The Thief and Prince

Chapter 7: Are You Deaf?

A groan coming from a nearby tent wakes me up the following morning. Sitting up, I blink hard and pop my head out, greeted by the damp air from dew. Amiri groans again and stumbles from his tent, sporting only a pair of trousers. I've never seen him with his shirt off before and my gaze can't help but fix on the faded pink scars across his chest and back that I link to being related to his many jobs as an assassin.

Smirking, I quickly get dressed and slip on my boots before watching as the tanned Acadian make his way to the horses, leaning against the wide tree as he begins to relieve himself. Rolling my eyes, I step out and grab a water skin and patiently wait until he returns by the fire.

When he's done, he turns around and looks surprised to see me, nodding his head sluggishly. "Cora," he greets in a raspy voice. As he gets closer I notice multiple dark colored marks on his neck that serves as proof of his intimate time with the woman last night. "My head is killing me," he groans, squinting his eyes as he peers up at the blue clouded sky.

"Looks like someone had an interesting night," I mock, handing him the water.

He wags his dark eyebrows and throws his long braid over his shoulder and begins to drink the water in large gulps. When he's done, he makes a satisfied "ahh" and tosses it back to me, wiping his mouth with the back of his wrist.

"So," I begin, "Not that it's any of my business, but if I were you I wouldn't be boasting about your escapade for the next few days," I say, thinking of Laria.

He turns to me, tilting his head in confusion, "And why wouldn't I? I had fun," he states.

Just then Laria pushes herself from her tent fully dressed, a look of annoyance etched onto her face. She greets me cooly and refuses to acknowledge Amiri. "I'm going to go to town and get us supplies. I'll return within an hour," she states out loud before mounting herself onto her horse. We watch her ride towards Ipswitch and then share a knowing look.

"I'm assuming that's why," he says and I give a shrug.

Looking over at his two deadly swords, I am reminded of something I've been meaning to ask him. "Do you think you could teach me to fight? With a sword I mean? I could perhaps show you a thing or two about thieving as a fair trade," I say. Life on the road—especially traveling through such dangerous areas—can be deadly and knowing how to defend oneself would come in handy. Besides, if Rorik is as dangerous as it's led on to be, having a fourth swordsman couldn't hurt. I'd ask Laria but considering she wields a greatsword I'd be better off learning from him considering my build.

He flashes his teeth which contrasts against his copper skin, giving me a nod. "Now that's an idea. Maybe tomorrow we can start if we have time, yeah? I'd give you a quick rundown of the basics now but..." he says, pointing to his temple/

I grin and give him a nod, "Sounds good to me. I'm going to go to the river for a bath," I tell him and grab my small bag that holds my soap and brush. I then make the short walk to the river and take a look around to see if anyone lurks about before quickly stripping of my clothing.

As I step in, I flinch at the texture of the squishy mud beneath my feet as well as the water's frigid temperature. Taking a deep breath, I ease in slowly, allowing myself to get accustomed to the chilling river.

I take my time cleaning my body, scrubbing all the dirt and grime that has accumulated over our travels and making sure to get under both my nails and underarms. Since we've left, I've only been able to bathe once and was rushed so I'm making sure to try and enjoy it this time.

After washing my body, I begin to start on my hair. My fingers interlace in my thick flaxen mane and I slowly rinse my hair, dunking it under the water. When I resurface, it's then that I notice that someone has joined me at the river bank.