But that made my heart constrict a little, remembering how terrified I was in the King’s Hall at Vauphan. I hadn’t helped the king and queen. I’d been too afraid. “Then… why was I so afraid to help initially when the mistweaver attacked Vauphan?” I asked, voice closing up, tight and high as tears came to my eyes. “I… couldn’t do anything but cower.”
“And what made you stop cowering? What made you fight?”
And my chest seized up even more at the thought. “Silence,” I could barely say his name. I may have saved him from the mistweaver, but I was the one who’d told him to run off with the news of the war with Vauphan. If I hadn’t, then he would have stayed with Amber and…
“You saved him.” Maverick’s voice was slow and sturdy, calming. I looked up through bleary eyes, trying to blink my tears away. They fled down my cheeks as I tried to get myself under control. “So, just to make sure I’m hearing this right: you didn’t want to take on one of the most powerful beings in the world at first? But then… you decided you would, to help a friend. For one friend, you’d take on a mistweaver. Legs, there is no shame in hiding or running from a superior foe. That’s what most of us sane people would do. But you didn’t want to flee with Silence, you wanted to fight to protect him… fight against that superior foe.” Maverick nodded to himself. “If I had to make a guess, I’d say that’s when your spirit-gift blossomed. Either it came to be and you had to fight, or you had to fight and forced it into being. Probably the latter.” His voice lowered a little, a conspiratorial tone. “Something tells me you won’t be hiding or running away much anymore. I don’t think you’ll be able to.” A heavy sigh… “And your gift is going to allow you to do that. It will heal you and give you strength to fight those fights.” He shook his head slowly. “And it’s only going to get stronger. Assuming you live long enough, you could become one of the most powerful True-Bonded ever.”
I didn’t feel strong right now.
Maverick rose and offered his hand to help me up. I took it and once again found myself in his arms, surrounded by his tender warmth. “Your life is probably going to be riddled with pain and loss, Legs, but it will also make you a force to be reckoned with.” I felt his heavy sigh. “Come on, let’s go in and wait for the prince to return.”
He released me and we walked together back to the house.
“So…” he said conversationally. “What do you think of the prince?”
“He seems like a kind and proper man.”
“He certainly is handsome, with those stunning blue eyes.”
“Well, yes, I suppose so.” I felt myself flush a little, remembering some of the private looks the prince had sent my way. “I certainly think—” I stopped myself, looking up at Maverick. “You think he’s handsome?”
No Legs, he was goading you on a little. He’s apparently seen the way you look at the prince.
Oh? And how do I look at the prince?
The same way he looks at you… with… interest.
I am not interested in him, I love Silence.But even as I said those words, I questioned them. I didn’t question my love for Silence, more… I questioned whether I wished to loveonlySilence. I had felt for some time that I wanted more… but I also wouldn’t threaten what I had with Silence to get it. I wanted him to want more too. I’d asked him about that, the last night we were together and he’d not been able to answer me.
The prince was handsome and did seem interested. A part of me was curious too, according to Auwei. But I wouldn’t betray Silence. I’d wait for his answer to me… and hope he wanted what I wanted.
Maverick laughed lightly, a friendly thing. “Someday you’re going to figure yourself out, and when you do… oh, watch out world.”
Figure myself out?
I suppose I was a bit tied in knots at the moment and didn’t really know what I wanted. My mind currently was comparing Prince Alvere with Silence and finding all manner of similarities and differences. They were both short, slight men, not large. The prince had a bit more of a plumpness to his face and features. Alvere had raven black hair and those piercing beryl-blue eyes, compared to Silence’s mouse brown hair and soft brown eyes. The real difference was in their demeanor. The prince was strong and commanding. Silence was growing into his power, but was still mild mannered much of the time. They could both be such good friends, I thought.
Or more…Auwei offered.
And I think I flushed again at that, as Maverick and I entered the great hall through the outside door. I couldn’t quite get the memory of my encounters with Silence out of my mind… and in my musings I kept switching out his face with the prince’s.
“Oh… my!” Amber said.
That snapped me out of my reverie.
“You are a rather exquisite shade of crimson, my dear,” she said to me. “Who are you thinking of?” And that, of course, only made me blush more.
We called for an early dinner, and I ate with my head down, hoping no one would notice my heated features. And while I ate, I thought of Maverick’s words.
… you need to help, to defend, to stand up to those who would push others around…
… You… need to be a hero…
… We know you’re going to disrupt the plans of the Nobles behind all of this. You couldn’t not do it. It’s in your blood. They’re bullies, and you’ll stop them at any cost…
… you’re going to be a handful…
… always… running toward danger, not away…
