Page 88 of Alliance Bride
She had just reached the part where Joseph forgave his brothers when the muted sound of hooves drew everyone’s attention. A moment later, Aevar rode through the open doors. He came straight toward the raised platform where the women sat, causing Alvir to squeal and babble in delight.
Inga arched a brow. “Aevar, what are you doing bringing that beast into my hall?”
“I came to ask if Eadlyn wants to ride with me.” His attention landed on her with a boyish grin.
Eadlyn broke into a smile as well. “I would.”
He tipped his head. “I have Hiroc waiting outside.”
She shared an amused look with Inga and Ranvi and set her spindle aside to follow Aevar. Out in the sun-drenched yard, she spotted one of the stable thralls holding Hiroc by the reins. He was already saddled and pawed at the dirt in impatience. After giving him a pat on the neck, she mounted, the saddle creaking under her and warmed by the sun.
Moving up alongside Aevar, they rode through the village, following the same path they’d taken when she had first arrived. As they reached the outskirts and turned toward the forest, she glanced back, gripping the reins more tightly.
“Are you sure it’s safe to leave the village?”
Aevar’s sword and seax hung from his belt, their presence both comforting and ominous. What if raiders were still nearby?
But he sat easily in the saddle, his posture relaxed. “It’s been a month since the attack. We’ve doubled our patrols, but none of them have found any sign of raiders. By now, King Drocca should have received Fathir’s message. I don’t believe there is any danger of another attack.” He shifted to face her. “Besides, I’ve learned that if we let fear dictate how we live, it’s not really living.”
She couldn’t hold back a smile.
They rode on, the trail winding upward through the hills, toward the plateau above the village. As they crested the rise, Eadlyn’s breath caught, just like on the very first day. But now, this place was not foreign. It was hers. The fjord shimmered below with the mountains towering behind it like guardians. The green of summer painted everything with life, and the breeze touched her skin like a blessing. She closed her eyes and offered thanks for the mercies God had showered on her these past months.
Then she looked over at Aevar, and her heart filled to bursting. He sat watching her take it in before motioning for her to follow.
“Come. There’s more to see.”
They turned from the overlook, following an unseen trail that wound higher into the mountains. The trees thickened around them, towering pines whose needles seemed to brush the sky. Soon the forest opened again, and they entered a hidden meadow.
Flowers blanketed the ground in every shade of gold, violet, and white. Bees hummed nearby. Higher up the slope, mountain sheep picked their way along narrow outcroppings and bounded from rock to rock. On a plateau across the valley, a brown bear ambled through the grass, massive and calm and entirelydisinterested in them. Everything breathed with life, untamed and vibrant.
They rode together in comfortable silence, the meadow giving way to a shaded path that wound down the mountainside again. Aevar led the way, the trail dappled with sunlight and shadow. Eadlyn breathed in the sweetness of pine and wildflowers. None of the rides she had taken in Essix had ever soothed her soul quite like this.
As they passed beneath a stand of ancient firs, the sound of flowing water caught her attention, soft at first, but growing steadily louder. The trees opened, revealing a hollow wrapped in green. A narrow waterfall spilled over mossy rocks into a crystal-clear pool, the water catching slants of sunlight and scattering golden mist into the air. Willow branches trailed like curtains across the banks, and the whole place exuded peace.
Eadlyn drew a soft breath. “It’s beautiful.”
Aevar slid off his horse in one effortless motion. “I thought you’d like it.”
He tugged his belt free and slung it over the saddle.
She narrowed her eyes in playful suspicion. “What are you doing?”
“Going swimming,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. His hands were already at his tunic.
“What about your wound?”
He shrugged one shoulder, the fabric slipping away to reveal the noticeable line of pink, puckered skin that curved along his ribs and would turn into a scar. “It’s nearly healed. It’ll be fine. Come on.”
Eadlyn eyed the calm, inviting water but wasn’t fooled. “I don’t know how to swim, remember?”
“That’s why I’m going to teach you.”
She hesitated. The only experience she had in water was when Brother Winstan had baptized her in the river outside Kenwich. There it had been shallow enough to stand. Here, the thought of the pool rising over her head left an unpleasant swell of apprehension.
Aevar walked over to Hiroc and rested his hand on her knee. “You live beside the water now. You should know how. You never know when it might save your life.”
His hand was warm through the fabric of her dress, and so were his eyes. Firm but not forceful.
