Chapter 3
The carriage left the village and passed through vast swaths of farmland, moving slowly over the unpaved dirt roads.
It was dark when they reached a smaller village near Eudychal Forest and Riftan disembarked to identify himself at the village entrance.
Maxi had never traveled so far by carriage, and she was drained.
“We’re staying the night here,” Riftan said when he returned, retrieving a bedroll and lamp. “It’s cold outside, so bundle up.”
Maxi fastened her cloak and pulled the hood over her head before stepping out of the carriage. Riftan put an arm around her shoulders and strode toward his men, the dirt crunching beneath his feet. The knight who had been talking with the village guard turned as they approached.
“There aren’t any suitable lodgings here, Commander.”
Riftan raised the lamp in his hand and quickly scanned the area. Four or five unlit cottages stood clustered at the end of a winding dirt path. Following Riftan’s gaze, the knight hastily added an explanation.
“Those five cottages are fully occupied by farmers who were sent here for the harvest. There is an empty barn, however.” The knight glanced uncertainly at Maxi. “Perhaps we could stay there for the night….”
Riftan frowned and turned to face the village guard. “Are there no suitable lodgings for the lady?”
“Only cottages, sir, for housing farmers during the harvest season. We could have two of them emptied at your command, but even then, I’m afraid they’re no place for a lady.”
“Still, better than a barn,” said Riftan. “You’ll be rewarded handsomely if you can arrange it.”
Surprised, Maxi clung to Riftan’s arm. “I’m…I’m al-all right…”
It did not feel right to force serfs out of their cottages. They had been slaving away all day under the hot sun. Furthermore, she did not wish to spend the night alone in a dark, spooky cottage.
Maxi squinted into the darkness and tugged at Riftan’s sleeve. “I d-don’t want to b-be alone….” In the uncomfortable quiet that followed, Maxi slowly realized the implication of her words. She let go of Riftan’s sleeve as if it were on fire, and her blood rushed up her neck.
Riftan gave no reply, perhaps struck speechless by her shamelessness. She clutched at her dress and did not dare to look him in the eye. The knights exchanged awkward glances. Much to her relief, they soon changed the subject.
“Is it decided, then?” said one knight. “I’m starving. Let’s get some rest!”
“You there!” Another knight called to the village guard. “Where can we find some water? We must look after the horses first.”
“There’s a brook by the mill,” said the guard. “This way.”
After the men dispersed, Riftan took Maxi’s hand in his. “We should go as well.”
“Y-Yes…”
She almost had to run to keep up with Riftan’s strides. Were it not for Riftan’s quick reactions, she would have tripped over the bumpy ground countless times. They followed the dirt path and came to a stop before a large wooden structure that emerged out of the darkness.
A few knights entered first and hung up their lamps.
Maxi followed Riftan inside and studied her surroundings.
Everywhere the light reached, silken cobwebs gleamed like the tangled hair of ghosts.
She would not be surprised if the barn was haunted.
The wooden floorboards creaked unpleasantly beneath their feet and were so caked with dust that footprints appeared where they passed.
Maxi tiptoed across the floor, afraid she might step on a bug or even a rat.
The men, however, were completely unfazed.
They threw down their bedrolls wherever there was space, and then swiftly shed their unwieldy armor.
Riftan, too, was spreading an ample amount of hay in the corner of the room as a cushion for his bedroll.
“Over here,” he called to her.
Maxi could not bring herself to lie down. Certain that the makeshift bed was infested with bugs, she managed only to perch at its edge. And though the barn was by no means small, it felt cramped with eighteen people inside.
Riftan took off his breastplate and greaves. After shoving the discarded armor to the side, he stretched and cracked his neck. “It’ll be days before we find a comfortable bed. You’ll have to bear it until we reach Anatol.”
Maxi nodded as she hugged her knees. She had never been in the same room as so many men, and she was nervous. The knights, however, were too busy lighting the brazier and preparing food to pay her any notice.
One of the knights, returning from watering the horses, stuck his head into the barn. “Commander! There isn’t enough fodder for the horses!”
“Then ask the guard where we can buy some grain,” Riftan replied matter-of-factly while he unclasped his leather belt.
“We tried negotiating already,” said the knight. “But he says the grain isn’t his to sell. The granaries in this village all belong to Duke Croyso.”
Maxi flinched at the unexpected mention of her father’s name. Riftan pushed his hair back and clicked his tongue.
“Seems he wants us to pay more.”
“Your orders, Commander?”
“Just pay him what he wants.”
“Perhaps we can give him a good scare so we won’t have to—” The knight’s words stopped when his eyes fell on Maxi. “On second thought, we shouldn’t give the duke any reason to find fault with us. Very well. Just don’t scold me later when you notice how light our purse has gotten.”
With that, the knight left. Maxi withered, realizing that the knights were far more hostile to her father than she had imagined. Perhaps that explained their indifference toward her.
If she had been born with Rosetta’s charming features, would things have turned out differently?
The thought of her half sister, delighting in all the gifts and love letters brought to her by the knights who frequented Croyso Castle, wilted what little confidence Maxi had.
She was only pulled out of her self-torment when Riftan left the fireside and approached her.
She raised her head to a bowl full of freshly cooked potatoes, burned brown here and there from roasting in the fire.
“Careful. They’re still hot.”
Riftan ignored his own warning. He grabbed a potato with a large, calloused hand and swiftly took a bite. Maxi followed suit, gingerly wrapping one in her sleeve and peeling off its burnt skin to reveal the soft yellow flesh beneath.
As she took a small bite, she was overcome by a wave of hunger that anxiety had been keeping at bay.
The roof of her mouth burned from the heat, but she continued to chew, swallowing bite after bite of the steaming potato.
Even the chewy half-cooked sections tasted like the rarest of treats.
In no time at all, the entire fist-sized potato was gone.
Riftan had been watching her eat, and a peeled potato was already waiting for her. Maxi frantically waved her hands.
“I’ve had m-my share. Y-You sh-should have it, R-Riftan…”
“Just take it.”
He pressed the potato into her hands and snatched another one from the bowl.
Without even peeling it properly, he bit off a large mouthful.
She stared at her own potato, which had been peeled perfectly smooth.
Then, she brought it to her mouth and ate with gusto, stopping every now and then to blow away the scalding wisps of steam.
When her stomach was full, drowsiness began to take hold. Her fear of bugs already forgotten, Maxi laid her head down on the bedroll. The flame of the brazier in the center of the barn cast a dim light over the walls and ceiling. One by one, the knights finished eating and retired to their bedding.
Maxi had purposely refused the privacy of a cottage, but she was still embarrassed by the idea of sleeping in the midst of so many men.
She pulled her blanket up to her chin. As she stirred, Riftan set aside the sword he was polishing and lay down next to her.
He wrapped an arm around her, tightly, but Maxi pushed it away.
“R-Riftan…Th-There are other p-people here…”
“No one gives a damn, so stay still. You’re cold, aren’t you?” Riftan slid an arm under her neck and rubbed his cheek against her head.
Unsure of what to do, Maxi peeked over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching them. Just as Riftan had predicted, no one so much as glanced their way. Even so, she did not have the nerve to stay pressed against his side.
“I’m al-all right, so c-could you m-move over a little…”
“Can’t you see she’s embarrassed? You need to be more considerate!”
Maxi’s head snapped up. A lean young man in his early to midtwenties stood a few feet away. He held a small lantern in his hand.
“Mind your own business, Ruth,” Riftan grumbled. “Go away.”
“There’s no need to growl at me like a watchdog,” Ruth replied, his voice as irritated as Riftan’s. “I have no intention of harassing your lady.”
Maxi’s eyes rounded with surprise. The young man—Ruth—spoke like he was scolding a feral dog, completely unfazed by Riftan’s daunting presence. As Ruth’s gaze settled on Maxi, she hastily sat up, and Riftan reluctantly followed suit.
“What do you want?” Riftan asked.
“The night air is cold, so I took the liberty of bringing something for the lady.” Ruth fished around in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a small stone. It shimmered faintly in the light. “This is a firestone. I cast a spell on it to keep it warm, so hold on to it.”
“Is this r-really for m-me?” His unexpected kindness surprised Maxi.
Ruth raised an eyebrow. “Who else? Those men could sleep soundly even if you buried them naked under a pile of snow.” His tone was scathing, and he did not seem to care who heard him.
“But you’re different, my lady. By the looks of it, you have a delicate constitution.
I’ll be the one to suffer if you catch a cold, so consider this a preventive measure. ”