The journey to Lurris took us through two regions - one where Orira was - Martusia and the other, Alaresia where Lurris was located. Over the week after my run-in with the DragonHeir, my time was occupied by several tedious little things ranging from arranging for my clothes, listing out items needed from Damaran, taking care of my sister's 'amenities', and more. My brain wrung with boredom, as Mother plowed me through the tasks at an unbearably glacial pace.

Even on the day I was to leave, Mother handed me a folded sheet of paper bearing a list of names and ordered me to handwrite thank you letters to each of them once I had reached the estate. What had I to thank acquaintances I had barely interacted with? I rolled my eyes as I slid it into my folder. And she enveloped me in a hug.

"We will miss you dears," she said.

It was still early in the morning. The air was packed with dew and the clouds were strangely tense with clouds. I had one of my old shawls wrapped around my neck to keep off the chill. My father stood at a distance, closer to the door, and remained standing there. We had barely spoken since the incident, and it would appear that we would barely speak henceforth.

"Me too, mama," Orsha said, sniffing and blinking back tears.

As promised, Remonn was already waiting with the two carriages that had stopped by our house. Once he saw us, he sent his staff, to collect our bags and made his way to us. Today, he was dressed in a beautifully cut navy blue suit. He nodded at me, shook my sister's hand, and made his way to my father. I looked away and caught the eye of the staff member, or, carriage boy, who I had seen holding Remonn's shopping bags at the club - Hughbarrow's.

"Excuse me," I said.

"Is there anything else you'd like us to carry, Your Grace?" he asked bowing courteously.

"I have a few questions," I said, and my mother made a disapproving noise. "About Lurris. What may I call you?"

"My name is Grego Guherson. At your service. However, I must tell you that I am born and brought up in Orira. I was hired for the Duke's entourage just for these few months."

"So you wouldn't know anything about Lurris?"

"I'm afraid not, Your Grace. The Duke has separate staff for his mansion in Orira and separate staff for Lurris."

Before I could say anything, he bowed and swiftly picked up my sister's bag to hike it up the carriages. I shuffled in my shawl and turned to see Remonn on his way toward me.

"Are you excited?" He smiled.

"Of course," I said.

I hadn't had the chance to talk to him since I ran into the DragonHeir, and I had had no chance to look over whatever agreements my father had agreed to. I was hoping he would allow me to make some modifications should the need arise.

"We can leave, whenever you're ready. The saldamoors are energetic today."

He was referring to the creatures his carriages were attached to. They were bigger than his elegant black horses, with four limbs strapped in muscle and a long sinewy neck decked with white spots. Although their fur resembled that of deer - brown, golden, and grey with white spots, saldamoors were far more powerful, with less of the grace and more of the raw power.

"I thought owning saldamoors was an army thing," Orsha said staring at them.

"As a Duke, he does lead an army." I quipped.

"Really?" she turned to him.

"Yes. The position of Duke comes with a certain military power. Saldamoors are heavily used in our armies for their durability and speed." He said.

"How long will it take us to reach Lurris?" I asked.

"It should take us about two days if we don't run into any delays," he said.

Mother hugged me one last time, and I politely shook my father's hand before we boarded the carriage. Assuring us that he had some business to care for, Remonn took a carriage, leaving my sister and me to share one. we settled into our seats comfortably, and just as the day grew warmer, we set out.

There were specific places where we would be making a stop to have our food and rest as needed. The nights would be spent at a few inns, with my sister and I sharing a room, and Remonn having his by himself.

Despite a pleasant sort of awkwardness, our first day of travel went quite smoothly. We covered a good deal of distance. Despite their appearance, saldamoors were incredibly friendly creatures that kept Orsha in great spirits. We stopped by the Green Stones Inn for our dinner and night. After having had just sandwiches for lunch, the three of us were quite famished, and the owner of the establishment was quite adept at making his famous mushroom stew and rice.

As we had dinner, I posed my questions to Remonn.

"Will I be allowed to have a look at the terms you and Father agreed to?"

"Of course," he said downing a spoonful heartily, "But he has signed to the terms."

"I can't make changes if I need to?" I asked.

"I am afraid not."

Later that night as my sister and I were about to withdraw to our room, Remonn stopped me in our hallway. He set his candlestick aside and waved a sheaf of papers into my arms.

"The terms?" I asked.

"Yes. Although, I don't believe you would want to change anything. Your father does have your best interests at heart."

"Is that so?" My mouth felt dry.

"Yes, and believe me, I would know."

I didn't ask him what he meant. I spent some of my night and most the ride next day reading through the papers. It took me an unbelieveable amount of time, mostly because I was so new to the complicated and technical language. Although as I read through pages feeling sick in the carriage, I somewhat understood what Remonn meant when he said that my father did have my best interests at heart.

There would be a sizeable pension allotted to me should we choose to break off the engagement and my sister would be well taken care of.

"Look!" My sister pointed.

And I looked.

Standing against the backdrop of a terribly grey afternoon sky, a grand mansion stretched across the plains in the old fashioned 'U' style, dotted with trees and wildreness that stretched behind it before cascading into the hills.

Lurris.