Free Royal Exile by Fiona McIntosh Page A

acquitted himself well he could leapfrog perhaps even to captain, and that alone would prove to Tashi’s family that he was worth taking note of. Arriving at the battlements, he had presented himself to Jobe, who had nodded his happiness to have another talented archer at his disposal. He had been told to meet the others and to choose a weapon that suited his preferred weight and bow tension.
    Faren had been in the process of doing this when he overheard several of the men joking together.
    ‘… she’s a beauty, ripe and ready,’ one of the men had said.
    Another gave a low whistle. ‘She makes me feel weak whenever I glimpse her running through the market on her errands. The old man’s already given his permission, even provided the ring. It was her mother’s apparently so the lucky arse doesn’t even have to buy that and let’s face it he can afford anything he likes with who his friend is.’
    The first nodded. ‘I’d give my left nut for a night with her.’
    This had made the four men laugh and prompted a rush of lewd comments.
    ‘Ssh, here comes the captain.’
    Faren had noticed a tall man walk up. ‘And what are you lot up to?’
    ‘Just checking the tensions on the bows, sir.’
    Faren watched the captain’s scowl soften. ‘Listen, I know this is a rough time for all of us so I don’t mean to spoil what little time you have left for normal life. It’s all about to change dramatically and I wish it wasn’t so, but the legate’s aiming to have a parley. We should know by tonight exactly what we’re in for.’
    ‘Is he marrying her, then, captain, before the parley?’ the first soldier had asked, cheekily.
    ‘That’s none of your business, Brek. What the legate does is his affair.’ The captain’s mouth twitched at the corners. ‘But I think I would, war or not!’
    This comment appeared to give the men permission to relax and they began to chuckle among themselves about how the ‘old man’ would need to take horse pills to keep his new bride satisfied in the marital bed. The jesting had turned darker, one man commenting that he’d better hurry up and enjoy her delights because Loethar wouldn’t spare him once the barbarian arrived.
    Faren had only been half listening to the jesting when he heard one of the men mutter the name Sesaro. And then he heard the captain murmur ‘Tashi’ and his attention was more than pricked — it had become riveted. The more he listened, the more his mood had plummeted from intrigued, to alarmed, to dismayed and finally to enraged. They were talking about his prospective wife; it was Tashi to whom they had been making bawdy reference. And if he was to believe their gossip, then Sesaro had promised Tashi to Legate De Vis. It couldn’t be true!
    ‘You, Faren! What are you staring at?’ The captain shouted, noticing Faren’s attention.
    ‘Sir! Er, sorry, I was far away.’
    ‘Lo strike me, soldier, how can we rely on you to shoot straight if you aren’t even focused on your bow?’
    ‘Sorry, sir.’
    The captain had sighed. ‘It’s all right, Faren. I think we’re all a bit jumpy.’
    ‘I couldn’t help overhearing, sir.’
    His superior’s expression had turned sour. ‘Well, we shouldn’t be discussing Legate De Vis’s personal life.’
    ‘Do you mind my asking, though, sir, was this Tashi, Sesaro’s daughter? I know her but she hasn’t mentioned anything about a betrothal to me.’
    ‘It’s not my business to pass on private information, Archer Faren. You know that.’
    ‘I do sir, sorry sir, but Tashi is a friend and it might explain why she has seemed distant and worried,’ Faren had lied. ‘I thought she was fretting over the war —’
    ‘And I don’t doubt she is!’ the captain cut in.
    ‘Yes, sir, but I think from what the other men were saying that she’s probably upset about the legate.’
    ‘And you think you can help, do you, Faren?’
    Faren shrugged, his rage burning but tightly disguised. ‘I can try. We grew up