Rosemary’s hind leg lifted when Maud scratched the nape of her spotted neck, her long lips pulled into a smile with a cock of her long head. Maud giggled. That made her feel a bit better.

  Her eyes still burned from crying, but she was able to breathe through her nose again and the weight on her heart felt lifted. She pushed her hand through the strap of the brush and began running it down Rosemary’s side while keeping her other hand on that spot on her neck.

  She had tried to reason her way through it, but it all came down to her Pa. How much she missed him. How much Draka was acting as if he were taking his place already. Perhaps this is her fault, letting him take those reins and treat her like his daughter all this time, ever since he died. Even as she brushed Rosemary’s spotted coat, she shook at herself. She had tried to replace her Pa with a new one because she wasn’t ready to be without him. She needed her Pa. Her real Pa. Not an offlander who paid her the same kind of attention. And now, Maud moved to brushing Rosemary’s legs, now she doesn’t.

  “Hey you,” Karl said from behind her, leaning his shoulder against the piling of the stall opening. It was their greeting, their special way of saying hello to each other that only she and Karl did.

  Maud beamed at the sight of him. She dropped the brush and rushed to him, curling her arms around his neck as she rose onto the tips of her toes to kiss him. His armor snagged her dress at one of the old burn spots. She didn’t care. She folded herself into him. This, she thought as his hand pulled her hips against him, is what I need.

  “I’m sorry it took this long to see you,” Karl said, out of breath. “Captain had us doing drills all morning.”

  Maud flattened her feet. She didn’t unhook her arms as she looked into those deep brown eyes. “What would you do if you weren’t a soldier?”

  Karl shrugged with a smile. “I never really thought about it. Why?”

  Maud sank back from him to snatch up the brush and return to Rosemary. “You know that’s why Ma doesn’t like you. And Draka…well, he might be more swayable, but—” She turned, “Have you ever thought about what life might be like if you were just—I don’t know—a farmer?”

  Karl choked a laugh and sat on one of the stacked cubes of hay nearby. “Certainly not. That would be absurd.”

  Maud cocked her head, her eyes narrowed over a gaping mouth. “Why would that be absurd?”

  Karl cleared his throat, “Well, I mean, I’m a knight. What’s on your mind, my green eyes?”

  Maud shook her head, brushing Rosemary again. “You can’t be a knight and a farmer?” She pressed.

  “No,” Karl was laughing again. “I would never be a farmer. Could you imagine? Me? Out there with a scythe and a plow? It would be ridiculous.”

  Maud bit the side of her lip. “Ridiculous,” she repeated under her breath. Louder, “Being a farmer is ridiculous to you?”

  “Well,” Karl seemed just as humored, “Yes. Out there in the sun all day for something that only matters once, maybe twice, a year. As a knight, I protect the kingdom, a princess—” she could almost feel him reach for her and it made her wince, “and much more than that. If the farmers of Talkro are anything to go off of, I’d sooner hire myself off as a…I don’t know…a tosspot than become one of them.”

  That made Maud stop. She set the brush down beside her. Rosemary curled her head around with a flick of one ear at her in curious worry. Maud grabbed her stool and slid it so she could sit across from him. In that moment, for the first time since she had laid eyes on him, she didn’t see someone she wanted to hold or kiss or smile at. She saw someone who made her stomach churn. Her face likely made that obvious, judging by the way his eyes widened.

  “What did I say?” He stiffened. “Whatever it was, I didn’t mean—”

  “Do you even love me?” Maud leaned on her elbows toward him. “Do you have any idea who I am?”

  “Well,” Karl was adjusting the way he was sitting, adjusting his belt, adjusting the collar of his armor, trying to swallow down whatever must have put her in this mood.

  “Tell me,” Maud straightened on her stool. Rosemary blew butterflies behind her and stomped a foot, agitated that the brushing had ended. She held a finger up at the horse, keeping her eyes on Karl. “Tell me who you think I am.”

  “You’re…the daughter…” He stammered, “…of the Regent and…the King’s ward…Princess…very beautiful…a Clevlan…of a landowning family.”

  Maud’s eyes filled with tears as she turned from him, laughing and shaking her head. The more she listened, the louder the laughing became. Hysterical. Angry.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Karl leapt to his feet. “I know you like colors in everything, but your favorite is the pink of early rose blossoms. I know that you love finding rocks, smooth ones especially, but not ones that are found for you. I know you prefer your meat smoked and tender. I know that you love horses and riding. And I know that you…”

  Maud interrupted him, her laughter halted sharply, “Am the daughter of a long line of farmers.”

  “Shit,” was all Karl said before collapsing on the hay cube again. After a breath, “I never meant to…”

  “Insult my entire family?” Maud began laughing again. “I s’pose you didn’t.”

  She began rocking in her stool, brushing her hand over her mouth as she began to cackle maniacally at Karl’s stupefied expression. Finally, she was able to say through her cackles, “Get out.”

  “Look, I was just…”

  Her laughing stopped, “I said get out, Karl. You don’t want me. You want ‘the daughter of a Regent and landowning family who’s ward of the King.’ And, honestly, now that I see that, I don’t think I want you.”

  Karl bit his lower lip. “I was going to ask today, you know. I was going to ask the King for your hand. If you want me to be a farmer, I’ll be a farmer. I don’t know a thing about being one, but I can learn. If you want me to see you as…”

  “I want to believe you, I really do,” Maud shook her head at him. Her eyes were dry. “But I wonder if that part of you looking down your nose on us will ever be happy ‘slumming’ it with us.”

  “I’ll be happy with you,” Karl didn’t take a step toward her. “I’ll go ask right now. And when I come back, you can answer as your heart wishes and I will accept it. But if you say yes, I will give up my knighthood, I will give up my positions and I will…if it is what you want…become a farmer. Anything for you, because I love you.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that,” Maud rolled her eyes as she returned to brushing Rosemary. “Please, will you just go.”

  When she looked back, Karl was gone. She rested her head on Rosemary’s side. Rosemary nuzzled her ear. “I know, I know. You don’t have to say it.”

  Rosemary blew butterflies and nuzzled her again.

  “Rude,” Maud tapped her nose with a finger. “I never call you names.”

  The sound of wagon wheels on the road made Maud step back. She peered out to find Adrian and Hugo leading the wagon with a single barrel in it toward the ferry. If not for the sword belt crossing Adrian’s torso from shoulder to hip, with the tip of his sword peeking from the side of his back, the two might have coordinated their outfits like two girls going to a festival. Hide pants, cotton shirts, and boots—though Adrian’s were buckled over the laces all the way to his knee like a soldier’s and Hugo’s were the normal mud boots that everyone in Talkro always had.

  “So, Pearl is Vigora’s daughter? I thought she hated all other horses,” Hugo was saying while Adrian had the reins and was leading the horse pulling the wagon. “I can’t imagine the stitches the stallion must’ve got to accomplish that.”

  “I never asked, to be honest,” Adrian shrugged.

  Maud could see Karl was walking past them, headed for Draka’s, just as he said. Of all things to get the man to finally have courage enough to ask such a simple question, it took this. What would her answer be if Draka gave his blessing? Now, she had no idea. She knew enough about farming to know that not everyone could do it. And not everyone liked doing it.

  “Good afternoon, Ser Knight,” Adrian called to Karl as he passed them.

  “You carry that sword incorrectly. Whom does it belong? Are you delivering it?”

  Maud leaned on the piling and crossed her arms. Why would Karl ask that?

  Hugo took the reins of the horse and continued on with his head tucked. Adrian only stood in front of Karl. Karl’s sword was always belted at his hip, like Draka, but Adrian’s was on his back.

  “I carry my sword the way I feel is best,” Adrian answered. “It’s my own and you can speak to your Captain if there is any question in your mind as to whether I may carry it where I please, Ser Knight.”

  “Carry on, then,” Karl barked and continued up the hill.

  Adrian regarded him for a moment, then sprinted to catch up with Hugo, jokingly shouting, “I think you left your courage up there. I could go look for it, if you need me to.”

  “Sorry, but you understand that he’s…”

  “I know,” Adrian grabbed his shoulder and took the reins from him with a wide smile. “But when you’re with me, you needn’t worry about such things.”

  “Because you know the King, right?” Hugo raised a brow at him.

  Adrian winked, “Because I know many kings. And knights. And, namely, Captain Gerard. By the way, if you ever get into any trouble, Gerard loves roasted goose and pilaf. Add in some schnapps being served by a blonde who can sing, and the man will give you his horse.”

  Blonde who can sing? Maud wondered about that one.

  Hugo smiled, “I’ll keep that in mind.” He bowed his head to Maud as they passed her, “Princess.”

  Adrian said nothing, only watched her until he was walking backwards and Hugo swatted him to watch where he was leading the wagon. She shook her head at that. But it did make her smile.