Page 58 of Songs and Spun Gold
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The streets were dark as Axel and Otto made their way back to the castle an hour later. The street lamps were lit, but not many people were out. A sliver of moon hung in the sky and helped the street lamps in their work, but Axel could not properly appreciate the atmosphere with his current companion.
Glancing at his guard, he noticed that the man appeared less focused than usual for their walks through the city. Between the lack of light and Otto’s concern over the stranger, he would have expected his guard to be on high alert.
“Something bothering you?” he asked lightly.
He was surprised to notice a slight start in reaction to his comment. “Why do you ask, Your Highness?” Otto warilyreplied.
Letting his eyes drift to the other side of the road, Axel casually shrugged. “You appear to lack your normal all-seeing observational powers this fine evening,” he replied.
The guard sighed, closed his eyes briefly, and opened his mouth before closing it again. Axel raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. At last, Otto admitted, “I was wondering how your potential bride is getting along.”
“My what? Ah, yes, I recall Bertram mentioning that you went to visit her yesterday.” He put on a teasing air. “Quite thoughtful of you to see to her comfort for me. Unless you are attempting to steal her from under my nose?”
Otto shook his head, one side of his mouth pulling up in a begrudging smile. “No, Your Highness, nothing like that. I was simply concerned about her and wanted to ensure she was all right.”
“It is very kind of you, Otto, to attend to the well-being of strangers.”
“She’s from my hometown,” the guard quietly said.
Axel’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Then you know her?” A grin spread across his face. “I do hope you are not about to tell me that my father has managed to bring your sweetheart to the castle with the intention of placing her in my arms instead of yours.”
The guard gave him a wry grin. “I already told you that wasn’t the case. Besides, I’ve been living in the capital for six years, Your Highness. Do you really think if I’d had a girl at home that she would still be my girl?”
“Hmm, I suppose that’s true,” Axel mused, tapping a finger against his chin. “You would have either married her by now, or she would have sent you packing for not having done so.”
Otto chuckled. “Just so, Your Highness.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me about her?” Axel prodded. “As yet, I know nothing about her except that she is from a small village and that her father owes mine a great debt.”
For some reason, his guard hesitated. Did he not know how to describe her, or was he deciding which bits would be of greatest interest to his prince?
Or did he not want to tell him about her?
“She has a lot of spirit, and she hates dishonesty,” he finally answered.
“She does not sound too terrible at this point,” Axel murmured. His eyes lost focus as his thoughts wandered.
“What about Heidi?” his guard slowly asked.
“What about her?” Axel responded, surprised. Then he remembered his earlier conversation with Otto. A heavy weight settled around his shoulders. “Much as I would like to have her as part of my future, I am afraid that I must bring myself to accept—” He stopped to fight down an unexpected swell of emotion. Once he was certain that he had himself under control, he continued, “Considering both of our situations, I believe that she is not an option for my future, and I must resign myself to this truth.”
They walked in silence after that. Axel couldn’t decide if his guard was pleased or displeased by his response. Otto pursed his lips, and his jaw pushed out a little, but his eyes began roving the street ahead of them again.
They had reentered the castle grounds and were about to part ways when Otto finally spoke again. “You never know what tomorrow might bring, Your Highness,” he said quietly, staring at an upper floor of the castle. Then he walked off toward the barracks, leaving Axel standing with his head slightly tilted, watching him go and wondering what that comment was supposed to mean.
CHAPTER 15
Katy
Katy didn’t know when the sun had set. Nervous about that night and distressed by her meeting with Gunther, she had only managed a light doze after returning from the theater. She had been disoriented when a troop of servants brought in bales of straw and stacked them along the far side of the room. Having nothing else to do, she sat down at the spinning wheel and began to work.
It was much harder to work the straw than the wool or flax. She’d had to knock at the door to request a pitcher of water and a bowl so that she could soak it and soften it first. It was slow progress, and the yarn – if one could call it that – wrapping around the bobbin was made of normal, ordinary straw.
She wished she knew how much time had passed, but at the same time, she didn’t. It would do her no good to worry about whether or not he was coming. Either he would come, or he wouldn’t; that was all there was to it.
Her first bobbin was about halfway full when the pale golden straw wrapping around it began to change to a brighter, shining gold that reflected the light of the candle nearby. At the same time, Katy’s scalp began to prickle, and the shorter hairs around her face began to lift in response to the thick feeling in the air.
