Chapter 2 The Evalar's:
Karlene:
Tremaine had a grand plan, that I agreed to, only because he seemed so excited about it. There was a joy and a hope that could not be broken in him and I intended to play along.
His family house was small, but there was a large outside living area, land too close to the house to be used for farming. His father was a former soldier for the human queens across the sea. They didn't say much about that time in their lies, but I knew that he was high ranking.
His father, Tristan, lost his arm when the queens were attacked. Something had happened, something dark, and so Tristan and Renee and little Tremaine moved to the furthest and tiniest town they could find.
Tristan had taught Tremaine everything he knew about fighting, with one arm. Tremaine now had the idea to teach me about it. He had some speech about being able to protect myself. He had gone on and on about some men would find me unmarriable if I knew how to fight, but it would make him love me more. Kind words to get me to be safe.
His house was very, very far from anything. Once I would have made this walk without worry or concern. Now, with money, I was more of a target. Now with my sister practically leading this war effort, I was a target. I walked a bit quicker than normal, and I knew it wasn't because of the cold.
When I arrived at the worn cabin, only slightly bigger than one I had recently called home, Tyler burst out of the front door. Screaming my name, to alert everyone within the mile where I was. I scooped him up in my arms and headed into the house. Much to his pleasure since he had run out of the house into the snow without shoes.
Tremaine rose from his seat, where he was cutting cookie patterns out to kiss me. Renee, Tremaine's mother, I handed a sack of things from the manor. Now that winter was on the way out, Elain and Nesta had purged their closets. Renee might as well have some the cloaks or redistribute them to her friends. Elain likely would tell the servants to dispose of them, and they would go to waste.
"These are gorgeous, darling, but why so many?" She had gasped at the material of the cloaks. I eased myself next to Tremaine, stealing a bit of frosting in the bowl next to his work.
"My sisters have a problem with shopping now that we have more money than we could ever need." I explained, I wondered if they thought my face was pink only from the cold or from my embarrassment of their material needs.
"I'm glad of it, it means more girls will be warm this next winter." Renee said matter of factly and patted me on the shoulder. "I won't have to worry about my grandchildren, either. That is if I ever get any." She added with a pointed look.
"Now is pretty much the worst time for that, mom." Tremaine said with a sharp look at his mother, that I was very grateful for.
"Will you two get married at least before I die?" She took Tremaine's tray and put it in the oven.
Tremaine and I exchanged a glance. How do we explain this one to her. Oh, actually my sisters have turned on you all and want me to marry some rich lord.
"Tell me when you plan to smack some sense into that sister of yours so I watch." Renee said at our look. I maybe told her too much.
Tremaine rose from his spot, and dusted the flour off his hands. "Do you need anything else, mom?" A sentence I could not remember ever saying. I do not think I had said the word mom, to my own mother even once. Well, that was a lie, but there wasn't one memory I had of my mother.
"Come back before you freeze." She said with a flick of her wrist.
Tremaine didn't lead me far. To the flat expanse behind the house. The snow hadn't been cleared here, and I sunk to calves.
"First lesson, run faster than the person trying to catch you. Running is always the best option. Run to help, to where more people are, to where you can squeeze into a small spot and they can't get you." He was instructing, his tone even and calculating. This side of him reminded me of Cassian.
I shook my head. "I can't run faster than a Fae."
"No, but they might not care enough to chase you. And if they do, you'll know what to do then." He was so serious. As if the threat were real. I suppose it was, and that was why we were out here. "Alright, run. I'm going to catch you to see what you would do."
I blinked at him. I was not prepared for such a workout this morning. I pulled the tie on my cloak. It would trail behind me, an easy thing to grab. If I made it the trees, then it would snag and slow me down further. Tremaine nodded at me, as it dropped into the snow. A real shame to lose that warmth. I really should have worn taller boots. I spun in the snow and ran.
Tremaine knew he could easily outrun me, and I had made it only a few feet when he wrapped his arms around my waist and hauled me up off the ground. The momentum of bodies caused us to tumble forward, and I twisted myself as we fell, and laid my thumbs on his eyes.
"Good girl." He kissed me, once, twice. He hauled himself off of me and then extended his hand to help me up too. He pulled too much, and I bumped into his chest. His hand tilted my face up. "Maybe we could be doing other things." His kissed me again, longer this time. I was very much inclined to agree.
"Hey, there princess! Kicking his butt yet?" Tristan, Tremaine's dad stomped around the house. "Don't get her all bruised up, her sisters will never let her come back." He meant it as a joke, but if Nesta thought Tremaine was hurting me I knew she would forgo her usual indifference for a very powerful rage. I had a feeling that Tremaine would end up with more bruises than me today.
"Lucky I have to wear all these layers." I commented.
Tremaine's grip around me slipped away, and we turned back to the task. Tristan was very interested in what his son had to say, and even more interested in adding his own comments.
We continued on in the snow for two hours, he walked me through the basics and by the end of the it we were sweaty despite the cold. Tristan handed me a short knife. Making some comment about not hurting myself with it.
"We aren't done with this Kars," Tremaine said when we trekked through the snow to get back into the house. He wanted me to be a full soldier.
"I'll gladly agree to work through situations with you, as long as your dad doesn't watch next time." I brushed my hand over his hip to show my meaning.
Tremaine pitched his voice low so his dad couldn't hear. "If I knew how fast you get turned on play fighting then I should have taught you this a long time ago." His warm breath tickled the shell of my ear. Indeed, I had let my hands be a bit more flirtatious in between the instruction than I usually was, especially in front of people.
I kept walking. Tremaine snagged my fingers so I drug him along. After Tristan turned the corner, I said playfully, "I only agreed so I put my hands exactly where I wanted. It's really a shame that it's so cold out. Who knows what I do if you were shirtless." I pushed into the house, the door sticking slightly.
"Try this Karly!" Tyler practically shoved a frosted cookie into my mouth the second I sat down. I surveyed the worksheets I had given him. No one in his family knew how to read, or at least very well. Now that I had money to buy books and supplies, I was teaching Tyler as I learned. I was a slow learner, and he was slower. Not that there was any rush, he was still young, almost five. I didn't push learning to read on any of the others. They already knew about as much as I did.
"You didn't finish this," I commented.
"It's too hard." He complained. I raised an eyebrow at that. He smiled, sweetly. His parents were too much of push overs. "I don't need to know how to read."
"Yes, you do," his mother and father both snapped.
He went back to pouting. "Why," he whined.
"Knowledge is the only power that can't be taken away from you." I said, reciting some scholar my tutor had a liking to.
"What does that mean?" Tyler asked confused.
"Power, in society can take many forms. Money, influence, physical power, and through means those can all be easily lost. You can make bad investments, or waste all of your money, you can lose favor or a position and lose influence, and you can be hurt or maimed and not be in the same shape you were before. People can't take away what's in your head." I again recited. Maybe it was still too far above his head.
"Like how dad lost his job when he lost his arm?" Tyler asked. Or maybe it wasn't above his understanding.
"Yes, Tyler. Now do the work." Tristan grunted. I didn't dare give him an apology or a look. He needed no sympathy about his arm. He called it his liberation. Tyler didn't quite understand that yet.
We sat at the table talking about the town news. Renee planned to go into town to give the cloaks out today, even though it was to the end of winter, they could be used today. It would be weeks before I left the house without a cloak, so I only agreed with her.
Tyler decided that he needed to go too, and his father grumbled that he would come along to watch Tyler while his wife would mostly likely stop in some shop. The perfect family. And they so desperately wanted me to be a part of it.
I waited for them to leave before giving Tremaine a sleepy grin. It wasn't often that we had the whole house to ourselves. He tilted my head up, to give him better access.
"I love you." He kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck to draw him closer before I parroted the words back. "Shall I carry you? After such a workout you must be exhausted." He laid kisses down my jaw line.
"I don't know. I laid into you pretty good, I might have to bandage you up." I said, kissing him at each word. I hadn't brought my bag with me. It just was so heavy. I'd have to bring some salve for him tomorrow. Or I'd give it to him if he walked me home.
"My healer. Or is it warrior now." He tipped his face to my lips once more, and knew our conversation was over. He claimed my mouth moving and pressing until we were gasping for breath even as we fought for more of each other.
His hands were banded around me, but with a quick swipe, he slid them under me and lifted me off the bench. He carried me into his room where he laid me down.
"Should I be concerned that your bed is made?" I asked. He never made his bed except when we planned to have the house for ourselves. Maybe this trip into town was more planned than he let on. He pulled the stays on my dress and slowly began untying and unfolding each layer I had put on this morning.
"This is always the plan." He said with a wink. I lifted his shirt over his shoulders. So few scars, compared to my sisters friends. Even though I hadn't seen any of them shirtless, Cassian had numerous scars flecking his hands, more than Tremaine on his whole body. Azriel's hands were one mass of scar tissue. I with the bit I knew about Fae healing, I knew the damage to his hands had to be terrible to have such intense damage. I had a feeling my sisters new High Lord, had just as many scars too. "Kars?" Tremaine asked. His hands had gone still when I was staring off into space. Because I was thinking about my sister new and incredibly hot Fae friends.
I leaned into him. Suddenly not interested in savoring every bit of our alone time. I kissed his unblemished shoulder, and laid my head in the crook of his neck.
"Kars." He kissed the top of my head. A blanket draped around my shoulders and then he shifted us. "I love you." He whispered it over and over. He waited for me to explain what had changed my mood so suddenly.
"I don't want you to get hurt in this war. And I know you. You will be the first one to fight. You will always be in the thick of it. I'm a healer Tremaine, not a miracle worker." I let twin tears leak down my cheeks. He kissed them both.
"I don't really want you that close to the fighting either. But we both be as safe as possible." He said. It wasn't like I was going to fight, the risk was minimal compared to being the one who swung the sword.
"I love you." I said at last. He kissed me sweetly in response.