would protect him from me?
My eyes were drawn to how my fingers brushed ever so softly across his wrist. Being treated gently and with respect was a new feeling and one that I desperately craved. We walked down farther to the guard’s stables and entered.
“Here we are, Rose.” He stopped in front of a large roan eighteen hands tall. Unlike the soft beauty of the king's horses, this was a horse made to carry a man in full armor into war. “Meet Wulfbringer, or Wulf for short.” He stepped aside and let me confront the animal, and I felt petite next to his hulking frame.
I didn’t immediately reach for his forehead, and Gaven stepped in. Grabbing my wrist, he brought it up in front of Wulf’s nostrils and let the massive horse sniff and nibble along my palm, learning my scent. His greedy lips moved across my hand the same way Jasper’s did. Feeling more confident, I brought my hand up and ran it down his long muzzle.
As I was being friendly with the horse, I saw a gathering of soldiers standing outside a closed-off area. Gaven watched me interacting with his horse with interest. I had never had eyes study me so intently; I dared not look up and meet his gaze for fear a blush would stain my cheeks.
“You haven’t been here long, have you?” he asked. “I would have remembered meeting a beauty such as yourself.” He cocked his head sideways, and I could see him studying me, a smile at the corner of his lips. Reaching into the saddlebag hung on a peg in the stall, he pulled out a carrot and broke it into three pieces, handing me one to feed Wulf.
Beauty. He’d called me beauty. My cold heart melted at his kindness. “No, I’ve only been here a few days. I came for the wedding.”
“What are your thoughts of the palace so far?”
“It’s beautiful, but….” I sighed and answered truthfully. “It’s a very lonely place.”
He handed me another chunk of carrot. “It can be lonely, if you don’t stay busy.”
“That’s true. I guess I’ll have to take up a hobby.” As the weight of his words and the promise of a lonely future sank in, my spirits dipped and I frowned.
Gaven must have noticed the change, as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. It is how it is. I can’t change my class or wish for a different future or outcome.”
“You can if you wish.”
“I cannot. I am where I’m supposed to be,” I said simply, but my inner turmoil was running rampant. I should have been happy. I was fulfilling my mother’s wish, and I held a title on paper, but nothing else that came with it. No crown, no duties, and no love in a marriage. The depressing feeling weighed heavily on me, and I was finding it hard to breathe.
My eyes strayed back to the mass of troops that had blocked off the area behind the stables. Gaven saw where my attention had gone.
“You’re not here to see the horses, are you?” His demeanor changed, and I heard the accusation. “You just want to see the body, like everyone else.”
“No! I mean… yes,” I sighed. “I'm here to get answers. I heard rumors of a beast, but what really happened?”
Gaven looked off into the distance and sighed. “Thomas knew the dangers of wandering the woods at night. He thought he was invincible. He was wrong.”
“The last I heard, pride nor rumors were enough to rip out a man's throat.”
“Maybe if he had betrayed a woman,” he chuckled.
“Is that what happened?” I asked.
Gaven cleared his throat and coughed. “No.”
“Then let me help.”
His eyes met mine warily. “He’s dead. There’s nothing more you can do.”
“There is, actually, if I can just see the body. I might tell you who really killed him and set the rumors of a beast to rest.” I cringed, hearing the words come from my mouth. How did I explain my gifts? His face would fill with revulsion once he learned what I had planned to do.
“No.”
“What?” I looked up in surprise, meeting his stern gaze.
“I can’t let his spirit wander aimlessly, haunting the palace. The sooner he’s put underground, the better.”
“What of his family?” I asked.
“He has no family.” His face was pale, his lips pinched, and I knew I had hit a nerve. It was best to leave Gaven and the subject of his dead friend alone.
“My condolences,” I said and bowed my head. I abandoned Wulfbringer and