other man wouldn't have come close and the other woman would have missed it by a couple of inches. The small blond man didn't look like he fit in at all. A troll among gods, Kasiria thought.
Her men had already scattered but even if they hadn't she wouldn't have thought to introduce them. She didn't remember their names half the time. She wasn't close to them. These people you could tell all had a common bond. They actually cared for one another; it was clear in their mannerisms. They were comfortable with each other in a way Kasiria couldn't remember ever being comfortable with . . . well anyone.
"Why don't you all get cleaned up? Dinner will be served soon and you all look like you could use a good hot meal," Derek said.
The girl called Ufalla whispered something to Jabone. He grinned stupidly, said nothing, and followed her and the others away.
She just stood there watching him go like some love sick fool. This can't be happening. This can't be happening now. I'm a fighter, that's what I am, and now I'm not even a human fighter and I can't be feeling these sorts of things for someone I have just met. I am a princess he is a Kartik, a fighting thug. He was all sweaty and dirty and . . . he smelled good to me. It's the animal inside me, that's what it is, what it must be. Besides he has a girl friend. It's obvious that he's with that girl and . . . I think I could take her.
"Kasiria," Derek said gently. "Are you all right?"
For answer she just started rattling. "I killed eight men."
"What?" Derek said in surprise.
"There were so many of them and they jumped out of the trees and they killed three of my men and they knocked me off my horse and I jumped up and I just started swinging and I killed eight men."
"Come on." Derek took her gear from her hand and started leading her towards the bath house thinking that she was just shaken from the attack, which was exactly what she wanted him to think. "You get cleaned up and you'll feel better."
* * *
At dinner Kasiria grabbed a bowl of stew and a roll and looked for a place to sit. She saw them sitting at the head table with Derek and desperately wanted to join them. She kept standing, looking around as if she'd forgotten or lost something, hoping Derek would see her and wave her over.
* * *
"There she is," Tarius teased Jabone in Kartik. Jabone looked up, saw her, and then quickly looked back at his plate.
"Shut up."
Derek smiled, "So what's all this then?"
"You talk too much," Jabone spit back at Tarius in Kartik.
Tarius just laughed and told Derek. "Jabone is in love with that girl."
"That's not what I said!" Jabone said, taking in a hissing breath and reminding himself to never say anything of the least importance in Tarius's hearing ever again. "I said she looks just like my mother."
Derek made a confused face and whispered. "You're Tarius's son?"
"But Jena is my mother," Jabone explained.
Derek if possible looked even more confused.
"His parents are cross paired," Jestia said, as if that should answer everything Derek needed to know. When she saw by the look on his face that he still didn't, she continued, "Tarius is his madra, his birth mother, but Jena is his mother. She reminds him of Jena."
"Ah Jena." Derek breathed. "A beautiful woman." He smiled at the memory. "I don't think Kasiria is that pretty; however, she's every bit as rough around the edges, maybe even more so."
"Rough around the edges!?" Jabone said, taking immediate offense. "There is nothing rough about my mother. She is the most gentle of people, very regal, very elegant."
"He means she doesn't act like their cattle-type women do. He means she thinks for herself," Ufalla told him in Kartik. Jabone nodded. He looked up and this time the woman caught his eyes and he looked back into his plate. "Invite her over, Jabone. If she really is like your mother, stuck in this land she must feel as lonely as Jena did," Ufalla urged.
"I can't," Jabone said.
"Well I can." Tarius jumped up
Her men had already scattered but even if they hadn't she wouldn't have thought to introduce them. She didn't remember their names half the time. She wasn't close to them. These people you could tell all had a common bond. They actually cared for one another; it was clear in their mannerisms. They were comfortable with each other in a way Kasiria couldn't remember ever being comfortable with . . . well anyone.
"Why don't you all get cleaned up? Dinner will be served soon and you all look like you could use a good hot meal," Derek said.
The girl called Ufalla whispered something to Jabone. He grinned stupidly, said nothing, and followed her and the others away.
She just stood there watching him go like some love sick fool. This can't be happening. This can't be happening now. I'm a fighter, that's what I am, and now I'm not even a human fighter and I can't be feeling these sorts of things for someone I have just met. I am a princess he is a Kartik, a fighting thug. He was all sweaty and dirty and . . . he smelled good to me. It's the animal inside me, that's what it is, what it must be. Besides he has a girl friend. It's obvious that he's with that girl and . . . I think I could take her.
"Kasiria," Derek said gently. "Are you all right?"
For answer she just started rattling. "I killed eight men."
"What?" Derek said in surprise.
"There were so many of them and they jumped out of the trees and they killed three of my men and they knocked me off my horse and I jumped up and I just started swinging and I killed eight men."
"Come on." Derek took her gear from her hand and started leading her towards the bath house thinking that she was just shaken from the attack, which was exactly what she wanted him to think. "You get cleaned up and you'll feel better."
* * *
At dinner Kasiria grabbed a bowl of stew and a roll and looked for a place to sit. She saw them sitting at the head table with Derek and desperately wanted to join them. She kept standing, looking around as if she'd forgotten or lost something, hoping Derek would see her and wave her over.
* * *
"There she is," Tarius teased Jabone in Kartik. Jabone looked up, saw her, and then quickly looked back at his plate.
"Shut up."
Derek smiled, "So what's all this then?"
"You talk too much," Jabone spit back at Tarius in Kartik.
Tarius just laughed and told Derek. "Jabone is in love with that girl."
"That's not what I said!" Jabone said, taking in a hissing breath and reminding himself to never say anything of the least importance in Tarius's hearing ever again. "I said she looks just like my mother."
Derek made a confused face and whispered. "You're Tarius's son?"
"But Jena is my mother," Jabone explained.
Derek if possible looked even more confused.
"His parents are cross paired," Jestia said, as if that should answer everything Derek needed to know. When she saw by the look on his face that he still didn't, she continued, "Tarius is his madra, his birth mother, but Jena is his mother. She reminds him of Jena."
"Ah Jena." Derek breathed. "A beautiful woman." He smiled at the memory. "I don't think Kasiria is that pretty; however, she's every bit as rough around the edges, maybe even more so."
"Rough around the edges!?" Jabone said, taking immediate offense. "There is nothing rough about my mother. She is the most gentle of people, very regal, very elegant."
"He means she doesn't act like their cattle-type women do. He means she thinks for herself," Ufalla told him in Kartik. Jabone nodded. He looked up and this time the woman caught his eyes and he looked back into his plate. "Invite her over, Jabone. If she really is like your mother, stuck in this land she must feel as lonely as Jena did," Ufalla urged.
"I can't," Jabone said.
"Well I can." Tarius jumped up
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