AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I started walking down the hallway to the back stairs that led to the stables. If Alrick was really leaving, he would probably still be there waiting for his horse to get saddled. Rune caught up with me.
“Besides,” I said, descending the small stairs, “my maids don’t brush my hair. If you haven’t noticed, there isn’t much to brush anymore.”
Rune laughed—a real, deep laugh that came from his gut. It was the first time I’d ever seen real amusement on his face. It made him seem more human.
“I think the short hair suits you,” he said.
“Are you mocking me?”
“Not at all. I can’t picture you with long hair. It would get in the way when you fight your way out of trouble, using nothing but that endless will of yours and the little knife you carry.”
It was my turn to laugh. For the first time in...god, I didn’t even know how long.
“Endless will?”
Rune nodded, his dark blue eyes analyzing me. “You’ve proved them all wrong. They thought you would cry in some dark corner like a spoiled little girl when they came to take your life and kingdom. But instead, here you are. Getting rid of your enemies one by one, ending a war that kings haven’t been able to end for years, and to top everything off, you—”
His voice broke off, so I stopped to look at him. We had just stepped outside and were almost all the way down the steps into the back courtyard.
“I what, Rune? Please, finish your sentence,” I said, realizing I sounded carefree, almost like my old self. It was amazing to hear someone be so encouraging. It gave me a warm, comforting feeling. No matter what I did, I’d never felt good enough. I felt like a huge disappointment to everyone, including myself. Did he really believe everything he just said?
“Finish your sentence, Rune.” I smiled at him. But his eyes wandered above my head and to the stables. His gaze intensified, and he morphed back into the detached, cold man he was most of the time.
“I will wait here,” he said and threw the stables a curt nod. “Your lover boy is in there. Just try not to be indecent with him, will you? It’s bright daylight and someone might see you.”
Indecent with him?
Everything positive I had ever felt and thought of this man washed away like a leaf in a raging river. Who did he think he was to speak to me like this?
“How dare you!” I growled at him, taking a step away. As I did, the heel of my foot slipped off the stair I was standing on and I fell sideways onto the pebbled courtyard floor. It was a soft fall that I caught with my hands, but the throbbing feeling of little rocks burned into the inside of my left palm.
Rune was by my side in seconds, pulling me up by my waist with one arm as if I weighed no more than a feather. I was back on my feet almost as fast as I had fallen.
“Are you all right?” He grabbed my left hand and turned it palm up. I was bleeding, with a small rock stuck in my flesh. It burned.
Rune lifted my hand close to his face. “We have to get the rock out so it won’t get infected,” he said, and before I could stop him, he leaned forward and placed his mouth onto the wound.
I gasped and tried to pull away, but he held me in place.
“Stop moving,” he mumbled against my palm as his grip tightened around my wrist. “You don’t want it to get infected, believe me.”
No, I didn’t, but still!
“Please let go,” I said as I felt his soft, warm tongue run over my wound as he sucked it. My cheeks were burning.
“Almost done,” he said, looking up at me, then focusing back on the wound.
“Here,” he said, finally pulling away from my palm and spitting out a little rock onto the courtyard. “You should still get that washed and sterilized with schnaps, but the rock is out.”
I nodded, my gaze locked on the ground. “Thank you for, erm, for this.” My hand was still in his grip, which was now loose and gentle. It was true that he had insulted me only moments ago—again—and despite the peculiarity of his actions, I couldn’t help but feel taken care of. Suddenly I remembered that I hadn’t even thanked him for saving me from King Louis.
“And thank you for saving me from King Louis as well.” I raised my head to find his gaze.
“There is nothing to thank. If anything, I need to apologize. For, well, things I do wrong. I’m just not used to being around...”
“People?” My lips curled into a tender smile. It made sense. He was around soldiers most of his life, so his crude ways might not mean anything bad at all.
His stared at me as if he was reading something in my eyes. “Someone like you.”
