How are you here? Have you been watching me the entire day?”
Hawthorn stared down the end of her dagger, his anger going nowhere. “I grew bored at the palace,” he said flatly. “I wondered, if the pendant could draw you to me, it could work in reverse. Apparently it does.”
Juliana flushed. She’d undressed. She’d sat by the fire naked for hours— “Were. You. Here. The. Entire. Time?”
“Most of the afternoon,” he admitted. “I turned away when you undressed.”
“You spied on me!”
“Do you have any idea what it’s like to just sit there and have no idea what…”
“What?“ she prompted. “Go on. Finish your sentence.”
“To have no idea what’s happening to you,” he finished, as if the truth were an arrow being yanked from his flesh. “It’s maddening, the waiting. Hoping to see you again. Worried I won’t.” He shook his head. “You act like your death is a thing you don’t fear. ButIdo. If you die, and I’m trapped there, I will go out of my mind, Juliana.“ He took a deep breath, barreling onwards before she could formulate a reply. “So, I repeat, you risked your lifefor a sword?”
Juliana dropped her blade, dissecting his words.He only said the waiting is maddening,she reasoned.Which of course it is. And of course he’d want to see me again when he’s been alone all day. Of course he fears my death. He needs me alive.
Or maybe… he did like her. Maybe the pendant was messing with him, too.
“It’s really useful to have a sword in these parts—” she said.
“You and I both know that you are far from unarmed and are just as deadly with a dagger.”
“It doesn’t have the reach—”
“Juliana,” he sighed, exasperated, “you know how you can usually tell when I’m dodging the truth? I can tell with you, too. Most of the time, anyway. What is it about this sword?”
