Apologizing to him removed a heavy burden she did not realize sat upon her shoulders. He has not said much, making her stomach churn to feel in the dark with his thoughts.
How much of the last several months has he blamed her actions for his misfortune? Why is the need for him to forgive her so severe?
Avina curses their strange twists of fate more and more.
I should have told him who I was three winters ago and begged him to save me from Rendel. We could have bypassed these nasty resentments.
He clears the stretch of the landslide and gently places her feet back on the dirt ground. “Alright, clumsy, let us see what awaits us next.” He smiles as he scouts the trail ahead.
“I have never been clumsy a moment in my life. You do notunderstand that a dress does not equal stability while climbing up a mountain.” She huffs.
“Stop walking.” He commands.
Avina pauses to see him approaching her with a knife he removes from his boot.
I am deadweight, but is that worth killing me over?
She flinches at his sudden approach until he crouches down. By her ankles, she can feel him tearing at her dress. The sound of his blade slicing through the lovely fabric has her shaking.
“There, how is that?”
She glances down to see the bottom of her dress coiled around her boots. “You wasted a gorgeous gown.”
But yes, this will make hiking much easier.
“When we return, I will have another crafted for you.”
Having known him so long as the beastly warrior, she often forgets he is the Prince of the Salt Province and likely has resources at his disposal similar to her own.
“That is unnecessary.” She mutters under her breath.
They continue along the trail, listening to the distant ripples of the river at their side and the wind howling over the peaks. Without the extra fabric on her lower legs, they progress significantly better than before.
And she doesn’t trip once.
Finally, the crystal clear river runs level with their path.
They are close.
Avina steals a glimpse of him and finds his eyes focused and jaw set.
“Do you ever relax, Sigvid?”
“What do you mean? I relax. I care for my farm, fight people, and drink after battles.”
Avina’s crooked smile has him scoffing. “After the Drengr rescued you from the Arena, you did not sleep for two days. Even now, you are stiff and intent.” She lays a hand on his bicep. His muscle feels like a coil ready to spring.
“I will relax when we return to Blackwood. I will drink while I take care of my farm. We must remain vigilant if we intend to find the source of this problem.”
“Drinking and drawing blood are hardly solutions. No wonder you are so reactive all of the time.”
“I know one thing I will do to relax when we get home.” He eyes her as if he wants to consume her body whole.
She shivers, wondering how much of her dark fantasies he will uncover before the Solstice.
“Hold on.” He stalks off into the woods, leaving her alone on the path.
When he stops in the underbrush, facing the trees, Avina quickly looks away as he withdraws his member. Her cheeks burn as the sound of him relieving himself is like an unexpected assault on her ears, leaving her mortified.
