She whispered something before turning away with a slight blush. Her guard was fast on the job, moving between her and the small crowd of boys. Each of them took a cautious step back, then another as Caen stared them down. The old man with four guns really did a number on their confidence.
“That over there looks like the blacksmith’s place. I’ve got to head there for a bit. You watch over Aria. Stay here.” Caen pointed at her as I nodded.
I was in no position to argue with a man who had more guns than the entire town. Aria made a playful pouting expression as he walked off to the blacksmiths. The crowd moved aside for the beast of a man as he gave Aria a shrug. She shot back a sly grin.
“Do we just wait here?” I asked.
Aria perked up and her small following advanced to get a good listen. “Caen wants the two of us to remain here. Else he gets all spooked and goes looking for me, and you don’t want that.”
She was right. I did not want any kind of trouble with her bodyguard. I also heard the boys whispering among themselves, with lots of nodding. They liked her voice. Of course they liked her voice.
“So you get to keep me company! I get so bored with only Caen around.” She gave an excited clap of her hands while I forced a smile. Don’t get me wrong, I was ecstatic. I was just worried that I wouldn’t make for good company, or accidentally blurt out that I had fallen for her eyes.
The two of us made our way to the church steps, waiting for the grouchy old man to finish his shopping trip. Aria was softly humming something, her hands behind her back and without a worry in the world. I was right by her side, occasionally glaring at the village brats. I counted three, no, four hiding by the building beside us.
“So, where are the two of you going?” I pondered out loud, trying to get a conversation started as she stopped humming. Shame. I was really liking it. She casually twirled a white strand of hair, thinking on the question far longer than one ought to.
“Hmm. We’re heading to the capital. I’ve got relatives to visit there,” she finally replied.
I raised my eyebrows. Going there at this time of year would mean being stuck there over the winter. We were taking the same trip in a few weeks, weather permitting, but I’ve never heard of nobility locking themselves out of their lands for a whole winter.
“But you’ll be stuck over there for the entire winter. Isn’t that a problem?” I pointed out before my eyes lit up. “Wait, you’re not one of those weird religious church people, are you?” I pointed out remembering one couple making trips this late. The grand cathedral was in Mithil, and apparently it was most beautiful in winter.
Aria gave me another shy glance from her beautiful silver eyes. Now that I was a bit closer, there were indeed little twinkling stars dancing about. Little motes of light that shimmered as she spoke.
“I don’t think so?” She looked confused. Great. I lost her.
She thought for a moment, her fingers on her chin. “You were talking about the pilgrims to the Alabaster Church, right?”
“Yeah, had a couple of folks every season take the trip. Something special happening there during the winter solstice. Or that’s what they tell me, at least.” Even as I was talking, her joyous energy seemed to die down.
It didn’t do anything to quiet my suspicions, but I couldn’t think of another reason a noble would attempt to traverse the Central Tangle. Our group of villages and towns weren’t exactly the easiest to travel, often requiring guides and bodyguards.
“You’re going to be in the capital for quite the while,” I added, hoping to deter her from making a dangerous and risky journey only to be stranded in Mithil. Instead she seemed genuinely excited, having recovered all her joy from before.
“Yep! That’s my hope!”
I wondered what was going through her mind. Before I had a chance to ask, her guard returned. It didn’t look like he bought anything, though his guns looked a little cleaner than before. His eyes darted in my direction as I moved away from Aria. I’d seen poleaxes stab softer than that man’s stare.
“We’re heading back,” he announced and Aria gave an angry pout. Uh oh.
“Already! I’ve been waiting for all of my life and what do you want me to do? Wait more? It’s not even sunset!” Aria crossed her arms and huffed in his direction. Caen paused, unsure of what to say. I was equally taken aback. It shook the image of a sweet little cupcake I had of her, for the bitterness of her voice had crackled like a whip.
“What do you want to do?” he began as I raised a tentative finger. Caen was still scary, but I figured it was better to offer a resolution than to see the two of them scrapping.
“Well, we have an archery range here, if you want to learn?” I pointed out, obtaining a delighted grin from Aria and a death glare from her guardian.
“Yes! Charlotte, you’ve got to show me. You can come along too, Caen.” Her smile returned like a snap, even as Caen looked like he was regretting me already.
“I have things to prepare. Go have your fun.” The old man walked off with a dismissive hand wave.
Aria’s smile wasn’t dampened by him at all, instead widening with an adventurous zeal that even I envied.
“Yay!” She gave a happy little clap. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to handle her, but the two of us headed off, the gang of admirers not far behind.
Our little range was devoid of people, though spare arrows were littered about from the festival. The town was large enough that we had our own fund for communal bows, arrows, and repairs. Firearms were far too expensive and clunky for us, so bows were the next best thing. I stood Aria by the closest target so that she didn’t feel discouraged.
“Here, take these.” I untied and handed her my leather arm guards. She gave them a glance, before giving me a look of genuine confusion.
“Why…do I need these?”
I was shocked. Has she never fired a bow before?
I glanced at her puzzled expression, then at my longbow in her hands while I was trying to find the words. She’d never used a bow! Never!
“Okay, so when you fire a bow, sometimes your form isn’t perfect,” I began to explain as her gaze fixed on me, “then the string snaps back you get terrible bow whiplash. You’re a beginner, so it’s a good idea for that not to happen to you.” She gave a vigorous nod as I finished, her keen eyes soaking every detail.
“Right, okay!”
Her changes in expression were always so sudden. One moment she was standing perfectly still, listening to me talk. Then the next moment she was all ready to do things with youthful energy. I was too used to people being one way or the other, but not both.
Instead of putting them on, she rolled up both her sleeves and held out her arms. At first, I was confused about why she wasn’t taking my vambraces out of my hands. She waved her little fingers forward, signaling to me something I had clearly missed. Then it snapped into place. She wanted me to fasten them for her. So much for not being like the other nobles.
I sighed as I fit my arm guards over her delicate skin. As beautiful as she looked, I was constantly reminded that I was beneath her, even if she meant well.
“All right, princess,” I joked as I touched her skin. It was cold, smooth, and soft. Cold. I stepped back in surprise, but she placed an ungloved hand on mine to stop me. Even her hand was cold.
“Your skin…” I began as she let out a nervous chuckle.
