The Gathering of Masters: The Bond Once Severed Book 1

10. Adjustment

Natalia broke her contact with Raja, putting her hand to her lips as the cold of separation hit them. After a long silence, which she used to balance her thoughts, Natalia spoke, "I think I would like to see the ship." She wanted to escape from this luxurious room, which felt so small with Raja in it, and stood with a slight wobble. Raja rose with her. He didn't touch her, but she knew he would have caught her if she had fallen.

Once she felt steady, Raja stepped away and pulled a dark blue cloth from the chair. He brought it back to Natalia. She looked at the fabric Raja handed her and realized it was a robe.

"I will need help with this garment. It is unfamiliar to me," Natalia admitted. Without any change in his blank expression, Raja took the soft fabric and helped her slip it around her body. He stood close enough that Natalia could smell the accumulation of sweat and horse from a long ride. Unlike the stench that followed the soldiers when they rode, Natalia did not find Raja's odor overwhelming. It was likely he bathed more frequently than the Queen's soldiers, and there was a gentle musk that tempered the reek that should have come from what must have been days in the saddle.

Raja stepped back after he tied one side of the robe to the inside of the other and folded the top where it lined up with what she realized was a type of button on the front near her right shoulder. These were the same color as the robe, so she had not noticed it at first. When he finished, he wrapped a cloth around her middle and tucked it on the sides. It should have been restrictive, but the central material felt more supportive than confining. Did it provide support while riding, or exist just for appearance? When he moved back to the other side of the room, Natalia realized that the cloth she wore had the same musky smell. Something in how the fabric was made or stored must be the cause.

"You could," Raja began, distracting Natalia from her musings on the cloth, "wear the britches underneath. Tradition does not dictate you wear them all the time unless you are traveling." He was holding a pair of white trousers. While they did not look uncomfortable, Natalia did not trust herself to sit again to put them on. It had taken so much energy to stand the first time.

"I feel comfortable without them," Natalia answered. Raja placed the pants back onto the chair he had lifted them from and grabbed a length of blue fabric from the table by the bed. Natalia could not fathom what it was.

"This is a head covering," Raja explained as he held the strip of cloth in his hand.

"That, too, is new to me." With her tacit permission, he wrapped the soft material around her head and face.

"Most will know that you are not of the tribes and will assume you wear the veil as a courtesy to me," Raja explained as he inspected his work. "Your skin and voice will give you away." Natalia nodded and tested the fit of the headwrap. "It is no longer the fashion among my people for women to wear veils, though it is still prevalent among the mountain tribes, and many young women wear them while traveling."

"Do men wear headcoverings?" she queried when he appeared to finish his explanation.

"Yes, they are often worn on long rides to protect against elements by both genders. But it has never been fashionable for men to wear." Raja put a hand to his head and glanced at Natalia with a hint of embarrassment. "Would you mind if I adjust my hair? There is a stool here for you to lean on if needed." Raja placed what Natalia would have thought was a tall table or shelf beside her. It stood at just the right height to lean on without fully sitting; though it did not look like any stools she was familiar with, she appreciated its functionality.

Once Natalia rested comfortably on the stool, Raja untied his hair and combed it quickly. While she waited, Natalia chose to watch him. She was surprised when he did not rebraid it and disappointed when he tied it in a tight bun on top of his head, using a stick to hold it in place. No strands fell loose as Natalia would have expected. Natalia frowned at her displeasure. Unexpectedly, she found the man's long hair attractive. The men in her village had worn their hair long, unlike the men of the Queendom. Her hand touched the cloth covering her head self-consciously. She did miss her hair.