Falcon's Flight

Seventeen

By the time it was time for them to sleep, and Fen was sore. Her muscles ached, especially her legs, from trying to balance on a horse. Shan Yu had introduced her to a chestnut coloured mare named Zaya. The mare was the same height as her and he claimed she had a gentle temperament and she had to agree, despite falling off multiple times in the hours he had tried to teach her.

“Are you going to sleep with me tonight?”

The question caught her off guard and Fen stared at him with wide eyes.
“Nothing has to happen,” he said with a roll of his eyes. Fen still stared at him, he’d never really asked that before, even if she’d slept beside him before. “And it’s in a ger so it is warmer and a lot more comfortable.”
“Yes, I’d like that,” she said quietly with a smile. And it would be appreciated, especially with how painful learning to ride a horse was. She needed something other than the hard ground to sleep on.

As Shan Yu had said, it was warmer and a lot more comfortable. She got to lie on a mattress in the large ger. It felt empty since it was just the two of them. Fen was grateful for it but she couldn’t help but question the way he had asked her. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t ask her normally. Maybe he was just trying to irritate her or something? But she hadn’t been irritated at it, more shocked and confused.

It was like when he had asked her if she had even been married. She had never gotten a real answer, only Shan Yu claiming he was curious. She furrowed her brow despite her eyes being closed. It was an odd thing to be curious about.

“What are you thinking about?”

Somehow, she had managed to forget that he was lying next to her.

“You’re pulling some interesting facial expressions,” he said. Opening her eyes, she could see the smirk on his face.
“I am?” she asked and he nodded. “I was… I was just thinking.”
“Thinking about what?” he asked. Fen looked at him for a few moments, wondering if she should be honest. She had no reason to lie to him.
“Why did you ask if I was married?”

She wasn’t surprised that it took him a while to answer. It probably wasn’t that long but the silence seemed to stretch out time.
“Part of me was curious,” he said. “And part of me thought that you might be a good wife.”
“What?” she asked, not sure if she had heard him properly. “A good wife?”
“Yes.”

Fen sat up and looked at him, it was uncomfortable to keep turning her neck so much. “Do you realise that I was not considered a good candidate for marriage? I couldn’t make tea, I’m thin, clumsy and I talked a lot and apparently my voice was not pleasant for men seeking a bride,” she said, listing off the things she had been told over the years. Some of which contradicted like not being thin enough while being too thin. “We weren’t rich and I’m nearing the older side of the usual bride’s age. I was a disappointment to my father and my ancestors.”

Shan Yu stared at her for a moment as he decided to sit instead of lie down, it seemed like he was confused. The Huns had a very different lifestyle. “I do not think you are a disappointment.”