Something in the Night

Chapter Ten

Nina shared up at him with green eyes gone almost perfect round as she said, "I—I'm afraid I know not what you mean."

"It took me a bit to figure it out," he went on, "but you were there. That night my Company and I attempted to break into the armory and were caught. You were in the crowd, near the front, not far from where Bilbo stood."

"No, I—I've never been to Esgaroth and I'm afraid I've no inkling as to who Bilbo even is."

"Of course you don't, for he was with me. But, I remember you, Miss Nina. You and another woman who bore a strong resemblance to you. You stood out, both of you, because of your hair."

As he spoke, he reached out to catch one of Nina's wild corkscrew curl between his fingers. He couldn't help it. He'd never seen hair that deep, almost burgundy color before and since she first joined them, he tried to remember where he'd seen it before. It wasn't until he came into her chambers and saw it loose about her face that the memory of a beautiful red-haired woman in the snow leaped to the forefront of his mind, for that was just how she looked that night. Her hair a wild tangle about her face, about her shoulders, with snowflakes dotting it like seed pearls.

She shook her head. "You must have me confused with someone else."

"No." He let the curl slip through his fingers. It was soft, almost silken, and he had the maddest urge to gather it in his hands. "It was you."

"Your Highness, I—"

"I know it was you, Nina. Tell me, what became of the woman who was with you? Who was she and what she to you?"

"She was my sister. She..." Nina's eyes shone with tears as she met his gaze and his heart sank as she finished with a whispered, "she died in the inferno. I found her on the opposite shore the next morning and please do not make me tell you more about it."

"I am so sorry," he murmured back. "I did not mean for the dragon to take his anger out on your people. That was never my intention. It was the last thing I would have wanted."

She pressed her lips together as her eyes overflowed, tears streaking over the curve of her cheeks. Without thinking, he brushed his thumbs along her cheeks, sweeping the tears from them. "Forgive me," he whispered, cupping her face in his palms, tilting it toward his. "I know that means nothing, that my words are worthless, but I am so very sorry my actions led to the death of people you loved."

Her lips trembled and she leaned into him, her head coming to rest against his chest as she dissolved into tears. He wrapped his arms about her, tucked her close against him and let her cry, his rough-hewn henley growing damp against his chest.

Finally, she went still against him and when she lifted her head, her eyes were red and puffy. "I beg your pardon," she whispered, swiping at her nose with the back of her hand. "I didn't mean to blubber all over a king."

"Worry not about it," he told her. "It is the least I deserve."

"I just..." She drew in a deep, if somewhat shaky breath, and then offered up a sad smile. "It's been a while since I allowed myself to think of Lenna. She was my dearest friend in the world and I miss her. So very much."

"If I could go back and do that night over," he told her, sweeping his thumbs along the remnants of tears still streaking her skin, "I would do things so very differently. And in the aftermath, I'd have honored my word without question."

This time, when he met her gaze, he felt the oddest thing. It was almost as if the air were suddenly charged, as it felt before a lightning storm. But he heard no rumble of thunder and as the leaves shifted above their heads, it was to show a clear night, the black sky spangled with thousands of stars glinting like gemstones against a bed of black velvet.