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Aire swerved around. My face smashed into a wall of torso.

“You’re staring at me,” he said.

“I was returning the favor. Besides, I’ve never seen a knight up close before. What’s it like, wearing that cloak?”

That baffled him. “Warm and heavy.”

“I liked it better when you were waxing symbolic.”

“I know what you’re doing.”

“Sure you do. You must be used to admiration.”

His confusion doubled. “You are forbidden from lying, yet your simpering is also disingenuous. There’s no room in my heart for either, lumber maiden.”

My grin tightened. “It’s Aspen.”

Nothing short of appalled, as if I’d asked him to call meDumpling. “You must know, that’s far too intimate.”

“I don’t remember you introducing yourself as aSir.”

Aire simply turned around and kept walking. My fists bunched, the rods of my knuckles creaking as I trailed after him. This man might have stopping thinking me a liar, but not a thief.

And definitely not a freak. My pride drew the line there.

In the cottage, we got busy. We cleaned up and broke our fast with the pears, plus the rations and water that I’d brought from home. We added salted pork to our supplies, Aire reasoning that a few missing flanks wouldn’t be noticed.

We told Nicu the news once he woke up. His elvish face lit the whole room, and he threw his arms around me, and we laughed. Then he clamped a hand on Aire’s shoulder and squeezed, to which the knight grinned and did the same.

The knight’s escort should have defeated the purpose of independence. But since Nicu was Nicu, and since Aire wasn’t just a guardian but also a friend, the young man had no problem with this new addition.

I put my two cents in anyway. “He’s not asking for your company,” I said out of earshot. “Just say thatIam. Blame me and then keep your distance, give him space, let him make his own decisions. If you don’t hover, it’ll go a long way. Everybody’s happy.”

“We shall soon see,” Aire answered.

After that, we got going, the knight predicting a search party’s arrival by dusk. He covered the signs that we’d been there, restoring the home to its original state. We hadn’t used candles since last night, nor blazed a fire in the hearth, which meant no residue scent.

Outside, Aire concealed our tracks as best he could and adjusted breaks in foliage, giving the impression animals had passed through instead of humans. He moved swiftly, making me wonder if his feet even touched the ground.

The courser’s ears perked as we reached the stable. Aire stroked his palm over the creature’s withers and whispered to it. My mule hee-hawed for a sample of that goodness, elated when the knight ruffled the fluff between its ears.

Nicu claimed the mule, swinging himself atop. Aire didn’t object but hitched the beast to his own horse, I guessed because of the young man’s issues with direction? The Royal’s face twisted, knowing as much.

To compensate, the knight left plenty of slack.

I’d planned to join the Royal, but Aire strode to his horse and offered me his hand. Oh goodie, a ride on a warhorse! Even better than a palfrey!

Rubbing my hands, I pranced ahead, a delighted smugness bringing a skip to my step. The knight didn’t miss my glee. He shook his head but made no comment.

I set my carved fingers in his calloused ones. At least he didn’t recoil from the contact. Only the roll of his jaw gave him away as he helped me mount, keeping a gallant grip on my hand.

The sounds of bridle rings and straps slapping together filled the stable as I got myself settled, leery of snagging an ankle bolt in the stirrup, or showing embarrassment as my joints clattered. Once positive that I wouldn’t fall off and split an arm, Aire let go. The animal’s massive weight jutted beneath me, its hooves clomping the floor.

I blinked as Aire took flight and swooped up, landing in the saddle from behind me. I’d assumed he’d be walking, leading the march.

“Wh—,” I began.

“She doesn’t take to strangers easily.” His breath brushed my earlobe. “She is loyal; however, one cannot predict an animal’s temperament, nor its sudden desire to buck or flee. It’s safer this way, lest she disapprove of you and become aggressive.”