Chapter 16 The Man from the West #3
If Eira had passed him on a road, she might have mistaken him for a wealthy trader rather than one of the most powerful men in the west.
At that moment he happened to be helping himself to a second piece of bread.
"That still doesn't explain why you ignored the message."
"It arrived during dinner."
"You couldn't answer after dinner?"
"I could."
Aldric narrowed his eyes.
"And?"
Leander took another bite while everyone waited for an explanation.
Eventually he swallowed and said, "I didn't want to."
A pillow struck him from somewhere across the room, but Leander caught it one-handed without even looking, which immediately sent the room into laughter.
For the first time since entering, Eira noticed something strange.
Nobody appeared intimidated by him. They clearly respected him, but there was none of the careful tension that always seemed to surround powerful men. No one measured every word before speaking, and no one watched him for signs of anger or offense.
The realization unsettled her more than it should have.
Then Leander looked up.
The conversation continued around him and the room remained noisy, yet somehow she felt the exact moment his attention found her.
His gaze settled on her without surprise or curiosity, as though he had expected her to be standing there all along.
The laughter around the table gradually faded as one person after another noticed where he was looking, and the room grew quieter—not silent, but suddenly aware.
Leander placed his mug on the table.
For a brief moment nobody spoke.
Then he said, "So."
The single word carried no judgment, challenge, or accusation; it sounded like nothing more than a simple observation.
His eyes remained fixed on hers.
"You're Eira."
Not Lady Eira, not Eira Frostvein, and not Vargan's daughter.
Just Eira.
The simplicity of it caught her off guard.
She inclined her head.
"And you're Leander."
A smile touched the corner of his mouth.
"Good."
The answer was so unexpected that she blinked.
Leander leaned back in his chair.
"I've been hearing about you all day."
Before she could decide how to answer, he glanced toward Aldric.
"Now, feed me properly before we discuss whatever disaster you've dragged me into."
As he reached for another piece of bread, the room exploded into conversation once more.
Aldric closed his eyes, Maelin groaned, and Finn looked entirely unsurprised by the exchange.
To Eira's complete confusion, Lord Leander appeared far more interested in dinner than in the woman whose existence had apparently brought him across half the western territories.
Dinner was served not long afterward.
The long room changed once again as servants appeared carrying steaming dishes, fresh bread, roasted vegetables, and thick bowls of stew rich with herbs and slow-cooked meat.
The journey had clearly left Leander and his men hungry, so for several minutes conversation gave way almost entirely to food, which Eira suspected happened every time travelers returned from the road.
She found herself seated beside Maelin while Aldric occupied the opposite side of the table, and Leander sat further down among his own riders, making no effort whatsoever to place himself at the center of attention.
Oddly enough, that had exactly the opposite effect, and Eira found herself noticing him anyway, not because he demanded attention but because he didn't. The room seemed to move around him naturally, like water finding its course.
At one point Lyra announced that she was no longer hungry, although the declaration lasted approximately thirty seconds before Leander pointed toward her untouched plate.
"You said the same thing last winter."
Lyra froze.
"You remember that?"
"I remember your mother threatening to sell you to sailors if you refused to eat another vegetable."
Maelin nearly choked.
"I never said that."
"You absolutely did."
"I did not."
"You specifically mentioned sailors."
Across the table, Finn nodded.
"She did."
The betrayal was immediate.
"Finn."
"I'm just helping."
The room dissolved into laughter, and Eira found herself smiling despite herself while Leander accepted the chaos with the ease of someone thoroughly accustomed to it.
A little later, his attention shifted toward Finn.
"Have you finished the navigation charts?"
Finn groaned.
"No."
"You said that two months ago."
"I thought you might forget."
"I was hoping you would finish."
The boy looked personally attacked, while Leander appeared entirely untroubled by this.
Watching them, Eira slowly began to understand something: he wasn't visiting this family, he belonged here.
Not in the same way Aldric did or in the same way Maelin did, yet the familiarity was undeniable.
The children treated him as though he had been appearing at this table for years, and perhaps he had.
The realization left her strangely off balance. She had expected power, distance, and authority; instead, she found herself watching a man argue with a nine-year-old about unfinished work.
The evening continued as stories from the road replaced household gossip and news from nearby settlements appeared and disappeared throughout the conversation. Several names meant nothing to her, while several clearly meant something to everyone else.
Leander listened far more than he spoke, but whenever he did speak, people listened, not because they were required to but because they genuinely wanted to hear the answer. The distinction fascinated her.
At some point, Ironfang entered the conversation.
The change was subtle, beginning with a passing remark about a trade route that seemed entirely insignificant, yet Eira felt the shift immediately. The table quieted, not completely but just enough for her to notice.
She saw Aldric glance briefly toward her and noticed Maelin do the same, while Leander alone appeared unaffected. He continued eating as though nothing had changed before asking, after a brief pause:
"And how is Soren?"
The question landed unexpectedly, not because he had asked it but because of the way he had done so. There was no suspicion, no criticism, and no challenge in his voice; he sounded like someone asking after an acquaintance he had not seen in some time.
Eira looked up before she could stop herself.
Leander wasn't looking at her. The question had been directed at Aldric, yet somehow she had the uncomfortable feeling that it was meant for everyone at the table.
Aldric considered the answer.
"Stubborn."
A faint smile touched Leander's mouth.
"That narrows it down considerably."