He had gotten enjoyment from listening to her speak and watching her move, the day just slipping by. He suddenly remembered the necklace he had purchased for her and hoped that in the escapade in the creek, it hadn’t slipped out and gotten lost. He picked up his wet doublet from off the bed and reached into the inner pocket. It was still there. He pulled it out and held it up to look at it closer. In the muted candlelight of the room, the ruby was not as brilliant as it had been in the sun, but he knew that when she wore it, it would bring out the golden highlights of her hair and match her emerald green eyes perfectly. He wondered why it had had such an effect on her and promised himself that he would ask her someday about it.
He would give it to her another night, after Alek was gone. He didn’t want Alek to know about it. He could sense him watching from the corner of his eye, wondering he would bet, if Dain was going to go back on his word and try to seduce Melenthia into his bed. Or rather, when. But he made a promise and intended to keep it. This was simply a token he wanted to give her because it brought her such joy. But Alek would never see it like that. He would question his motive, so it was best if he waited until Alek was not in the castle at the time.
She was an exotic beauty, there was no question, and in his past he would have tried already to get her into his bed, but there was something stopping him. Maybe he was more mindful of what his actions might do to cause her grief, or maybe, it was all foreplay, and he was enjoying the dance too much to ruin it. Or could it be, what he really felt was attraction, and going slow to learn as much about her as he could appealed more to his newer, more respectful self? The thought intrigued him. He had made a promise to himself after Annika that he would find someone special, someone he could actually care about, but never in his wildest dreams did he think he would stick to that promise, or that there would ever be someone he could keep it for. He was a player, and the more maidens he could get to succumb to his wiles, the better. She was different though, and that made keeping the promise easier. He wouldn’t lie to himself and say that thoughts about her and him tangled up in the sheets had not crossed his mind a time or two. And he would not deny that he caught himself looking her over and daydreaming about what she looked like underneath all those layers, or what it would feel like to touch her soft creamy white skin. But acting on those fantasies was another thing entirely. He would not offend her, or do anything to make her angry, or Alek for that matter. Alek had spent so many years trying to keep his soul intact, he owed him at least that much. He exhaled a breath, feeling a heat starting to rise through him. He promised he would not act on the thoughts that occupied his mind any time she was in the room, but doing so was going to be the hardest task he’s ever had. He was used to throwing caution to the wind and taking whatever it is he wanted. But that was the old king; this was the new. Someday he hoped he’d thank himself for having a resolve of steel. He put the necklace into his chest at the end of the bed for another night, and went downstairs to dinner.
CHAPTER 19
Brogan and his party reached the dwarves village in the Danstroms two hours before sunset. The clouds were threatening rain with an electric feeling in the air that bode a big storm coming their way. Getting inside soon was imperative.
The party reached the entrance into the dwarves village of Yardan and were stopped by two guards, one on either side of the gate. One of the guards stepped forward. He was common height for a dwarf, which usually ranged from four feet ten to five foot two. His russet hair was long and braided down his back, a matching colored beard reached his chest. He carried a war axe, and his hands were large and rough. He did not smile but did not appear hostile; dwarves generally had a rugged appearance and rough countenance anyway. Most of the clans spent time underground mining the elements inside the mountains of the Danstroms; the others were ranchers and farmers.
When he reached Brogan’s side, the dwarf squinted up at him, his beady brown eyes questioning. “Who are ya’ and what are ya doin’ this far up the mountain pass?” His voice was deep and gravelly, which matched the rest of his appearance. His accent and mastery of the basic language was broken at best. This dwarf, neither miner nor farmer, had probably been picked for guard duty for a reason. Brogan wasn’t looking for hostility, so he answered plainly. “We wish to see Dagon.”
“Do he know yous was comin’?”
“No. We come on a matter of grave importance. We come on behalf of the king.”
The dwarf looked back over his shoulder to his counterpart, then smiled up at Brogan. “You don’t look much like king’s soldiers to me.”