NOVEL NEXT Chapter 195: Setting Off.
It was hard to say goodbye to my home… No, that’s a lie. To be honest I couldn’t leave fast enough. Airsidh and my sister Lu were both coming with me. The only thing I was really sad about was saying goodbye to my mom.
‘Mom…’ It still felt weird to say it and think of her, but the fact that I had to leave so soon after recognizing her as my mother, only made it that much more bittersweet. I would miss her, but I would be fine. After all, I wasn’t wearing black, so it was hardly one of the harder goodbyes I had given.
“You kids all ready? Hop in back and we’ll be off.”
I turned to the carriage but just before I could step away she grabbed me from behind and pulled me in close.
“Remember, if anything happens you’re brother will still be close by, so don’t be afraid to lean on him if you have to. And don’t let anyone find out about you’re magic, if someone does get suspicious, say it’s a side effect of your dragon eyes. Oh, and I packed an extra blanket for you made from dire wolf pelts.”
I was embarrassed, to say the least with how many people were around, but I couldn’t say it wasn’t appreciated. In some ways I felt as though holding a grudge against her might have been more natural, but she was so sweet and caring that it was hard to not get used to it over the past month.
She let go and slowly wrapped a pelt over my shoulders. “I know Lu can be a bit feisty but do you’re best to watch out for her like you said you would. I honestly might be more worried about her than you. She’s so reckless… I made sure you had soap and everything you need to properly take care of you’re hair. And I even–”
I turned around and squeezed her tightly, making her stop for a moment. She was so warm I almost didn’t want to let go. But it was time to leave. I think we both knew that.
“Thank’s mom. I’ll be fine, so don’t worry.”
She smiled back softly. “I left some surprises for you too, I hope you like them.”
Letting go I slowly backed away, immediately curious, and not wanting to wait to check my luggage. ‘Surprises? Like… A new sword or something?’
“Take care you three!” She shouted to all of us.
I was the only one that bothered saying anything back. “Bye, momma!” I yelled as I climbed into the carriage, closing the door.
“So it’s Moma now? You two moved fast.”
My brother's words almost felt like a pinch as they hit me, still not having realized what I said. “You don’t have to make it sound like we're dating…” I muttered, unable to hide my own embarrassment… The truth was I said it without thinking… And I really was going to miss her.
Lu growled kicking him in the shin. I almost thought I heard a crack, but he didn’t so much as move a muscle.
I slouched down in the carriage chair. “So, how long is this trip anyway?”
Airsidh lounged back as well. “three days, give or take.”
“three days!? Then why did we have to leave so early in the morning?” I groaned, wanting to go back to bed, all of the excitement instantly vanishing. “Lu, Come here, you’re the best pillow.”
She let out an embarrassed groan, refusing to move.
I let out a groan of my own, continuing to mess with her. “I’m only tired because you decided to get up so early, it’s only fair.”
“I got up at a normal time, you’re just lazy.”
“I know I’m lazy but getting up before sunrise isn’t normal, it’s torture… You owe me sleep for leaving early.”
She groaned again. “Why couldn’t you have just used your own pillow?”
I looked over to the side. “Mom stole it in her sleep…”
We both looked out the window, watching the castle slowly grow farther away. “So… this is all mom's fault.” We muttered together before both turned our eyes back at each other at the same time, starting to giggle as we said the same thing.
“When did you two get so close?” Airsidh asked raising an eyebrow.
I wasn’t exactly sure how to answer, or if we even had, but after watching Lu jab him in the side, I suddenly no longer felt like I needed to. “It’s a secret…” She grumbled.
“Gonna be a long trip…” He sighed, looking like he either wanted to end it all, or literally get out and walk the rest of the way. I was thinking about making a joke about it, but knowing him he might have very well done it and showed up a month late just because he felt like it.
Lu kicked him again. ‘What’s got her so pissed off?’ “You too having a fight or something?”
He laughed. “Don’t make it sound like we're dating.” He said back jokingly.
“That wasn’t funny…”
He rolled his eyes, taking another kick to the shin in the same place, gazing out the window.
“Doesn’t that hurt?”
“Not really, you get used to it.”
Lu growled… kicking him again, harder...
“Why do you keep hitting him?”
She flinched, almost like she thought she was invisible but quickly recovered. “If I can’t hurt him by hitting him directly, then I have to just hit the same exact spot every time, and eventually it will build up right?”
‘Not what I asked… Geez…’ “What if you actually did hurt him though, and he split in two like that rock wall you smashed to pieces?”
Her eyes suddenly widened with horror. “Th-there’s no way. That wouldn’t happen right?”
Without looking he moved a hand over to her head and rubbed it, messing up her hair. Meanwhile, she just sat there and took it, making a face like a disgruntled porcupine. “Dick…” She muttered.
“Uh uh uh. Watch your language. Your words should be as cute as your outfit.” He said back. It was almost hard to believe he managed to get through that sentence with a straight face, only letting his grin slip out at the end.
She just growled, starting to throw punches, each one being caught perfectly in his palm until she finally gave up. Not that she was trying all that hard to begin with.
‘What was that about this being a long trip…?’
After a bit of cooling off, Lu finally spoke again. “Hey Siya… I don’t actually look weird, do I? It’s my first time wearing a dress… And I feel kinda awkward…”
I looked back over to her. ‘It’s amazing how precious and cute she can be with so much muscle…’ “He might have only been teasing you but he was right, you do look cute.” I let out a sigh as I sat up straight and looked down at my own. “I know how you feel… I don’t think I’ve ever missed wearing pants this much.”
She suddenly turned bright red, but kept her cool like a pro, letting out a soft grunt and pretending she wasn’t embarrassed by my compliment. “I’d rather look tough. I feel naked in this thing.”
I chuckled timidly. ‘It’s hard to look tough when you puff out your cheeks like that.’ I was feeling the exact same though. Even in my past life, I could never get over the idea of not wearing pants… The difference between us though… Was that I was far too embarrassed to say I felt naked in front of a guy… Much less the added awkwardness of that guy being our brother…
I let out another sigh, tilting my head. ‘Well, at least we look cute.’ Our mom really leaned into the whole twins thing and gave us the same outfit. For the hair though she gave me a white ornament, and Lu an orange one, each matching the other's hair color.
The dresses were in our family colors, which just so happened to match as well. Although… For the record, our family colors were orange, white, RED, and dark blue.
Our dresses both had a touch of dark blue for accents, while the main pattern was white and orange, but as far as Mara was concerned pink was the same as red… So all the fancy designs on the white cloth were a girly coral pink, and the orange fabric faded into the same color towards the ends.
Don’t get me wrong it was super cute, and blended perfectly in between orange and white, especially on Lu. Pink just wasn’t really my color though. I'd rather have the blue where the pink was and a bright deep red where the blue was. ‘Well, whatever, it’s cute either way. It’s not like it kills me to look girly. Although…’ “I kind of wish they at least covered our shoulders…” I muttered, only feeling more uncomfortable after we started talking about it, but finding myself as unable as ever to keep my mouth shut despite that.
While it was true it didn’t kill me, I couldn’t get over the awkward feeling I had, especially in the chest. The top was made with stiffened leather that was wrapped tightly around the waist and the collar, with only soft cotton loosely covering the bust. For me at least, that was the real reason I felt half-naked.
The skirt portion was long and pleated in a tartan pattern and had leather plates carefully placed throughout for protection. It was basically armor… Although it certainly felt less protective than what I had worn before.
Lu casually laid down, stretching her feet across the bench and over Airsidh’s lap. “I think when we stop I’m going to put some pants on.” She groaned.
‘Does she have any self-awareness? I mean, the dress is long enough it’s not a problem, but still… Although, laying down doesn’t sound like a bad idea. It’s supposed to be several days ride. Let's just hope we stay out of trouble on the way there.’