As A Stranger Or A Friend?

Mariel - 24 Rain's Hand, 1245 A.D.

I could see from the corner of my eye how exceedingly smug he looked as we approached the confectioner's stall. Try as I might, he was impossible to defeat. I really thought I had improved! I had even been practicing in my room at night when he thought I had gone to sleep, but it seemed it was all for naught. He had years of experience playing such games and with more cunning opponents than me, so I suppose I really was no match for him.

"Wrap up one of 'em bars of lokum." I heard him say to the man working the stall as he counted out the money to pay for it.

"Two silvers."

He dropped the pieces into the man's hand before he presented me with the sugary treat. "Go on, take it."

"But I didn't win." I protested softly.

"Go on." He chuckled, "I nay be one for sweets."

"Then we could have wagered something else..." I pouted.

"Belay yer wee poutin', nay becomes ye." He winked, placing the bar into my hand and leading us away from the stall.

I frowned but couldn't lie that the bar did look quite tasty. It was gummy and sweet, with hints of orange and cinnamon flavoring each bite. I chewed happily and decided to let it slide that he had been charitable. An offering such as this was easier to accept than his previous attempts at generosity; after all, it was only two silvers worth, not several hundred. I tossed him a small smile to let him know I was grateful. He returned it and chuckled low in his throat.

We walked at a leisurely pace through the trading post, not for the purpose of buying anything but just to have something to occupy our time with. There were no chores or other such duties to take care of today, so this was all there was to do. Relaxing as it was, he was sharp as ever, keeping an eye out for any danger as we moved. It made me feel burdensome. He was never able to relax or let his guard down because of me, but I couldn't deny that it did make me feel more at ease that he was so watchful. However, his continued dedication to the task was confounding. I fully expected that things would become strange between us after my rejection of him or that he might turn against me, but surprisingly the opposite happened; he became welcoming.

As it turned out, he was rather a friendly and easy person to be around. Like anyone else, he had his quirks being rather pouty and altogether fussy at times, but I wasn't inexperienced at handling such things. I was educated as a governess after all; many children shared his disposition. Though I had yet to decide if that was a good thing, he was a grown man; I suppose he shouldn't act that way. That aside, when I looked at him, he didn't frighten me anymore. I wouldn't venture to say that he looked friendly, but it certainly was easier to be around him now as he smiled a lot more and was quick to laugh.

At any rate, he didn't pressure me to be intimate with him or try to corner me to make me blush. However, one might argue that a man asking a woman to light his pipe was intimate, but I wrote that off as an anomaly. He still tossed me the odd wink here and there, too, but I doubted that meant he still harbored any feelings for me. There was simply no one else for him to direct that friendly affection toward, for he certainly seemed to be the naturally affectionate type, at least with those he was close to. With those considerations in mind, I concluded he would probably behave the same way with any female companion, not just me.

"Drink. Ye be goin' red in the face." He said, offering me a skin of water.

"Oh. Thank you." I replied softly.

We came to a stop so that I could drink and finish off the lokum. I took the last bite and savored it as much as I could. After all, I didn't know when I would get to have such a treat again.