Wanderling's Choice by D C McLaughlin

Author:D C McLaughlin [McLaughlin, D C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780989591041
Published: 2014-01-07T23:00:00+00:00

***

That night, once again the servant arrived in her room before the evening meal. A dress was laid out for her, this time one of gold and silver. A maid appeared to style her hair.

Rhi stepped away from them.

"No," she refused.

They gestured to the dress and vanity again.

"No," she insisted. "I go dressed like this or I don't go at all."

And before they had a chance to gesture more, she walked out of the room without them.

"Excuse me. I think I know the way," she told them.

She strode alone through the castle, down the stairs and into the dining hall unescorted. The king shot to his feet when he saw her.

"My lady, you are not properly attired for dinner!" he said.

He looked at her dressed in a tunic, breeches and riding boots with a disapproving eye.

"You look like a post man!" he said in disgust.

"Then you will have dinner with a post man," she stated firmly. "And I am not your lady…yet!"

She did not wait for him to assist her, she seated herself.

Slowly he sat down after her, scowling all the while.

"Why did you not wear the dress I assigned for you?" he growled.

She looked him fully in the face. "I did not like the dress," she replied.

"There were others," he muttered. "And the jewels?"

"I do not like the jewels," she replied. "Look King Nazar. Let's get one thing straight between us. You do not like to be told no. I accept that. I do not like to have every aspect of my life dictated and controlled. You need to know this before we go any further."

She took a deep cleansing and bracing breath before continuing. "Now if anything I have recently said has displeased you, you are free to lop off my head with that sword of yours."

She faced him squarely her jaw set, her eyes blue steel, almost daring him to do it.

He just glared back at her, too surprised to know how to respond. The air between them was electric.

"Fine!" he declared at last, slamming his palms onto the table top. "It seems I am having dinner with a lady postman!"

Inwardly she breathed an immense sigh of relief. She had survived the first hurdle. Now came all the others.

"Am I having dinner with the real Rhiannon, then?" he asked.

"Yes, you are."

"Then I will speak plainly," Nazar said.

"I wish you would!" she replied. "All this senseless polite banter and small talk is quite tiring to me."

He smiled back. "Quite."

She could see the wheels in his head turning, trying to best figure out how he could use this to his advantage.

"Tell me about this horse trader who gave you that medallion," he said.

Rhi swallowed her bite carefully. "There's not much to tell really. He's a horse trader. I bought my horse from him, the horse which has suddenly gone missing and no one seems to know what happened to him. He gave me this medallion. I guess he liked me some. That's it. End of story."

"Yes, of course," King Nazar replied smiling smugly as if he suspected more than she was telling.

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