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He nodded. “Of course. Everything will be seen to, and I'll ensure you're able to stay at the guest house we departed from until your building is ready. But we'll worry about that when we reach home.”
Home. The word plucked something in her chest. It reverberated inside her, bittersweet, as she wondered if anywhere would ever feel like home again.
She climbed into the saddle and they rode.
Rilion was polite, but stiffer with her than he had been, and they spoke little as they passed through the mountains, even when they made camp at night.
By the time they reached the Ranorsh side of the range, winter had set in fully. Thick blankets of snow covered the landscape, slowing their travel, but providing an abundance of fresh water whenever they had time to stop and melt it to drink.
With nothing but mundane work ahead of them, there was little reason to spur themselves in travel, and they meandered for far longer than the trip into Angroth had taken. They took shifts in the lead, so one horse at a time worked to break a path. Now and then, Thea found herself watching the road for signs of passage, but there were none. A lone horseman would struggle in the snow, which fell often and heavy, and cold winds scoured the night.
“Do you think the people from that burned settlement will come back?” she asked as they left the foothills behind and the mountain river that fed the lake beside Danesse came into view.
“Who knows,” Rilion said. “We likely won't know until spring. I imagine someone will take over that fortress and declare themselves leader. They had plenty of provisions, and no one will get back into those mountains to clear them out until the snow is gone.”
“Will you attack them?” Part of her felt sorry for the commoners left behind. They'd abandoned their homes in pursuit of a better life. It was no different than what she'd done, and they didn't have a Third Prince to help them.
“Not without a direct request we do so. They're on Angroth's side, so they're Angroth's problem. I'll pen a letter to Angroth's queen. If she asks for our help in clearing the place, we'll be obligated to offer it, but who can say what she'll do? She's young, and Angroth is so isolated that no one knows much about her methods.”
“Then I hope her choices cause you no trouble,” Thea said.
Rilion nodded as if to accept her good wishes, but offered nothing more on the subject.
Eventually, the lake itself came into view. The snow was shallow enough in the river valley that the horses progressed with little trouble. The roads became a jumble of slushy footprints and she gave up hope she might see some indication Gaius had reached the city before them. It didn't matter, she told herself, though none of her believed it. Gaius would return to Kentoria, and once again, he would be king. She turned her thoughts to the things she'd need for her new dressmaker's shop and refused to dwell on anything else.
When they reached the guest house they'd stayed at before, the windows were dark. Ina met them at the door and seemed pleased by Thea's return.
“I kept all your things in your room,” the maid said as she escorted the two of them into the house. “You'll be pleased at how cozy it is in the wintertime. I'll bring up a rocking chair. It'll be a perfect place to work on your mending, right there by the fire.”
“Thank you. I'm sure it will be.” Thea stopped in the entryway and watched Ina hurry past to find the chair she spoke of.
Rilion lingered by the door. “I don't relish going to see my father in the wake of everything that's happened, but I can't put it off.” His smile was strained, more a grimace than a look of cheer. “Give me a week to settle things. I'll have your building by then.”
She couldn't smile, either. There was a sense of finality to the way he said things, and she supposed there had to be. Despite all they'd dealt with, she hadn't been certain she could count him as a friend. Standing in the entryway of the royal family's guest house, she knew they couldn't be. Third Princes were not friends with Threadmancers, or any other sort of working folk. “Thank you for everything, Rilion. I so deeply appreciate everything you've done, just saying thank you doesn't feel sufficient.”
“Believe me, it is. I have everything I need already. I'll have keys, the address, and instructions for ordering supplies ready for you in a week.” He opened the door, but hesitated to depart. For a moment, Thea thought he'd say something more. Then he clamped his jaw, gave a stiff nod, and left.
The moment the door closed, the house felt empty.
She stood in the middle of the entryway, twisting her fingertips until she was certain he wouldn't return.
“I've found that chair, milady,” Ina called from the stairs. “Shall I bring your bags up for you?”
“I've got them. And please, call me Thea.” She turned to climb to the room she'd stayed in before. The room farther down the hall beckoned her, but there was no point in going to look. It was empty, and unlike her, Gaius had left nothing behind.
“If you say so,” the maid replied.
The room was just as she'd left it, save the addition of the rocking chair. She dropped her things onto the bed and contemplated the basket she'd stowed there before. She'd finally have time to fix that dress, at least. Perhaps Ina could take her scissors to be sharpened. They still rode in the sheath on her thigh, the closest thing to a weapon she'd had for the last leg of their travels.
Rather than drawing the scissors, she unfastened the sheath from her thigh. As it came away, she inspected the dirt beneath her fingernails. “Ina, do you think you could heat a bath for me?”
“Of course, milady. Thea.” The name was an afterthought, tacked on too late. Nothing out of the ordinary for her life anymore.
“Thank you,” Thea murmured, all the same. The house was gloomy and she was alone, but at least she could count on the warmth of the water to lift her spirits.
* * *
There was no hope for fixing the dress. The cut was too ragged, the bottom of the bodice too frayed. The seam would be visible and the skirt too short. Instead of trying to put the two back together, Thea settled in the rocking chair beside the hearth and finished the task of turning it into two pieces.
