Leila shivered. It was a cool night, and she could see her breath as she blew out. Nalick sat down next to her and pulled his arm out of the right side of his coat. Gently he draped his coat so that it covered both himself and Leila. He strategically placed his arm around her to share his warmth. She smiled at him as a thank you. “So, have you been to the mountains before?” she asked.
“I still don’t understand how you could miss this cold weather.” Leila grinned. He wrapped his arm that was under his jacket around her waist to pull her closer.
“I think the cold breeze is just what you need to remind you that you are still alive. Besides, it is not just the cold I like, but what you will see tomorrow.” Leila explained.
Nalick raised his eyes brows in questioning, “Snow?” he guessed.
“Have you ever seen snow before?” she asked.
“Well, if I squint a bit, I would guess over on that mountain top is snow - so I that would be a yes,” Nalick replied while Leila shook her head no and friendly patted his stomach. “Oh, you mean up close. No, I have not. I grew up in Lexia and only traveled a little over the years.”
Nalick and Leila sat in silence. Leila’s hand rested on Nalick’s leg as she huddled close to him to keep warm. In the cool North Country air, it seemed they both found something they didn’t want to move away from.
Chapter 11
As Leila had predicted, it was not yet light out, and Kay was already making breakfast in hopes to wake everyone up. Kay checked again in her pocket. Inside was the ring Nalick had given her the day before. Kay was very excited to give it to Roger. She held it close to her face and moved it around.
Silently, Leila joined Kay by the fire. How such a little thing could cause so many problems? Leila thought. Sitting down Kay mouthed the words ‘we are going home’ and then grinned ear to ear. Kay continued to make breakfast as Leila opened the bag Roger had given her the previous night. Inside the bag were several smaller pouches. Each had a different herb or medicine inside. Roger had given her double the supply of everything.
What does he think is going to happen to me? she wondered.
The men woke to find it was just as cold outside as it had been the night before.
“You know, I don’t think you should be outside if you can see your breath when you breathe,” Theo commented. Macarius nodded his head in agreement.
“How long before it is done?” Leila asked Kay.
“Fifteen minutes or so,” Kay replied, adding more spices.
“Then, I will be back then.” Leila stood and turned to Nalick. “Would you like to finally meet Roger?” Leila asked him.
A short trip through the woods led them back to the inn. Leila proceeded to the stables attached to the main house. Instead of going in the front door on the main level, Leila climbed the stairs that were between the stables and the house. Without knocking, she let herself in the home. Nalick followed and was surprised to find the room they entered was not a normal room but seemed to be more of a medical room. In the center of the room were two long tables with clean white sheets on them. Along the inside wall of the room was a changing screen and two chairs. A number of various plants blocked the south wall window. As they crossed the room, Nalick could see that the drawer of one of the tables was partially opened. Slightly he could see a glint from metal tools inside the drawer.
Leila continued through the room and into the next room. It was a kitchen of sorts. The cupboards were not stocked with food but rather with herbs and plants. Leila continued to the next door, which led to another staircase. Quickly, she bounced up the stairs two at a time. Nearing the top step, Leila slowed down. Gently she tapped on the door twice.
“It’s open,” a muffled voiced yelled from inside.
Leila opened the door and walked into the greenhouse. Nalick had not noticed that on the top of the main house of the inn was a large greenhouse. The greenhouse was in the ideal location. At the top of the third floor it allowed the best access to the sunlight in the forest. Several tables were lined up in rows and various plants were on each table. The warm humid air of the greenhouse was a stark contrast to the cool breeze outside. Leila quickly removed her coat and hung it on the railing of the staircase. Nalick did the same. Leila then walked through the rows stopping every now and then to check a plant.
“Your pulegium regium doesn’t look as good as normal,” Leila commented, “and your elderberry doesn’t look like it will flower on time this year yet again.”
Roger appeared from beneath one of the tables.
“Right as always. What am I to do without you around to point out the plants that aren’t doing as well as the others? She never compliments me on the plants that are doing well,” Roger said to Nalick. “Roger,” he said, introducing himself before wiping his hands on his apron and extending his hand to shake Nalick’s.
“Now that you have met, back to business,” Leila said interrupting the two men. “Kay is making breakfast, and you know how she is about food. So, we only have ten more minutes before we must be back.”
Roger shook his head as he removed the apron around his waist. Roger led the way as he talked to Leila. “Which route are you planning to take home?” he asked as they went down the stairs.
“I would prefer the upper trail,” Leila responded following Roger through the kitchen into the first room. “But you know that Kay will want to take the evergreen trail.”
“Yes, but I got word that it snowed just a few days ago. You could get blocked up on the evergreen trail if too much has fallen. I agree with the upper trail.” Roger began washing his hands. Leila removed her sweater and sat down on one of the tables in the room. Nalick stood in the doorway and watched.
“What about the valley trail?” Roger asked putting on his glasses. “It should get you home at least a bit quicker than the upper trail.”
“The upper trail would get me home the fastest, but by bringing Kay, it will go pretty slow. I’ll try to suggest the valley trail.” Leila replied as Roger handed her a pillow. Leila laid face down on the table and Roger lifted the back of her shirt.
“How’s your hand?” he asked.
“Still feels fine. The strength is completely back,” Leila replied as Roger adjusted the light above Leila.
“The upper portion here looks like it is completely healed, but it looked fine before you left. No sign of infection,” Roger commented. Roger’s fingers traced the trail across her back that had been slashed open on her previous assignment before her trip to Lexia. Leila turned a little onto her right side as Roger continued to trace the line. Nalick watched as Roger carefully inspected the line across Leila's back.
“So did the stitches come out okay?” Roger asked as he neared the end of the line on her hip. Leila pushed the waistband of her pants down a little exposing the harsh red line that was the end of the cut. Nalick silently moved closer to see the end of the cut. The last three inches had taken longer to heal than the rest of it.
“The stitches? They came out fine. I took them out during our first night in Lexia,” Leila replied. Roger stared at Leila over the rims of his glasses. Nalick was shocked.
“I told you to have Kay remove them,” Roger scolded Leila.
“You know how she gets. Trust me, I did a much better job myself than she would have done,” Leila complained. “But it looks fine, right?” she asked, with slight concern in her voice.
“Yes, it is fine. But if you would have stayed here like I asked you to, I could have removed the stitches and then there would have been no scaring. Now I am afraid you will have a slight scar here by your hip.” Roger had tried in vain to keep Leila away from Lexia. Roger gently pulled her shirt back down and Leila sat up with her feet dangling over the side of the table.
“How has your strength been?” he asked.
Leila shrugged. “Normal.” Roger put his hands on both her shoulders.
“Turn,” he instructed. Leila turned her upper body to the left. “Now, the other way. You still
seem a bit weak on that side, but it is much closer to normal now than it was before you left.” Leila hopped off the table and grabbed her sweater. “And it hasn’t affected your left leg?” he asked, and Leila shook her head no.
“We should start to make our way back,” Leila said to Nalick.
Roger gently patted her head. “I don’t need Kay mad at me.” Leila smiled and hurried back into the other room to put her coat on. Nalick turned to leave but Roger quickly caught his arm.
“I may look like an old man, but if I hear anything has happened to her because of you, I will be to Lexia in the blink of an eye,” Roger whispered so that Leila could not hear.
“I will protect her with my life,” Nalick replied sincerely.
In the last few years, Roger had grown used to Leila showing up at a moment's notice. She always came back with more tales of her adventures that made him laugh and envy her youth and energy. The shy determined girl she was when she first arrived was gone and replaced by a confident, stubborn woman. Roger loved her as if she was his own child. He had also assumed that over time Leila’s heart would mend from the loss of Erich, but he was wrong. It pained his heart to see her fade away from the chance of every finding love again. Roger sniffled a bit and shuffled back up to his greenhouse. He was no longer sad for Leila as he could see in her eyes that she was finally happy again.
“She’s going to be fine,” Roger said out loud to the empty room, “just like you wanted Erich.”
Chapter 12
The ride home took longer than expected. There was fresh snow covering part of the valley path, and it was slow going at parts. They had been riding all day and everyone was eager to get off the horses and relax a bit. As they turned the last corner, Kay hurried her horse ahead of the rest. Leila let her friend run ahead so that the men could take in the sights around her home.
Leila’s home was in the valley between two of the biggest mountain ranges on the south end of the North Country. The city, which they lived near, was situated on a lake in the valley. Her parents’ land extended from the north east shore of the lake up the mountain side. The path they were walking on took them around the outskirts of the town and to the backside of her parents land. Any open view gave a picturesque view of the lake and surrounding mountains. Of all the places Leila had traveled over the years, her parents’ home was one of the most beautiful.
As they approached Leila’s home, the men could not see the house hidden behind the evergreen trees. Leila hopped off her horse as all three men stared at her. They had to walk through the thickest parts of the trail on their way to her home and did not wish to do so again. All three men were thoroughly frozen to the core.
“Well, do you guys want to get inside or have you grown accustomed to the cold and wish to stay out here?” she asked the confused men. As Leila walked ahead, she pulled back the branches to expose her home.
“If you want to stay outside that is fine, but can I at least put the horses in the barn?” she asked.
Instantly, Nalick, Theo, and Macarius jumped off their horses and followed Leila and the horses into the barn. After they were finished with the horses, she cautiously took Nalick’s hand. She was feeling nervous, and he could tell. He squeezed her hand and smiled down at her. Macarius and Theo could feel the anxiety. Bringing home a king and two noble soldiers was not the nicest greeting for someone often kidnapped.
“We could wait here, if you’d like,” Theo suggested trying to ease the tension.
“No, the more people, the less likely anyone can get mad at me. It should be near dinner time, so everyone should be busy. Hopefully I can introduce you to a few at a time,” she replied.
Nalick raised his eyebrows, “How many people will we be meeting tonight?”
“There are normally fourteen, including me, as long as my brothers don’t have any friends over or any other family is visiting,” Leila explained quickly. Leila led the men out of the barn and around to the front door of the home. Leila paused at the door trying to build up the courage to enter.
Now or never. She pushed open the door.
Leila led the men into a small room before the main house. She removed her coat and shoes before opening the door to the home and took a deep breath before entering the house. Inside the three men followed Leila into a large kitchen. Along the entire left side were cupboards and a large sink and oven. Standing at the counter cutting vegetables was a woman. She did not turn around at the opening of the door. With eight adults and six children running around, the woman was accustomed to the door being opened and shut often. Leila stood just inside the doorway not saying anything.
“Hi Momma,” Leila said, quietly hoping that maybe her mother would not hear her. The lady turned around and dropped what she was doing to give her daughter a hug.
“Welcome back, sweetie,” Leila’s mom said while sticking out her hand to shake the hands of the men with Leila. “I’m Anselma,” she said to the men. “Everyone calls me Selma or just Ma around here.” In turn each man shook her hand and introduced themselves. Shaking Nalick’s hand Selma stopped and looked closely at him. Moving back near Leila she asked, “So is this the man Kay said something about?”
“Depends on what she said,” Leila replied quickly.
“Just that you were traveling with three men and one plans to marry you,” Selma replied.
Leila blushed and nodded her head. It had been so much easier to tell her parents that she was going to marry Erich. Erich had started out as her partner for courier runs, and he would make sure she was safe by traveling home with her. Her parents appreciated that Erich watched over her. Erich would frequently stop by for meals or just to visit even when they didn’t have an assignment. Her parents had two years to get to know him before he ever asked her to marry him. Things would be different this time around. Nalick was a stranger from another country, a king with much power and wealth: two qualities that would not endure him to her parents. Leila was sure her parents would automatically distrust him.
“Is Dad around?” Leila asked, wanting to get both introductions done with.
“He is visiting your grandfather and probably won’t be back until after supper.” Selma returned to her cooking. “Kay was going to get washed up. She said she would start warming the water for you guys also.”
Selma would be in a questioning mood. Leila did not want to stick around to answer any questions; so she hurriedly grabbed her bag and shoes and led Nalick through the kitchen into the family room. Leila quickly put on her boots, and Nalick followed her out the back door before they met anyone else in the house. Outside Leila led the way to another building not attached to the main house.
“This is our bath house.” Leila made a sweeping gesture towards the building. “You do know how to bath yourself?” she asked teasingly. “Wait, maybe you don't. Do you have several women bath you at the palace?”
Nalick chuckled at the thought. “Well, that is a secret,” he replied with a wink before they entered the building to get cleaned.
After spending over an hour getting bathed and dressed, Nalick and Leila had to return to the house and the many people that would be waiting to question them. Leila loved her family but was not ready to admit her feelings for Nalick.
“Could we just run away and pretend we got lost on our way to the bath house?” Leila asked, dreading going back inside and facing her mother’s relentless questioning.
“I suppose we could, but then there is the problem of Theo and Macarius,” Nalick replied. “Maybe they have answered all your mother’s questions, and she won’t have any left for us.”
“We can only hope,” Leila pulled her coat on and put her hood over her wet hair before leading the way back to the house. Once inside she could hear laughter coming from the kitchen. Cautiously she approached to find Theo, Macarius, and her mother all seated around the table playing a card game while Kay was cooking. Leila saw her mother’s expression change back to serious once Leila and Nalick entered the room.
“How long before supper is done?” Leila asked Kay, trying to ease the tension.
“About thirty minutes,” Kay replied, expertly handling four different pots on the stove at one time.
“The baths are all ready for you guys,” Leila said to Theo and Macarius, “I’ll show you where it is.” Leila offered to leave the house before her mother could ask any questions, but to her surprise, her mother was just watching her and not talking. Leila could not make out the expression on her mother face. Selma was not happy but nor was she mad.
“Could you get Nael for supper?” Selma asked Leila turning to leave. Leila nodded before quickly grabbing Nalick’s arm to drag him with her. Leila did not want to face her mother, but the thought of leaving Nalick alone with her mother was not comforting either.
“Do you want to stay here when we go back?” Nalick asked cautiously as they left Macarius and Theo at the bath. He was prepared for her response and just held his breath waiting for her to say yes.
“Not really,” Leila replied. It was not the response he had expected nor was it one of complete reassurance either. He did not find her reply good.
“I mean, yes, a part of me will always want to be here. I grew up here. To wake up in the morning and see the sun rise over the mountains and shine on the lake, it truly is awe inspiring. But,” Leila paused and stopped in her tracks thinking, “it’s just not the place for me. It is a little too quiet and sometimes quite boring.” Leila looked up at Nalick to see if he understood.
“Maybe someday in my life this is what I will want, but right now I just want to be somewhere a bit more exciting. I was never one of those little girls that dreams about how they will marry a guy from their home village and then move in right next door to her parents, and he would take over the family business.”
“Is Lexia exciting enough for you?” Nalick asked cautiously.
Leila smiled. “It will do for now,” she replied coyly.
Nalick followed Leila who was leading him by rows of dormant grape vines. “This is my family's business.” Nalick could see she was leading them to a small stone structure towards the middle of the vineyard. As they drew near he could see it was a building built into a hill. Leila walked around to the side door and led Nalick through several rows of barrels until they were near the back of the building. Sitting in a room next to a well-lit fire was a dark haired man reading papers, Leila’s oldest brother Nael. As Nael looked up, his face turned from serious to a big smile. He quickly jumped up and lifted Leila and tipped her upside down as he hugged her.