Knox had reappeared with five mugs in hand. He set them down in the center of the table and took a seat silently beside him.
Keira sighed heavily enough that her shoulders sank beneath the weight of it, wrapping her fingers around the new mug, but not taking a drink. “What if he should?” Her words were thick and full of hurt.
Beside him, Knox took a diverting drink.
“What are you talking about?” Rhea asked. “Isn’t this the man you’ve been… mourning since you came to us?”
“Yes, but-”
“But what? What did he do?” Lilith asked with her usual vigor.
“Nothing,” Keira explained, an agitated breath leaving her. “I’m just- Everything is so different now. He’s trying to bend his whole life around me, but what if I just don’t fit in it anymore? What if I’m holding him back?” It seemed as if the ale was the only thing keeping her upright as she looked down at it miserably.
“But you want to stay with him?” Rhea probed.
“I mean, of course I want to be with him, but-”
“And he wants you to stay?” Florian added. “Is he meeting you halfway? Making things easier for you?”
“Yes,” Keira said, getting heated again. “But what if it’s not what’s best for him? What if he’s just holding onto the past and I’m letting him? If I stayed, maybe he’d be happy for a while, but then wake up one day and- What if he resents me?”
“Stop trying to run,” Knox said, his tone mild yet firm. They all looked at him, firstly in surprise that he had anything to say on the matter and then to see if he might add on to the sentiment, but he said nothing more.
“He’s right,” Lilith added finally, “if it’s what you both want. You need to trust his choices.”
“Don’t make yourself miserable because you’re afraid of a good thing,” Rhea agreed.
“Is that what I’m doing?” Keira said, looking at them all with her wide green eyes. “I’m just afraid of losing him again, aren’t I?”
Florian put his arm around her, rubbing her back.
She hung her head, pressing her fingers into her temples. “Fate’s teeth, I’ve been so stupid!” she growled.
“So go and get him!” Lilith exclaimed.
“You’re right.” Keira breathed in deeply. “You’re right,” she repeated, standing and taking a deep drink of her ale. “I’m going to go find him.”
“You might want to find something else to wear,” Florian added before she could roll out of the tavern in a righteous wave.
Keira took in her appearance. Her thick woolen coat and frayed hair, leather pants and worn in boots. She looked more ready to go trapping in the woods than enjoy the festival, especially not on the arm of the hosting lord.
“Right,” she said, reaching the same conclusion. “I can fix that.”
Caspian
Great bonfires encircled the town square, melting the snow and sending crackling embers into the air. The dancing had begun at sunset. The first were traditional folk dances. Performers moved carefully through the practiced steps. One such dance was reserved for the village children, dressed in their embroidered costumes and holly crowns. Caspian couldn’t help but smile as they embraced their parents afterward, receiving all due praise and acclaim.
As he watched the crowd, his eyes became locked with Pricilla’s. She’d clearly been watching him, but Caspian quickly looked away. It had been clear enough that she’d been hinting toward their engagement before. He’d been wrong to lead her on for so long, a mistake he would fix tomorrow. Guilt settled heavily in his stomach. He’d never meant to hurt her in all this, but he supposed he hadn’t been considering her very much at all. From the beginning, their arrangement had all been an effort to move on, to prove to himself that he could. That was clear enough to him now, though at the time it had seemed a necessary duty of his newfound station. Even so, it would have been wrong to cast her aside as soon as he’d returned, but now enough time had passed. Now he was only avoiding the consequences of his own errors. No good would come of it. They would both do better to be free of any undue expectations.
He turned in search of some more mulled wine. It was quite refreshing, moving about the people as if he were one of them. Earlier in the day, he’d been stopped almost constantly, thanked and curtsied to. Petitioners and merchants alike vied for his attention. But now that the sky was dark, and most everyone in the square had consumed at least one cup of wine, they were more captivated by the revelry about them. Caspian moved among them with a refreshing anonymity.
His glass was full once more when Caspian felt her presence. It was like a subtle scent in the air or a warm breath against his skin. He turned, unsurprised, to find Keira at his side. She was dressed in a woolen coat the color of evergreens. It was tailored perfectly to hug her figure and flare at the hips. The collar and cuffs were lined with plush brown fur. Beneath, she wore fitted leather pants and knee high boots. She’d braided her black hair into a crown around her head, ornamented with holly berries and snowflakes.
His thoughts were caught between how happy he was just to see her here at all and how magnificent she looked…
Her lips twisted into a somewhat nervous smile before her eyes turned from him to the gathering. A strange expression lingered in her eye which he could not decipher.
“You came,” Caspian said, hoping his tone better advocated for his meaning than the words alone.
