Yes. That was who she was now. Or at the very least, who she wanted to be.
Keely helped her slip out of the shirt and checked that the dressings on her back were still firmly held in place by the long bandages wrapped around her torso, and then handed her the leather breeches and vest she’d worn since the night of the banquet.
The leather vest, with its laces up the front and heavy buckled belt, felt almost like armor. With the added benefit of leaving her arms bare, proudly displaying the winding green ink that she had kept hidden for so long, right up until that last hideous banquet, trying to avoid the taunts and snide remarks that always followed her.
Keely passed her a short gray cloak so that she would stay warm in the cool autumn air, and the soft leather boots she’d been lucky enough to be wearing when they rescued her, and then helped her twist her long hair into a series of slim braids, pulled away from her face like an ancient tribal gladiator.
She felt like a warrior. Stronger. More confident. For the first time in her life, she finally felt like she had a chance to become who she was meant to be.
She took a deep breath and, with Keely at her back, she stepped out of the tent into the misty, early morning sunshine.
They were in a small camp, canvas tents arrayed in a circle around a low fire where a group of well-armed men sat cooking breakfast. She glanced over their faces but didn’t recognize anyone, her heart falling as she realized that Val wasn’t there.
They were all so big and intimidating. Her pulse picked up as her mouth went dry, and she tried not to think of the last time she was in the presence of soldiers.
Bard. All her confidence flew away like a frightened bird, and she wiped her suddenly damp palms down her legs.
The movement, or perhaps she made some kind of small, helpless noise, alerted them and, as one, the unfamiliar men turned to face her. The camp sounds ground to a halt, leaving the clearing silent except for a late woodpecker drumming in the distance.
The men stared at her, their faces grim, as if she was some unattractive exhibit in a fair that they couldn’t quite drag their eyes away from despite its hideousness.
Everything in her screamed to step back into the tent where she’d felt warm and safe and, for just a moment, confident and strong. But Keely was behind her, blocking her escape. And she was so very tired of hiding.
She took a step forward, wiping her palms nervously once more, and reminded herself that these men had saved her. And, more than that, they were Val’s friends. He would never have left her with them if he didn’t trust them. She trusted Val, so she had to trust his friends too.
She let out a shaky breath and fell back on years of etiquette. “Good morning.”
No one replied.
Bard. She didn’t know what to do. Should she go forward despite being ignored? Or retreat?
A noise made her turn in time to see Nim striding out from between two tents. Within a moment, Alanna was wrapped in a warm embrace and found herself being rocked from side to side in Nim’s strong grip.
“Oh,” Nim exclaimed, “I’m so glad to see you!”
Nim’s genuine kindhearted joy brought a tight ache to her throat, and she had to swallow several times before she could reply. “I’m so glad to see you too.”
Nim leaned back to give her a quick grin and then grabbed hold of Alanna’s hand and pulled her toward an empty log near the fire.
“Gods, Alanna, we were terrified for you,” Nim said softly as they sat, her blue eyes filled with remorse. “We didn’t want to leave you. Keely wanted to go back, but I forced her to run. I’m so sorry.”
“No.” Alanna clutched Nim’s hands, ignoring the fascinated stares of the men around them. “Please, there’s nothing to forgive. I knew exactly what would happen, and I didn’t give you a choice.”
Nim squeezed her fingers, looking uncertain, and Alanna, for the first time since her nurse had left her as a little girl, reached out to hold someone other than Keely.
She wrapped her arms around Nim and whispered, “We’re both sorry. Let’s just blame Grendel and Ballanor and be done.”
Nim chuckled her agreement before releasing her so that she could introduce the men sitting nearby.
Under Nim’s direct gaze, everyone nodded and replied to her greetings politely, and the conversation slowly picked up around her once more.
Alanna sat quietly, eating her bread and ham as the banter flowed around her, trying to pace herself to not eat too quickly after days without any real food.
As a girl she had been expected to eat sparingly at the high table in her mother’s court. As Ballanor’s wife, she had eaten most of her meals alone in her room. She had never eaten a meal surrounded by friendly conversation before. It was wonderful.
She immediately recognized Captain Tristan, tall and scowling with a gleaming band of green and pewter scales around each wrist, when he joined them to sit behind Nim.
They were so close to her, close enough that she couldn’t help but see the tenderness in his eyes as he looked down at Nim, how his scowl softened and his arms closed around her protectively.
