As much as I appreciate her hospitality, there’s another reason I’d like to help her. “The thing is,” I begin. “I’m not… very skilled at cooking and such. And I was hoping you might be able to teach me?”
I move to her side. “Auren is the one who has been doing the cooking while we’ve been traveling,” I explain. “He does a wonderful job, but I’d like to learn too.”
She gives me a look I cannot quite decipher before she reluctantly nods. “Of—of course.” She clears her throat. “What is it that you’d like to learn?”
I look down at the ingredients laid out on the counter. Some of them are familiar, but some are not. “Could you tell me what these are?” I point to a purple vegetable. “And those?” I point toanother. Before she can answer, I add, “And then perhaps how best to combine these things into something edible so I don’t accidentally poison myself and my husband?”
She laughs and so do I before she nods. “Alright.”
After we chop up some meat and vegetables for a stew, she shows me how to make bread. My arms ache a bit from all the kneading, but I find it oddly satisfying to make my own meal from scratch.
“How do you know how to do all of this?” I ask, amazed at how quickly she got everything done.
“My family owns a bakery in Elyrith,” she says. “I work there with my sister and her mate when Dain is stationed there with the king.” She smiles. “Auren told me you like lemon cakes.”
I nod. Warmth fills me as I recall how he surprised me with one the first night we camped.
“My sister has a good recipe for lemon cake,” she continues. “I could teach you how to make it when we get to the capital.”
“That would be lovely.” I grin. “Thank you.”
While we’re waiting for the bread to finish baking, we have a cup of tea as we sit before the fire. Lyrea tells me about how she and Dain have known Auren and his brother—Tarin—since they were all children. Her mother was head cook for the castle and Dain’s father was a guard for the previous king.
We laugh as she tells me a story about how they all got in trouble once for trying to bake a cake in the castle kitchens and made a huge mess.
“Do you know the current king well?” I ask.
She sputters into her cup and then quickly clears her throat before she nods.
Worry skitters up my spine. Perhaps he’s not a good person and it makes her nervous to even speak of him. “Can you… tell me about him?” I ask carefully. “Is he a fair and just ruler?”
Auren said the king was interested in me at the ball, but I never met him. I’ve no idea what sort of man he is, and part of me worries he might be angry that I wed one of his soldiers instead of him.
But surely my husband asked permission of his Lord before taking a wife. And certainly, before staying behind so we could travel together to his kingdom.
She looks down at her hands. “He is… a good king,” she replies. “He takes care of his people and is beloved by all.”
Now, I’m truly worried because she looks even more nervous. “Please, Lyrea.” I reach across and take her hand. “Tell me the truth. I would know what sort of king my husband serves.”
“It’s true.” Her eyes meet mine evenly, and something about the way she says it tells me she isn’t lying. “He’s a wonderful king. He takes care of and protects his people and our borders. That’s why he spends half his time here at Caer Aetheryn. To help defend our lands from the Ogres. He’s also doubled the number of warriors who guard the wall around the town.”
A shiver runs down my spine at the very thought of such beasts, but I push down my worry and change the subject, asking her more about the village and the capital city beneath the mountain.
As we talk, I think of the future. It truly is lovely here. Everything seems so peaceful. The quiet crackle of the hearth, the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven, the low murmur of village life drifting through the open window.
I could be happy here.
The realization startles me so much I smile to myself. My father and brother would be shocked if they knew how in love I am with my husband and how much I relish the idea of a quiet life with him in a small cottage like this… gathered around a warm hearth in the evenings, the sound of laughter filling the rooms.
My gaze drifts toward the doorway as I think again of Auren. In my mind, I see a child with dark hair and bright blue eyes like his father. The image is so vivid it steals my breath.
I don’t even realize I’m smiling until Lyrea’s voice draws me back from my thoughts. “You look happy,” she says.
“I am.” The words leave my mouth without hesitation because it’s true. I’ve never been happier. I didn’t know love could be this wonderful.
The door opens then, and Dain and Auren walk in.
For a moment, the world narrows to the sight of him, with his broad shoulders, and his wind-tousled, short dark hair. He truly is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.
