Snippet #2031913

Sam tried to forget where she was going, focusing on the sound of the horses galloping and the feel of Shadow's muscles moving beneath her. She could hear the air rushing past his nostrils and the sound of his heartbeat thudding beneath his skin, the labored breathing of the other horses beside her. Her father couldn't accompany her, but he sent two of his guards on the journey, all of them riding bareback through the forest on their way to the palace. There was a knot of nerves in her stomach that she was doing her best to ignore. She already missed her home, the safety of the trees and familiar smells and sounds. She hadn't even seen the emperor's face and she was expected to be his willing, potential wife.

When she listened past the horses' hooves and the noisy forest, she could hear the Empire approaching, perhaps only a few miles away now. She could hear the sound of hundreds of people, all their voices and sounds buzzing together. A drop of rain caught in Sam's eyelash and she sighed, tilting her chin up to the sky to enjoy the coolness of the rain. Her father would disapprove: arriving at the palace soaked through, but she didn't care. It would be an entrance... of kinds. Besides, she loved the rain; it sharpened the smells, thus sharpening her awareness. More over, it made her feel alive.

"Princess, your father instructed you pull your hood up if it rained," James instructed beside her, his voice breathless from riding. James was one of her father's most trusted guards. Only a few years older than her, she had practically grown up with him. Sam sighed and pulled up her hood, wishing just once her father would let her do it her own way. But her way probably wouldn't result in marrying the emperor. She hadn't decided whether she wanted to or not yet; she'd always assumed she'd get to marry for love, but that was one of the few luxuries princesses didn't necessarily get.

It didn't take long to reach the Empire and Sam's senses were overloaded: smoke, horses, food and so many smells that were foreign to her. The trouble with heightened senses was that it didn't take much to be overwhelmed. She was sure she could sit here all day and never get to smell and hear everything. They rode through the main street, heading to the palace - to her temporary prison. She wasn't used to so much noise and chaos; the animal people were quiet like the world they lived in, never rushing, but taking the world at the pace it required. James and Warren - the other guard - seemed just as overwhelmed. The palace appeared before them, heavy metal gates guarding the doors. "Hush, Shadow," Sam whispered, leaning down to her horses ear. "Steady." The animals slowed.

"We're here," James muttered, staring at the building. It was majestic. James dismounted and took Sam's hand, pressing his lips to her knuckles. Shadow fidgeted beneath her. "Good luck, my princess," he said and Sam swallowed. Earning the emperor's hand in marriage was what she came here to do: earning her kingdom's safety. She nodded at James and Warren and rode forward.