She decided to be bold, just to see what his answer would be. “Does that mean there won’t be any women coming and going either?” She did not look at him but instead played with the tassels on her saddle.
He looked at her and laughed out loud, obviously amused by her forwardness. “Would that please you?”
She was a bit too quick to answer. “I don’t care how you choose to spend your time, but women are not above suspicion you know.” Now she was looking at him.
“I suppose not. Most of the women I know are grand schemers. I suppose it would be quite easy to see some of them as untrustworthy, or maybe even dangerous if the reward was right. So I guess the answer to that would be no, there won’t be.”
“It’s not my place to tell you how to run your household, Dain.”
“No, but one can always accept other opinions on certain matters. I may be the king, but I don’t claim to know all the answers.”
They were quiet for a few minutes then he said, “I really am intrigued about your advanced swordsman training. I must confess, I’m impressed. Kevaan really did teach you well.”
“Yes, well your man Alek is lucky he still has all his limbs. If I hadn’t hit my head on a rock when I jumped into the river, I wouldn’t have been so woozy. After relieving him of his sword, I dropped it. He only prevailed because I blacked out.”
“You mean to tell me that you jumped off the cliff into the river, hit your head on a rock and still managed to get to shore safely. Then you found your way into his camp, in the dark, and managed to get his sword from him?”
“Yes, like I said. I had it but I got a terrible wave of dizziness and dropped it. That was the last thing I remember before I passed out.”
All was quiet for a moment, then the king, with all the exuberance in his demeanor, burst out in boisterous laughter. He didn’t know that Alek hadn’t tried to stop her, so to his ears it was extremely funny.
“No wonder he was foul tempered when he arrived. I would be quite dismayed if not only did my subject of tracking evade me several times, but managed to relinquish my sword and threaten me with it. I can only imagine how bruised his ego was.”
“Well, men need to be knocked down a notch from time to time. I would bet I could take you on.”
He looked over at her and grinned from ear to ear. “Is that a challenge, My Lady?”
“Perhaps.”
He looked at her longer, a wry smile on his face, his blue eyes dazzling in the late morning sun. She held his gaze a bit longer, then looked away. She changed the subject. “Why do you find me so fascinating anyway? I’m merely an odd girl who feels lost in the real world.”
He seemed genuinely taken aback by that. “I don’t think you’re odd. You may not do things as others feel you should, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. I think it just makes you unique.”
She glanced over at him again. He seemed very kind, but she was also wary as well. She knew how men thought. She knew that they could be completely charming while they were getting close to you, then, once you were smitten, they turned. Smitten? Ech, how could she even use that word? She did not swoon for men of nobility, no matter who they were, or what their station. Being a king just made him more dangerous. She certainly didn’t want to blow him off, but she needed to be careful not to let herself be swayed by his charm either.
“I appreciate you saying so, Dain, but one opinion among many doesn’t really count.”
“But it’s the opinion of the king.”
“Yes well, the only king that matters is the one that sold my soul. You can’t get me out of that.”
“I can try.” He smiled kindly.
They rode on in silence, glancing at one another periodically, never letting the other know they were looking. The cool spring breeze blew her hair, and she inhaled the deep smells of flora and the pine of the trees that lined the road. Winter was still hanging over Aaralyn; she wondered if the dark and bitterness would reach this far. She hoped they could stop things before that happened. She enjoyed the warmer weather too much.
They neared the city gates. She could see the guards filing out of the guard towers and standing erect, pikes held straight, awaiting the passing of their king. They bowed to Dain when he passed through, and Dain nodded to them as he went under the archway.
CHAPTER 18
Melenthia stood in front of the baker’s wagon and inhaled deeply the aromatic smells of the freshly baked goods. She was always hard pressed to make a decision where food was concerned. She loved to eat. She could never choose between tempting items, deciding rather to take both choices and take the chance of regretting it later. She had always been able to eat what she wanted without the effects of it on her figure, but she doubted that even if they did, she’d still choose to indulge. Bread and baked items were her favorites. She could pass up anything sweet if there were a choice between that and something warm and fluffy in front of her. She wondered if the king would see her as a glutton if she walked away from the cart with a handful of something just out of the oven.