After training was over for the day and everyone dispersed, Noble felt like he had learned a lot that day and Belbriv had given him a confidence boost.
“I am so tired,” Jon told the two as they all walked back to Biblen’s.
“Same here, I’m going to be dreaming of sore muscles and throwing daggers tonight,” Caro moaned, rubbing her shoulder.
“Are you guys going to go hangout with Cal and the others?” Noble asked.
Jon looked at Caro.
“I will if you guys are,” he said.
“Caro, you going?”
“Umm actually Seilen asked if he could talk with me, but we’ll probably meet up with you later.”
“Seilen? What does he want?” Jon questioned.
Caro shrugged her shoulders.
“He just said he wanted to talk is all. He didn’t say what about.”
“Well… I would be careful. You don’t know if you can completely trust him yet,” Jon warned.
Caro laughed.
“Jon, it’s not like I’m replacing you two; you guys are my best friends! Seilen just wants to talk.”
“I don’t see what’s wrong with it.” Noble affirmed.
“I don’t either, I’m just saying…”
“It’s okay, I know what I’m doing.” Caro reassured them and walked away to go and find Seilen.
“What’s wrong?” Noble asked Jon.
“Nothing.” He answered, still watching Caro walk away.
But Noble knew something was wrong.
***
Caro walked around a shop and Seilen was there, leaning against the structure.
“Hey,” Caro said as she approached.
“Oh hey, finally, you’re here!” He said with a laugh.
“Sorry, we just got done training like ten minutes ago,”
He laughed again.
“It’s okay, I’m just messing with you.”
Caro smiled.
“You did really well out there; I’m impressed with how much you’ve learned in such a short time,”
“Thanks. Raiblic is a great teacher,”
“He is pretty skilled with the dagger,” Seilen stated.
“So what did you want to talk about?”
“Nothing really in particular. I just thought that since you were somewhat ‘new’ I figured why not become friends!”
Caro smiled.
“I wouldn’t mind doing that,”
Seilen smiled, his eyes sparkling.
“Great! So why not tell me about yourself… how long have you been friends with Jon and Noble?”
“I’ve known them pretty much my entire life, but Jon and Noble were friends long before I met them.”
“Ah I see. So what about your family?”
Caro let out a huff.
“My mother died a while ago, and my father doesn’t really care about me.” She shook her head. “He probably doesn’t even realize that I’m gone.”
“I’m so sorry, Caro.”
She looked at him and remembered Jon’s warning- I would be careful, you don’t know if you can completely trust him yet.
“It’s okay, I’ve pretty much been accepted into their lives and we’re all practically family.” Caro told him.
“So you trust them a lot,”
Caro looked at him.
“I trust Jon and Noble with my life! If I didn’t trust them then I wouldn’t have followed them here.”
“I guess that’s true. So just so you don’t think I’m being a creepy giant or anything, but do you want to be training partners? I’m familiar with knives and daggers, and I could teach you swordplay. It’s always a good thing to know,”
“I thought Quoril was your partner?”
“He is, but we could make it a three-some.”
Caro didn’t know what to say. Seilen wasn’t the kind of boy who you could just say “no” to. His eyes were gorgeous and he was definitely attractive. But if they were partners, that meant they would have to trust each other, which probably wouldn’t make Jon very happy. And what about Noble? It was all so confusing and Caro didn’t know what to do.
“Well, maybe I should talk to Belbriv and Jon and Noble and just see what they think. I don’t know if Belbriv has it planned that us three are partners or what yet.”
“Okay that makes sense,” – that wonderful smile again- “I hope Belbriv has us as partners.”
Caro smiled.
“That would be cool,”
“I know you barely know me, but believe me when I say that you can trust me with anything.”
There it was. Caro had hoped Seilen wouldn’t say that, but he did. She simply nodded.
“Well thank you, Seilen. That’s good to know, I will keep that in mind.”
“You’re welcome, Caro. I hope you can trust me and we can be good friends.”
They both smiled and Caro traced circles with her foot in the dirt.
“Yeah I hope so too.”
She didn’t know what to think. She couldn’t let her emotions get in the way before they went to war. Was she developing a crush for this boy? What would Belbriv think? Or worse, what would Jon and Noble think? Caro wasn’t really worried about Noble, it was more Jon because he seemed to care more about her. And then again, she barely knew Seilen.
Ugh, why is this so hard? She thought.
But maybe it didn’t really have to be this hard.
***
The black stallion panted heavily as Akaidish kicked it to run faster and faster. At the rate he was going, he would make it to Bef early the next morning. Fire lit his eyes and anger hardened his heart.
“It is the end for all these people,” he spoke to himself.
The first part of his plan- to divide- had been accomplished. Now he would conquer.
