Page 6 of To Love

His words were so unexpected, so forward, Elara did not know how to respond, despite her salacious thoughts. Anything she said now would encourage the kind of discussion Elara had avoided with Alden thus far.

“Apologies for saying as much.” Alden inclined his head. “I will leave you to your privacy and will not intrude on it further.”

Before she could stop him, or refute his words, he turned and left. Stopping him would not do. They’d spoken for too long on topics which had naught to do with those an instructor and her apprentice should engage in. She may have had more personal discussions with other recruits, but none whose lips she stared at, wondering how they would feel on hers.

And that last point made all the difference.

Chapter

Four

Alden had come into this chamber many times before. However, there was one difference about today than any other of those times.

He thought of how he had asked Lady Elara if she inquired about all of the recruits, as she did him.

Nay. I do not.

He may be thinking too carefully on her words. Perhaps she had asked about his recruitment because he was not a knight. Or perhaps the topic of his personage had arisen in the course of normal conversation.

However, Alden did not believe so. It was not the words she’d spoken, but the tone Lady Elara used when she did so that gave him pause.

“Good day,” Lady Elara said to the twenty or so men before her. She sat on a wooden stool in front of them with he and the others dispersed throughout the chamber on benches and chairs. Natural sunlight flooded the chamber, which faced one of the inner courtyards. Although some brought parchment and quill with them, most, including Alden, did not. He could read and write well enough, courtesy of his mother, but preferred to listen instead.

“Good day, Lady Elara,” said a chorus of men. Alden knew as well as anyone, such a measure of respect was hard-earned. Unlike Sir Eamon, whose reputation with the sword preceded him, or the well-known archer Lord Stirling, every new recruit that came into this chamber either stopped short at seeing their instructor, or worse, outwardly challenged her. The ease with which she put them into their places was only one of the reasons Alden admired her.

“Today, we shall delve into the heart of strategy, for it is through cunning and foresight that we shall achieve our goals,” she said. “Strategy is not merely the art of war, but the art of outmaneuvering our adversaries, of exploiting their weaknesses while bolstering our strengths. It is the careful calculation of every move, every decision, every alliance forged, and every enemy vanquished.”

She mesmerized him. Every word she spoke held his attention, the ease at which such words of wisdom came from someone so young, so beautiful. He wished to know everything about her upbringing, how she had learned so much at a tender age.

“You are doing it again,” Darien whispered beside him.

“I am simply attempting to listen to our instructor.”

Darien made a sound. “If by listening you mean staring at her as if she is your last meal before a battle, then aye, so be it.”

“Gentlemen.”

It was not the first time she had taken them to task. Alden remained silent.

“Aye, my lady?” Darien asked courteously, as if he had no notion of why she’d stopped her lecture.

“You are together in this chamber for a particular reason, but if it is not possible to sit quietly and listen—”

“A particular reason?” another knight called out. “Pray tell us the reason, Lady Elara.”

Instead of responding, she glared at them. Nay, she glared at Alden.

Still, he said nothing. Her eyes narrowed. “I would speak with you both, after the lesson.”

With that, she continued her lecture. “As knights of the Guardians of the Sacred Oak, you must learn to wield deception as a tool, a weapon to confound our enemies and secure our victories. But remember, deception is a double-edged sword, requiring finesse, timing and above all, the utmost discretion.”

Deception. An interesting topic of discussion.

Alden listened, refraining from acknowledging any more of Darien’s quips, of which there were more than one. He garnered nearly as much attention as Roland, who was currently on the training yard. He and Darien could not be trusted to train together, a fact that had been well established. Both enjoyed hearing their own voices, and the two together were too much of a menace for all of the instructors, not only Lady Elara.

At the conclusion of the lesson, Darien leaned toward him as they stood.

“You can thank me this eve. I’ve arranged for a visit to the village with both Gareth and Roland.”