Chapter Eight
The Road to the Village
The road between the capital and the village was not a short one.
Kael knew that better than anyone.
Yet he found himself riding it almost every week.
Sometimes, he had a genuine reason.
Sometimes, he didn't.
He began carrying small gifts whenever he visited.
A book for Mira.
A piece of cloth for the shop.
Fresh fruit.
Once, he brought a small wooden horse.
Mira held it tightly in both hands.
"You brought this for me?"
Kael nodded.
She hugged the toy.
"You're my favorite knight."
Kael laughed.
"I thought I was the only knight you knew."
"That's why you're my favorite."
Elara shook her head.
"Don't encourage her."
Kael smiled.
"I think she's honest."
Mira looked proudly at her sister.
"See?"
One afternoon, Kael arrived at the village during a heavy rainstorm.
He found Elara struggling to move several boxes away from the doorway.
"You should have asked for help."
She looked up at him.
"You came at the worst possible time."
Kael dismounted.
"That's usually when I'm most useful."
He carried the boxes inside.
Together, they moved everything away from the rain.
When they finished, Kael was completely soaked.
Elara handed him a cloth.
"You'll get sick."
"I'm a knight."
"Knights can get sick."
"I've never heard of that."
She laughed.
"You really are impossible."
They stood in the doorway, watching the rain.
Mira was asleep inside.
For once, there was no work demanding their attention.
No customers.
No soldiers.
No duties.
Just the sound of rain.
Elara looked at Kael.
"Why did you become a knight?"
Kael was quiet for a moment.
"Because of the man who raised me."
"The Right-Hand Knight?"
Kael nodded.
"He found me when I was six."
"On the streets?"
"Yes."
She looked surprised.
"You were an orphan?"
"I don't remember my parents."
"I'm sorry."
Kael shrugged.
"I was lucky."
"How?"
"He gave me a home."
Elara smiled softly.
"He sounds like a good man."
"He is."
Kael looked toward the rain.
"He taught me everything."
"What kind of things?"
"How to fight."
She smiled.
"Obviously."
"How to ride."
"Obviously."
"How to survive."
Her smile faded, and she became quiet.
Kael continued.
"And he taught me that strength means nothing if you don't use it to protect people."
Elara looked at him.
"That's why you're a knight."
Kael nodded.
"That's why."
She looked away.
For some reason, her heart felt warmer.
The rain continued for hours.
Eventually, Kael realized it was too dangerous to travel back to the capital.
"You should stay tonight."
He looked at her.
"Are you sure?"
"Unless you want to ride through a storm."
Kael glanced outside.
"No."
Elara smiled.
"Then stay."
That night, Kael slept in a small room above the shop.
Elara stayed downstairs with Mira.
Neither of them fell asleep immediately.
Kael looked through the small window.
He could hear the rain tapping against the roof.
For the first time, he realized something.
He felt comfortable here.
The capital was his home.
The fortress was where he had grown up.
Aldric was his family.
But this small village...
It felt different.
Peaceful.
Warm.
And somewhere downstairs was a woman he couldn't stop thinking about.
The following morning, the rain had stopped.
Kael prepared to leave.
Elara stood outside the shop.
"Be careful."
"I will."
She hesitated.
"Come back."
Kael looked at her.
"I will."
This time, neither of them laughed at the promise.
Kael mounted his horse.
Before leaving, he looked back.
Elara was still standing there.
He smiled.
Then he rode toward the capital.
She watched until he disappeared down the road.
Elara touched her chest lightly.
Her heart was beating faster than usual.
She didn't understand when it had happened.
Perhaps it had begun with a knight entering her little shop.
Perhaps it had begun when he spoke kindly to Mira.
Or perhaps it had begun much earlier.
Whatever the answer was...
She knew one thing now.
She was waiting for him to return.