Grabbing his cloak with his hand, he wrapped his arm around her, safely anchoring her to himself while encircling her with the extra warmth of his cloak.
After a moment, her shoulders relaxed against his touch.
His heart melted. Something told him he would be getting very little sleep if she continued to work the night shift.
Using his knees to gently urge Blossom forward, he tucked his head against the brown kerchief that covered her hair.
Chapter 9
Ashlin did not want to move a single muscle. She was surrounded by warmth and enjoying the old familiar gait of a horse.
Blossom was such a funny name for the large, powerful animal. Though he was slowly and quietly clopping his way through the streets of the town, it was clear the steed was capable of much more.
The prince had rested his cheek against the top of her head.You’re too trusting.Her stepmother’s words rang in her head. She pushed them away. Perhaps Onric hadn’t fully explained himself in the tower room earlier, but he also had not completely deceived her.
Onric.
She rolled the name through her mind. Why was he being so kind? Perhaps she was too trusting. Perhaps she should have refused his offer. Her muscles started to tense as her mind ran away with her thoughts.
“Did you keep searching for interesting treasures for my brother’s ball?” The prince’s voice was quiet, close to her ear, bringing her back to the present.
“Yes, actually.” She turned her head to the side to better direct her voice towards him. “I think I found an old tapestry.”
“Think?”
“It is still buried in a chest and probably weighs as much as Blossom, so I couldn’t quite get it out. I’m excited to see more of it, though. The bit that I could see was beautiful. Intricate stitches. Vibrant colors. And from the looks of it, it is going to be quite large.”
“Do you know much about tapestries?” His voice rumbled in her ear. He actually sounded interested.
She smiled, even though no one could see it in the darkness, and shook her head against his chest. “Not much. My father used to love them...” She trailed off, not wanting to reveal too much.
“Was he a merchant?”
In a way, that was true. She nodded. He had loved to find and purchase rare pieces of art, which was kind of what a merchant did. “Do you know about tapestries?” she said, deflecting the conversation back to him.
“A little. We did have to study all the prominent art forms. That was more of interest to my little brother Aden, though, not me.”
“What were you interested in?”
“Stories. Heroes. Tales of adventure.”
Ashlin felt an odd sensation in her chest. He spoke so quickly and confidently, as though he had no problem sharing what was important to him. She wondered what it would feel like to share her own thoughts so openly. His statement made her smile. Heroes and adventure were so straightforward but also endearing. “But tapestries do tell stories, though,” she responded.
“What do you mean?” He readjusted his arms around her as he guided Blossom onto the side street that led to her home.
“The most popular tapestries depict scenes of the sacrifices of heroes and the victories of war.”
“It seems you know more on this topic than I do.”
Her face seemed to have taken on a permanent smile. When she realized they were almost home, her smile disappeared. She tensed, twisting her body around to face him more directly. “Stop here. Please.”
“I can take you closer. Blossom is stealthy—we won’t wake anyone.”
She shook her head. The thought of being caught with the prince by her stepmother or stepsister made her stomach turn. “Please. I don’t want to risk it.”
He must have heard the urgency in her voice, for he pulled Blossom to a stop and slipped off the tall horse.
The bitter cold of the night air instantly took his place.
