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“I am the youngest in Meria’s history.”
He does not say it as a boast, but more just a simple fact.
“Were you begrudged over the title?”
“Perhaps by some. When my parents died, the king ordered me to be trained by a man named Albertus, who also trained his son.” He pauses, then adds, “He and Aldwine’s father served in the same company.”
“You were trained by a mercenary?”
“Aye, and one of the best. Have you heard of the Legion of Ash?”
“Of course.”
Kipp’s father was a member. As was this man, Albertus, it seems.
“Kipp says they disbanded many years ago.”
At his silence, I turn toward him. “Have they not?”
There’s a sadness in Vanni I’m not accustomed to seeing.
“Aye, they have. Some have died, others joined different companies. There are whispers of a secret order of its former members, but I’ve not seen evidence of one. After Albertus died, Matteo and I heard less and less of them.”
“You were close with Prince Matteo, then?”
“I was. I remember one day during pell training Albertus had us practicing for so long my eyes began to sting. Matteo later asked him why we’d not been given a break that day.”
His face, suddenly so unguarded, takes me aback.
“Instead of answering, Albertus continued the session, well into the night. Lanterns surrounded us, the men who held them more amused than us. It was the last time either Matteo or I asked Albertus to end a training session.”
His sad smile is so bittersweet my shoulders sag in sorrow for him.
“I am sorry, Vanni.”
Unable to bear the pain on his face, I turn back, sorry I mistreated him when we first met. Our ways are, indeed, different. His arm tightens around me as Anbarth Castle comes into view. Built by Lord Bailor’s ancestors, among the first in Murwood, it is on the opposite end of the village from Nord, just beyond the Cliffs of Murh, which we ride alongside now.
Built atop the highest cliff, encircled by a stone wall and small inner courtyard, the castle itself is eclipsed by its surroundings.
The castle stands tall before us. As a blacksmith’s daughter, I should have little cause to visit such a place. But Lord Bailor is not a typical nobleman. Most often, we do not even think of him as one at all, but as a Voyager who happens to live in a grand place.
Amma said he learned from the mistakes of his grandfather, who attempted to lead the people of Murwood, even naming himself king. For his efforts, he was pushed off the very cliff we pass now. A stone marker reminds those who pass it of Voyagers’ intolerance of being ruled by others. Bailor’s father learned the lesson well, quietly taking the inheritance of Anbarth but never attempting to extend his claim beyond its walls.
On a whim, I put my hand over Vanni’s grip on my waist. To comfort him about his loss. Or at least, that is the reason I give myself for doing it. In response, Vanni slows Dex to near stopping. And then I feel him leaning in close to my ear once again.
“I promised to give you safe escort, and will do so. Just so that we are clear, my lady, it is the only reason I haven’t kissed you yet.”
His rough knuckles shift under my fingers, but they do not push me away. If I turn my head even the slightest, his lips will touch mine.
You will not see him again after tomorrow. Tonight, maybe one other night, and then Vanni will be gone.
And yet, I’m about to turn toward him anyway when someone calls to us from behind. Vanni dismounts and holds a hand up to me. Reluctantly, I let him assist me. Feet firmly on the ground, I’m about to walk around Dex to greet the cobbler, who’s approaching us from a distance with a wide grin, when Vanni stops me.
“But I may do so yet this eve, when my escort duties are over, Lady Aedre,” he says with a wink.
