Chapter 798 A Reward
Getting ready for their trip, Bella had a wide smile on her face as she stared up at Amon attempting to get on his horse. Having worn her riding outfit, she was more than happy to take her husband's hand as he helped her up and allowed her to sit in front of him.
"There," Amon smiled as he wrapped his arms around her to hold onto the horse's reins. "Now, you just have to hang on and hope for good weather."
"Amon, I don't care if it rains or snows," she chuckled at him as she leaned on his strong chest. "So long as I'm with you, there's nothing that would stop me from being by your side."
While she kind of felt bad not riding in the carriage specifically brought along for her, Bella wouldn't trade where she was now even for the comfort of being able to sit properly and stretch her legs. No, she was on this journey to be with Amon, and sitting alone in the carriage would defeat that purpose.
'Not to mention, it'd be lonely being there all by myself,' she thought to herself as she stared at the road ahead. 'It's not like it won't be here when we need it though. If need be, we can ride in the carriage if it ever rains or if the weather is too uncooperative.'
[Isn't that exactly why it's better for you two to stay inside the carriage instead?] Poona teased her. [In addition, you two would have the privacy of being alone in a place that people wouldn't be able to see through, so you two can do the deed nonstop without anyone even noticing.]
Bella blushed at her inner wolf's suggestions. While it was true that they could do exactly that, they were also still currently in the Capital City of Helion, and Amon told her that Helonians would usually gather by the side of the road to give respects to their king whenever they were going somewhere.
Knowing that it would just be rude to be alone in the carriage. And that was on top of her just saying to him that she wanted their people to know who she was.
[Or maybe you just want to be with him,] her inner wolf further teased her.
[Of course, I do,] she scoffed back. [Also, this wasn't my idea anyway.]
Ignoring her wolf's constant teasing, Bella decided to focus instead on actually being a queen as their caravan began to move forward. Leaving the castle, they began to pass through the streets of the Helionian capital, all while their people greeted them with a shout of adoration and a curt bow as they went past them.
"Long live the King and Queen!"
"Long live the King and Queen!"
"Long live the King and Queen!"
With each chant, the more Bella kept her bright and wide smile open for any and all that wished to see them. She waved at them from their horse, all while Amon did the same as they made sure that they gave their citizens the best that they could give them.
Eventually, however, their caravan left the city's boundaries, and all of the people that were once greeting them eventually went back to their usual routines. To her surprise, she actually felt tired just from that, even though she was sure that she didn't even do much.
"Are you alright, Bella?" Amon quickly asked her, having seemingly noticed her sudden fatigue.
"I'm alright," she quickly reassured him with a smile. "I was just… I didn't think just greeting people would be tiring."
"It does need a bit of getting used to. My cheeks can get a bit sore from smiling every once in a while too," Amon chuckled as he comforted her. "Though I didn't expect you to get this tired. After all, you're always smiling whenever I see you."
Bella blushed at that. "That's because it's you that you're seeing me," she retorted. "Of course, I'd smile if I saw you smiling back at me."
"Fair enough," Amon smiled back, a faint blush adorning his face. "Anyway, since we're out of the capital, perhaps we can move back to the carriage now so that you can sit somewhere comfortable."
Bella almost opened her mouth to protest, but she quickly stopped herself from doing so as she nodded. "That would be nice."
Momentarily stopping the caravan, Amon went down their horse first, allowing him to escort her down before promptly leading her to their carriage. Allowing her to enter first, she quickly sat down on the comfortable seating just as Amon moved to sit beside her. From there, her husband gave out the signal to continue moving, allowing them to relax into each other's arms the moment the carriage doors were closed.
"We're finally alone," Bella hummed as she snuggled up to Amon's strong arms. "It's nice just being like this with you."
"I feel the same way, Bella," Amon hummed back as he wrapped her in his arms. "However, we're not here to just enjoy each other's presence. By your own words, this is still work."
Bella sheepishly smiled as she quickly composed herself at those words. She did say that just to have him take her with him on his trip, so she should probably start familiarizing herself with everything that she might encounter on their journey. Still…
"You're right, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy each other's company while doing so," Bella chuckled as she casually leaned further into his embrace. "I know I have a lot to learn, so can you teach me while we're like this?"
Amon chuckled at her antics even as he tightened his embrace around her. "Very well, Bella. As you might already know, we're currently on our way south near the border to get rid of the monsters there. Well, that was the original plan, anyway," he slightly scoffed as he gently stroked her hair. "With your addition to the group along with your suggestions, the trip turned into a welfare visit to some of the villages along the way as well."
Bella nodded in understanding. After all, Helion was still recovering from its previous war. Aside from the capital and a few other areas spared from the ravages of war, the rest of the kingdom was practically blasted back into the stone age in terms of economy and industry.
"As you might expect, famine is currently raging in the far flung reaches of the kingdom," Amon continued. "The south is no different, and the villages here are in dire need of help in the form of supplies, manpower, and new infrastructure to get them all back on their feet."
"Oh, so that's why we have a lot of food with us right now," Bella quickly noted. "I had a feeling those were a lot more than what we and the soldiers need for this journey."
"That's right," Amon hummed in approval of her understanding. "There are a few villages that we'll pass through on our way to the border. We'll be seeing to them ourselves for a bit to give them some food and whatever assistance we can give them before going on our path to the battlefield."
"And right by the last village we visit, that's where you'll leave me while you do your business killing monsters, right?" Bella finished for him.
"That's the plan," he nodded. "You'll be in charge of overseeing the inevitable deluge of refugees that will stream to that area once the fighting starts. You'll give them directions on where to stay and keep them safe while I clean things up."
Bella nodded in determination. It was another thing that popped up in their minds once it was decided that she was going to come with him to the battlefield. While there were monsters out there, that didn't mean that there were no civilians living by the outskirts of the potential battlefield. There would be forced evacuations while the fighting took place, and her presence made for a good beacon for their people who would undoubtedly be scared and confused while their king rid their lands of the monsters that made them miserable in the first place.
"I'll do my best to coordinate the efforts," Bella firmly declared. "I'll have my own set of guards to keep the village safe, right?"
"Of course," Amon scoffed as he stated the obvious. "I'll never leave you undefended, even if the place that you'll be staying was all but guaranteed to be safe."
She smiled as she took in a deep breath before allowing herself to sink into his arms once more. She always appreciated a good plan, but she appreciated her husband's thoughtfulness a lot more.
"Thank you, Amon," she beamed at him as she turned to kiss him. "And after you're done killing all of the monsters, maybe you get to have a reward from me."
"I'll be looking forward to it, my sweet vixen," he chuckled as he kissed her back.
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