I held up my hands and shook my head. “Oh, there’s no need for you to feed us.”
She grasped my arm and gently guided me to the silverware set out on a small table in the kitchen. “But I insist, and my husband is already asking yours to come to breakfast.”
And so we had a warm and friendly breakfast, and had our fill of pancakes, sausages, and even some of the eggs I had helped collect. The sun had risen by the time we stepped out onto the porch. Niveus impatiently waited nearby, his saddle on his back and his mouth still full of fresh hay.
Cassian shook the man’s hand. “Thank you for your kindness.”
“Thank you for the help,” the farmer countered as he nodded at the barn. “I needed a second pair of strong hands to fix some of those stalls, and you came just in time.”
“The pleasure was all mine.”
The wife caught my attention as she held out a small towel. “And here you go. A few of the biscuits from this morning that you helped make.”
I accepted the package and hugged them against my chest. “Thank you so very much.”
We bid our farewells and walked down the road with Niveus sauntering beside us. The sun warmed our faces, and the music of the birds eased our hearts. Other farmers were out in their fields and barnyards, plying their trade with various degrees of enthusiasm. Horses whinnied at Niveus, and sheep baa’ed at us.
In such an idyllic place, it was hard to imagine any threat like the nethral ever existed.
Cassian leaned forward and looked me over. I drew away from him and frowned. “What is it?”
“You have something on your cheek.” Cassian reached out and brushed his thumb against my face, and came away with a faint whitish powder. He studied his white digit for a moment before he laughed. “Flour.”
I snorted. “I’m not very good at mixing that stuff. It always goes everywhere.”
He nodded down at my little bundle. “The results revealed your efforts. They were delicious.”
“And you?” I wondered as I nudged his arm with my elbow. “What do you think?”
He blinked at me. “What do you mean?”
“How’s it feel to get out and help your subjects?”
A crooked smile slipped onto his lips. “It feels quite invigorating.”
“You should do it more often, right?”
“I should. That is, if my company is as agreeable as what I have now.”
That got me thinking about the future, and my heart fell. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “I don’t really know what I’m going to do once we get to the capital.”
“Then it’s decided.”
I blinked at him. “What is?”
“You will remain in the palace until you decide what you wish to do with yourself.”
I snorted. “I don’t remember agreeing to that.”
His voice took on an airy, wispy tone. “You wished it in a dream.”
“I don’t think that was my dream.”
“Then I made a kingly decision.”
