I stiffened in his embrace.His admission surprised me.
‘I know revenge won’t heal the hurt or bring back the people we love, but it doesn’t mean I don’t crave it every day my wife and child are not with me.’
He rarely spoke about them, and I wanted to soothe the pain and anger I could hear in his words.I turned in his arms and placed a kiss on his trembling lips.
We talked about it no more and drank the rest of our coffee.I protested when he moved to get out of bed.
‘Come see me tonight?’he asked, pulling on his boots.
‘Why can’t you stay?’I replied, desperate for him not to leave me alone with my dark thoughts.
‘I have to work and you need to leave this room,’ he said firmly.
I let him go only after a kiss that had us both breathing heavily.
After dressing, I left the safety of my room for the first time in almost a week.It was still early, so I headed to the barracks dining hall for the morning meal.
Amid the clinking of cutlery and chatter of hungry soldiers, Atlas and Torgrin were slumped in their chairs, not talking, just staring at their plates of untouched food.
I approached them cautiously, wondering if I would be welcome to sit at their table.I had ignored their pleas from outside my room for days, and now here I was, appearing in the dining hall to eat with them.
It was Torgrin who looked up first.He straightened quickly, and I felt his gaze roaming my face and body as if confirming that I was whole and well.
‘You’re back!’Atlas said, a grin rising on his face.
‘If that’s okay?’I asked, looking at Torgrin, who remained silent.He nodded, and I sat down next to him.Torgrin lifted his hand to signal someone, and a plate of food appeared before me.
‘Thank you.’My smile felt uncertain as I looked up to see him studying me.
‘I’m glad you’re feeling better,’ he replied, his gaze unwavering.
I ate, and Atlas talked.Torgrin even grunted and put in an occasional word.Training had been going well.The new foal was already promising to be a powerful stallion, and life at the fortress was as it had been when I left.I was sure that Torgrin and Atlas had vital work to do, yet they were suddenly interested in coming to see Webber and the young foal with me.
Webber was pleased to see us, and Meg was there, too, applying some cream to a cut on the foal’s shin.It appeared he was a spirited horse who thought he could jump gates despite having only learned to walk a few weeks ago.
‘He reminds me of you, Atlas,’ Meg said as she brushed the hay from her knees.
‘What, handsome?’he said, smirking as he leaned against the stable wall beside me.
‘No.Stupid,’ Torgrin said, deadpan, taking up the wall space on my other side.
I burst out laughing, and my reward was a flash of dimples from Torgrin and a scowl from Atlas.Torgrin had dimples?Seeing them made me stop and stare.
‘You two never change, and now you have this one joining your little trouble-seeking group.’Meg motioned to me, and Torgrin and Atlas shouldered me while I shook my head in denial.Were we a trio?‘I was referring to when Atlas was a young lad, and he gotstuck climbing a fence.I think you were trying to escape a young lady’s father?’Meg said innocently.
Webber came to lean on the rail next to his smirking wife.
‘It was herhusband,’ Torgrin replied for Atlas.
‘Atlas!’I said, shaking my head at him, trying not to laugh at his reddening face.
‘Shut up, Tor, and stop pretending you weren’t there with me, learning a thing or two from the magistrate’s wife.’He leaned over me to scowl at Torgrin.
Both?With the same woman at the same time?I found myself intrigued.Torgrin avoided the question in my eyes and cleared his throat.
‘At least I wasn’t stupid enough to get my breeches stuck on the fence,’ he smirked.
‘Yes, it was a sight!’Meg declared.‘Two sixteen-year-old boys running for their lives, and Atlas not wearing any breeches.’
