Chapter 15
Fifteen
AMbrOSE
I was grateful someone was willing to translate for us.
It seemed to make a difference. Godr no longer looked like someone had kicked him in the chest, and he didn’t stare at the ground in shame like he had been.
He spoke for a while with the man translating for us, who I believed was the clan leader.
Their expressions were serious, and I hoped that didn’t mean anything bad.
A familiar face ducked into the tent while they were still discussing things.
He wasn’t the barbarian who’d picked me up from my home town, but he was part of the caravan who brought us here.
They’d all gathered in one area and travelled here together, probably for safety.
He was also the one who introduced me to Godr. He was a no-nonsense kind of guy, his expression serious every time I’d observed him, but not unkind.
I’d seen him during the journey checking in on the other tributes and bringing them blankets to stay warm.
He obviously cared about their well-being.
He did a little bow with a fist across his chest and said something in the barbarian language, and the clan leader gestured for him to join us at the table. He sat, listening for a moment before turning to me.
“I am Uttin, the clan second. I heard there was a misunderstanding. As you belong with the Ilvos clan, this worries me. They could start a war if they feel their tribute has been mistreated. Would you prefer a different protector? I can take over your care so that you feel safe, if you would prefer.”
“No!” It came out a little strong, catching the attention of the other two men at the table, but I didn’t want to leave Godr. It would negate all the effort I’d put into reassuring him. He’d done nothing wrong. And now that I understood better, I didn’t think there would be any issues.
Uttin studied me closely, like he wasn’t quite sure he believed me. It was all growing too complicated, and I felt a headache brewing behind my eyes. Next time I was unsure about something, I was going to ask questions. It would spare me from this kind of turmoil.
“If you are sure. But I must insist you attend Finn’s lessons. The Ilvos clan sent you for this purpose. Our healers appreciate your assistance, but learning of your place in your new clan is more important for your well-being.”
“Zoya said she’d teach me,” I argued.
Uttin shook his head. “Zoya is a good teacher, but she will not have the time to cover everything Finn does. Besides, our agreement with the Ilvos clan was for you to attend Finn’s lessons only. I do not wish to cause trouble with that clan. They are formidable.”
The undertone didn’t escape me. He was worried what that clan would do to this one if I didn’t show up with the knowledge they expected me to have.
I’d honestly never thought of it that way.
I’d been so eager to regain some normalcy that I’d jumped head first into helping the healers.
If my insistence put this clan at risk of war, I would feel awful.
I’d already caused enough trouble for the people who cared for me.
“Alright,” I acquiesced. “I’ll attend Finn’s lessons from now on. But I don’t need a new protector. Godr didn't do anything wrong.”
When we were finally allowed to leave the clan leader’s tent, the people I’d come to know were all standing nearby, their expressions filled with worry.
Godr stepped up beside me, giving me a reassuring nod.
I let out a slow breath and nodded back.
My life had been chaotic since volunteering, but I needed to stop fighting so hard to control everything.
It was only making things harder for me.
I would put myself back in the mindset I’d had while learning my trade, doing my best to learn everything about the clans and their language.
It would be better than what I was doing now.
I was worried things would be awkward with Godr after everything that had happened.
After a one-on-one lesson with Finn to catch me up on the basics of the language I’d missed the past few days, I went back to Godr’s tent and found it empty.
It worried me for a second before I realized he was out in the field again.
He didn’t hover like the other protectors, instead returning to his job when I was busy and doing his own thing.
I thought maybe he might avoid me, but when he noticed me near the fence, he waved at me and came to join me, riding on the back of a horse with a speckled grey and brown coat who seemed docile under his care.
Hopping down, he gestured me closer, pointing at the horse and saying something. I wasn’t sure if he was teaching me the word for horse or the name of that specific horse, so I only stared at him in response.
His lips twitched against a smile and he tried again, first pointing to himself, “Godr,” then to me, “Ambrose,” and finally to the horse, “Mionn.”
I nodded to show I understood, running my fingers over the soft skin of her nose. “Mionn. Hello.”
It was one of the very few words I now knew in the barbarian language thanks to Finn, but Godr beamed at me in response.
There was one sentence I’d asked Finn to teach me, and I turned to Godr, telling him, “Godr. I’m sorry.”
He cocked his head, frowning. “Sorry?”
Feeling my cheeks flush, I waved a hand awkwardly toward his tent and said again, “I’m sorry.”
To my surprise, his cheeks pinkened as well, and he rubbed the back of his neck like he had the first time we spoke together. “No sorry, Ambrose. I’m sorry.”
We both stared at each other for a long moment.
I saw it when Godr’s lips started to twitch.
He was trying so hard to stay serious, but we were both acting so awkward, it was hard.
He twisted his mouth in an attempt to hold back, but when I pressed my lips together to hold back my own laugh, he broke, grinning and snickering.
It felt like the tension of the morning finally dissipated, and I let myself finally let go of it all, joining him in laughing it off.
Assumptions had been made, things had gotten awkward, but Godr wasn’t the kind of person to hold onto things like that. His smile said he wasn’t hurt anymore. I could live with that.
After a few days of learning with Finn, I had to admit Uttin had a good reason to be insistent.
Finn explained the language in a way even those who had no formal education could understand, making it a lot easier for me to pick it up than I’d expected.
He also explained how the clan worked and the possibilities for tributes after finding their bondmates, all things I’d thought the worst of when I first arrived.
As I’d been slowly coming to realize, the clan wasn’t as terrible as I’d first thought.
When I wasn’t learning with Finn, I was practicing with Zoya—and Godr, who had to learn how to slow down his speech in order for me to understand anything he was saying. I could now catch the basics as long as people spoke slowly enough.
Godr’s lessons mostly revolved around the horses.
Finn taught me the word Godr kept repeating meant horsemaster, and that Godr’s job was to care for the herd and train the horses.
His job was actually a main source of income for the clan.
He trained horses for other clans, and they paid for him to do so.
And after watching the way he interacted with the horses, I understood why.
He guided the younger horse around the fenced-in area, his posture patient but firm when the young horse started to dance and kick up a fuss.
They rarely got the best of him, and eventually the horse gave in and went where he urged them.
It was fascinating to watch, and in the little breaks I gave myself from learning the language, I liked to watch him work.
One of the other handlers I’d seen before approached Godr on his own horse, a flirtatious grin on his face. My stomach twisted, and I straightened with a frown. It wasn’t right for me to feel jealous. A few intimate moments born of a misunderstanding didn’t make Godr mine.
When the man leaned and looked like he might give Godr a kiss, I turned my back on them, swallowing down the bile that was inching its way up my throat. Watching someone else flirt with Godr felt… wrong.
“Ambrose!”
I hadn’t expected Godr to call for me, and when I turned around, he was on foot and heading in my direction with a smile on his face.
The man from before was still on his horse, glaring in our direction.
Or more specifically, at me. He knew I was Godr’s tribute, right?
That I wasn’t stealing him or anything of that nature?
I didn’t have the language skills to ask, nor was I sure I wanted to. The look he gave me was murderous, and I wasn’t interested in a confrontation over something that was only perceived on his part.
Jumping over the fence, I smiled and waved when Godr got closer. “Hello. How are you?”
He smirked at me, tapping my nose unexpectedly. “So serious. I am well, rokhandar. How was learning with Finn?”
“Good. What does that word mean?” It was one of my most familiar sentences, since I asked often when Godr or someone else said something I didn’t understand. This time, though, Godr didn’t seem to know how to answer. He cocked his head, eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
“It is… for healers. It’s—” His hands moved like he was reaching for an explanation he couldn’t quite grasp. His shoulders slumped. “I will ask Zoya.”
The defeated expression made me laugh, and I bumped his shoulder with mine to show him it was okay. He turned and gave me another friendly smile, bumping back.
“Teach me,” he insisted, jerking his chin at me.
Apparently, Godr had decided that while I learned his language, he was going to learn mine as well.
While helping Zoya with a tonic for a sick toddler, she told me he was driving her up the wall with his questions.
He insisted I teach him words whenever he taught me something new.
Pursing my lips, I looked around for a new word to teach him. A smirk crossed my face when I saw something I hadn’t taught him yet, and instead of showing him, I told him, “Find ‘dung’. It is over there.”
I waved toward the field, biting back a chuckle as he pointed and slowly headed in that direction.
He stopped a few times, pointing at parts on horses or flowers and grass.
He even pointed at one of his helpers who was napping with his back against a sleeping horse.
It wasn’t until we were nearly on top of it that he finally figured it out.
He looked down at the animal waste, then back at me, a flat look just barely masking the amusement in his eyes.
“Dung. Like shit?”
Barking out a laugh, I nodded. He loved to make jokes, and he’d embarrassed me once by teaching me the wrong word for something and telling me to tell Simon what I’d learned.
My pranks weren’t as good as his, but I did enjoy teasing him the same way.
It made being here with him feel… good. And I’d never expected to feel that way after I was taken from my home.