Chapter 40

Rhobart continued touching Ayla on her waist and shoulders until he was sure she got into the right position.

"Good. Now we work on your attack."

They practiced until Ayla was too tired to focus on her attack. Rhobart put away the sticks and sat on a log.

"Time to rest," the King said.

Ayla put some tea both for her and the King and offered him a cup before sitting on a log next to him.

Rhobart looked at the tea but did not drink.

"Is something the matter?" Ayla asked while looking at him.

The King looked at her, "After the last experience, I am half afraid to drink something you offer me."

Ayla snorted before drinking from her cup, "And you spanked me in front of the others."

"Don't think it did not pain me to do so. It probably hurt me more than you," Rhobart said and then drank from the tea.

"I put some blue elder," Ayla said and sipped more tea.

Rhobart spat the tea in the direction of the fire and looked at her, "You are kidding!"

When Ayla shook her head, he said, "I am going to take all your plants from you!"

Ayla shrugged, drank some more tea, and said, "Too late. Someone already burned all my plants."

"Then from where do you have more?" Rhobart asked and poured the tea on the snow.

Ayla looked at the King while he emptied his cup. She drank some more.

"From the foodshed. Such a pity to throw the tea away. And it tastes good too!"

"Ayla? What do you use blue elder for?"

Ayla smirked and then said. "Digestion." And finished drinking her tea.

Rhobart looked at her for a few seconds and started laughing. Ayla also started laughing.

Kerra, who was sitting next to the fire, looked at Ayla and Rhobart as if they grew horns on top of their heads. They laughed even harder when Kerra hissed at them.

"Time to sleep, t'xoria. We leave at dawn," Rhobart said when they finally stopped laughing.

Ayla got under the blankets with Kerra. She was watching Rhobart, who was standing guard. She was almost asleep when a question came to her mind.

"Rhobart? Do we take turns to stand guard?"

"Between Kerra and I, we will be safe."

"It is not fair for only you to guard the camp. Wake me up later," Ayla said.

Rhobart said nothing, and Ayla soon drifted to sleep.

It was almost dawn when she woke up. Without getting up, Ayla looked around the camp. Rhobart was close to the fire, training with his sword. He was only in his trousers. His back was to her, and Ayla could see better his tattoos. They were runes, but not runes she had seen before, and they covered his entire back.

'What do they mean?' she wondered.

Minutes later, the King stopped training and turned. Ayla looked at his chest and saw that he also had runes all over his chest. A metallic bar pierced his left nipple.

When he cleared his voice, Ayla looked into his eyes – they were full of amusement.

"The little princess likes watching naked men training," the King said and chuckled.

Ayla blushed so hard she felt her face on fire. She covered her cheeks with her hands and glared at him, "I do not like watching naked men training! You are not naked! Well, not entirely! And I was only looking at your tattoos!"

Suddenly Rhobart turned serious and said nothing while he dressed. It seemed that he was even avoiding looking at Ayla.

When he was fully clothed, Ayla stood and got close to him.

"Your tattoos are very beautiful. What do they mean?"

Rhobart inhaled sharply and, for a long moment, said nothing. They gathered their things in silence. Ayla kept glancing at him, only to see a very sad expression on his face. Whatever those tattoos meant, it was something personal, and Ayla knew she had no right to ask.

When the horses were ready for travel, Rhobart finally looked at her. His eyes were full of pain.

"My tattoos, they are a promise. An oath," he simply said.

Before Ayla realized she spoke, her question had already gotten passed her lips, "What kind of promise?"

"And oath I made to someone I lost because of the war," Rhobart said and got on his horse. "Come, Kerra. Let's go!"

All day long, the King refused to speak with Ayla. Whenever she would say or ask anything, Rhobart would pretend he didn't hear. As hours passed, Ayla grew more frustrated. And then she was sad. Her heart hurt because Rhobart refused to talk to her.

"I am sorry for asking!" she finally said, but the King said nothing.

She kept looking at Rhobart. From time to time, he would put his right hand on top of his heart and murmur something, but he spoke so low Ayla never heard what he was saying.

When they reached the next camp, Rhobart finally looked at her. His eyes were still full of pain.

"We stop here for the night," he said in a neutral voice.

"You decided you are speaking to me again?" Ayla asked in an angry voice.

"It wasn't my intention to ignore you, Ayla. But some things will remind me of what I had and what I lost because of your father!" Rhobart said in an equally angry voice.

When she flinched and put her left hand on top of her amulet, Rhobart rubbed his temples, "I am sorry for snapping at you. You are not responsible for your father's actions. It has been a long day, and we are both tired. We should prepare for the night. I also want to see what you remember from our training and to show you something new."

That night, while Rhobart taught her weak points of the body and how she could disarm a person, Ayla's heart kept drumming every time he touched her or she had to touch him.

Before they went to bed, Ayla gave Rhobart another cup of tea and told him that she had added sunweed. He almost did not drink it until Ayla explained it was good for blood circulation.

When morning came, and she once again saw him training in only his trousers, she blushed but kept looking. There was something fascinating about how he moved with his sword in hand.

He turned suddenly and caught her staring at him. Again.

"You do enjoy looking at naked men!" he said and grinned.

"I am not! And why are you always training without your tunic on? Are you freezing?"

"I am never cold! My mother threw me in a frozen lake when I was only three days old."

"She did not! What kind of a mother throws her child in a frozen lake?"

"It is a tradition on Nordman to do so with a newborn," Rhobart explained.

"That's barbaric! How can someone do that to a baby?"

"It is done so the baby can grow strong and get used to the harsh climate of this kingdom," Rhobart said and grinned.

"I don't believe you!"

"And why would I lie to you?" he asked in an innocent voice.

When they started traveling, Ayla still had a hard time believing a mother would throw her child into a frozen lake.