Daughter of Ice and Fire

Thirty-Three

Lihleih watched the Prince, hiding her amusement. It was obvious he wanted her. And to her surprise, she found the idea appealing. Not because he was the Prince, but because he seemed to care. He had said he went up against his father to fight for her life. She had seen the sorrow in his eyes when she asked about the person his father had killed. This man, who only knew her as a girl who had broken the law, had risked his father's wrath not once but several times over her. She was sure his father would not be pleased if he ever found out his son had let her get away with the prize money. In addition, she was absolutely certain that if he discovered the Prince had kidnapped her and stashed her somewhere, he would probably kill him. Even if the King held his hand, she was sure he would find a way to punish Averit that would hurt him even more than slowly killing him would. So why was the Prince risking so much for her?

She knew that having the Prince want her would also make it easier for her to fulfill her personal vow but she found herself loath to use him like that. He didn't deserve what would happen if she convinced him to get her close to the King and then she failed. King's son or not, if Averit helped her, he would die. No, using him to get close to the King was not something she would willingly do.

She continued to watch him out of the corner of her eye, wondering if he would act on his feelings. If he did, how would she respond? It had been a long time since she had let herself feel attracted to someone. There were a few young men in the village who had let her know they were interested and she had spent time with them. But whenever they started discussing marriage or became a little too forceful, she broke it off. None had stirred her heart and besides, she was deathly afraid to commit herself to anyone. That reason along with several others made her discourage any suitors and spend her time taking care of the family instead.

But now family and friends were gone. She had even lost Warshade, a loss that stabbed more deeply than she had expected. She was alone, despite what Imril had said, and wanted by the King. She knew once she killed him, her life would be over. Even if it was the best thing for Crusseria and the people silently cheered her for it, nobody could murder a King and walk away.

Her thoughts ran in circles as she popped the orange slices into her mouth. She hadn't lied when she said she loved them. She not only loved them, she couldn't get enough of them. Grabbing the second one, she started peeling when he gently took it from her. An electric shock ran through her fingers, and she stilled, watching his eyes darken before he looked away.

When he handed it back, she had regained her composure, although part of her secretly wished he would touch her again. She silently cursed. What was she thinking? Not only was this man responsible for what had happened to her, he obviously wanted something from her. She wasn't so naïve as to believe he had kidnapped her simply to atone for his sins. She was perceptive enough to know from the way he stiffened that he didn't want to tell her. That meant it couldn't be good. In fact, she was pretty sure she wasn't going to be very happy with his request. The orange suddenly tasted bitter, and she forced herself to finish it, not wanting to appear rude. Wiping her hands, she took a sip of her wine and waited for him to answer her questions.

"Let's sit in the other room. It's warmer and we can relax." Averit had gone tense, his mouth turned down slightly. He refused to meet her eyes, busying himself with cleaning up.

Lihleih nodded and rose, helping him clear away the dishes. He placed the refuse in a small ceramic jar with a fitted top and placed it to the side while he rinsed the plates and knife with water kept in a basin alongside the sink. After he was done, he placed the ceramic jar in the center of the sink and wiped his hands. She looked at him curiously and he chuckled.

"My cabin is a little rustic," he explained. "I prefer not to put any food outside until I can place it far away. Putting it in a covered container in the middle of the sink keeps the smell down and the pests to a minimum. Anything that gets into the sink can't get into the jar but also can't get back out. I can then let the little pests go in the morning."