"Where shall we sleep tonight?"
The question was directed at a tall man, with hair as dark as the sky was at that moment. He paused, looked upwards, as if the stars might lend him the answer, and smiled. "I think you can do this far better than me, sweet."
A grin curved her own mouth. "How right you are. This will do." She indicated an area masked by trees.
"You knew all along," he accused, dismounting his horse.
He half-expected her to deny it, half-expected an Alanna-style retort, as cutting as her weapons. But no. That was not her way. "Of course," she replied easily. "I just thought you might like to feel as though you had some say in where we stayed." She jumped off Cloud and then held her hand out for the reins of the black stallion.
"Tomorrow night, we're sleeping indoors," he promised, shivering as he cautiously examined their surroundings for signs of life. He didn't think anybody would have followed them, but you never could tell.
"What's the matter, can't his Majesty handle the cold?" she mocked, turning her attention to him now that she was satisfied that the horses were settled.
"No, his Majesty can't handle the noise at night." She shot him a disbelieving look. He spread his hands out, in a kind of apology, or an explanation. "Last night, you picked a place just below a colony of mating bats."
"I thought they were sweet," she said, eyes wide with innocence.
"Oh, they were," he assured her with a grin. "They were perfectly lovely. That is, until I wanted to sleep."
A smile tugged at her mouth as she laid out their blankets. "Well, you'll be relieved to find out there are no bats around tonight."
"Good."
"You don't mind frisky frogs, though? Only joking," she added quickly, seeing the look on his face. "It's rabbits tonight." She watched silently as he spelled the area around them. Onua had done this, and Numair too. She was used to it. "Spell it against sound," she murmured, also tired from the previous night.
"Believe me, I did." He sighed, before climbing into his own blanket. He reached across, pulling her into an embrace. Dimly, Daine noticed she'd stopped shivering, and realised that he'd also spelled the circle against the cold. It reminded her so much of Numair, it hurt. Sometimes, she wondered if she loved Jon more than she loved the mage. But it was impossible to compare; the two were completely different. Would she have left Corus, the only place which had accepted her, for Numair? She supposed she would have. The topic had never come up; he had needed the place as much as her. Eventually her eyes drifted shut, pulling her into sleep.
*
Jon suppressed a yawn, not wanting to wake the sleeping Daine. 'God's, she's beautiful.' He traced her jaw line cautiously, not wanting to wake her up. When dawn broke, she would awaken naturally, ready to face the day with a smile. She was always the same. He was sleepless, plagued by worries - was Thayet coping? Was Alanna still furious? Would anyone attack a King- less, Dominion Jewel-less country? What were his children doing?
At some point during the night, during every night, he would wonder what might have happened, had he not been caught up in - what? Infatuation? Love?
He knew, of course he knew. He would have gone back to Thayet, possibly told her everything, possibly told her nothing at all. She would have left Corus, gone to live somewhere else. They'd have met on occasion, surrounded by crowds of people, never alone. It would have been stilted, awkward, and polite. And then he would have wondered what might have been, had it continued.
He smiled slightly as an inquisitive squirrel scrambled through Daine's blankets to catch a glimpse of the infamous WildMage. He closed his eyes, hoping for sleep.
*
Daine pushed Cloud forwards. "I can see a cottage," she called over her shoulder, not realising Jon was right behind her.
"Shall we knock?" he suggested with a grin. "It seems the right thing to do."
Daine dismounted as they grew closer, Cloud following obediently. Jon's stallion trotted neatly beside him. "Let's hope they're sane, and they like visitors," she whispered, before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door.
It opened a crack. Barely visible were the features of a woman.
"Would you have room for..." The WildMage's voice trailed off as the door was pulled fully open, exposing the cottage's owner.
The question was directed at a tall man, with hair as dark as the sky was at that moment. He paused, looked upwards, as if the stars might lend him the answer, and smiled. "I think you can do this far better than me, sweet."
A grin curved her own mouth. "How right you are. This will do." She indicated an area masked by trees.
"You knew all along," he accused, dismounting his horse.
He half-expected her to deny it, half-expected an Alanna-style retort, as cutting as her weapons. But no. That was not her way. "Of course," she replied easily. "I just thought you might like to feel as though you had some say in where we stayed." She jumped off Cloud and then held her hand out for the reins of the black stallion.
"Tomorrow night, we're sleeping indoors," he promised, shivering as he cautiously examined their surroundings for signs of life. He didn't think anybody would have followed them, but you never could tell.
"What's the matter, can't his Majesty handle the cold?" she mocked, turning her attention to him now that she was satisfied that the horses were settled.
"No, his Majesty can't handle the noise at night." She shot him a disbelieving look. He spread his hands out, in a kind of apology, or an explanation. "Last night, you picked a place just below a colony of mating bats."
"I thought they were sweet," she said, eyes wide with innocence.
"Oh, they were," he assured her with a grin. "They were perfectly lovely. That is, until I wanted to sleep."
A smile tugged at her mouth as she laid out their blankets. "Well, you'll be relieved to find out there are no bats around tonight."
"Good."
"You don't mind frisky frogs, though? Only joking," she added quickly, seeing the look on his face. "It's rabbits tonight." She watched silently as he spelled the area around them. Onua had done this, and Numair too. She was used to it. "Spell it against sound," she murmured, also tired from the previous night.
"Believe me, I did." He sighed, before climbing into his own blanket. He reached across, pulling her into an embrace. Dimly, Daine noticed she'd stopped shivering, and realised that he'd also spelled the circle against the cold. It reminded her so much of Numair, it hurt. Sometimes, she wondered if she loved Jon more than she loved the mage. But it was impossible to compare; the two were completely different. Would she have left Corus, the only place which had accepted her, for Numair? She supposed she would have. The topic had never come up; he had needed the place as much as her. Eventually her eyes drifted shut, pulling her into sleep.
*
Jon suppressed a yawn, not wanting to wake the sleeping Daine. 'God's, she's beautiful.' He traced her jaw line cautiously, not wanting to wake her up. When dawn broke, she would awaken naturally, ready to face the day with a smile. She was always the same. He was sleepless, plagued by worries - was Thayet coping? Was Alanna still furious? Would anyone attack a King- less, Dominion Jewel-less country? What were his children doing?
At some point during the night, during every night, he would wonder what might have happened, had he not been caught up in - what? Infatuation? Love?
He knew, of course he knew. He would have gone back to Thayet, possibly told her everything, possibly told her nothing at all. She would have left Corus, gone to live somewhere else. They'd have met on occasion, surrounded by crowds of people, never alone. It would have been stilted, awkward, and polite. And then he would have wondered what might have been, had it continued.
He smiled slightly as an inquisitive squirrel scrambled through Daine's blankets to catch a glimpse of the infamous WildMage. He closed his eyes, hoping for sleep.
*
Daine pushed Cloud forwards. "I can see a cottage," she called over her shoulder, not realising Jon was right behind her.
"Shall we knock?" he suggested with a grin. "It seems the right thing to do."
Daine dismounted as they grew closer, Cloud following obediently. Jon's stallion trotted neatly beside him. "Let's hope they're sane, and they like visitors," she whispered, before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door.
It opened a crack. Barely visible were the features of a woman.
"Would you have room for..." The WildMage's voice trailed off as the door was pulled fully open, exposing the cottage's owner.
