Gods above, he's a work of art, the embodiment of power. He looks like a marble statue, his skin golden as the waterline reaches his overwhelming chest. And he’s mine. I drag my thoughts out of the superficial. “I’ll come with you."
"Renna—“
I shake my head, his strong fingers massaging my scalp. "I know what I need, and lying in bed crying about Stellan isn't it. I've done that for days now and it's exhausting. If he were here he'd call me a lazy bastard and tell me to make myself useful. You have a tent down there, yes?"
"I do."
"Then if it gets too much I'll sleep in the tent. If I stay here I'll spend the rest of the day crying. I'll go down with you. But first, these strawberries need eating.”
"You're having most of them," he orders, in his usual grumpy fashion as he floats the basket on the water between us.
"Bold of you to assume I was even thinking of sharing," I mumble, around a huge mouthful. He sighs in exasperation at me and takes one out of the basket. I know he doesn't even like them really; Rexxan is a lean meat and salad person, but he's trying for me.
I smile as I eat one. It’s nostalgic of simpler times between us. The fire in his gaze as he looks back at me is enough to burn the world down twice over. "You're divine, Renna. Crafted by the gods to show the rest of us what we should be working towards."
My cheeks flush as his thumb tenderly wipes a little smudge of juice off my chin. "I love you, Rexxan."
“I love you too.”
* * *
"Don't stray farfrom me. I have guards keeping an eye on you at all times," Rex grunts, as we arrive on the chaotic riverbank two hours later. He turns my face with his hand, directing my eyes to three guards in gold armour standing atop a stack of hay bales, bows and arrows in their hands, their gazes fixed firmly on me.
"Well that's not creepy at all."
"It's necessary," he mutters. His moods switch so fast. He's in a bad mood because I won't stay at home and sleep. I put on a smile and wave at the guards, but their stony faces stay as serious as sin.
"Do you train them to be lifeless and emotionless?"
"We do, actually."
"Well we're going to change that before Onyx—“ my shoulders fall.Shit. "He's never going to live out his dream of being a guard."
"He may yet.”
"Thank you, my lady, thank you," says a mortal elderly woman, coming over to clasp my hands. I smile politely. Perhaps I should get this over with.
So I do just that. I spend the first hour accepting thanks, even though the credit belongs with Stellan, Onyx, and Rexxan's army too. My body stiffens every time I hear Stellan's name, and I spend half the time blinking back tears and avoiding questions about Onyx and Stell.
But life is yet to throw a challenge at me that I cannot conquer, and with Rexxan’s unwavering confidence in me, and my own faith in myself, I know this one will be no different.I will be alright.There are people who need me here. That must be my focus.
I roll up my sleeves, tighten my ponytail, and get to work. The first boat I haul out is a small rowboat. My fingers tie a cleat hitch knot around the makeshift dock piling, and I lift out the shell-shocked woman and her elderly father, sitting them on the riverbank with a cup of hot tea each. There's a huge queue now to be seen by a healer.
I wander a few hundred yards up the riverbank, grateful for the guards stopping me being crowded by over-friendly people who mean well. A huge black ship is mooring, most of its dark grey sails down. It's filled with women and children, and the iron figurine of a bull’s head at the bow of the ship tells me it has come from Holn and Hela's kingdom.
A huge man in a black hooded cloak climbs up the mainmast with inhuman skill, his entire body double the size of anyone else on the ship. It's nice to know Rex isn't the only freakishly-sized human out there.
I watch the hooded figure take down the final sail before plummeting ten feet to the ground and landing with ease, quick fingers tying the rope to the mast. He launches himself over the edge of the boat and lands on his boots with a loud thud into the knee-deep water below. With a grunt, he hauls the ship to a stop and ties it to the biggest dock post. He'shuge.
Giant black boots stomp towards me, and he pulls his hood back as he approaches. Objectively, this must be one of the most beautiful humans I've ever seen. Not quite Rexxan, but not far off. Strikingly pale frost-blue eyes meet mine, dark tousled hair flopping in front of his tanned and slightly tired-looking face. "I have seventy-three in need of housing," he says, his voice gravelly and deep.
He must be from the Forest Kingdom. There's just something unexplainably recognisable about these forest men.
"That's okay. We're...overrun, to say the least, but everyone will get food immediately and shelter as soon as we can provide it," I explain, calmly. "Mortals?"
"All mortals, except me," he confirms, his eyes narrowing at me, scrutinising me in every single detail the same way Rexxan does. His blue eyes have the same intimidating quality, like they're seeing your darkest secrets. "And you are?"
"Renna."
