Chapter 121: Goodbye

It was still very early over Fillipo. The horizon was a light golden color while mist floated just above the cobblestone streets outside the northern gate. Osbel, Mirabelle, a few guards and some servants were clustered by one carriage and a wagon piled up with vegetables and traveling provisions.

Diana slowly untangled herself from Osbel's embrace. Tears pooled in her eyes. "I'll miss you. So much."

"Only a season, maybe even less," Osbel whispered, his voice breaking. His hands rested on her shoulders for an extra moment before he pulled away. "It will pass by faster than you can imagine."

"It will not feel that way," Diana choked out.

"You will write to us. Every ten days. It doesn't matter how short it is, just something."

"I will. I promise."

Osbel turned from her and caught Hakimi's eye a few steps behind by the door of the carriage. "Don't you need some more men to protect you on the road? I can give you two guards easily."

"It won't be necessary." Hakimi gave a single shake of his head.

"You understand what I'm actually asking you." Osbel clenched his jaw. "I am not asking about bandits on the road."

"I know precisely what you are asking me," Hakimi looked straight into his eyes. "I will take care of all of it."

Osbel looked at him for some time, some uncertainty remaining in his eyes regardless of his reply. He nodded slowly, almost to himself. "See to it that you do. I am entrusting you with more than her life this time."

"I know."

Mirabelle stepped up next and hugged Diana close to her, her voice breaking apart. "Take care of yourself outside. Eat well. Let no one work you too much, whatever they may say about capital etiquette."

"I will be fine, Mother." Diana squeezed her even harder.

"You better believe that." Mirabelle pulled back just far enough to make eye contact, holding her cheeks between her palms. "Now listen to me, Diana, if anything is not right at all, you send word straight away. Do you promise?"

"I promise."

The two little boys who were playing around her skirts from each side of her, the younger one being barely two and carrying a little wooden horse in one hand, the other boy was closer to four and was looking at everything with huge serious eyes, as if he knew too much about all of this.

"Say goodbye to your sister, Nicolas." Mirabelle guided him with her elbow.

"Bye bye, Diana." Nicolas blurted it quickly, staring at the same time at the real horses that were connected to the carriage.

"Bye bye." Martin said it without understanding anything, swinging his wooden horse instead of waving his hand.

Diana squatted in front of them and kissed their foreheads, staying there for a moment more than she intended to. "Behave yourselves until I come back. Both of you."

"I always behave." Nicolas said with full conviction.

A little watery chuckle escaped Diana despite herself and she stood upright again, brushing tears from her eyes.

"You'll come back for the winter festival, right?" Mirabelle still kept her hand firmly around Diana's wrist, unwilling to release it.

"I'll try." Diana looked at Hakimi. "I promise I'll try, Mother."

"That's all any of us can really ask, I suppose." Osbel's tone changed, now gruff as he held her one last time, longer than he had before, like he was committing its feel to memory. "Stay safe, Diana. Please be safe."

"I will, Father." Diana's voice cracked on his shoulder this time.

The carriage driver coughed gently from his spot behind them, an unspoken reminder that the morning traffic would not remain empty on the road for long.

Diana took a step back, wiped off her tears, and stepped inside the carriage, seating herself and taking one last look at her parents from the open doorway. Barbra came next, giving a respectful bow to her family members and stepping inside. Hakimi remained for a little while more, staring into Osbel's eyes and giving him one last nod before stepping inside himself.

The driver cracked the whip. The carriage jolted into motion, its wheels rolling heavily on the stones and moving on out the gates and down the road, leaving Fillipo in their wake.

The journey proceeded smoothly, passing through the open grassland as the road gradually turned towards the Saynok river. It was only then that the footman allowed his eyes to lazily wander around the area and came upon two figures standing by the side of the road ahead, occupying the center part of the road. He narrowed his eyes, deliberating whether or not to ride past the figures when one of them moved closer to their path, arms crossed in defiance.

Frowning, he addressed. "My lady, there appears to be a problem ahead of us. Two men standing in our path."

"Stop the carriage." The voice of Diana sounded from within, firm and decisive. "They're old acquaintances."

The footman yanked the reins, halting the horses a short distance away from Felix who gave him a smug smirk before stepping around the carriage, hands casually stuffed into his pockets.

Diana exited next, followed by Barbra and Hakimi, with a small smile pulling at her mouth even before she got there. She approached rapidly and threw herself in a hug around Felix. "Never got a chance to thank you properly for what you've done."

"It was my pleasure, considering the fact that it repaid me my old debt, but the thanks are welcome nevertheless." He smiled back, patting her gently on her back once. "But why are you going to the capital suddenly?"

"Well, I don't exactly know." Diana's smile softened slightly. "Father said it was an order from the crown, no other information given."

"Interesting." He scratched the back of his head. "Actually, you're the third group of people I know who are heading to the capital."

"Oh, who are the other two?"

"One of my friends and my brother."

"You have a brother?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "What is his name? I may meet him in the capital."

"Anthony." Felix said his name hesitantly, almost uncomfortably. "Honestly, I wouldn't advise you to get too cozy with him. On the other hand, they might get along well, him and Hakimi. They both appear to be lacking a bit upstairs."

Diana pinched her lips together tightly, keeping in a laugh as she glanced sideways at Hakimi, who had walked away from them several steps already to talk quietly with Dune.