Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ARLEN
We camped in a forest for several days while waiting for a response from the clan leaders in Al Nuzem.
It wasn’t as awful as I would have thought, roughing it like we’d been.
Spending each night cuddled in Tyos’s arms kept me warm, and we snuck off more than a few times for secret trysts that thrilled me and brought me so much pleasure, it was a wonder I hadn’t passed out yet.
It was a good thing Tyos always thought to cover my mouth with his hand or muffle me with a kiss because my ability to keep my hand on my mouth to muffle myself got worse each time he brought me more pleasure than the day before.
During the day, Simon begrudgingly gave a few small lessons on the barbarian language so we could start learning on our own.
Tyos was eager to teach me, touching things and quizzing me on their words in his tongue, but less so when I turned it around on him and started pushing him to practice his common tongue more.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to learn. He was just really bad at it.
“It not be cold, nice weather yes.”
“That’s…” not entirely incorrect, but not what he intended either. “A good attempt,” I finished lamely. “I believe you meant to say, it’s not cold and the weather is nice.”
“Not cold, weather is nice, yes,” he agreed while bobbing his head.
My lips twitched in an attempt to hide my smile.
I didn’t want him to think I was making fun of him, but I heard several people around me trying to hide snickers behind their hands or coughing to mask it.
I pursed my lips to keep my face straight, blinking rapidly in surprise when Tyos took the expression as an invitation and smacked a kiss on my lips.
“Oh! Um… Thank you?”
I didn’t know how to react when he did that.
When we were alone together it was easier, but surrounded by people made me freeze.
I still wasn’t used to the idea of males together being accepted.
He flashed me a grin in response to my awkwardness, giving my knee a supportive squeeze before jerking his chin at me to urge me to ask another question.
We were sitting cross legged near the fire, practicing our language skills, while the others in the camp rested or conversed with each other.
A few barbarians were sparring with each other, which was fascinating to watch, and I was more than a little curious to see Tyos spar.
I was going to ask him a question about sparring just because I was curious when I noticed a shadow out of the corner of my eye.
It wasn’t overly late, the sun had just set recently, but the fading light left me questioning things, and when I turned to look, my heart stuttered in my chest.
The shadow looked like a figure. A big one.
What were the chances the knights found us, and our company hadn’t even noticed?
Tyos must’ve noticed the way I froze, staring wide eyed at the forest behind him.
He didn’t hesitate or ask questions, just stood slowly and pulled out his sword.
I sat frozen, watching him as he moved like the wind, swinging his sword exactly where the shadow resided before I even realized he’d moved.
The clang of metal on metal made me flinch and scramble to my feet, but before I could completely freak out, Tyos pushed the shadowy figure away with a scowl.
He muttered something in his language, sliding his sword away, and the figure did the same, allowing Tyos to pull him in for a back slapping hug.
“Why the hell are you creeping around over there?” Simon shouted with a scowl of his own. “You’re lucky it was Tyos who noticed you first and not me, or you’d have a blade in your belly for sneaking up on us.”
Relief flooded me as I realized whoever it was must be a friend.
The rest of the company seemed to relax once they noticed who it was, and Uttin went to greet the man with a firm clasp of their forearms and a smile.
My breath left me in a rush, and I slumped in on myself a little, willing my heart rate to settle.
When Tyos came to find me, his smile was understanding, and he took my hands, squeezing them gently.
“It is safe. It is only Garrun.”
“Why is he staying in the shadows?” Melanie queried from her place by the fire.
Not everyone sat around it, some had gone back to the wagons to rest, but there were a fair few of us sitting outside.
It was a good thing the visitor was friend, not foe, because I didn’t realize until this moment how easy it would be to take us off guard.
Most of us weren’t trained to protect ourselves like the barbarians were.
Tyos hesitated, glancing over his shoulder and grimacing. His brother, Dras was the one who answered for him. “He isn’t comfortable around new arrivals. He prefers to scout and guard over joining the group.”
A shy barbarian? I didn’t think such a thing existed. Even Matthew’s husband, Einar, while not sociable by any means, wasn’t shy when he decided to speak.
Less than an hour later, more barbarians streamed into our little camp through the trees.
Just like when the first one arrived, I froze when I saw the shadows in the darkness, then silently berated myself when they turned out to be friends.
Even if they weren’t, I hated my response.
Freezing in fear would get me killed if I wasn’t careful.
The only time I ever didn’t freeze was when I was escaping home.
“What is wrong?” Tyos asked, tipping his head at me.
There were a few sentences and questions he knew off hand without stumbling over his words, things he’d picked up during his time as guard during tribute retrieval.
It made me smile knowing the things he’d been determined to learn were all things to make a tribute more comfortable after being put in his care.
“Nothing,” I answered quickly. Maybe a little too quickly because his brows lifted and he gave me a look like he didn’t quite believe me.
Luckily for me, he got called away to join the huddle the barbarians were having, likely discussing what would happen next.
I was curious what the plan was, but it didn’t feel like my place to join in on the discussion.
I moved instead to sit by the fire next to Melanie’s husband, Bram.
He poked at the fire with a long stick, his expression neutral.
He was a quiet one, a blacksmith from what Melanie had told me, and almost as big as the barbarians in size.
I wasn’t intimidated by him, though. Melanie trusted him enough to share her secret and kept his in return, marrying each other to spare themselves the discomfort of being forced to marry the opposite sex and all the expectations that came with it.
He was a good man in my books. He didn't have to do that for her. As a man, especially a bigger man with fists the size of boulders, he didn't have to marry if he didn’t want to. Anyone who wanted to push the issue likely wouldn’t have survived it.
“Do… Do you look forward to life in the desert? Do you think it’ll be hard to smith when it’s already so hot outside?”
He didn’t look away from the flames, and I wondered if perhaps he wasn’t social, like the barbarian from before, but eventually he answered me, his deep voice low and quiet. “Don’t know. Never been outside my town.”
I grimaced. The man had a point.
“Don’t think it’ll be different. Hot is hot,” he added with a shrug.
Melanie sat down next to her husband, smirking at him.
“As always, you’re as eloquent as a rock wall sometimes, Bram.
” She turned to me, her smile rueful. “Don’t mind him.
He’s not mean, just quiet. It’s nice after a long day, but frustrating when I’m trying to get him to decide what he wants for dinner. ”
A flash of a smile flickered across Bram’s face, and when he looked at his friend, his expression was affectionate.
They weren’t compatible, but it was obvious they loved each other like only best friends could.
He took her teasing in stride, returning his attention to poking at the fire while Melanie spoke to me.
“You’ve gotten cozy with Tyos. Am I hearing wedding bells in the future?”
A deep flush overtook my face, and I glanced hurriedly in Tyos’s direction to ensure he wasn’t close enough to overhear. He was deep in discussion with the other barbarians, though, and didn’t notice a thing, thank the gods.
“I– We–” I stammered, unsure how to answer her.
I liked Tyos, wanted to spend more time with him, but marriage?
It was too soon to think along those lines.
It had honestly been such a foreign concept to ever get married in the first place, I wasn’t sure how to wrap my head around the fact that I could if I wanted to.
With these barbarians, at least, same sex couples were accepted.
That much was obvious whenever Simon or Zakai were around their men.
Snickering, Melanie reached across Bram to pat my knee. “Relax. I’m just joking. It’s only been a few days. But you look happy. After how pale and frightened you were when you first showed up, I’m glad you’re smiling more now.”
I gave her an appreciative smile, sneaking another glance at Tyos.
I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to marry someone like him.
I’d never be cold at night, that was for sure.
But feeling safe every day, knowing he was there to protect me and care for me?
The idea was heady and made me a little dizzy.
I wanted that. More than anything, I wanted that.
To love and be loved, to have the same kind of life many of the people in town had with their spouses and their families.
But I never asked Tyos what he wanted. He seemed to be enjoying spending time with me but that didn't mean he wanted commitment.
What were the chances he was just enjoying our time together and once we reached Al Nuzem, he would move on to someone else.
The thought didn’t hit right. I’d spent days with Tyos already.
The idea of him just using me didn’t fit the man I knew.
But… Did I really know him all that well?
There was the language barrier, plus the cultural divide to consider.
How much did I really know about him? And why did I think it was enough to truly judge him as a person?