The Serf and the Soldier by Holly Law

Author:Holly Law [Law, Holly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-06-18T05:00:00+00:00

Regret

The trip home was uneventful. Elara realized as they travelled that most of the men had expected her to stay. They talked about that mostly when they thought she was asleep. They all seemed to think she was being a burden on her brother and that is was inconsiderate of her to stay. Elara found she talked less and less to the other men the following day. If they noticed or cared she didn't know. She just knew she became increasingly miserable and aware of how poor her chances were of ever marrying. As Corden predicted, she did regret her choice. Yet she could not make herself turn around and go back to the town. She simply could not make herself admit to him how desperate she was.

When they arrived home, the look her mother gave her was unreadable. “I thought you went to beg that Corscan to take you back.” her mother noted as she gave her brother a hot loaf of bread from the oven. Elara wasn't given any.

“I have no interest in marrying Corden,” Elara replied. “I went to be an extra set of hands.”

“You should have stayed with him. You're of no use here and clearly the Corscan didn't know any better.”

“But…” Elara began.

“The Corscan gave her some nice presents,” Lairk told her mother. “Elara has been protective of those packages, but I know they must be something nice.”

“Well, open them up then and let me see,” her mother said, looking only mildly interested.

Elara obliged them and opened the packages. The finery looked all the more extreme on their old wooden table and poor surroundings. Her mother looked over it with a calculating look. Lairk looked impressed by what he saw.

“Lairk,” her mother began, not taking her eyes off the wonders on the table, “go get Isela for me.”

Elara was confused by the request for Lairk to get Lessie's mother. Lairk silently obliged and came back not only with Isela, but Lessie as well. Elara felt all the more inferior in their presence. Lessie was slightly taller than her and had sunny blond hair. Her skin was perfect and she was very beautiful. Lairk's admiring looks at her did not help things. No one besides Corden had ever looked at her like that.

“What beautiful things!” Lessie gasped, looking at the treasures on the table.

“I was thinking these might do for the Harvest Festival, Isela. What do you think?” her mother asked Lessie's mother. The woman was merely an old version of her daughter, but had very haughty features.

“Oh my, yes. What good timing, too. They'll look beautiful on Lessie don't you think, Lairk?”

Lairk looked a bit surprised by the question and Elara was shocked. “But they're mine!” Elara objected at once.

“Be silent,” her mother snapped at her.

“But…”

“You wearing them would serve no point,” her mother told her coldly. “Even pretty things like these could not make a homely girl like you appealing. Besides the boys decided Lessie was going to be the one to dress up this year.

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