Page 125 of Salt Between the Wolves

She found herself seated beside Maelin while Aldric occupied the opposite side of the table, and Leander sat further down among his own riders, making no effort whatsoever to place himself at the center of attention.

Oddly enough, that had exactly the opposite effect, and Eira found herself noticing him anyway, not because he demanded attention but because he didn't. The room seemed to move around him naturally, like water finding its course.

At one point Lyra announced that she was no longer hungry, although the declaration lasted approximately thirty seconds before Leander pointed toward her untouched plate.

"You said the same thing last winter."

Lyra froze.

"You remember that?"

"I remember your mother threatening to sell you to sailors if you refused to eat another vegetable."

Maelin nearly choked.

"I never said that."

"You absolutely did."

"I did not."

"You specifically mentioned sailors."

Across the table, Finn nodded.

"She did."

The betrayal was immediate.

"Finn."

"I'm just helping."

The room dissolved into laughter, and Eira found herself smiling despite herself while Leander accepted the chaos with the ease of someone thoroughly accustomed to it.

A little later, his attention shifted toward Finn.

"Have you finished the navigation charts?"

Finn groaned.

"No."

"You said that two months ago."

"I thought you might forget."

"I was hoping you would finish."

The boy looked personally attacked, while Leander appeared entirely untroubled by this.

Watching them, Eira slowly began to understand something: he wasn't visiting this family, he belonged here. Not in the same way Aldric did or in the same way Maelin did, yet the familiarity was undeniable. The children treated him as though he had been appearing at this table for years, and perhaps he had.

The realization left her strangely off balance. She had expected power, distance, and authority; instead, she found herself watching a man argue with a nine-year-old about unfinished work.

The evening continued as stories from the road replaced household gossip and news from nearby settlements appeared and disappeared throughout the conversation. Several names meant nothing to her, while several clearly meant something to everyone else.

Leander listened far more than he spoke, but whenever he did speak, people listened, not because they were required to but because they genuinely wanted to hear the answer. The distinction fascinated her.