Malak bowed to his king and went to round up the horses, who wandered a bit too far while unattended. She finished pulling up her second boot, just as he was pulling up his. She stood, brushed herself off and readjusted her wet blouse which had come untucked during play.
Malak brought the horses to them, and Dain offered to lift her into the saddle. She put her foot in the stirrup and lifted herself up quickly and skillfully. He opened his saddle pack and pulled out a light woolen cloak, handing it up to her.
“Here, put this on. I would hate for you to catch the sniffles from being too cold and wet. Alek would have my head for allowing you to catch fever.”
“I’m fine.”
“Well since it is I that takes the risk of getting an earful, I insist.”
“Very well.” She threw it over her shoulders and tied the strings at her neck. “Feel better now?”
“Yes, that’ll do.” He nodded his head and got onto his own mount.
The sun was setting now, the orange and reds streaking across the sky, the wan twilight starting to cast shadows on the thick stand of trees. They started on their way again, this time, his men riding in front to watch the road ahead.
They were quiet for a few minutes then she asked, “What’s the story between the two of you?”
“Alek and I?”
“Yes.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “He worked for my father before he died. Alek’s father worked for him before that. He was the Captain of the Guard for many years. He died from the infection of a severed limb after battle. Alek was only a few years older than I was, and I was still a boy. When Alek was old enough, my father put him into his ranks. Alek was too restless there. He instead chose the life of a Bounty Hunter. Not a glamorous life by any means, but he was good at it and loved doing it. I think being cooped up in the castle made him crazy. It was peaceful then, no battles to wage. He liked riding across the kingdom much more. I didn’t see much of him after he took that job on, but we somehow managed to stay friends. When my father passed away, Alek felt it was his job to keep me out of trouble. With little success of course. He continued to be in my service. I can only imagine what I’ve put him through all these years. He and Emerick are my only real friends.”
“I guess I know what it feels like to be restless. That’s the reason I do the things I do. I hate being locked away. I need freedom to fill my soul. Kevaan is my closest friend, except for Lucan who works in the stables. If it weren’t for him, I would never know anything that goes on. Being a woman, the affairs of state, or anything else, are not my concern. I would always be in the dark if I didn’t have him to whisper with.”
“So what it comes down to is that you and I are two lonely people who seek reckless enjoyment to feel alive. In two totally different ways of course.”
“Yes, I guess you could say that.”
“Well perhaps, you and I can be friends after all.”
“I’m beginning to believe we will be, Dain.”
He said nothing else the rest of the ride, and she asked nothing. The sun was just below the horizon when they arrived back at the castle. They dismounted in the bailey, two stable boys coming out to relive them of their tired mounts. They were just heading into the keep when Alek met them on the stairs. He looked at him, then at her, and frowned.
“Where have you been? It’s getting late. I was concerned.”
“We spent the afternoon in town and got a little sidetracked on the road,” Dain said, brushing back a loose piece of still damp hair away from his face.
“Did you fall into the river?”
He smiled. “No. We cooled off for a bit in the creek while the horses drank, and we got a bit carried away.”
“You went for a swim in the creek? Together?”
She blushed at the implication. Dain defended himself. “Only with our lower extremities, Alek. Don’t worry, I was a perfect gentleman. If you want to point fingers at impropriety though, you can point them at the lady. She started it.”
“I was simply instructing your king on how to let down his hair and forget his station for just a moment.”
“He doesn’t need instructions on that. He’s figured that out on his own,” Alek chided her.
“Relax, Alek. You’re too uptight.”
Alek tossed her a look, then looked back at his liege. “Could we talk for a moment, Your Majesty? In private.”
Dain glanced at her, and she curtsied. “If you’ll excuse me, Your Majesty. I will go and dry off and dress for dinner.” She then looked at Alek and nodded. “Alekzand’r.” She went up the steps into the keep, and Alek and Dain held back for a moment or two.