Dark One Rising (30 page)

“If I feel your question is inappropriate, I will end the interrogation and that will be the end of my cooperation.”

“I see. Then I had better think about what to ask then.”

“Indeed.”

He rubbed a hand over his chin and made a face like he was thinking, over exaggerated, and it made her giggle. He looked over at her again and said, “Okay, what is your favorite pastime?”

“Hmm, there are so many, I don’t think I could pick just one.”

“Very well, just give me the first one that pops into your head. Then give them to me, in random order if you want.”

“Alright. I enjoy walking in the gardens. When I was very little, my mother taught me the names of all the flowers planted there. We would walk through and I would name one, lean over to sniff it, and tell her what I thought the smell reminded me of.”

“Really? Every flower?”

“Yes. I could tell you every flower that’s growing in your gardens as well. I will show you sometime if you’d like.”

“I would like that very much.”

“Hmm, what else. Okay, I also enjoy riding through the countryside, over the hills and through the fields of wild flowers. I like to ride hard, so the wind is in my face and the smells come and go so fast I can’t separate them. This is one of the reasons I wear clothes such as these. I don’t like to feel confined. I ride like the wind itself, so I can be one with it.”

“More.”

She laughed. “I enjoy swimming in the watering hole in the summer. It’s down in the far glade behind the orchard. I like to feel the sun on my face and the cool water on my skin. On a hot day, the water refreshes me, makes me feel renewed. Sometimes I watch as the loons come out to drink or take a bath. I will sit as still as a stone and peek at them from behind the reeds. They dip their heads and then lift their necks high into the sky and gargle the water, then sing their high pitched song.”

He suddenly had a vision of her swimming in the watering hole, the sun glistening off her soft pale skin, and he longed to be there too. He shook the thought away, reminding himself again that he promised Alek he would not go down that road, or anywhere near it. If she knew what he was thinking, she’d stop talking and he didn’t want that. He was enthralled with her. He watched her speak, enraptured by every word that came out of her delicate mouth. She spoke like a woman, but with a passion of a child, mesmerized by the smallest detail of life. He was excited just listening to her describing what most people would find ordinary, passionate about things that grown people have forgotten about.

She saw him staring at her, and she stopped and looked at him. “What now?”

“I don’t know. I find your excitement at the littlest detail fascinating. You speak about mundane things as if they were life altering.”

“Well.. have you ever really spent the time looking at things, experiencing things in a different way?”

“Not since I was a boy poking sticks at the pond frogs in the garden.”

“Well then how can you ever expect to feel anything passionately if you don’t see things bigger than they are? This world is very large, and everything in it has a purpose. We may not know what that purpose is but that doesn’t mean it should be brushed off as unimportant. Life needs to be experienced. You cannot sit on the sidelines and watch it all go by and then expect to feel passion for it.”

He smiled even bigger now. He was looking into her eyes, once again getting lost in the emerald green pools. She decided to turn the attention on him now. They had talked too much about her, and she was getting uncomfortable revealing too much about herself. Although he seemed genuinely interested, she refused to tell him everything just yet. He would have to earn it. She turned the conversation to him.

“May I ask you a question, Your Majesty?”

“Of course, but it’s Dain.”

“Yes, of course, Dain. You’re the king, yet you have no vassals or attendants.”

“Is there a question in there?”

“I guess the question would be why?”

“I suppose it’s because I’m an independent king.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that like you, I’m perfectly capable of dressing myself.”

“I see.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“Yes, and no.”

“It’s true. Common sense would dictate that if you are waking in the morning and need to dress for the day, it’s safe to assume it means you have somewhere to go, or something to do. If that’s true, then I prefer to get on with my day. I can dress quicker by myself. Attendants tend to get under my feet.”

“I guess I understand that.”

“They handle the household and the many visitors that seem to come and go like the ebb and flow of the ocean.” He shook his head. “There are usually so many faces in and out that I seem to forget their names and titles even though I have known many of them since childhood. Although, while you are under my roof there will be none of that. Just in case.” He paused and smiled at her. “See, you and I are not so different.”

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

M
elenthia 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.

She gave the owner the money he required and watched as he wrapped up another large doughy treat in paper and handed it to her. She put that tasty in her bag and grabbed her other one, taking a huge, unladylike bite. It was warm and chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside. It had a hint of butter flavor and was one of the best breads she had ever tasted. She had crumbs on her mouth when Dain approached her from the left. She smiled at him and he laughed when he noticed the crumbs now clinging to the front of her blouse.

“You look good in bread,” he said smiling large.

She glanced down and saw the evidence of her weakness and brushed them away.

“Yes, well..” She shrugged her shoulders and swallowed the bite in her mouth, slightly embarrassed.

“Don’t feel the need to apologize; I see that you’re content. I will make nothing more of it.”

At that, she smiled again. They strode through the market square, stopping every now and then to peruse the wares available for purchase. There was lively music today, a lute player in the center of the square playing an upbeat tune to match the upbeat people on a fine warm spring day. She moved with a small bounce in her step, casually looking over all the beautiful things the artisans had brought in for the day. She stopped in front of another cart, peering at the necklaces that were hanging from it. She moved in front of a particular one and stopped again. It was a bright silver chain with a silver heart hanging on it, and on that heart was another made from a deep red stone. She lifted it in her palm and stared at it.

Dain was behind her; she didn’t notice. He watched her as she looked at the piece, turning it around, examining it intently as a child would a new toy. He saw her face light up and her eyes sparkle. He was bemused why something so simple would avert her attention so. She looked for a few more minutes, glancing quickly at the rest of the treasures, then moved on to the next cart.

He held back for a moment or two, letting her get ahead of him, then turned to the cart owner and pointed to the necklace she had been admiring. He pulled out the amount of coins needed and paid the man.

“Do you require it wrapped up, Your Majesty?”

“That’s not necessary. I’ll keep it safe in my pocket.”

“As you wish, Sire.” The man pulled down the trinket and handed it to Dain, who quickly tucked it away in the inner pocket of his red velvet doublet. He hurriedly moved on before she noticed his absence. She had passed by the rest of the carts and was now standing in the center of the square, listening to the music from the minstrel. When he reached her side, she was tapping her foot absentmindedly. She peered at him over her shoulder. He was smiling, apparently amused with something.

“I have never seen someone take in so much with so much intensity before.”

“You’re making fun of me.”

“I would never make fun of someone who bested my Bounty Hunter with his own weapon.”

She glared at him playfully. “Now you really are making fun of me.”

He laughed heartily. “I’m simply pointing out that I find your passion for the everyday fascinating.”

“It’s a beautiful day, the music is lively, and the square is overflowing with things that sparkle and smells that tantalize the taste buds. And I’m in the company of a handsome king who has promised to look after me.”