Leola blushed and turned her eyes away each time a group would look at them. A strange mix of pride at being on Sedrak’s arm and pity for herself at what the future held lingered. She tried not to fixate on it.
“There’s a spring in your step today, my lord,” one of the men cried out, raising his mug to toast the king.
Sedrak flashed a wicked grin. “Mind your business, Zalor. There are latrines to be cleaned back home if you don’t.”
Zalor made a show of bowing before Sedrak, sweeping an arm out widely to one side. “Yes, my lord. Forgive me.” His eyes traveled over Leola’s body, and he winked at her.
Leola turned her face and fixed her eyes rigidly on the distant trees.
Sedrak did not seem to have seen this, and he looked down at Leola and patted her hand on his arm. “Feeling better? You looked a little pale in there. Was Dorva too eager with her grooming?”
“No, Master,” Leola said.
Sedrak pulled her to one side, nearly knocking her off balance. A glance at the ground revealed the reason: a muddy brown puddle in their way. He gripped her tightly and led her through the snow around it.
They walked down the snaking road into the valley, passing half-drunk revelers and merchants selling meat and sweets.
Leola marveled at the cheerful people. They must have crossed the border some time ago, as she had never been to this village.
Sedrak paused at one of the merchants’ stalls, eying the offerings.
The seller bowed his head.
“Maple sugar candy?” Sedrak asked.
“It is, my lord,” the man answered.
“One for the lady,” Sedrak said.
Leola blushed, eyelashes fluttering at being called a lady by her captor. How differently he was behaving than when she’d first met him. Despite her promise to herself she couldn’t resist stealing glances at him out of the corner of her eye.
The merchant scooped up a hard candy with a wooden spoon and held it out for Leola to take.
Still blushing, she took the candy and held it, waiting for Sedrak to pay.
Sedrak held out a coin for the seller.
“Thank you, my lord. But consider it a gift from me along with wishes for a fine day for you and… your companion.”
Sedrak smiled at the man’s generosity but let the coin fall with a clatter on his table. “And to you as well,” he said, taking Leola by the arm and leading her away. After they’d walked a few steps he turned to regard her. “I meant for that to sweeten your mouth and not melt in your hand,” he said.
Nodding, Leola popped the candy past her lips and onto her tongue. She sighed at the delicious sweet maple taste that spread through her mouth as the candy melted. She let herself be led down the small hill and toward the village with its cluster of houses.
All around them soldiers mingled with the townsfolk. They bowed to Sedrak as he passed them, Sedrak greeting them in turn with a quip about the weather or a joke that set them laughing.
Leola couldn’t help but notice once again how different he was than the man she’d met just a few days ago. Here, back in his lands, he seemed a changed man; relaxed and friendly, with a lightness to his step she hadn’t seen earlier.
As they passed through the village the visiting soldiers and inhabitants of the small town eyed them with curiosity. While she was used to being the object of attention, something about being with Sedrak filled her with a certain pride. And try as she might to cling to the memory of her conversation with Dorva, the sunny weather, the revelry around her, and the way Sedrak kept a hand over hers conspired to soften her mood.
By the time they’d passed through the village and were headed down toward the stream in the small valley beyond, her spirits had lifted enough that she even smiled at what a pleasant day it was turning out to be.
“That’s more like it,” Sedrak said next to her.
She turned her eyes up to see him watching her, a half-smile having formed on his mouth. “More like what, Master?” she asked.
“Your mood in the tent seemed sour. It is far more pleasant to see you smiling. It brings me pleasure.”
She blushed and looked away, not wanting to admit to herself or to him that the stroll he’d brought her on was pleasing her as well.
“What did Dorva say that saddened you?” Sedrak asked, squeezing her hand with his.
She turned her eyes toward the ground and shook her head. “Forgive me, Master. All of this is new to me. It might take time to adjust.”
“Did you not enjoy yourself last evening?”
Her face again heated at the memory of what they’d done or, rather, what had been done to her. She felt the first shadow of that relentless ache form in her core. “I did, Master,” she whispered.
“Then surely your mood has changed because of Dorva, something she said?” he prodded.
She could feel his penetrating gaze bearing down on her. She liked Dorva, and did not want to betray her trust, even by repeating the story that she had told her to hush. She thought of making something up, then thought better of it. His perception was such that he would surely know if she was lying. The last thing she wanted was to risk a punishment out here where everyone would see. It occurred to her to twist the truth a little. Give him some excuse that might be plausible. That, too, seemed unwise. “I do not wish to make trouble, Master,” she finally whispered.
He stopped and turned to face her, his eyes dark and still. “Then do as I ask and tell me what troubles you,” he said.
Feeling like a cornered animal she knew she had no choice but to obey. Her eyes darted side to side, not wanting to meet
