True Warriors Sing, Rowan Erlking [free ebook reader txt] 📗

was. But she also knew that some tunes passed and had to be forgotten.

S’vjeTa and SoFija were busy around the house, preparing food for a dinner party they had planned for that evening. They had invited several friends, two of which were from mercantile families. With her heart so well healed, LjuBa knew their worries about her were gone. Occasionally they slipped into an old nag, then would chuckle and say, “But your heart is well now, so you are ok! Never mind.”

But that also meant they put a great deal more work on her shoulders, so much that LjuBa worked hard around the home in between training sessions for the warriesses. Her sisters still demanded that she also learn how to cook and clean, reminding her that if she ever were to marry she ought to know how. Not that she didn’t before….

She walked from the market to her house, opening the fence with all the produce she had purchased, listening to the air with a sigh. Crossing the yard, she glanced at the sprouting green weeds she would have to pull the next morning. Everything was back the way it was, as it should be.

She opened the front door, kicked off her shoes and walked onto the wood, carrying her basket with her. “S’vjeTa! SoFija! I’m home!”

“We’re in the kitchen!” SoFija called back.

LjuBa expected that, going there anyway. She walked in then halted on the wood, staring immediately at Ljev who sat on his usual stool hunching near the fire, only this time he was dressed in warrior attire. A shiver ran down her arms.

He looked up.

“LjuBa!” He rose, his cheeks flushing. His boots were still on so he stopped at the edge of the wood, gazing up at her. “Do you always come back from the market this late?”

Blinking at him, LjuBa then snuck a glance at SoFija who mouthed, “He has been waiting for you.” S’vjeTa ducked her head, giggling.

“Why are you here?” LjuBa asked him, shoving him slightly out of the way so she could step into her clogs. She handed the basket to S’vjeTa who quickly took it to the table to unload.

Ljev glanced at the ceiling with an exhaled groan. “LjuBa! You snuck off from the camp right after the battle. It has been weeks since I’ve seen you. Can’t I at least have a hello?”

“Hello.” LjuBa stuck her face in his with a frown. “Now, what are you doing here? Father isn’t training you anymore.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes…. Clearly not.”

“So then, what are you here for?” LjuBa frowned. “K’sjuSha is not here. Father said she was helping you in the Eastern Provenance. I heard her volunteer.”

He exhaled loudly again, setting a hand to his face. SoFija giggled. LjuBa looked over at her but she turned her face so her sister could not see it.

“Ljuba,” Ljev had that warning tone again. LjuBa braced for another lecture from the crown prince who clearly didn’t like her attitude. “Can you please stop talking about K’sjuSha?”

LjuBa leaned back, folding her arms across herself. “And why not? She’s back. You’re together. I can’t ignore it. She’s my sister.”

“We’re not together,” Ljev snapped. His gray eyes stared hard at her. “How can you even assume that?”

“She’s beautiful!” LjuBa replied, her pitch rising. “And you are now a warrior.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Ljev then reached out, grabbing hold of LjuBa’s arm. “LjuBa, I have been going out of my mind looking for you. When your father told me you were here, I came as soon as I could.”

She blinked at him. “Why?”

Ljev looked just beside himself with exasperation. “Don’t you even have a clue how I feel about you?”

Her heart fluttered, beating suddenly hard.

“LjuBa…” Ljeb shook his head. “You…ugh!” He let go, setting his hand to his head with a stomp as he turned away. “Why is this so difficult?”

But she continued to stare at him, her heart pounding in her chest with a strange song of hope. He didn’t stay out with K’sjuSha. He came back here. Was he crazy?

She leaned in, setting her hand on his arm. He turned his head, his gray eyes meeting hers. His heart jumped.

He said, “Even when I was just a squire, you always treated me like I was someone. And I aspired to be worthy of you.”

“Worthy of me?” LjuBa murmured. “You’re a prince.”

Nodding, Ljev chuckled. “Yes, a prince whom your father did not consider worthy to even enter your home beyond the kitchen. A prince whom he constantly said was a pitiful, cowardly weakling. And he was right.”

“He wasn’t right,” LjuBa snapped. “You just didn’t know what to fight for, like Jonis said.”

“You were listening in…” Ljev murmured, a smirk spreading on his lips.

She shrugged, looking slightly sheepish. But then she lifted her eyes to his face. “But…why me? Why not K’sjuSha? She is everything a man wants.”

“Not what I want,” Ljev replied.

The other sisters snickered then covered it.

LjuBa cringed. “But K’sjuSha—”

“I’m not in love with K’sjuSha,” Ljev said. He then reached for LjuBa’s hand, taking it. “I have always loved you.”

Blinking back tears, as a warriess did not cry, LjuBa gazed up at him. “But I am so plain—”

Moaning, Ljev then kissed her hand. “For the last time, LjuBa, you are beautiful. I have always considered you the most beautiful of MiKial’s daughters.”

SoFijia and S’vjeTa lifted their heads blinking, but then they shared a smirk with a shrug and went back to work.

“On the inside,” LjuBa muttered.

But he pulled her chin up, shaking his head at her. “No. All throughout.” He then kissed her hand again. “You are brave, kind, talented, graceful, strong, lovely, determined—”

LjuBa ducked her head, blushing. “Oh please, don’t flatter me. I’m not like that at all.”

But he then kissed her forehead. “But you are. And you helped me become a man when no one else could. You give me a reason to live.”

She stared at him.

He leaned in closer now kissing her lips gently. Then he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. “And you are my reason to fight.”

Warm shivers ran through her as her heart pounded in her ears making her face hot. She couldn’t believe it was true, yet she wanted to so bad.

“Stay by my side forever, please,” he whispered. “Marry me.”

It was all she ever wanted. And LjuBa threw her arms around him, kissing him so strongly that for a moment she forgot where she was and who was watching.

But someone cleared his throat and immediately Ljev pried her from his face, setting her a foot to the side, suddenly blushing with his eyes averted from the hulking figure standing on the wood rise in the kitchen doorway. LjuBa also blinked at her father.

“I would assume that you came here to ask for my permission,” MiKial said in a dangerous tone, his steely eyes entirely fixed on Ljev. 

The prince bowed, ducking somewhat like the old squire that he had been though not too low. “Yes. I…MiKial, may I marry your youngest daughter, LjuBa?”

Lifting his chin, MiKial turned his eyes to LjuBa’s hopeful gaze, her glances back a Ljev as if she hated being parted from him this much. “Is that your wish?”

“Please?” LjuBa replied, nodding, waiting as her heart pounded still.

Sighing, MiKial closed his eyes. His head shook very slightly. “I’ve tried to keep this from happening…but as he is now worthy of you, I suppose I can give you my blessing. If…”

LjuBa’s heart rose, as did Ljev’s though his eyes were still fixed on MiKial.

“…He promises to take especial care of you.” MiKial’s eyes fixed hard on Ljev again as if he really didn’t believe Ljev was fit for the task.

“I swear I would die for her,” Ljev replied, nodding hard.

MiKial blinked, raised his eyebrows and nodded approvingly. He turned to go back into the main part of the house. “Good. Because if you don’t I’ll kill you.”

LjuBa and Ljev stared after him. He turned a corner, heading to his room, or perhaps the bath. Had they watched him further, followed him, they would have seen the relieved smile on his face, him chuckling to himself. Instead, Ljev nodded to LjuBa. “I really mean it.”

She reached out and hugged him again, kissing him on the lips. “I know.”

 

*

 

Somewhere in the middle of the following month a strange blood-red-haired warrior rode over the border to Brein Amon from KiTai. He was leading two horses along with a small cart carrying a locked chest. The warrior halted at the inn at the crossroads of PoRi.

“Hallo!” The warrior looked about at the large building. “Hallo in there!”

One of Jonis’s sons stuck his head out from the second floor. Someone inside was asking who it was. “Ets a natha af dos rid valiors vith ah orses!”

One of the other children rushed out of the house, dashing to the barn, calling, “Da! Da! Rid valiors vith ah orses!”

Jonis strolled out of the barn wiping his hand with a rag to get oil off of it. He blinked at the man and the cart, sauntering over to the fence. “Hello. Are those for me?”

The KiTai warrior blinked at Jonis’s blue eyes and fair skin then sighed, reaching into a pocket of his coat. “I have a message from His highness, Prince Ljev and a gift.”

Blinking, Jonis watched the warrior extract a folded document and hand it to him. He took it, breaking open the sealing wax almost immediately, though he glanced at the seal with a smirk first. In his vast memory he recalled similar characters, and guessed the meaning of these, hoping he wasn’t too off. It looked like an invitation.

Lifting his eyes to the warrior, he then peered over at the horses. “So, he sent them back. I was starting to wonder.”

“The prince has requested a response to his letter,” the warrior said, frowning slightly.

Jonis opened the letter again, examining the characters of the modern KiTai language. “Hmm.” Then he looked up at the warrior. “Can you read?”

The warrior nodded, blinking at him.

“Then sorry, but,” Jonis then reached out and touched the warrior’s hand, quickly stealing the memory of the characters from him, “I need this.”

The warrior staggered, dropping against the fence for strength looking up at Jonis with a start. He took a step back, even as Jonis now read the letter with ease.

“Oh…” Jonis started to smile then he chuckled. “I knew it.”

But he folded up the letter with a shake of his head. He glanced to the warrior who was now afraid of him. Used to that, Jonis merely said, “Tell the prince thank you for the invitation to his wedding, but I must decline. The trip to KiTai central would be a bit too much for my family.”

He then gestured for his sons to take the horses back to the stables as well as to heave off the trunk that was clearly a present from the prince and his bride—in perfect KiTai tradition. Not just his sons came out though. Most of his kids were now standing on the porch peering after the warrior with their shining eyes, waiting for the news from their father.

With a smile to the warrior, Jonis then nodded. “Do you want to come in for supper? Or do you have to leave directly?”

The warrior backed up, yet did not leave. “The prince would prefer a written response.”

“Of course.” Jonis nodded. “And I should send a wedding gift. But uh, you caught me unprepared. If you would come in, I can do it inside and you can get it directly—unless that makes you uncomfortable.”

Shaking his head, the warrior set his hand to his sword hilt. “I will remain here.”

Chuckling, Jonis turned, walking back. “Have it your way.”

And as the afternoon sun set, and the warrior sat on the fence, he could hear laugher inside the home at PoRi, toasting to the health of the new king and queen of KiTai.