The Seamstress

CHAPTER SIX

Kae loved everything about being outside the capital city and finally having a chance to see the real world. Rehan was the best companion—not that she had much experience in what traveling companions were like—but everything he had done for her... Kae had no idea how she would ever pay him back. Even knowing that he had bought an enchanted ring so she could talk normally warmed her heart, despite that it also meant he didn't care for her stuttering.

Not only was he handsome, but he answered all of her questions and didn't seem irritated with her. Granted, most everyone else grew irritated any of the rare times she did choose to speak because of her stutter. If she had had this ring before, or had always been able to speak normal, would more people have been kind to her?

Was that the only reason Rehan chose to be kind to her? No, Kae realized. He had agreed to come and had gotten her the ring before she'd been able to speak normally.

After several hours, her backside had started to go numb and her body was sore in places that had never been sore before. Rehan stopped Snowmark and she pulled her own stallion to a halt with the mule almost refusing to until the rope yanked him to a stop regardless of what the stubborn animal wanted. They had pulled off the road and made their way to the embankment of the river that followed it—which had temporarily been hidden by the mountain on their right, until they eventually ended up around it—to give the horses a chance to drink.

Kae guzzled water from her canteen and refilled it at the river. She also took the chance to eat a bit of her dried meat, since her stomach felt as if it was eating her insides at that point.

After resting about an hour, in which Rehan found some fruit on the trees and gave them to both horses and the mule, they resumed their riding and came back onto the road. A bridge led them across the river, so that it now followed them on their left, which broke out into thick forest on either side of them. The path here was only worn and made of dirt and loose rocks, rather than cobblestone.

"Rehan?" Kae asked.

"Mm?" He gazed at her with his dark, stunning blue eyes that made Kae's stomach flutter.

"I w—was wondering if... if you would be offended if I named my horse after you."

Rehan blinked at her and then laughed so hard he teared up. "Rehan is a terrible name for a horse. Why in the world would you want to name him after me?" Rehan's forehead wrinkled as he stared her.

Kae wrung her hands, twisting the reigns of her stallion around it and shrugged, trying to play it off. "B—b—because..." She sighed, trying to find the words. The ring worked and allowed her to speak normally in most cases, but sometimes if she became too stressed or upset, the stutter would return. Every part of her was still grateful for the ring and how much it helped. "...Vollie rented him but y—you're the one t—t—traveling with me. N—no one else would have."

Rehan's starless blue eyes softened on hers and for the first time, it felt as if someone finally looked at her with kindness; not the odd stares she was used to, if they even looked at her at all. "Oh. I mean, you could always name him Dromyr."

Kae glanced at him. "Is that Elvish?"

Rehan nodded, his hand absentmindedly playing with Snowmark's mane. "It means 'friend.' I figured it was appropriate."

Kae smiled and leaned down as she gently stroked her stallion's side. "Dromyr..." He nickered and twisted his head toward her, which made Kae giggle.

"Whoa... Hold on." Rehan pulled Snowmark to a stop, so Kae did the same with Dromyr. Fortunately, the mule actually stopped when they did.

Along the road up ahead, a pile of rocks completely blocked the road. There were two wagons, about half a dozen men riding on them, four horses that weren't pulling them, and a strange animal in the back far larger than a horse. It was gray with giant floppy ears, a large whip-like tail and four spikes sticking out of its face below its eyes and mouth.