Free Mysterious Warriors: Alone by T. N. Hayden

untrue, so he murdered her.”
                  “I’ve lost close friends too.” Monika whispered.
                  Tara looked at her maid. “What happened?”
                  “They were murdered, hunted down, blown up.” Monika closed her eyes. “I lost the love of my life because of an evil man.”
                  “He killed the man you loved?”
                  “Worse.” Monika’s dark brown eyes fixed on the princess, but she didn’t continue.
                  “My sister, her husband, my niece, and our friends are coming to Junipero soon.” Tara changed the subject to something less depressing. “I can’t wait for you to meet them.”
                  “What are they like?”
                  “Rachel and Gary are very much in love, and they are equals in their marriage. They’re kind and loving, and my niece is adorable. She’s about three months old now, and she’s beautiful. I know she’s going to grow up as a strong, brave young woman. Rachel and I share our best friend, Pearl. Pearl was our maid growing up. In Whitehaven, she fell in love with Ian, who’s a knight and heir to a dukedom. Pearl’s one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met, and she loves Ian very much. With them is coming our friend Neal, who has been best friends with Gary for a long time. Neal was courting our friend Janie before she was murdered. He’s still not over her death. I don’t know if he ever will.”
                  “Your friends sound nice.” Monika smiled.
                  “What about you?” Tara was curious. “Tell me about your friends.”
                  “Well you know Roanna.”
                  “Your distant cousin.”
                  Monika nodded. “I have some friends in Upper City as well. They’re loyal and brave.”
                  Tara waited for Monika to say more, but her maid didn’t continue. Tara didn’t know if Monika was nervous about speaking to the princess as if they were friends, which Tara hoped they would be, or if Monika was keeping her personal life secret for another reason. Either way Tara didn’t want to prod and tarnish her relationship with the maid.
                  “You know I was best friends with my former maid, right?” Tara questioned.
                  Monika nodded. “You three were brought up together.”
                  “I want to be friends with you too.” Tara stood and smoothed her skirts.
                  “I know.”
                  Tara nodded. “What about you? Do you want to be my friend?”
                  Monika didn’t answer right away, and Tara swallowed. She didn’t think it would be a hard question to answer.
                  Finally Monika spoke. “I hope you and I will get to know each other better. I don’t open up to strangers easily, and I have many demons. There’s a reason I am closed, and I hope you can understand that. I don’t not want to be your friend, and I hope we will continue to grow close.”
                  “We all have secrets.” Tara assured her. “We all have things we keep to ourselves. Sometimes sharing those things is good, but sharing those things we keep hidden always comes with a cost.”
                  She hadn’t known someone so closed since she’d met Blake, and her friend had kept so many secrets: female training to be a knight, Strike, possibly killing Joanne Swanson. Tara wondered if she ever knew the true Janie Creaton, and she hoped she would know the true Monika Lister.
                  Monika nodded. “Thank you for understanding Your Highness.”
                  “Friends call me Tara.”
                  “Yes.”

 
    ~ Chapter 15 ~
     
                  Cabaya