Garrett already had our horses saddled and outside the barn, as he held both reins. He raised his hand for me to take my set, and I strolled to grab my horse, his gaze studying every movement of mine. I shivered, not because of the chill night air, but because I felt naked under his fixed stare.
He waited for me to mount my horse before ascending his and we began our expedition. We rode in silence, which normally wouldn’t bother me, but it did right now. It was as though it muted any intelligent conversation that I could be having with him right now, and it didn’t even have to be that. It could be casual or mundane, anything but curbed and restrained. As I tried to focus on something clever to talk about, besides the weather and his day, he broke through my tongue-tied thoughts.
“Where did you get the clothes?”
I looked at Garrett, who kept his gaze on the grassy field that swayed with the wind ahead of us. The moon lit the landscape, making it a picture-perfect night; the grass looked blueish instead of green, lighting the way to our destination. A light fog hovered over the ground, making the field look magical.
“My lady found them for me. Not quite sure where.”
When he didn’t respond, I glanced down at myself. My breasts were taped down, to keep my boyish appearance, and my hair was braided, under a hat. With no blush, I probably looked like a sixteen-year-old male.
Damn him for making me feel nervous.
To my chagrin, it only took us a short while to get into town, where the celebration was already in full participation. The music was clamorous, with people bustling amongst each other. Colored lanterns hung around the dance floor, and small fires were lit, surrounded by people warming their hands and drinking their spirits, laughing and talking. Couples danced in unison, hand in hand, crouching to go under another couple’s joined arms, smiling and singing as they enjoyed the dance.
We handed off our horses to a gentleman keeping all the animals together as Garrett handed him a few coins. He guided me through the crowd, keeping close by my side, as I took everything in; the long tables of food, the smell of spiced chicken cooked over an open fire, and children hiding under the tables, reaching blindly for sweets. It felt extraordinary, so free and content, and my heart fluttered in my chest, a smile resting on my face. No one knew my name, or who I was.
Turning to Garrett, I paused. He was studying the crowd, looking from one man to a group of them eating and laughing, his eyes narrowed and focused. Did the man have any fun without being a guard dog?
“Garr.”
He didn’t break his observation of the crowd. “Hm?”
Waiting to see if he would look at me, I finally rolled my eyes, halting mid-step. Garrett continued, peering to his left then his right. I crossed my arms; I’d stay put here until pensive Garrett figured out that I wasn’t at his side. It didn’t take but another second before he stood on his tiptoes, scanning over the crowd. He almost barreled into me when he turned around to stalk through the crowd. The look of pure worry in his eyes melted my heart.
“Hello,” I greeted, welcoming him back to my conversation. He exhaled a deep breath, closing his eyes. His hand came up to his forehead, rubbing it with his thumb and index finger.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack, Ava?” The sound of my actual name coming from him told me he was agitated. And I wasn’t the least bit sorry.
I lifted a brow. “Were you going to stand guard all night, or try to have a bit of fun?”
“We just got here.”
“Yes, and you couldn’t look more obvious by staring daggers at everyone.”
“I wasn’t—” I crossed my arms, and he sighed. “All right, fine.” He unbuttoned the top bottom of his shirt, his dark chest hair peeking out. My jaw unhitched a little, as my gaze trailed his smooth neck, stubbly chin, and piercing blue eyes. “Better?”
I cleared my throat. “Much...much better.” He took a step closer, and my breath choked in its normal rhythm. The closed distance brought the intensity of his body, my feet wanting to move and regain my air supply, but my mind was curious of what this man could do to me. Besides the lack of functioning of half my body.
“Avie,” he whispered over my head. Our eyes locked, his blue ones holding me hostage. “I’m starving. Can we eat?”
I swallowed. “Of course.” My hands relaxed from their clenched state, disappointment washing over me that our current proximity had no effect on him.
A roar of fire made me jump closer to him, his hands immediately coming to my elbows. “Come here.” Maneuvering to squeeze us into a spot, I discovered the noise was coming from a shirtless group of men eating fire and blowing it out of their mouths. They held short torches, waving them around in circles, exciting the circled crowd around them.
“This is amazing,” I said in awe, my eyes taking each of them in, watching each one try a different trick.
“Aruna has men who spit fire while spinning upside down off the ceiling,” Garrett chimed, crossing his arms.
“The ceiling? How don’t they burn themselves?” The other side of the crowd slightly parted, allowing a short man to enter the middle of the circle. He jumped, flipping himself in the air, landing on his feet gracefully. Grabbing the shoulders of another entertainer, the short man leapt on his shoulders with his knees, bringing himself to stand. The people cheered and clapped while he balanced himself, taking another torch from his partner. Each of them spit out more fire, while the rest of the them performed flips and cartwheels. The spectacle was marvelous; I’d never seen anything like it.
The feel of a familiar hand landed on my back. “Having fun yet?”
I nodded, my focus not able to pry itself away. He cupped my hand, tugging me lightly.
Following his lead, we squeezed through the crowd; couples so packed together that I started to feel a little claustrophobic. Bodies brushed against mine and the only space to breathe was the air above me. Garrett stopped, finding a spot that wasn’t as congested, and turned to face me.
“Dance with me?” A small grin lit up his face, his cheekbones prominently showing on his handsome face that should be praised by every single creature.
“I thought you were hungry,” I teased.
“Food can wait,” he replied. Holding out his hand for me to take, I accepted, and he immediately pulled me closer to him. Taking both my arms, he brought them up to his neck. “There are no rules or propriety among the townspeople. You dance however you like.”
I glanced around, needing something else to do. I didn’t want to stare at him, like I had lost my damn mind, nor did I want to display any nervousness on my part. Noting other couples near us, women laid their heads on their partner’s shoulder while others had men’s hands much lower.
“Are you having a nice time?” he asked, swaying us together to the stringed music playing.
“Very much. I’ve never experienced anything so…so…”
“Normal?”
I nodded with a grin. “Yes.”
“If you enjoy this, you’d love Aruna. The people, even the Royals, are like this. Carefree and relaxed, more open to love. They appreciate life, especially after the servitude.”
“Servitude?”
“Aruna used to be a country of slaves. Telliva actually owned them.”
My eyes widened. “Really?”
“Hundreds of years ago. The Arunans banded together and fought against the Telliva soldiers to take back their land. They slowly began to steal weapons, hiding them away for years, so they’d have enough to rebel. It was started by a man named Hanri Jubru. His wife was whipped to death for not being able to work quickly enough; she was pregnant with his child.”
A sadness came over me. Being killed for something so piddling was cruel. The loss he must had felt made my stomach plunge.
“The fight lasted three months, two of them in the rain. And when the fighting was over, the Arunans overtook the castles and crowned Hanri their King.”
“How noble and heroic.” I swallowed.
“When you have a cause that is important to the people, they will come together and fight for you. Even women fought during the battle.”